Jumbo Double Dare (no, that’s not a typo)

January 30, 2014 by Meridith

When my Pooks was little, he refused to call Dumbo anything but Jumbo, because calling someone Dumbo is just plain mean.

So, while the rest of the people running on August 30th and 31st will be completing runDisney’s Dumbo Double Dare Challenge, I’ll be completing the Jumbo Double Dare Challenge. I’m sure runDisney will modify my shirts and medals for me, right? (Just don’t play Baby Mine or there will be tears.)

Of course, it’s always better with a friend or two and I’m super stoked that I’ll be running with my California girls, Jess and Cam. Oh, if you could only see the group text that was happening on Tuesday during registration. Wait! You can…

There was a lot of flailing going on previous to this portion of the message but I'll spare you that part.

There was a lot of flailing going on previous to this portion of the texts but I’ll spare you that part. You’re welcome.

I’m sure that I drove both of them crazy with my emails and texts leading up to registration, too. After all, I knew from previous years that Disneyland races tend to fill up quickly. And sure enough, this year was no exception! You can see above that only a half hour after registration opened, the Dumbo Double Dare was already at 85% capacity and quickly filled soon after. There is no time to hesitate with these races!

How amazing are these medals?!

Cameroo and I have run Disneyland together before at the 2013 Tinker Bell half so it was naturally the next step to try a challenge. This will be our first runDisney challenge and the most logical step for us, with the 10k on Saturday and half marathon on Sunday, equaling 19.3 glorious miles.

It will be Jess’ first half marathon ever! Like any good bossy friend, I’ve already been giving her tips. I know that she delights in getting emails of running thoughts at random times.

Wondering what I’ve told her thus far? Here are a few tried and true nuggets of wisdom. What can I say, I’m a giver!

1. Run a 10k race (or longer if so desired) prior to June 1. This way she will be able to provide the timed event for her pace and will be placed in the proper corral.

From the registration email: “If you did not provide proof of time at the point of registration or acquire it after you have registered, then email this information to disneysports@trackshack.com before June 1, 2014 to have your start corral placement changed.”

2. Follow Jeff Galloway’s plan provided by the world class Olympian athlete on the runDisney website. Currently, the plans from 2013 are still on the site but it’s really easy to take them and apply them to 2014. How easy? Well, I took the half plan and am following it for the April 6th half that I’m training for! (And so is Cam because we are running together and I sent her the dates/plan. See? Bossy.)

Click for the link to the beginner plan. Running less than 6 months? This one is for you!

Furthermore, there is a training plan specifically for the Dumbo Double Dare which you can check out here.

That’s basically all I’ve sent so far so I guess you all get off easy. Jess and Cam? Not so much.

209 days to go! Let’s talk runDisney! Who will we see at the Jumbo Double Dare (or, the Dumbo Double Dare)? Brooke and Vic will be at the Glass Slipper Challenge in February – who will be at that?

Special thanks to Anya for the pictures from her 2013 Dumbo Double Dare recap!

Guest post: Running the Inaugural Tinker Bell 10k for Team Lemon

January 24, 2014 by scootadoot

This past Saturday I participated in my third Tinker Bell Half Marathon weekend at the Disneyland Resort in California. 2014 was the first year run Disney offered a 10k option the day before the half marathon. Initially I had only registered for the half but after participating in the 10k associated with the Disneyland Half Marathon this past Labor Day weekend I knew I had to add the Tinker Bell 10k too, only problem it was already sold out. One of my girlfriends told me that there were spots available through Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation’s Team Lemon, I was familiar with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation having participated in and donated to their Million Mile Run last September so I requested the registration information.

September’s Million Mile Run

It took me a couple of days to commit to running as part of Team Lemon, although I wholeheartedly believe in the mission of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation I seriously questioned my ability to raise the minimum amount required for the race entry. You see, I am not good at asking people for anything, let alone to part with their money even for a worthy cause. I knew this was going to be my struggle; compared to raising money the 6.2-mile run was the easy part! I did know I wanted to do this so I sent my registration in, as soon as my registration was accepted the Team Lemon Coordinator, Jennifer Kelly, contacted me and gave me all the information I needed regarding my registration as well as what I needed to set up my fundraising page. I went about asking for donations a few various ways, I Facebooked, tweeted, emailed and asked friends and family. I started my fundraising efforts three months before the run and happily two days before the run I received the donation that put me at my fundraising goal.

The 10k was scheduled for Saturday morning so Tony and I headed down to Anaheim Thursday evening, allowing us to visit the expo on Friday. On Saturday morning we got up nice and early (a requirement for runDisney races) got dressed, fueled up and left the hotel at 5:00 am. Our hotel was only a couple of blocks away from the start line so we had no problems walking over and being in our corral in plenty of time.

The temperature was in the low 50’s when the race kicked off at 6:00 am, there were four corrals for the race taking off just about 5 minutes apart so we had the chance to watch the start four times. Before I knew it we were off.

The course was crowded as we started out down Disneyland Drive but as soon as we entered into Disneyland itself it seemed to thin out. I normally run intervals – 3 minutes running followed by a 1.5-minute walk. But I felt strong and wanted to take advantage of the course being open, so we ran straight through until we came up on the Rivers of America, where we couldn’t resist stopping for a picture. We made a few more picture stops in Disneyland before the course led us into California Adventure.

It seemed as we flew through DCA, after one last photo stop with Sully, Mike and the crew from Monster’s University we were at mile 4 and out on the very crowded streets of Anaheim.

This was the part of the run that I thought we’d be able to really open up and get some good running in. We bobbed and weaved through the next 2 miles, once we got close to the corner of Katella and Disneyland Drive we were greeted by the cheering of all of the awesome spectators. We ran into the finish and collected our medals.

I went out and ran but it wasn’t about me this time. I felt honored to be able to run as part of Team Lemon and to raise funds and awareness for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. I would love to run for Team Lemon again in the future and I will continue to support and donate to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.

Have you ever run for Team Lemon or raised money for another organization/charity? We’d love to hear about it in the comments! And make sure to check out Vic’s pictures from her own trip, with special guest star, Heather.

Heather is a mom, runner, crossfitter and contract administrator. She blogs at Heather in the Middle and can be found on Twitter at @hsb0372.

Adventures in Anaheim: Tinker Bell Half Marathon weekend

January 21, 2014 by vfreile

I flew across the country, then I flew 13.1 miles through Anaheim!

A whirlwind weekend of food, fun and running brought me to the Happiest Place on Earth for the second time in a year. I planned to visit with friends, cheer my dear Heather as she tackled runDisney’s inaugural Tinker Bell 10K and run the Tinker Bell Half Marathon.

My time in LA zipped by in a flash. Rather than share my traditional race recap just now, here’s a few of my favorite photos from the weekend. And be sure to tune in Friday, when Heather shares her adventures running the Tink 10K for Team Lemon!

Heather and I wandered through the expo!

Then we drank our lunch at the Disneyland Hotel

I worked at the Sparkle Athletic booth on Friday with Kelly (Tink!)

We watched the sun set at the pier at Huntington Beach Friday night. Then we inhaled a delicious dinner.

Here I pose with Tara at the start of the Tinker Bell 10K. Congrats to Tara for finishing third in her age group, while still stopping for a photo!

Pal Mindy prepares three of her students to run their first-ever 10K. They ROCKED it! Great job girls!

Julie (aka Donald) tackles some runner’s yoga!

Cheering Tinker Bell

Freezing Minnie Mouse

Tinker Bells cheer for 10K runners.

Heather and Tony race to the finish. I chased her down to get this pic.

Before I knew it, it was Sunday morning and time to race 13.1 miles. I ran with Kelly and we laughed our way through the course, stopping to pose with all of the characters and finishing in under two hours. I’ll share more about my own race experience later this week.

Editor’s note: Click here for Vic’s race review!

Have you run the Tinker Bell half marathon or 10K? Have you run a race at Disneyland? Did you see me cheering for you? Tell us about your Anaheim race experiences in the comments!

Guest Post: WDW Half Marathon

January 15, 2014 by scootadoot

I signed up for the WDW Half Marathon very last minute (early December through a travel agent), and was not very prepared for it training wise after being sick for the majority of December. With the 10K the day before, I knew that the half was going to be tough and long no matter what I did, and I was right!

If you read my blog about the 10K, you know that I had to wait 40 minutes to start for the 10K, and I was in corral E. After that, I had no idea how long I’d have to wait to start the half when I was in corral I. The half start was structured a lot more like Wine & Dine with only 2-5 minutes between each corral, which was good since there were 16 corrals! I actually only waited about 30 minutes for the half to start which I was happy with.

Starting out I was already sore and needing to take walk breaks by mile 1. From there I went into the race with the mindset, as long as people keep passing me I’ll be ok! It’s when they stop passing you that you know you’re in trouble.

With the new mindset I had a lot more fun! I focused on getting to the Magic Kingdom and to the characters I wanted to take pictures with. The half has A LOT of spectators throughout the course, which is great encouragement! Not only are they cheering you on, but it’s always fun to see the creative signs they make. With the help of the crowds and knowing the feeling of running down Main Street, I made it to the Magic Kingdom! This is about 4.5/5 miles into the race.

I love Disney races because of all of the pictures I take with the characters on the course. I always buy the photo package, so I purposely stop for as many as I can, and make Shutterfly books for each race weekend. While I have a lot of character pictures, Disney continues to surprise me and adds characters I haven’t seen or stopped for before on course! It literally took me an hour to get through Magic Kingdom because of all of the character lines I waited in! But I did get so many great pictures throughout the day.

Back on the course, I was struggling! My legs hurt and I was having a hard time sticking to longer running intervals. A good thing to know too about this race is the course is VERY narrow. Most of the roads are only one lane. This means if you wait an hour on character lines, you’ll be towards the back of the pack with all of the walkers. This isn’t a bad thing, I was walking a lot too, but know that if you do plan on trying to run, it’s a lot of weaving in and out of people or running on the grass around everyone.

I was really impressed with all of the character stops they added throughout the non-park portion of the course. Again there were characters/costumes I had never seen before, i.e. golfer Mickey! Last year, this was my first race ever; I didn’t stop for any character pictures and don’t remember how many there were to compare to this year, so I was pleasantly surprised this year.

There is nothing like seeing that 13 mile marker and knowing you’re almost there! Disney is extra special for me because you have some of the fab five waiting for you and cheering you on at the finish. I might have even stopped a few feet before the finish line to take a picture with Goofy!

Crossing that finish line is a feeling that never gets old. Whether it’s a 5K or a Marathon, you accomplished a huge feat! You overcame obstacles however big or small, and no one can ever take that away from you. This was my 4^th half, and race anniversary, and an overall great experience!

Pros:

Running through Magic Kingdom and Epcot
Running through the Castle!
Lots of character stops
Lots of spectators and motivators along the way

Cons:

Tight course
Lots of participants!
Super early morning start (3:15 wake up call)
Running on exit ramps (aka hills of death!)

Meredith is a 29 year old living in South Florida. She started her running journey with the 2013 WDW half marathon and has been hooked on RunDisney ever since! You can find her on Twitter @MSchechter1218 and over at her blog, justanordinarygirlinfl.

Have you ever ran back to back races? Do you take it easy the first day so you can push the second? Or vice versa?

Guest Post: WDW Marathon Weekend Expo and 10K

January 15, 2014 by scootadoot

Most race weekends start out by traversing the expo. RunDisney races are no exception, and with a race weekend with 50,000 runners, I was dreading the expo! I must say, they made improvements from last year! I was lucky and was able to go Wednesday morning, only about an hour and a half after it opened, and I went in with a plan. I headed straight to the RunDisney merchandise, as I knew there were a few items I wanted and I was hoping the lines would be short.

For those of you that are looking to run your first RunDisney event, something I always get is an “I did it” shirt! These have the course map on the back, so it’s a great souvenir for each race I do! In the past they have only carried these for races 10 miles or longer. If you are doing the 10K, they only have 1 shirt and it’s not an “I did it” shirt. I’m hoping they add more options in the future, but for the two 10Ks I have run for Disney, this has been the case.

A change they made this year was having 2 levels of booths for picking up your bibs, which meant that I didn’t have to wait on a line for the first time ever! They also added more vendors into the stadium area. While this allowed for more options, that meant that there were 3 buildings you needed to explore.

After surviving the expo, it was time for my first race! This year was the Inaugural 10K, featuring none other than Minnie Mouse! This was a new distance and new course to be excited about. The start of the race was reminiscent of the DL 10K, in which people didn’t really know what was going on. While the corrals were organized, we didn’t know when we were going to start. At the Wine & Dine there were about 2-5 minutes between each corral, so my assumption was that was how the 10K was going to run. Well, I was wrong, and there were 10 minutes between each corral. Being in the last corral, meant that I waited 40 minutes to start!

I was a little frustrated waiting around, but once the race started I had a lot more fun! The course starts out running about 2.5 miles on the roads, which is pretty normal for Disney events. We entered Epcot in China and ran halfway around the world past France, and exited through the back entrance. From here we ran around the Boardwalk and passed the Swan and Dolphin as well as the Beach and Yacht Club. This was the only area that I saw some spectators, and there weren’t many, but that could’ve been because I was so far back!

Heading back into Epcot, we came in next to the Figment ride, and went around Spaceship Earth and out to the finish line!

Overall I liked this race! I think it’s great that RunDisney is offering an in between distance for runners. Half Marathons are a big undertaking and it’s great that there is another option longer than a 5K for runners of all ages and abilities. Personally, I will try and stay a legacy runner for this race and the Enchanted 10K (Princess weekend) because I enjoy the 10K distance so much! I also can’t turn down a chance to dress up in a costume for a race. 🙂

Pros:

Love the 10K distance
Course was easy and enjoyable
Liked seeing “different characters” (Football Goofy and Mushu)

Cons:

Long wait between corrals
Not many spectators
Not many character stops or entertainment along the course

What’s your favorite race distance? Have you participate in a runDisney event (or will you be at the upcoming weekend’s Tink race)? What do you look forward to most during a race?

Sure, I’m Dopey

January 13, 2014 by vfreile

Last weekend, I cheered friends from afar as they ran through Walt Disney World during runDisney’s annual marathon weekend.

Some ran the family fun run and other ran the inaugural 10K. Some ran the half and others ran a full 26.2 miles on Sunday morning.

More than 50,000 runners participated in the WDW Marathon weekend last week, and among them were about 7,000 runners who ran ALL THE RACES as part of the inaugural Dopey Challenge.

That’s right. Four Days. Four races. 48.6 miles and six incredible medals.

All the medals my friend Kristin earned! (photo courtesy Bamagirlruns)

Last year I ran the Goofy Challenge (a half marathon and a full marathon over two days). I decided to skip the event this year and cheer from afar. And in 2015, I’m planning to return to the WDW and complete the Dopey Challenge.

And I think I *might* be able to convince Meri to tackle her first marathon at the same time! Who else is with us? We’re taking names!

I think I may have to run @rundisney‘s #DopeyChallenge in 2015! This year’s finishers made 48.6 miles look just magical! #runDisney #ruchat

— Victoria Freile (@vfreile) January 12, 2014

Congratulations to all the Dopey Challenge finishers and all marathon weekend participants!

Have you ever run a runDisney “challenge?” Would you consider running Dopey?

Chick Chat: Wine and Dine half recap (no really!)

November 18, 2013 by scootadoot

Whew!

We’ve been writing about our runDisney race weekend for days are but we’ve finally arrived at the HALF recap! If you’re looking for recaps of the kids races, the expo, or our pre-race shenanigans… well, you’re not in the right place. But if you want to hear how we fared during the actual race – this is the spot!

Ta-dah!

Vic and Brooke stuck together throughout the race, starting in corral C while Mer and Cam experienced the race alone. But not really alone! And for that reason, we’ve decided to go Chick Chat style with this post.

Vic and Brooke (corral C): We piled into corral C with friends Traci, Ray and Aaron. None of our happy crew planned to sprint 13.1, especially since our last few Disney runs were incredibly hot and humid.

So we stuck together as the fireworks sparked over the start line and sent us on our way. We quickly lost Ray and Traci as they zoomed ahead. Brooke and I ran side by side as we logged the miles – two happy Mouseketeers in matching costumes.

We giggled and chatted about recent life events as we ran. We waved to the fastest runners leaving Animal Kingdom just past the 5-mile mark as we headed toward our first theme park of the night.

The front gates were open and a huge, stunning Christmas tree welcomed us inside. We headed into the park and wound through the pathways of the park.

I spotted a restroom near Expedition Everest, and shouted to B that I’d catch up, then peeled off to use the facilities. A short time – and a short sprint – later I caught Brooke and Aaron at the tail end of the park. Success!

We waved to Cam as she passed us on the other side of Osceola Parkway. The final corral of runners was followed by an Army of street cleaners that tidied up after the crowd of 14,000. We paused around mile 7 so Brooke could use the facilities as well. Then again, we were on our way.

We settled into our happy pace, and headed into Hollywood Studios . We laughed about our amazing surroundings , we disco-danced our way through the backlot tunnel and we sashayed our way down the Streets of America, completely decked out in its “spectacle of lights.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSR1Hf7m2GE&w=640&h=480]

We cheered as we passed into double digits.

“Let’s pick up that pace!” Brooke cheered. Oh, and we did. Our last two miles were by far our fastest. We sped up and passed runners left and right. We cheered for them, we cheered for each other and cheered for that finish line as we crossed second apart.

For me, the run was incredible. It was a celebratory race, six days after I ran NYC Marathon. (I still can’t believe I successfully ran a full and a half one week apart!) The run capped off a successful fall training season and two huge PR races. It reminded me why I love to run, and why I’m so blessed to have such incredible friends and support from so many across the miles.

Mer (corral G): Cam, Heather and I said adios to Vic, Brooke and Traci as they headed to the A-F entrance. We found the second corral entrance and said our goodbyes and good luck. As we peeled off into our own corrals, I ate a PocketFuel and realized just how alone running alone can feel.

Don’t get me wrong, I run alone. Often, even! But this was the first time I was surrounded by a slew of runners and didn’t know a soul. The feeling quickly passed as I fell into the zone that I usually find prior to running a race. When I signed up for this race in March, I had visions of a PR dancing in my head. However, with my quad injury in September/October and my heel pain that manifested during the week, I just wanted to finish and to cross the finish line with a smile on my face.

I made the decision not to have my phone out, not to take pictures and just to move forward.

There was a moment of silence for the veterans, as it was Veteran’s Day weekend, and then corral A was off. The new corral system (more corrals and a shorter wait time between each) seemed to work really well and we moved forward quickly. Mickey and Minnie were around to send off the first few corrals before they skedaddled, which struck me as odd. I mean, maybe they wanted to get to Epcot before the hoards?

Soon we were off! I really liked the course, visiting Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Epcot was awesome and very different from the Princess half course. While running toward Animal Kingdom, we were able to see the leaders of the race on the other side of the road, approaching the 10k mark. That’s always inspiring!

Running through Animal Kingdom was great, despite with the animal aroma that hit as soon as we entered the park! From what I understand it was warmer than some people had expected but I was comfortable from start to finish, relishing the cool breezes that kicked up occasionally.

There were portions of the course that I wasn’t feeling AT ALL. The road toward Hollywood Studios was slanted pretty severely and didn’t feel great on the hips. I tried to even out my gait as much as I could and be light on my heel since that was the one that was coming down harder during that stretch.

I’ll be honest, I was surprised that there wasn’t more entertainment on this course. I understand that it’s late so the marching bands and cheer squads might not be able to make it but I expected more, especially on the access roads.

Hollywood Studios was a welcoming sight and we spent a good amount of time running through that park, miles 9 – 11, which was amazing. The Osborne Lights in Hollywood Studios was so incredible that I had to break out the phone and video a couple of seconds! Apparently Brooke and Vic had the same idea – it’s just THAT cool.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f3L4BouIEU&w=853&h=480]

Heading out of Hollywood Studios to Epcot, there was an announcement warning that the course narrows. And boy, did it ever! It was pretty crazy over there and I was grateful when we finally reached the boardwalk portion for two reasons: more room and there were some spectators out, cheering on the runners! On an otherwise quiet course, it was really nice to have that support and it continued into Epcot.

My heel was not happy but the rest of me was as I rounded the final corner and saw the laser lights they had set up just before the finish line. I could hear the announcer and I flung my hands up in the air (and yes, I waved them around like I just didn’t care) because I had finished. I didn’t set any course records, didn’t PR, but I felt amazing! Beyond infinity!

As I collected my half medal and then my Coast-to-Coast I got hugs from both volunteers and thanked them profusely. I was the happiest I’d ever been at the finish of a half marathon and felt really good about what I’d accomplished.

Cam (corral L):

Yep, the very last corral. Somehow when I had registered, I neglected to put in a projected finish time. So I was stuck in the very last corral. We were slated to run at 10:40 p.m., which seemed like hours away. But after the first fireworks sounded, the line seemed to move quick. Before I knew it, I was weaving through the traffic. I must commend runDisney for their awesome use of fireworks. All corrals received an explosive send off!

If you read my previous post, How Not to Train for a Half-Marathon, then you already know I was ill prepared for this race. Meri turned me on to the run 3, walk 1, and I figured that, along with walking through water stations, would get me through the 13.1 relatively unscathed. I didn’t have a timepiece, so I counted my steps instead. I’d count to 60 three times, then walk for 60 steps. This provided a welcome distraction and for the first 6 miles, I felt fabulous, especially after seeing two of my fellow Mouseketeers on the other side of the Parkway. I also felt envious as they were coming up on the half-way mark!

Running through the Animal Kingdom was great relief. It seemed to be cooler in the park and I relished in the breeze. I’m from Southern California so the heat didn’t effect me as much as the humidity. Despite it being well into the night, I was immediately drenched in sweat. I was sweating from my arm pores…my arms! As I said goodbye to the Tree of Life and headed back along the Parkway, my enthusiasm started to diminish. So far I was keeping my 13 minute mile pace and I was trying to stay with a couple who were also run/walking the race. The gentleman had a super loud watch that beeped at the intervals and that was enough to motivate me to keep pace with them.

It was around this time that I puked. I had fueled pretty well, I thought. I had pasta for lunch, a peanut butter and banana sandwich for dinner, and I snacked on some Honey Stinger chews during the first half of the race. I started feeling crampy so I grabbed some Powerade at the next hydration station. I’d been drinking only water until this point and changing things up seemed like a good idea at the time. Not so much. I would realize in the next few days that I actually had a stomach flu. But at this point I thought I could possibly remedy the turmoil going on in my stomach.

It was all downhill from there. And I mean that in the worst way possible. Shortly after entering Hollywood Studios, I started to have a lot of pain in my left Achilles tendon. Combined with the constant cramping in my stomach, I was pretty wiped out. My walking time started to get longer, and I stopped counting. I was in survival mode at this point. I was feeling pretty shitty about my pace and it wasn’t until I saw the fantastic Osbourne Christmas lights that I decided to call it. No, I didn’t quit the race. I just quit worrying about the time and I started admiring the sights.

Running along the lake, I could see what I believe to be a giant golf ball in the distance. I wasn’t exactly sure where the finish was but as spectators began to line up along the course, I knew I was getting close. I could hardly run at this point, so I walked a little then ran a little and just focused on putting one foot in front of the other. I’d never been so relieved to see the finish. I slowly walked back to meet the other girls, my two medals clinking around my neck. I was exhausted and my digestive system was wrecked. And I had no intention on wining or dining.

But I finished. I don’t know how I got there, but I did! Sure, it took me 3 and a half hours, but, hey, finishing is always my PR.

Brooke:

Once Vic and I crossed the finished line, we were ready to change and meet up with some of our pals who had already made it into the After Party.

We found Traci, grabbed our complimentary drinks (beer for them and the cutest little plastic wine goblet for me), and headed towards the park entrance.

Cheers!

Once inside, we had to navigate through crowds of spectators and racers to get to the World Showcase. Once there, we headed straight for Canada to meet Ray and eat some of their amazing cheese soup- I look forward to it every year.

There weren’t many lines at this point, just a lot of dancing, chanting, happy Disney employees. As one would expect from Disney, they do a lot to make these events magical for everyone. From congratulating you on your race, to staging a dance party in front of their food kiosk, the park workers ensure that the post-race party is a time for celebration.

After a visit to the craft beer tent (Abita Purple Haze for me), it was time to meet Meri. We hugged, chatted about our race experiences and I ogled her collection of medals. Then we checked instagram, natch, to catch up with our other friends. We immediately knew we had to find Lisa to congratulate her on her PR.

Who PRs at a Disney race? That girl! Congrats Lisa!

We found Vic, Ray and Traci in Germany, and hoped we could grab a pretzel, but the lines had grown and it was time to meet Cam. Mer and I circled the Showcase (Bonjour France! Next time, keep the creperie open, s’il vous plait) and headed back to the entrance. We congratulated Cam and then trekked to the bus to head back to my hotel. At 2am, all walks seem to last forever. We came, we ran, we medaled. It was time to go the eff to sleep.

What a difference a few years makes. I ran my first Wine and Dine in 2011 by myself, and celebrated with my husband at the after party. And by “celebrated,” I mean I was too sore to enjoy anything. This time, I got to hang out with so many friends, meet new people and run with a pal. I love being a part of this community.

As for my own race performance, I had hoped to run 10 minute miles and that’s exactly what I did. Thanks to Vic for keeping me entertained! Next up for me is a return to Disney for the Glass Slipper Challenge, but in the meantime, don’t expect me to sit and rest. I have plans…

Have you ran a night race before? Were you at this year’s Wine and Dine or have to participated in past years? Tell us about it in the comments!

Wine and Dine appetizer aka pre-race fun!

November 17, 2013 by scootadoot

Hey there, hi there, ho there! Mer here with a little pre-race recap.

Four of the six Scoot a Doot Chicks met up last weekend for the long awaited, highly anticipated runDisney Wine and Dine half marathon.

We were excited to see each other and our friends, both new and old. “Running time” seems to both fly and drag, seeming both at once. When you sign up for a race eight months in advance, you never know what twists and turns will come along during those months!

There are a few tried and true methods to our pre-running madness, especially when it comes to Disney. Read on!

1. Dress you up in my love

Costumes have become common practice at Disney races and as soon as the four of us signed up for this one, we began discussing our options! We settled on Mouseketeers because it’s pretty darn adorable (and pretty darn easy – says the girl who didn’t make the shirts).

Shirts were made with TLC by Brooke, skirts are from Sparkle Athletics, and ears are from the mouse!

Of course, my husband didn’t actually realize we were Mouseketeers until I said something in passing after the race and the light bulb went off in his head.

Yeah.

2. Visiting the Earl

Heather, Traci, Mer, and Vic

Whether it be the night before the race (as was the case at Tink) or the afternoon of the big race, we love carb loading with bread! I mean, to be fair, I just love bread in general but when I get to put a label on it like “carb loading” it sounds much more official, doesn’t it?

Sandwiches are a natural choice, especially when there’s an Earl around – we are talking royalty here, after all. While Downtown Disney was teeming with people, we were able to find a table outside and enjoy our meal and the company of each other!

3. Preening and being silly

Cam, Lisa and Meri

Brooke graciously offered up her hotel room to anyone who wanted to meet up before and eat a little snack, do a little costume prep (ie – we all had different pieces of Cam’s outfit who’d arrived the morning of the race from CA), and just be silly together.

One of our favorite Canadians, Lisa, came to hang with us and we all listened to music, figured out creative ways to spread almond butter on wheat bread (a Nilla wafer is a fantastic knife AND you get to eat the cookie after), and sort got hopped up on hanging out with each other. Once it was time to get on the shuttle to the start, we were downright punchy.

To the point where one of the security guards asked if we had been drinking. HIGH ON LIFE, SIR!

4. Texting feverishly with friends

Once you arrive at Disney races, there’s usually lots of time to hang out and wait for the race to begin. At the Wine and Dine this is especially true because everyone must be bussed to the start line and the shuttle service only goes until 8pm.

What’s a runner to do?

Well, if you’re me, you try and get all your people in one central location and bask in the sheer awesomeness that so many people you love are ALL AROUND YOU.

Sparkling!

Heather took a short detour before catching a bus from EPCOT and Lisa joined her family to head to the start so we re-met up (after frantically texting each other, natch).

Lisa and Heather, maxing and relaxing

My new meetup friend, Meredith, also joined us!

Of course, the texts from outside the Disney World radius were blowing up my phone too! Darling friends like Keri, Amanda, and Anne who weren’t there with me physically but cheering from afar.

5. Hitting the facilities

Taken at Animal Kingdom, a few days prior to the race.

When you’ve arrived at a race two hours prior to the start time and have been hydrating all day, it sort of goes without saying that you’re going to be visiting these bad boys. In my days prior to being a runner, I can tell you the number of times I had used a porta potty.

Zero.

Now? Well, I pray for the best while waiting in line. I ask the person just ahead of me who is coming out of the little box if it’s bad (it’s NOT bigger on the inside). A little fair warning never hurts, right?

Good thing about a night race? You can’t see nearly as much in there! Plus Disney has little hand washing stations outside the rows.

I visited the porta pots twice prior getting into my corral and didn’t have to stop throughout the race. Additionally, a race photographer took a picture of Brooke and I together on the line so we’ll always have that memory together.

6. “Resting”

How do you rest while surrounded by fun, amazing people, and a DJ whose sole job it is to pump, pump, pump it up, encouraging everyone to get up and dance to all the songs they’re playing?

It’s not easy. My arms were itching to YMCA. However, my mind was saying, “Meridith, you should be in bed by now. You took it easy all day. Since you decided to sign up for a half marathon that starts at 10pm, and since your heel already throbbing and you haven’t even started running, mayhaps it’s in your best interest to plunk yourself down on the grass and wait.”

Which is exactly what I did until we were summoned to the corrals. It helped exponentially that my friends were also of this mentality as well and we all spent the time before the race the best way possible: together.

What’s your favorite way to carb load prior to a race? Have you ever ran in costume? What are your feelings on porta pots?

Wine and Dine Expo Expert

November 16, 2013 by scootadoot

Victoria here!

I spent much of Friday at the race expo, in part to collect my bib, in part to visit with friends and in part to get a bit of work done.

Brooke, baby J and I arrived at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports around opening time. We immediately retrieved our race bibs and changed Brooke’s corral placement so we could run together in C.

We collected our race shirts -love them- and set off to shop!

A few of the Chicks’ favorite vendors were at the site and we wanted a few souvenirs. We got some much needed fresh Balega socks and each bought a Sweaty Bands headband to coordinate with a costume for a future runDisney race. Baby J picked up an item too – yogurt!

Nom!

There was a bit of everything for the runner at hand – fuel, socks, sneakers and official race gear included. And by going early, we didn’t have to battle the crowds.

Shortly before Brooke and I parted, I heard my name yelled from across the room – “Victoria!” I turned and saw Tinker Bell herself, my pal Kelly! Hooray!

We chatted for a while before I scooted off. I visited with a few more friends, including the lovely Capt. Linz, who I’d been itching to hug! Mission accomplished!

I ultimately settled down at the ESPN cafe for a few hours to get some work done and grab a bite. I chatted with a few friends while there, and of course, downed my lunch in an embarrassingly speedy pace.

By mid-afternoon, my dear Meri and my friend Traci both arrived and we all repeated the expo process. Along the way, Traci spotted champagne. We got a few glasses and toasted the weekend!

Cheers to friendship and fitness!

runDisney’s Kids Races

November 15, 2013 by Meridith

If you read Scoot a Doot on the regular, you know that we surprised our kids with the trip to Disney. Well, the surprises just kept on coming throughout the week.

On Wednesday night I picked Aunt Victoria up at the airport, only to have her scare the living daylights out of them the following morning. Seriously, I wish I had video of her jumping out of the bed from under the covers and their reactions. I’m so mean. After their heart rates slowed, we surprised them with a breakfast at ‘Ohana.

And we also surprised them with the runDisney Kids Races on Saturday morning! Ever since the kids caught wind of mommy heading to Disney World and Disneyland for races, they wanted in on the action. I mean, duh, who wouldn’t?

While I was at packet pick up the previous day for the half, I also got their shirts and bibs. runDisney is really good about getting the whole family involved on race weekend, with Kids Races and 5ks (along with the longer races). The Kids Races had Donald as their mascot, wrapped up in Christmas Lights – the boys were thrilled to see this! Little was signed up for the 200, while Pooks was in the 400 (one of his favorite distances during Track and Field).

Each of the kids bibs had a little tear off strip for us to collect the kids after their race if they were running alone. The plan was for me to run with Little and for Pooks to run alone with Jay stationed near the finish line to take pictures.

It was a nice plan. It didn’t exactly work out that way. More on why in a bit.

We got there with plenty of time to spare so the kids danced to the songs and limbered up before they went to their respective starting areas. The plan was for all the 100 heats to go, then the 200 heats, and then the 400s (I believe the mile and diaper dash were to follow). I walked Pooks over to the 400 starting line and found a nice family for him to hang out with, pointing out the volunteers in the purple shirts.

Little Dude and I headed to the 200 start area and waited as the 100 waves started going. Then, in the midst of the 100 heats… the 400 group began to round the track! I guess one of the kids misunderstood, there was a false start, and they all took off. Whoops!

Little and I both cheered for Pooks as he passed our area of the track.

He was pretty focused as he made his way to the finish line but there was a bit of a snafu as some of the little ones doing the 100 were still finishing their race. Jay snapped this picture of him just before he crossed the finish line.

The rest of the 100 heats still needed to go and Pooks got a little worried when he didn’t immediately see Jay after his race so he went up to a grown up who looked nice and asked if he could use their cell phone. He was wearing his Road ID with our phone numbers on it so he called Jay’s cell and told him where he was.

Of course, while Jay was off collecting Pooks, Little and I were running the 200. So, there aren’t any pictures of that! The logistics just weren’t in our favor but Little couldn’t have been happier. This was his first race ever and he had big plans. “Momma, we’re going to hold hands during the run. And go really, really fast! And then we’re going to cross the finish line and put our hands in the air and then I’ll get a medal!”

Naturally, that’s exactly what we did!

I think that they did a part two of the 400 but Pooks was content having done it once and being awarded his medal. Yup, my kids are all about the bling.

While we were walking toward the car I asked them their favorite part of the races. Pooks said, “Running!” and Little proclaimed, “Holding your hand!” (Insert the “awwwww” here!)

Once we got home their bibs immediately went up on their walls and their medals were hung right along side. They’re already asking when they get to run another race again. Mission accomplished!

Scootadoot

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