RunDisney's Princess Half Marathon Weekend Recap -Part 1: The Arrival and the Expo

On Thursday, with all my bags packed and ready to go I sat watching the clock waiting for 11:30AM to roll around so I could head to the airport and begin vacation! My aunt and cousins arrived on Wednesday night and were heading to the expo that afternoon.  I was worried they would get caught in the melee I kept hearing about on Facebook.  I heard lots of horror stories about long lines and mobs of people slamming the runDisney official merchandise booths.

I had worries of my own...  was I going to be able to make it to the expo on time?!  My flight landed at 5:00PM and I need to meet up with my mom in the airport, make our way on the magical express to Port Orleans: French Quarter, get an expo bus, and pick up our packets and shirts all before the expo closed at 8:00PM.

Luckily, both of our flights landed half an hour early and we were quickly able to catch a magical express bus!

(On our way to Port Orleans)

Once we got off the bus, we didn't even check into the hotel.  We just headed to where the expo buses were picking up people.  One of my favorite perks of the Magical Express is that you don't have to worry about your checked luggage.  We hadn't even waited five minutes and we were on our way to the expo.  We had a plan: divide and conquer and meet at the official merchandise booth.

I had to pick up my 5K bib and shirt as well as all the stuff that comes with the Glass Slipper Challenge.  This was my first challenge weekend so I was pleasantly surprised that all your Glass Slipper shirts come in one bag together.  I thought that was super awesome customer service.  I was also pleasantly surprised to find that the lines at the expo were almost non-existent and most of the official merchandise was still in stock.  I was able to score the glass slipper challenge "I Did It!" shirt, the "Powered by Disney Magic" Princess Half Marathon shirt, the 10K "I Did It!" shirt for my mom, a glass slipper challenge sweaty band and the coffee travel mug!

(My new favorite coffee mug)

After the expo, we headed back to French Quarter and finally checked into our room.  I had faxed over the room request and had participated in online check-in so I was pleasantly surprised to find we were super close to the food court and the bus stop!

(Also that Mousekeeping had been there)

We headed to the food court and met up with my aunt and cousins and I finally got to try the beignets that are on the Disney food crawl.  They were amazing!!!!

Finally, it was off to bed.  We had an early wake up call for the Princess 5K in the morning!

Splash N Dash Racecation at Walt Disney World -Day 1 (Animal Kingdom)

Let me start by saying I have total race envy right now of everyone who got to complete the Dopey Challenge at WDW Marathon Weekend (or any of the races really) or the Rebel Challenge at Disneyland.  Both of those challenges are on my runDisney bucket list.  Seriously though, congratulations to all those who completed them.

In order to make me feel less FOMO about not being at the events these past two weekends, it's finally time for some more Splash N Dash Recap.  I left off after the expo.

After the Expo, Andrew and I returned to our room at Saratoga Springs and dropped off our race stuff.  I also had to grab my Donald Mickey ears for our afternoon in Disney's Animal Kingdom.  I definitely wish I had more pictures for this one.

Since we had to wait forever for a bus back to Saratoga (seriously, every other hotel had 2 buses show up before ours did), I had to push back our Fastpass+ for Kilamanjaro Safaris.  Fortunately, I was able to do so and before long we were off on our first attraction in Disney World.

Confession: I have never been a huge fan of the safari.  I love animals, but I don't often get to spot them.  This time however, one of the giraffes must have known it was half marathon weekend because he was running all over the place!  This picture is him stopping for a snack:

We were starving after our safari ended, but our Expedition Everest window was about to open.  We headed over to Asia and rode Everest.  Disco Yeti was actually working!  I don't think I've ever been on the ride when the audio anamatronic was working but it is truly wonderful.  The stand by wait was only 10 minutes at that time, so we obviously rode again.

We finally had time to stop to eat before our next Fastpass+ at Dinosaur (but really, Countdown to Extinction).  Andrew got his lunch at Flame Tree BBQ, however they don't have any vegetarian options on the menu, so I was out of luck.  Luckily, I was able to get a quick-service veggie burger not too far away.  It was spicy, but pretty tasty.

After lunch, we still had about fifteen minutes before our Fastpass+ window opened.  Who do we see walking by, but Safari Donald.  Donald is both mine and Andrew's favorite character so we obviously had to stop for a picture:

Donald Duck is #1! (He was also a big fan of my ears)

After riding Dinosaur, which is actually one of my favorite attractions, we had one final stop to make... I had to meet Dug!

I absolutely LOVE Up. And I wore my "Adventure is out there shirt for this occasion!

I really enjoy Animal Kingdom...but it was time to park hop to Epcot!

Wine & Dine Half Marathon (Splash & Dash) 2014 -The Expo

Life has been absolutely nuts with the holidays sneaking up on me so quickly and getting out of my routine.  Things are finally calming down, just in time for Christmas to make everything busy again!

About a month ago I ran rundisney's Wine and DIne Half Marathon which has been renamed the "Splash and Dash" half marathon. I'll recap that race soon, but I'll start at the beginning with this post...the EXPO!

It was so much fun to spend this weekend with my BFF from college, Andrew.  About a year ago, I convinced him that running a half marathon was an excellent idea and that we should go to Disney to do it.  Luckily for me he agreed, and we spent the better part of the last year texting each other (we live 11 hours apart) conversations like this:

K: Remember that time we're going to Disney World?
A: I know!!!

I arrived in Orlando late Thursday night and then eagerly and impatiently waited for Andrew's flight to arrive.  Finally, I saw him heading toward the Magical Express terminal, our designated meeting place!

Soon we were on our way to Saratoga Springs.  Andrew is DVC so we booked through his membership, and Saratoga was a host resort.  Having run this race last year, that was a relief for me.

After getting lost in the dark trying to find the room, we finally arrived.  One of my favorite touches is the mouse ears left by Mousekeeping!

Having never stayed at Saratoga Springs before, I took pictures of everything, including the room number!

We were in the Carousel building.

Such a pretty resort, just after sunrise.

We planned to get to the expo as soon as it opened at 10:00AM on Friday.  I absolutely require breakfast in the morning and I was so excited for some Mickey waffles.  I loved that there were three small waffles rather than one big one, everyone knows the ears are the best part!

Everything tastes better when shaped like Mickey, am I right?

After breakfast, we headed over to the bus stop and waited in the first line of our trip:

Race weekend transportation is the number one reason to stay at a host resort.

Before long, we were on our way to the expo.  Once the bus arrived, the line moved rather quickly and we arrived at Wide World of Sports just before the expo opened.

 

One thing to know about the Wine & Dine Expo is that packet pick up is in a separate location from shirt pick up, vendors and the rest of the expo.  While it initially sounds like a pain, it really helps to dissipate some of the crowding. We headed to packet pick up first. I didn't have much of a line to pick up my packet:

I'm still so proud of myself for being in Corral A!

I was very excited for the countdown...Andrew, not so much!

When we headed to the shirt pick up location, I was surprised that it wasn't that crowded.  Bonus points for having women's sizes this year...my shirt actually fits me! It was then that I realized where all the crowds were: at the official merchandise booth!  What a zoo!  I fought through the crowds and decided to tempt fate by buying the I Did It! shirt.  Yes, I was one of those souls that bought the shirt with the backwards arrows...not going to lie, it makes me love it that much more!

Finally we left the expo because we had Fastpass reservations at Disney's Animal Kingdom to be getting to.  But not before taking a quick picture:

I loved these backdrops!  Thanks for taking the picture kind stranger!

If you're here, thanks for reading this long post!  More recaps of this trip will be coming your way soon!

Wine & Dine Packing List

Tomorrow, I'm Disney bound!  I have to confess, I've been thinking about packing for this race for weeks.  I'm definitely an over-packer and I like to be prepared for all eventualities.  For most vacations, that can be unnecessary.  However, for a "race-cation" it's best to be prepared.  Here's my packing list.

Wearing on the plane:
* running sneakers
* Garmin
* baseball hat

Running Gear for the Race: 
* socks
* extra set of sneakers
* sports bras
* shorts
* capris
* running shirt
* sweatyband (minnie themed, of course)
* sweat armband
* throwaway clothes

4 Days in the Parks
* socks
* swimsuit
* pj bottoms and t shirt
* easy run clothes
* disney t shirts (3)
* disney sweater
* last years W&D shirt and hoodie
* yoga pants
* jeans

Other
* ponchos
* safety pins (usually provided, but I like to be prepared)
* watch charger
* phone charger
* race waivers
* expo coupons
* cereal
* ID/travel documents
* Magic Express ticket
* Magicband
* Cash
* wallet
* vera clutch
* string backpack
* sunglasses
* mousse, lotion, hairspray
* hair ties & clips
* deoderant
* toothbrush/paste
* CHI
* makeup

Am I forgetting anything? What do you pack for a night race?

Wine & Dine 2014 -Event Guide Released

In less than one month, I will be on my way to Walt Disney World for the 2014 Wine & Dine Half Marathon.  Now that the countdown clock is showing a lower number, I can't even begin to say how excited I am.  The trip comes at the end of my busiest week of the semester at work, and I'll definitely be ready for this mini-cation. 

I've been counting the days since the countdown number was in the triple digits, and when the number got to 30 today, I was so excited (I'm obviously counting down the days until I enter the world, not the race).  I was even more excited to see that the event guide was released!!!

You can find it here: 2014 Wine and Dine Event Guide

I already have read the whole guide *almost* cover to cover and will likely do so many more times before the race on November 8.  I'm an obsessive planner, so I like to have all the information at my fingertips. 

One thing I did notice was that the expo started at 10:00AM on Friday.  For some reason I was working under the assumption that it started at 9:00AM.  I was worried about the Fastpass reservations I had previously made.  But even with transportation to and from the expo, hopefully we can make it to Animal Kingdom by 12:05 for our 11:05-12:05 Kilimanjaro Safaris fastpass!!! Honestly, as long as I get to ride Everest and Dinosaur, I'm happy!

What are your must do attractions in Disney's Animal Kingdom?

Twas the night before the marathon....

I can't believe tomorrow is marathon Sunday.  It crept up so fast!

Today I went for a quick 1.5 mile run just to get the nerves out and keep up the run streak (day 145). I had my normal breakfast and spent the morning compulsively cleaning.

My parents arrived this afternoon.  It's so nice to have them cheering for me at the start and finish of these major races that I do.  And you can't beat having your family to care for you when you're all finished!  We went to the expo which was...underwhelming.

The Expo:

The expo was held at a different location this year.  Fleet feet is the new owner of the MVP Health Care Rochester marathon.  I'm really excited to see what they do with it in the coming years.  I was hoping to see new vendors...or at least more of them.  Maybe next year.

The race shirt was pretty cool though:

Bonus points for having a women's extra small that actually will fit me :)

Pre-Race Fuel:

I try and stick to the tried and true when it comes to a race morning.  Most runners believe in the power of pasta, but that's not me.  My pre-race meal is a veggie burger and sweet potato fries.  Today, we went to Hogan's Hideaway, one of my favorite places in Rochester for dinner and it was absolutely delicious.  We followed dinner up with ice cream at Pittsford dairy (which might not be the best pre-race food, but oh well)

Race Outfit:

I'll be running in an under armor heat gear fitted tee with nike capris.  I'll also be wearing my women run the roc sweaty band, pending weather.  With a 50% chance of rain tomorrow, I may have to switch to a baseball cap :(