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?
