Taking on Tink: 3 chicks on the 2013 runDisney Tinker Bell half marathon

April 1, 2013 by scootadoot

You get three for the price of one with this race report, since chicks Cam, Vic, and Meri all participated in the runDisney Tinkerbell Half Marathon on Jan. 20, the 2nd annual women’s-focused race at the Disneyland Resort.

Backstory and race prep – Meri (not weather!)

Victoria and I planned a trip to visit our long-time bestie in LA and since she’d run the Goofy challenge the previous weekend at Disney World, she figured Tink was a good way to obtain her Coast to Coast medal. Cam lives in CA and when I told her about our plans, she quickly signed up, right before the race sold out in July.

So, what are three ladies to do when they have months before their race? Train? Well, yes, there is that. But almost as important as training, during a runDisney race, you’ve got to have a great costume! Now, let me just say that if I were in charge of costumes… well, I’d have never been in that situation because I’d never take that on. Thankfully for Vic and I, we had Cam! She’s way more crafty that either of us and came up with not only the idea for our costumes but carefully crafted them.

Now, let me just say, I had my doubts when I saw all the pieces of this costume. I thought that there was NO WAY I’d be keeping the hat on the entire 13.1 miles. But, oh, I did.

If you’re not familiar with the Disney classics, we were Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather – the three fairies from Sleeping Beauty. I was informed that I was Flora and that she’s bossy. Apparently I have a reputation…

Rock. On.

We practiced our poses and took pictures together since Victoria (Fauna) was going to run fast. And Cam and I? We were not going to run fast. Cam was just recovering from a chest cold so our plan was to just take it easy and get done.

The Disney races start early, early, early in the morning. (yes, three earlies are necessary.) Thankfully our hotel was directly across the street from the start (Best Western Stovell Inn – it was perfect and clean and exactly what we needed). We woke up at 3:30 and began with the pre-race rituals. Most people who take part in races can tell you that they have a set routine that works for them when getting prepped for a race. And mostly, they overlap with other runners.

We had laid out our outfits the night before, pinned the bibs on the morning of, and proceeded to get ourselves fueled. We’re fans of wheat bagel flats or flatbread and Justin’s nut butter because they come in handy packets that you can purchase wherever and bring along. Portable works well when you’re traveling across the country for a race.

Making last minute adjustments to our costumes (safety pins on the capes rather than the velco), pinning on our bibs, and adjusting hats, wings and double-knotting our laces, we were nearly ready to go!

We bid adieu to Vic as she headed out the door a few minutes before we did. Cam and I wrapped up in the hotel and made our way across the street, found a nice, comfy spot in corral C and waited for the race to begin.

Ready to go!

Fauna flies – Vic’s take

Everyone thought I was Tinkerbell.

I get it. I was a fairy all decked out in green for the Tinkerbell half. But no. I was Fauna and I was going to fly.

I wandered into corral A about 30 minutes before the 5 a.m. race start, chatted with a few fellow runners about race plans and runDisney. Soon enough, we were off.

Within 100 meters my hat was off my head. Near the end of mile 1, I saw a man with a stroller and a toddler in tow and asked him if he’d like a fairy hat. He enthusiastically accepted. We rounded some Anaheim streets and turned into Disney’s California Adventure Park and past a rockin’ high school marching band.

Much of what happened in the parks was a blur – I do know I stopped for dozens of pictures! (here are a few)

Running through Cars Land

World of Color by Paradise Pier – WOW!

We soon ran out of California Adventure, around mile 3, and into Disneyland, where I promptly stopped for a (blurry) pic with Mary Poppins and Burt, snapped another of Tink and one of me on Main Street USA, which is my favorite moment in any Disney race – running down magical Main Street with hundreds of other runners.

I passed by the castle and headed into Tomorrowland where I saw the Star Wars crew and surrounded by an extremely long line. Sorry Vadar, next time. May the Force be with you.

Instead I stopped to say hi to Snow White. She wished me as well as I ran into the dark. Side note: my sneakers look filthy.

I zipped past It’s a Small World, still decked out in Christmas lights and rounded onto the Land’s back lot for the next mile or so. We passed parade floats and broken parts of rides, an animal barn and more. Was able to gain a bit of time here.

We veered back into the park, through Fantasyland and up to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. Ah, how I love running through the castle!

After pausing for and tweeting a photo (thanks Siri!), I turned into Frontierland and passed New Orleans Square, where Captain Jack Sparrow was all alone outside the Pirates of the Caribbean, one of my favorite Disney rides.

Capt. Jack told me to beware because the photographer had a hankering for fairies. So I bolted.

The course took me out of the Land and through Downtown Disney, then past the Disneyland Hotel (and mile 6) and into the streets of Anaheim, where I high-fived a moonwalking Michael Jackson impersonator.

The next few miles were a bit dull, so I concentrated on my breathing and speeding up. As I passed each mile marker, I saw the minutes tick by and I reeled more and more racers in. I dropped my pace below 10-minute miles, then below 9:30, 9:15, 9.

When I rounded a corner at mile 12, directing me back into California Adventure, I really opened up. With my pixie wings, I flew. With half a mile to go, I was down to 8:30 pace and I spotted a familiar face, Laura, from my starting corral. I said hello as I caught her and encouraged her to keep moving. She looked great and was about to CRUSH her goal time of 2:10. I assured her she was well ahead of pace (I knew since we started together) and headed off around the last bend.

I could see the finish! I sprinted through a less-than-exciting parking lot to a rather-thrilling finish! I was all smiles as I crossed the finish line. 2:07:23 Top 10^th percent, not too shabby.

Flora and Merryweather’s journey – Cam’s jam

When my east coast gals sent word they would be traveling to the happiest place on earth for a run, I jumped on board. As a lifelong Southern California resident and a Disneyland annual pass holder, running 13.1 miles through Disneyland with some of my favorite people dressed as a fairy sounded like a dream come true.

I had booked a handful of races for the end of the year, including a Ragnar Relay race in November to help keep my training on track. But with the holidays and then a supermassive head and chest cold, I found myself severely under-trained by the time January rolled around. I was really stressing about this run. Like nauseated kind of stressing. But Meri assured me there would be lots of stops and we were running for fun and so I arrived in Anaheim Saturday night to pick up my race paraphernalia and pre-race dine with my chicks.

As already indicated above, we were snazzily dressed and at our respective corrals in the wee, cool hours of the morning. Like Meri and Vic, I had planned on ditching the removable parts of our costumes, but once we started running, we were inundated with compliments. I have to say, our costumes were kickass. And we definitely got noticed! I really didn’t want to ruin the effect. So we ran in our hats and wings and capes. For 13.1 miles.

The first six miles were great. It didn’t even feel like a race. We skipped through Disney, danced to great music, stopped to chat up our favorite characters and the air smelled like candy.

The best part were the spectators. My favorite was the “Course Liar” who shouted things like “Mickey’s giving massages at the finish” and “You’re almost there” at mile 3. We high-fived dozens and dozens of the lovely ladies from the Red Hat Society and waved to little girls watching from their living room windows.

And then there were people like this who made me want to stop and hug them.

After we turned onto the streets, things started to get a little difficult. Without the magical music and candy air, I was really starting to feel my lack of training. We got news that Vic was already back at the hotel ice bathing and Meri was quite the trooper, jogging along beside me while I tried to ignore the shooting pain up my knees. Walking was worse, so I plugged along, moving my feet at an unbearably slow pace that could hardly be considered running.

Meri helped me find other things to occupy my mind.

Like taking pictures of Meri flying on street corners.

Or contemplating shopping opportunities.

Around mile 10, my knees really started to become a problem and I started to doubt my ability to finish the race. I envisioned myself getting picked up by one of those guys on the golf carts. I was starting to go to that dark place when Meri made a fabulous suggestion.

Biofreeze.

The best thing on the planet.

Look how happy I am!

I had to stop twice to freeze up my knees. I also had to stop twice in the last 3 miles to use the trusty portable toilets. I was good and GU‘d up and my digestive system was starting to rebel. I was dying for that finish line, silently cursing myself for slacking off on training, my stupid cold and my aching knees. Right as we rounded back into the park, we saw this gentleman running up ahead.

“There will be days when I don’t know if I can do a half marathon. There will be a lifetime knowing I have.” The ‘a’ was crossed out and numbers were added – this was number 20 for him.

When I read the back of his shirt, I lost it. I know this feeling, it was the same thing I thought when I started running three years ago. It was the same thing I had thought that very morning, that there was no way in hell I could do this race. I started bawling like a baby because here I was, even after so many races, still doubting myself. And then again, here I was, after 13 miles, still running and minutes from the finish. Meri grabbed my hand and we crossed the line together.

I had to remove my pointy hat so I could get medaled.

Post ice bath. Oh, the sweet, sweet glow of victory!

As Vic so graciously dumped buckets of ice into my bath, I vowed never to slack on my training again. Despite all my bodily malfunctions, I became a huge fan of the Disney race series. So much so, I’m heading to Florida with the chicks for the Wine and Dine half at Disney World so I can pick up one of those hot little Coast to Coast medals. We’ve already got costumes in mind!

Have you ever completed a runDisney race? Will we see you at Wine and Dine? How do you recover after a race – ice bath, the Stick, or something else?

Don’t be dopey about Dopey

March 26, 2013 by vfreile

I’ll admit it. I’m intrigued.

Much of me wants to run the inaugural runDisney Dopey Challenge in 2014, which was announced last week. That’s four races totaling 48.6 miles over four days of the annual Walt Disney World Marathon weekend in January.

The challenge includes a 5k race on Thursday, a new 10K race on Friday, a half-marathon on Saturday and a full marathon on Sunday.

I’d like to run it. But should I?

My concern – training.

Yes, some runners will simply register for Dopey because they adore runDisney events and its accompanying medals. Dopey will reward finishers with six medals. Six. That’s a lot of bling for a long weekend.

But runners will also need to log a lot of miles to gain that prize.

But all runners – novice through experienced distance runners – must do one thing to prepare for such a mission. They must respect the distance. They must prepare properly for the race.

Earlier this year, I ran the Goofy Challenge – a marathon and a half over two days. The experience was just that – a challenge. But I trained for months. I ran slowly. And I walked far more of the course than ever before.

And it was fabulous. 39.3 miles followed by another half-marathon one week later. I wouldn’t trade my experience for the world.

I don’t know if I should say the same about 48.6. I’d like to. But should I?

Former Olympian and distance runner Jeff Galloway, who is also a marathon and endurance training consultant for runDisney, said he is creating a training plan for runners wishing to attempt the new series of races.

“While almost anyone can adapt to this series of runs, it helps to have been running regularly, starting April 1,” he said.

Galloway said his Dopey training plan will alternate between minimal running one week and four running days in a row the subsequent week.

Minimal: This week will include 30 minutes of running on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 30 to 45 minutes on one weekend day.

Four-day prep week: Mileage will start with minimal amounts and build every two or three weeks, to race distances in December. The first three days of these weeks will be mostly walking.

“The Dopey has created an amazing response,” Galloway said. “I’m already looking forward to the weekend.”

Jeff Galloway in January, as he runs the WDW Marathon using his run-walk-run method. I ran into him on the course.

Runners considering Dopey should also consider whether they can finish each race within the challenge within the allotted time frame. Disney races give runners a more generous cushion than most distance events of up to 16-minute miles.

Galloway offered a training tool, his magic mile formula, to help a runner to determine his or her predicted race times, based on a one-mile run. While obviously the tool does not factor in stops to pose with dozens of Disney characters along the course, it gives runners a basic idea of her or her finish time – and a glimpse at whether or not the runner should attempt the challenge.

Upon running the Goofy Challenge in January, Galloway offered some advice: Walk as much as possible, drink lots of water, and slow down.

It’s not about speed, he said. It’s about completing all 39.3 miles.

The same is true for Dopey.

Registration opens April 9 and Dopey’s registration fees starts at $495.

Will you be participating in the new Dopey Challenge? Why or why not?

Part 2 of the Goofy Challenge – the marathon

March 12, 2013 by vfreile

This is it, Marathon Day. Also, it’s the final part of RunDisney’s Goofy Challenge – 39.3 miles over two days.

Yup. You read correctly A marathon and a half – 24 hours apart. Goofy it is.

We started off with the same routine as for Saturday’s half. We woke at 2 am and were again on the first bus out of the Saratoga Springs resort. Once at EPCOT, we walked to the holding pen and camped out on the exact same bench we used the previous morning. We like routine.

We were nervous about running a marathon one day after completing a half. But we were ready. After all, we were Goofy.

A little pre-race silliness with my Jennifer

Soon enough, we checked our bags, hit the bathrooms and walked to the corrals. We had a fourth crew member in tow until we reach Corral A. Our friend Ray was gearing up to run his fourth Disney marathon, with a goal of 3:40. More on Ray’s journey later. He went to the front of the corral with the speedy speedsters.

Aaron, Jen and I sat and stretched near the back of Corral A. We were there about an hour before the 5:30 a.m. start. Better early than late – I learned that in 2012 when we barely made it to our corral before the start of the Princess half marathon. Holy moly! Not the way to start a distance run, for sure.

After a quick pit stop in the woods (classy girl I am) I returned to the corral with time to spare and an extra surprise – bramblies on my lulu running skirt and inside my underwear. Sigh. Fortunately I had enough time to remove the burrs, but what a cluster! That could’ve been a fatal error.

Soon enough, fireworks sounded and the race was underway!

The day’s forecast called for extremely hot and humid weather, so we decided to slow our pace and to hydrate as much as possible.

We ran and ran and ran. This year’s marathon course was different. Like previous years it passed through all four Walt Disney Wor ld theme parks, but for the first time runners also zipped along the speedway and spent several miles on the heavenly fields at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. Aaron ran the marathon (his first) last year so he outlined some of the differences as we ran.

I won’t rehash our journey mile by mile, especially since much of our first hour was a repeat of Saturday’s run. But I’ll say there’s no race like a Disney race, which includes characters, floats and thousands of cheering spectators as you ran past some of the places where you made some amazing childhood memories.

But here are a few of my fave pics:

Jen, Aaron and me in front of the castle

Running THROUGH Cinderella’s Castle

stunning fog and sunrise on the golf course – again

As we approached the speedway, a flashing sign warned “STEEP HILL AHEAD.” Not something a marathoner ever wants to see. We laughed off the warning, since we couldn’t imagine anything to warrant such a dramatic sign. We were WRONG. Ouch.

Soon we were rewarded with the sunrise over the speedway, which was lined with all sorts of vintage cars, sports cars and characters from the movie Cars. Awesome!

After leaving the raceway, we passed the waste water treatment plant (shudder) and came across a gaggle of villains. Jen and I jumped in line to pose:

Jen and I pose with the villains!

Miles 12 and 13 sent us through Animal Kingdom. It was my first time inside the park and it did not disappoint. I met some goats as we entered the park:

(Me and a goat)

And we ran into RunDisney’s marathon training expert Jeff Galloway who graciously smiled as I snapped his photo:

Yep, that’s Jeff Galloway!

Everest! My first glimpse inside Animal Kingdom

At our halfway point, we returned to our run-walk-run plan for the remainder of the marathon. We paused around mile 15 to visit some gravediggers. HAHA!

It was wonderful to get off our feet, even for a few seconds

We made our way to ESPN’s Wide World of Sports, where we received a lovely drenched sponge at an aid station that put some pep in my step. We ran through soccer fields, baseball fields, the track and ultimately rounded the basement in Champion Stadium. That pleasure was wasted on me because I kept obsessing over the possibility of getting rocks in my shoes here. Ah well.

Soon enough, we approached the 20-mile spectacular, in which several oversized puppet-type characters lined the street and classic Mickey, Minnie and Pluto were on hand for runners to meet. Just before we rounded the corner, Jen suggested the event should include money or free park tickets to indeed qualify as spectacular. HA! Nothing compared to that suggestion, but we danced our way past the celebration.

dancing our way through Mile 20

Miles 21 and 22 took us past the little Green Army Men to Hollywood Studios, where we received chocolate at an aid station, zipped through the backlot and the tour tunnel and wound our way through the park and out the gates.

In the backlot tunnel at Hollywood Studios

Running down the streets of America at Hollywood Studios

Still running through Hollywood Studios

I high-fived a slew of spectators outside the park. Boy did that feel fantastic!

We ran and we walked. We zigged. We zagged. Now repeat. We passed the Boardwalk and entered EPCOT.

One mile to go! We zipped past the world showcase, passing France, Morocco, Germany and loads of other runners and we headed toward Spaceship Earth, the gospel choir and the FINISH LINE!

Nearly at the finish with Jen

We crossed together — and I high-fived Goofy!

I still cannot believe we ran a marathon and a half over the course of a weekend. But we did and I had the time of my life.

It was incredibly hot, so we took it easy, finishing in 5:31. Well over our expected time, but we didn’t care in the slightest. We finished and we stuck together and that was our true goal. I’d love to do it again and let her rip… 2014 perhaps?

(NOTE: I promised a recap on Ray’s race: He finished in under 4 hours, but walked a bit, something he doesn’t like to do when racing. But the heat was a factor and he listened to his body.)

From left, Aaron, Ray, Vic and Jen

Part 1 of the Goofy Challenge – the half marathon

March 8, 2013 by vfreile

We were ready to run.

After a fabulous carb-loading dinner (gnocchi for me!) at Downtown Disney Friday evening, we slept for several hours before our 2 a.m. alarm sounded.

Now let me say, my running pals are Type A early birds who would much rather arrive at the race site early rather than rush to our corrals just before start time. I agree wholeheartedly.

I should introduce you to my race partners for the Goofy Challenge, Jen and Aaron. Jen is one of my closest friends and was my first “real” friend in college. I met Aaron a few years back here in Rochester and we run together regularly.

(left to right, Jen, me, Aaron at our pasta dinner!)

So to sum up the next few less-than-exciting hours, we prepped, headed out the door for a shuttle pickup and were on the first bus out of the Saratoga Springs resort, arriving at EPCOT shortly after 3 am. We sat on a bench for a while, then checked our bags, made our way to Corral A, where we waited some more.

Finally, the fireworks went off and we started running. Within a mile, my glasses fogged up from the humidity. Awwwesome.

We zipped into the first toilets we saw – no lines! Huzzah!! But otherwise, we ran and ran and ran some more. Around mile 3, came up to the toll gates for Magic Kingdom and started chanting; “Caution runners, road narrows, speed bumps ahead.”

We got a few other runners in on the action – Hey, we had to entertain ourselves SOMEHOW.

We ran through the parking lots, past cheering crowds at the kingdom’s transportation center, toward the contemporary resort. And there it was, our first glimpse of Cinderella’s Castle on the predawn horizon.

It always takes my breath away, just for a second. We’ll be there soon!

We passed by Space Mountain – and a rather dark stretch just outside the park – and then we passed through some back gates and entered Magic Kingdom! After a loop behind the scenes at the park, we entered Main Street USA. This is always my favorite stretch of any Disney race: it’s a bit like stepping onto a stage.

Crowds of cheering loved ones and many Disney cast members lined the street. We, of course, stopped for several photos on Main Street and in front of the castle, which was covered with stunning wintry lights.

Jen and me running along Main Street USA! (jazz hands!)

We hung a right and headed into Tomorrowland – and straight to a lovely restroom with flushing toilets. One member of our crew needed a rather lengthy pit stop here. (We didn’t time it, but it was well over 10 minutes.)

Soon enough, we were again on our way. We ran toward Fantasyland, stopping by the teacups, a favorite ride of mine and Jen’s dating back 15+ years.

We passed a few more characters before it was time to run through Cinderella’s Castle! Such a magical feeling to cross through to the other side!

Cinderella’s Castle still in its winter splendor.

We ran down the ramp and veered into Frontierland. We waved to Princess Tiana, saluted Woody and Jessie, cursed Splash Mountain (for being closed for repairs) and were spooked by the idling train on the tracks as we left the park just past mile 6.

The sun peeked over the horizon as we passed parade float storage, which now also housed all of Splash Mountain’s unused log boats.

Queue the Disney-induced mist and fog over the Magnolia golf course – breathtaking! (More on that in the full marathon post.) We ran past several more resorts and headed back to the highway.

Starting mile 7, we launched our run-walk-run plan to conserve energy, our legs and our sanity for Sunday’s marathon. We walked 1/4 mile and ran 3/4 mile for each remaining mile through the end of the race.

The miles clicked off and soon enough, we entered EPCOT. The last mile loops through future world, past Spaceship Earth to the finish line in the parking lot. Just before mile 13, we passed a gospel choir jiving and singing Hallelujah!

Jen and I joined hands in the last stretch as Aaron whipped out his camera. Together we crossed the finish, hands in air.

Medal number one!

Deciding to be Goofy

March 6, 2013 by vfreile

Last summer, I thought it would be a brilliant idea to run a marathon and a half over two days. (yes, you may laugh now)

I’ve run marathons and other road races before. I figured if when I started hurting, I could always slow down or walk. It was a RunDisney race after all, and not my first, and I know how well Disney entertains a crowd. I also figured Disney magic would certainly distract me from any potential pain. So I signed up to run the Goofy Challenge at the annual Walt Disney World Marathon in January 2013.

A few months later, my best friend Meridith and I discussed running a half. On the other side of the country. One week after the 39.3 mile Goofy Challenge. I knew I was nutty, but quickly agreed and registered for the race.

Heck, what’s another 13.1 at that point, right?

Fast forward to late December.

I’d been training. I finished more races, including another marathon. I cross-trained with a week of hiking with family in Maine, some sporadic yoga and heaving logs and branches in my yard, courtesy of a 100-foot-tall tree downed by Superstorm Sandy.

Several weeks before the run, I covered a horrific tragedy. I am a newspaper reporter in Rochester, New York. On Christmas Eve, four volunteer firefighters were shot – two fatally – as they responded to battle a house fire in Webster NY. The men were shot by a convicted felon who set his house on fire and laid in wait until first responders arrived. Then he opened fire.

I still can’t wrap my head around what happened that day and in its wake. I also keep tripping upon emails from one of the victims, who I knew professionally because he was also a lieutenant and information officer with a local police department.

So I decided I would run in memory of the slain firefighters Lt. Michael Chiapperini and Tomasz Kaczowka.

Running with legends at RunDisney’s 2013 WDW Marathon Meetup

March 1, 2013 by vfreile

In January, I was lucky enough to be selected to attend RunDisney‘s Walt Disney World Marathon Meetup, held at Disney’s Hollywood Studios the Friday morning of Marathon weekend.

A friend dropped me at the park’s front gates shortly before we were asked to arrive for a 3-mile run around the theme park. After we were greeted and changed into white 20^th anniversary RunDisney T-shirts, three members of the original Disney gang passed through the gates – Mickey, Donald and Goofy.

A group of 100 or so extremely excited runners lined up to pose for pics. And while in line, I made an awesome new friend, Amanda. She and I together raced Goofy (he won) and chatted as if we’ve know each other for years, not minutes (love ya girl!)

Goofy won!

Racing Donald Duck!

Soon, we were greeted by a slew of running heroes – Joan Benoit Samuelson, the first female Olympic marathon winner in 1984; Jeff Galloway, former Olympian and master of the run-walk marathon method; distance runner Des Davila; Bart Yasso, Runner’s World’s chief running officer; running legend Bill Rodgers. Dick Beardsley, a TV and sports personality; and Adriano Bastos– now the 8-time winner of the Disney Marathon.

Being in such company was a bit overwhelming to say the least.

We were split into two groups:

– 9-minute milers with Des Davila, Joan Benoit Samuelson and Adriano Bastos

– 12-minute run/walk group led by Jeff Galloway, Bart Yasso, Dick Beardsley and Bill Rodgers

I had planned to try to the run-walk group, but when I realized I’d have the chance to run alongside some of my running heroes, I jumped at the chance. I knew I may never have that opportunity again.

Soon, we were off! I fell into step next to Des Davila and we chatted as we ran – about past races, favorite marathons, injuries and life. It was so nice to chat with her and run with her and she was so down-to-earth and lovely.

Des running down the main drag at Hollywood Studios

shooting while running

I fell off pace midway through the run – I later learned we were running 8min/miles and I AM NOT that speedy!

We paused in the middle for a photo op:

Can you see me? Des and Joan are also in this pic. Also in the pic are new friends I made at the meetup, Kelly and identical twins Malinda and Leah.

And while there, I asked Joan if she would be willing to take a photo. She agreed.

Pic by Des Davila!

As for the run itself, we ran around the park, in between rides, and into the back lot area, past a whole slew of props, including through the studios tunnel, which is part of the back lot tour. Because we ran before the park opened, it was empty and quiet, which was a bit eerie since Disney parks are always packed.

This is one of my fave pics from the meetup and is of Des and others running past the old MMC soundstage. I couldn’t resist.

We ended our run at an outdoor venue where the Lights, Motor, Action stunt show is held. They fed and watered us and soon we sat down to hear what the experts had to say. They offered great tips on wellness, strategies for the weekend races, the importance of listening to your body and more. They also all decided Des would win any footrace held today.

Photo: RunDisney, the panel discussion, that’s Galloway on the left

A few more stars popped by to say hello.

Former NFL player Eddie Mason spoke about the importance of having a strong core (hello kettlebells!).

N’SYNC’s Joey Fatone told us how he signed up for a 5k race, then offered to run Goofy Challenge in place of his wife, who broke her foot.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Joe

Photo: Courtesy RunDisney. I just asked Joey why he likes to run, Joey’s answering. Can you see me? haha

Comedian Drew Carey, who is injured so opted not to run, told us about why he charged his lifestyle –“I started running to be healthier, see my kids grow up.” Amidst what seemed to be a standup show, he also offered some very valued Price is Right advice: Let the Plinko chip fall from the middle of the board.

Drew Carey with RunDisney’s Bob Hitchcock right behind him!

After the chat and some giveaways (fantastic Disney-themed New Balance sneakers, RunDisney bags and entry into next year’s marathon) we had the chance to chat with and meet some of the speakers.

Here are a few more pics from the event:

With Des after our run

From left, Bart Yasso, me, Dick Beardsley and my friend Jenn Lazzaro

Yup- me and Joey, He’s super nice.

Adriano Bastos shows me his Mickey tattoos. He has one for each Disney marathon win. Guess he will soon be getting another!

It was an incredible experience and am so thankful for RunDisney for the opportunity to attend. I made some incredible new friends and reconnected with another. Thank you!

Swept off our feet! 2013 Tinkerbell Half Meetup

February 19, 2013 by Meridith

Meri and Vic here with our Tinkerbell Half Meetup recap!

Our trip to CA had been months in the making so when we heard about the opportunity to be a part of runDisney’s TinkHalfMeetup, an exclusive running party to kick off the Tinkerbell Half Marathon weekend at Disneyland, we jumped at the chance! For those who haven’t heard of or experienced a runDisney Meet Up firsthand, a little overview: selected runners are able to join the runDisney crew for a short early morning run/walk around the park and then are treated to meeting special folks and doing special things.

Amazing, right? We were thrilled to be able to participate and talked about it non-stop the week prior!

We arrived at the Sorcerer’s Hat by the Disneyland Hotel bright and early, shortly before 6 a.m. We had rented a car and allowed an hour to make the trek from our bestie’s West Hollywood bungalow to Anaheim. We flew there mainly because no one in their right mind is on LA’s highways so early… that’s about the ONLY time those highways aren’t jam-packed!

We were not the first to arrive as many other excited runners were already gabbing – and shivering. We quickly donned out new runDisney shirts (thanks runDisney!) and joined the crowd. It’s always a little awkward starting up conversation with people that you’ve just met but once we got started, it was easy to fall into easy conversation. After all, they aren’t just RUNNERS (which already gives you something to talk about), they love Disney just as much as we do!

(Photo credit: runDisney- we are on the left, next to the woman in the pink jacket, that’s Ali!)

Actor and Runner Sean Astin, Season 5 Biggest Loser winner Ali Vincent and Marathon training expert (and former Olympian) Jeff Galloway were also on hand. Soon enough, we set off to run-walk through Downtown Disney and the parks!

(Photo credit: runDisney)Moments later, we were running along the still-dark Main Street USA in Disneyland, chasing a golf cart with an official photographer as he snapped some pics for the parks.We ran in and around Frontierland, New Orleans Square, through Sleeping Beauty’s Castle to Fantasyland where we ran into Tinkerbell at Pixie Hollow.

Vic snapped this pic of sleeping Beauty’s castle. Seeing the park before opening was such a surreal experience; we waved to the workers who were getting ready to open the park and start the day. Yes, NYC might hold the title of the city that never sleeps but we’re fairly certain that Disney gives it a run for the money.

(Photo credit: runDisney) There’s Vic, on the right, in all black.

(Photo credit: runDisney) Meeting the fairy of the hour with some new friends!

Along the route, Meri chatted with Tara Gidus, runDisney’s nutrition expert, about pre-race fueling, treats, and running as therapy. She spoke during our breakfast about the importance of making good decisions when it comes to food, both before and after workouts.

Everyone taking a twitter break…

After the Tink meeting (and tweeting) we followed Jeff Galloway back down Main Street toward the California Adventure park.

We took over Main Street USA. Did we mention that it was REALLY COOL to have the park to our little group? IT WAS REALLY COOL!

We ran all over – past Tower of Terror, the Paradise Pier and Mickey’s Wheel and Cars Land.

Look at all of the colorful shoes, including many of the new Disney-inspired New Balance sneakers! There was a New Balance rep. at the meetup and he told us all about the launch of the much-coveted shoes. Hot ticket item (which sadly neither of us have)!

With the running portion of the morning over, we paused in Carthay Circle for a water break, and saw some familiar faces.

I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing — that it was all started by a mouse. – Walt Disney (We swear, we’re not sisters/twins/cousins separated at birth…)

We also got the opportunity to mingle a bit and chat with Ali, Sean, and Tara. Now, normally Mer is a little nervous/awkward/unsure when it comes to chatting with people she’s only just met but she followed Vic’s lead. Everyone was very down-to-earth and approachable.

Soon enough, we walked over to Cars Land where we had the chance to ride the new Radiator Springs Racers. (It opened last year.) We were thrilled as we knew this was a hot new attraction and would likely have a long line once we made our way into the parks.

Here were are, LOVING the ride. (An added bonus was that our new friends Anya and Heather were in the rear seat of our car!)

Breakfast was at the very beautiful Napa Rose in the Grand Californian and on the walk there, we had the very special opportunity to chat with Jeff Galloway! He showed off his bling (perfect 20 ring) that he received at the 20th Anniversary WDW weekend the previous week. There are 95 runners who have ran every single marathon since they first started in WDW in 1994 so they honored those runners.

Jeff offered run-walk words of wisdom. Vic told him how she’d used his run-walk-run method the previous weekend (during the Goofy challenge) and was thrilled with the results.

It went something like this:

Jeff: So I bet you passed people left and right in the last few miles of your marathon. Am I right?

Vic: YES! I had so much energy I didn’t know what to do with myself. I high-fived everyone I saw!

Jeff: That’s what I like to hear. Well done.

At Napa Rose, Sean spoke of his #Run3rd campaign in which you run first for yourself, second for your family and third for the cause of your choice. Ali told the story of her weight loss journey spoke about the importance of relying on each other for support.

Jeff Galloway spoke about his run-walk-run training technique and runDisney nutritionist, Tara Gidus, shared tips on pre-race meals, hydration and snacks.

As a final treat, Napa Rose executive chef Christine Weissman treated us to a delicious (and healthy) black bean cake with poached egg to round out the morning.

We are so fortunate and very grateful! Thanks for an incredible experience, runDisney! See ya REAL soon! Why? Because we like you!

(Photo credit: runDisney)

runDisney’s 2012 Princess half marathon race recap

February 26, 2012 by Meridith

The Princess Half Marathon aka Mer’s first half marathon!

Our bibs the night before

The night before the half, I basically didn’t sleep. I tossed and turned and generally tried to rest my mind and body as much as possible because I knew we’d be waking up at 2:45. Except I “woke up” (can it be called that if not technically asleep?) at 2:30 and we arose soon after. Threw on the race attire, Glided (and of course, I missed some key areas – which I learned later on), and bundled up in our throw-away clothes.

The bus stop was directly outside our hotel so we made our way there a little after 3am.

Brooke looking pretty at 3:10am

We were the only ones at the bus stop for a couple of minutes which was a little disconcerting but another girl wandered up soon after and she and Vic realized that they were from the same area so they chatted for a bit.

Then the buses started going past us. They were completely full and the time was ticking away. The stop filled up with more and more Princesses waiting for their chariot and there we stood. I’d say about five buses went past us.

Scary, right? We tossed around the idea of just driving there (Brooke had her car) but we decided to wait it out and finally, close to 4am, we got on a bus.

Me on the bus – don’t I look calm, cool and collected? I wasn’t, for the record. But I was happy to be on the bus.

There was a LOT of race traffic and that was ALSO disconcerting because they had said we should be in the corrals by 5am. Disconcerting was definitely the watchword.

We stopped to go to port-a-potties outside of the heavily populated area and then made our way to bag check.

Yep, this is the place!

Since we were sticking together, we checked one bag and then got into the line to get to the start. At this point, I’m pretty sure that it was after 5am.

The line to the start. Yeah. Yeah. That’s a lot of Princesses (and a few Princes too!). Honestly, I feel like things could have been different over here. The people around us assured us we were in the right place and that we were headed to the start but it felt very cattle-like. We were moving at a snail’s pace and there was really no telling exactly what was going on.

I tried really hard to be zen-like during this walk. Apparently a 20 minute walk took about 40 minutes. But really, what was I going to do about it? Freaking out wouldn’t change the mass of people in front of me and they were in the very same boat that I was. So I did the best I could to just take everything in, give myself pep talks, and know that soon enough I’d be wearing a beautiful medal around my neck.

We got to the corrals at 5:43 (I remember making note!) and joined corral C. Vic and Brooke were both seeded in A but jumped back to C so that they could stay with me throughout the race. The start for corral A happened as soon as we got into our corral so it was perfect timing, even if it didn’t necessarily FEEL perfect at the time.

At nearly 6am, the fairy Godmother gave corral C a lovely benediction and then we were off!

Our fireworks!

Fun fact – men aren’t allowed in corrals A and B so we got many of them in corral C!

Just after we past the start line there was a high school band to our left, playing us into the race with the Rocky theme, which was pretty kick ass.

And right after we started running, the three of us realized we ALL had to pee. Awesome, right? I mean, we basically stopped at the first line of portapotties we saw (my aversion to them had to cease to exist this weekend – blah!), which was only a mile and a half into the race. And, of course, the line was about ten minutes. Great, right?

Oh well! As Annie says, “When you gotta go, you gotta go!”

After that, we jumped back into the fray. The course was pretty packed, from start to finish. It felt like there was a bit more room at the beginning (of all places!) because the road was wider. Along the route we saw a pirate ship, hot air balloon and other fun stuff. I took pictures from the road and continued on because I was trying to pay attention to not falling or running into someone else.

And soon enough, around mile 4, we saw…

The Magic Kingdom ticket booths. Running through there was pretty cool! Around that time, right after we passed the booth was when we saw Rachel Booth on her way to winning the race. You know, nearly 20,000 participants and there’s the one that is going to pull into the finish line first. And? She won the Tinkerbell 1/2 in Disneyland in January. Just really cool stuff. Yeah, I totally teared up seeing her.

My first of many tears, by the way.

Right around the entrance to the monorail, we saw the villains. At least, I think it was near there. Things are a bit hazy.

I have to say the the first six-seven miles were pretty amazing. Just when I started to drag a little (around mile five) we turned into the Magic Kingdom and I saw THIS.

And then there was pep in my step once more!

Running through the Magic Kingdom was definitely the highlight of this race. It was… incredible. Really, no other word to describe the feeling that came along with it. As we approached the castle, we saw a (long) line to meet Cinderella and Prince Charming.

Now, my kiddo had asked earlier in the week if I’d gotten permission from Cinderella to run through her castle. I saw my opportunity to “ask.” So we jumped on the line, I ate a Gu and we got permission.

We made our way through the Magic Kingdom, stopping to take a picture with Jessie and Woody too. The entire race, we were looking for things that our kids would get a kick out of. I took pictures with mile markers 2 and 7 in honor of my kid’s ages. It was just a lot of fun and easy breezy.

Until we reached mile 8. Mile 8 through 11 were pretty… dull. I mean, they have things along the route here and there but it’s sort of sparse and a lot of it (since you’re running back up the other side of the highway) is the same as on the way there. I think since I hit such a high in the Magic Kingdom, it was just a little meh.

And then around mile 10 is when my IT bands started to really hurt. I was disappointed because I was doing a lot more fast walking than running, even though I WANTED to run. And every time I started running, they were complaining loudly.

That’s where the pain tears came in.

And that’s where Victoria and Brooke gave me the pep talks and the hugs that I needed. My arm kept hitting my shirt (the part I forgot to Glide) and I was getting a pretty wicked chafing burn.

Wah wah wah.

I think that’s the point where I started talking about 5ks and my love of 5ks and who really needs half marathons anyway? And Victoria pointed out the we only had 3.1 miles to go and that WAS a 5k. Logical girl, she is. She also suggested I put my music on for a bit, which I did, and it helped get me through about a mile.

And then? We were at EPCOT. And right before we entered EPCOT there was a woman on one of those scooter things holding a sign that said, “I’m cheering for you, too, complete stranger!”

It meant the world.

I pushed the knee pain aside, as much as I could, to finish the race. And even smiled while doing it.

Because I knew who was waiting for me right near the end. Not a Disney character. No, no.

A gospel choir!

They started singing Joyful, Joyful right after I went by and was I ever!

Because .1 later, I finished my first half marathon.

ALLLLL THE EMOTIONS.

Then we got our beautiful, beautiful medals. And Victoria medal’d me, which I’m pretty sure means something significant in some cultures.

The medical tent was wisely placed right after the medal area so we swung by there and got my IT bands the ice that they deserved. Really, I’m sure that was their medal for a job well done.

At the end of the race, they gave out boxes with crackers, hummus, chocolate, and edamame. We headed back to the hotel and showered. I was pretty frozen as my body tried to regulate what had just happened to it.

But hey, I DID A HALF MARATHON. And? Despite my claims that 5ks are the only races for me during the half marathon…

I’m doing another one on my birthday, April 1st.

I can and I will!

Scootadoot

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