I consider today day 3 of Thanksgiving weekend because Day 1 was the day before Thanksgiving and we went on a family adventure to NYC to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons being inflated. I’ll have the post about that story coming soon.
Today was Day 3 and I am grateful for the beautiful weather we had. It’s been unusually warm for this holiday weekend. After sleeping in today (woo hoo!), and learning that the elves had arrived and put up our Christmas tree while everone was asleep last night, I got some work done on the computer and then worked on purging more crap from our bedroom and bathroom as we prepare to move into our new bedroom space soon.
The day had been getting away from me, and I wanted to take the kids for a bike ride today since it was so nice out. Finally at 3:00 we hit the road. We took our normal route but I wanted to see if they would make it up to the vineyard near our house. They weren’t complaining so we went for it. It was a beautiful ride. We got up to the vineyard to find people riding horses and the sun was getting ready to set soon. It was a spectacular view!
Gouveia vineyards
After our nice ride, we returned home to seeing our Christmas lights in the yard that my husband set up while we were out and then I did a quick weights work out with my daughter before we went to have our second Thanksgiving with my parents and brother.
It’s been a great Thanksgiving weekend so far, one of the best in a while. Looking forward to the rest of the activities still to come this weekend and also during the holiday season in December.
For all of the fun memories that I can give to my children. Like yesterday, we took the train down to New York City to see the balloons inflated for the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade. Then we had plans to watch the Rockettes Christmas spectacular show at radio city music Hall. It was a day full of fun and adventure. These are the kinds of memories that I want my children to have for when they are parents and want to do things with their children as well.
Today was a day we spent with family. I was able to get in a short run in the morning, then showered and we all drove up to my newphew’s house to have dinner with my in-laws and my newphew’s new wife. It was a wonderful, relaxing day with good food and great company. Our other nephew recently moved back to Long Island from the Carolinas and it was great to see him again. We will now have the chance to see him more often because he lives closer to us.
After our delicious meal the kids and I went for a walk around the neighborhood and pretended to sprinkle holiday cheer on the houses so that they will be lit with Christmas lights over night in prepration for the Christmas holiday. On our return trip home we stopped in Meriden’s Hubbard Park for the Christmas lights and then went to my parents’ house to watch the Polar Express. It’s tradition. It was a wonderful holiday and has been a great weekend so far.
The final event of the runDisney Wine & Dine race weekend is the half marathon. It takes place on Saturday night at 10:00 p.m. The starting line is at the ESPN Wide World of Sports and the race ends just outside of Epcot.
The day of the race I ran the 5k in the morning, went back to my hotel to shower and quickly drove to the expo to pick up my half marathon bin and race shirts. I ran into Brittany and Kendrick, Mark and Caryn there doing the same thing before our breakfast reservation.
After that I spent time with the Mickey Milers at breakfast at Kona in the Polynesian Village Resort. We had a 10:40 reservation but didn’t eat until close to 11:30 and left there close to 1:00. My plan was to go back to the Expo and do a little more shopping. Find a light meal and rest in my bed or maybe nap prior to heading to the starting line. That was my plan. What I actually did was meet Brittany and Caryn at their room to get the wine glass she bought for me the day before and then I went over to the Expo where I saw Dale, Jennifer, Robert and Donna.
I didn’t have a lot of time there because it was closing at 3:00 so I quickly shopped for a shirt with a wine glass design and found something at Raw Threads. I can always rely on finding something at Raw Threads and not have an issue with wearing it for the first time on a race day.
After the Expo I went to Disney Springs to do some shopping for the kids. There is still a lot of construction going on there but what is completed looks nice. There are pedestrian bridges that cross over the street from parking lots to Disney Springs.
It was very hot out so I was sure to hydrate. I picked up an ice tea from a shop and then refilled with water at Ghiradelli.
I was on a mission to find Tsum Tsum’s for the kids. So after going to World of Disney I was told they are in Once Upon a Story. I found some for the kids, and made my way back to my car so I could rest in my room. On the way back I got a message from Dale inviting me to join them for dinner at their hotel, Riverside to have pasta at 6:00 and then we can take the bus from there. That was a good plan so I could leave my car there for when we return after the Wine & Dine after party.
So after a quick rest to recharge my phone and my feet I got dressed and went over to Port Orleans Riverside to meet everyone for dinner. We got pasta with broccoli and shrimp and oil, which was just right for prior to the race. Then we all used a bathroom and went to the bus. We got in line at the perfect time because the line got very long and we were able to take the first bus to ESPN. Good thing because we were stuck in traffic for a very long time. This was very similar to when we were on the bus for Tower of Terror two years ago.
When we arrived we went through bag check and then found the rest of the Team Shenanigans members and the Mickey Milers. The Team Shenanigan members were dressed as Spaceship Earth and the characters within the ride. It was an awesome costume idea! We took pictures with everyone and then I needed to go find Diana and Christina.
As I was about to connect with them there was lightning in the distance and a strange change in the weather. It started to get very windy and the temperature dropped a noticeable 15 degrees. Suddenly everyone started to leave the runners gathering area and we were told that we were being evacuated and moved to shelter in the Wide World of Sports complex due to severe weather in the area.
This was a first for me and I think it was actually a first for runDisney to have to do this. We all shuffled from one area to the Stadium and the Jostens center to wait out the storm and wait for instructions. Diana and I decided to go to an area where we could actually see outside so we could watch the storm. We also wanted to find a bathroom. Since the women’s bathroom line was so long people started to use the men’s room. Then we were lucky to bump into Chip and Christina so we sat down and waited for further instructions. While we waited we kept checking the radar to see what all of the concern was about because nothing was really happening where we were.
After about an hour we saw people moving back towards the corrals so we followed the crowd. It was finally time to race, but we were hearing people talking about modifications to the course. Then I received alerts via Twitter that the course is going to be shortened. The section leading from ESPN to Animal Kingdom was being eliminated. With the humidity being so high and it being so warm and late I was relieved.
So finally at 11:10 we were released from the starting line and onto the course. We ran from ESPN onto Osceola Parkway towards Hollywood Studios. From there we ran towards the back stage area of Hollywood Studios and then into the park. There was a lot of zigging and zagging inside the park and I was so teased to see the Osborne Light Spectacular. Just when I thought we were going to see them we were in a different direction. When we finally arrived at the Osborn Light Spectacular we spent a LOT of time in there taking in all of the visuals. I noticed that there were hidden Mickeys in the lights and a cast member said there were over 40 of them scattered throughout the lights. Diana and I started to look for them as we were taking a million pictures. I didn’t want to leave the area! Knowing that this was the last time they would be displaying these lights I wanted to enjoy them as long as possible. But we were in a race and had to get going so we could finish and then I was going to attend the party afterwards in Epcot.
We used a “real bathroom” before leaving the park since we knew that after finishing the race it would be a while before we could get to one, and the continued on to exit Hollywood Studios. We ran towards the path that connects the Boardwalk Hotel and Hollywood Studios (miles 23-24 during the full marathon) and made our way towards the Boardwalk. The path was extremely crowded with people. It was practically impossible to run in this area. We did the best we could to zig and zag between everyone but couldn’t really run again until we got over the bridge near the Swan and Dolphin hotels and towards the Beach and Yacht Club. The end of the race runs through the back entrance of Epcot, back stage and then past Spaceship Earth and back stage to the Finish Line.
I was glad this race was cut short. It was extremely hot and humid (even at night) and when we finished it was past 1:00 a.m. I think if our corral was released at the original start time we would finish close to when we did with the shortened route; but we would have felt more worn out and affected by the heat and humidity. There was a lot of water support on the course, which helped.
Diana was heading back to her hotel and her family because they were here for their vacation; and I went towards the exit area of the runner’s zone to find my Mickey Miler friends Dale, Dave and the gang so we could go to the After Party. I saw my friend Anne as I waited for the gang and we got a photo together and then I finally hooked up with Dale and Dave. After receiving our free drink from Disney we went towards the entrance to Epcot where we had to go through a bag check AGAIN. This process took quite a long time and was frustrating since we had already been checked at the beginning of the race. This was a situation we went through last year as well.
After we got through security we began our trip around the World Showcase. We first met up with Brittany, Kendrick, Caryn, Dave, Susanna and her husband, Mark and Chris. Then we decided to head to Canada for the filet mignon. After that we headed towards Ireland for the seafood shepherds pie. Then we headed towards France, Morroco, Japan, America and then to Germany to try to find some of the other Mickey Milers and get some German beer. We had a Shöfferhofer Zitrone Weizen-Mix, which is a lemon flavored beer and was quite delicious! Dave Dunkowski got a the beer flight from there but I just got one of the full size drinks. Stephanie Grace and her husband Shane found us and we hung out for the rest of the nigh then walked towards the exit of the park. It was close to 3:40 and the party ended at 4:00. We caught a bus back to the hotel and then I hit the sack for the night. I had a flight home at 12:40 so this would give me the chance to get at least 4-5 hours of sleep.
I had a great time and a fun weekend with friends a love the runDisney races. Being back home now I have to step up my training for the Dopey challenge taking place in less than 60 days!
This year I did what I considered to be my first runDisney 5K race during the Wine & Dine race weekend. I participated in the Jingle Jungle 5K race Saturday morning. I consider this my first 5K because I typically don’t sign up for 5K races during the runDisney race weekends. The reason for that is because I usually have to fly in the day before the bigger race or the challenge races so I can’t get the time off to participate in the 5K which takes place on the day I am flying. With this race it occurs on the same day as the half marathon. The first 5K race that I did run was during the Dopey Challenge last year, but I considered that different because it was the Dopey Challenge. How does that make sense? I don’t know but it does to me!
I also wanted to participate in this race because it starts at 7:00 a.m. (one of the latest start times of a 5K race in the runDisney series), and because it runs entirely through Animal Kingdom. In most of the runDisney races I participate in we run through Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom and ESPN Wide World of Sports. But not as many races go through Animal Kingdom besides the Wine and Dine Half Marathon, a few miles during the full marathon and the Jingle Jingle 5K.
The morning of the race I set my alarm for 5:00 and was ready and in the car before 6:00. Because my flight got in after the expo closed on Friday night I knew I would have to pick up my bib at the information tent at the race start. I had to be sure I brought my license with me or else I wouldn’t be able to pick up my bib. So when I arrived, I got a great parking spot and walked right over to the information booth and signed a waiver and picked up my bib. Then I looked around to connect with my other racing buddies. I spotted the Mickey Milers and their amazing costumes, said hello to them and then found Diana, Christina and Diana’s daughter Kenzie. This was going to be Kenzie’s first 5K.
Since this was Diana’s first race with her daughter and they were in corral C I told them I’d stick with the Mickey Milers and hang back in corral D. She wasn’t sure how long it would take them to get through the race and they were planning on stopping for every picture.
I went to my corral and reunited with the Mickey Milers. The team was easy to find with Bill Taylor’s “Elf” costume! Everyone was so creative with their costumes. I went with my low key approach but should consider stepping it up next time if I decide to do that race again. I also ran into Mike Rahlmann and his family in my corral so we got a picture together of course! I always try to grab a picture with Mike when we see each other at our races.
Jocelyn and her daughter (left), Pam and Mallory, myself and Mike from the Be Our Guest Podcast
The race started at 7:00 and we passed the start line at 7:10. The first section of the race went around the outside edge of the Animal Kingdom parking lot and then we entered in through the front gate. From there we walked towards the Tree of Life, towards Everest and then back stage before we went back to the finish line.
There were several character stops along the course and I was happy with the amount that was out there for the 5K. There was Rafiki, Timon, Chip and Dale, Donald and Goofy, Pluto, and a few others that I didn’t snag pictures of.
It was a very very warm and humid morning so I am glad we took it slow and walked this race. If this was any indication of how the rest of the race weekend was going to be, we were going to be up against some dangerous heat and humidity for the half marathon. I was sure to drink a lot of water after the race so that I would be hydrated for the rest of the day. I finished the race in a little over and hour which was perfect. We were done by 8:15 and I had time to go back to my hotel to shower for our 10:40 Mickey Milers breakfast reservation at Kona at the Polynesian Village Resort.
I was also glad to see that starting in the last corral and walking the entire race I finished in a little over and hour and there are no sweepers at that race. My mom is participating in her first runDisney 5K during marathon weekend and had been worried about not finishing the race in time. There will be plenty of time to enjoy the 5K course through Epcot and even take pictures. This race was a good way for me to estimate the pace and timing for our January race.
I really enjoyed this race and would consider doing it again. The downside to it is that you have to wake up early for the 5K race on the same day that you will be starting the half marathon at 10:00 that same night. If you are good about going back to your room and taking a nap then that works out great. But like me, I enjoy the social events that take place during the short trips that I have there so I generally don’t take the time to go back to my room and rest, let alone nap. So I ended up staying up for 24 hours straight. But again, it’s fun, I see my friends, have a great time and I’m at Disney so sleep isn’t necessary right?!
On Friday, November 6 I took at 4:00 flight to Orlando. It was the cheapest flight I could get last minute for that weekend. Free! I was able to use my Southwest Airline miles for this flight. I tend to wait until the last minute to book many of my flights. Sometimes that works for me, sometimes it doesn’t. It is definitely a gamble, but it worked in my favor this time. I landed around 7:00 and was unable to go to the Wine & Dine Health and Fitness Expo and pick up my bibs because the Expo closes at 7:00. Knowing that ahead of time, my plan was to go straight to Disney Springs to purchase some accessories for my costume.
I got my rental car and went straight to Disney Springs. I was unsure where to park so I kept following my way around towards the end of the area and parked near Cirque du Soleil. I had to go all the way to the Marketplace but was fortunate to find the Sassagoula Steam Boat Company that transports people from the West Side to the Marketplace.
Cirque du Soleil
Thank Goodness for this option because I had to go all the way across to the other side!
It was a nice ride and I had the chance to take some fun night time photographs of Disney Springs (it will always be Downtown Disney to me), along the way.
When I arrived at my dock I headed straight for the Disney Days of Christmas Shop. I needed to purchase Christmas Mickey ears to go with my costume for the Jingle Jungle 5K through Animal Kingdom. I had seen my friend Jennifer Taylor wearing them on Facebook and knew those were the ears to complete my outfit!
After my purchase, and some additional holiday decorations for home, I walked straight across to Earl of Sandwich. I had to get some dinner; but I wanted something light. I opted for the tomato soup and it was the perfect choice. I got my soup to go and continued to my favorite shops, the Co-op. I wanted to check out the new Alex and Ani bracelets, the cute items at Tren-D. Then the new Pandora charms at Cherry Treey Lane, and searched for a cool new phone case at D-Tech.
On my Wish List!
Another item on my wish list
Pandora Charms
The newly released Pandora Charms ($90 each)
After shopping I found a cozy spot just outside the Co-op to sit down and have my soup and window shop. I felt like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany’s!
I had to head to my hotel so I could check in, get groceries and lay everything out for the race in the morning. I stayed at the Comfort Inn on Palm Parkway this time. I usually stay at the Clarion; but I wanted to try this hotel out for a change. I liked the hotel. It was priced similar to the Clarion and what I liked about it was that it was a little bit quieter than the Clarion. It wasn’t as close to the highway and the hotel room door was off of a hallway internally in the building; rather than facing out to the public. My parents stayed there two years ago when they came to Florida to surprise the kids during marathon weekend. I like the location because it is always a 10-15 minute ride (max) to the race start.
My family always make sure that I don’t miss them while I am away!
The rooms were clean, quiet and had a fridge, microwave and coffee maker. All the essentials I need for race weekends so that I could make my tea and oatmeal in the mornings prior to the race. I laid out my gear for the morning and set my alarm for 5:00 a.m. and hit the sack.
I made the best of a late night flight into town, got to see some sights, get some good food, do a little shopping and got to bed a a decent hour to prepare for a very long day the next day with theANDORA_NA race in the morning and the Wine & Dine Half Marathon at 10:00 at night. Stay tuned for the 5K recap!
Well, not completely, but I did venture off the main road a little bit this past weekend and ran in some of the vineyard fields and the cornfields on my normal route. I wanted to get in at least 6 miles over the weekend and it was a nice sunny and windy day on Sunday. I was itching to get out for a run because I had been so busy with work and running to different places and doctor appointments with the kids.
Saturday morning was a lazy morning. The family took our time waking up, eating, cleaning, making beds, the usual stuff you do on a lazy Saturday. I sat in bed with a cup of tea with my husband and talked about Christmas gift ideas for the kids, and flights for our April vacation, and then I had to get moving. It was nice to sit around and relax; but I can’t sit for very long.
The views on my run are always the best!
I got dressed and was on the road around 1:00. While I was on the road and observing the area around me, I took note that I’d like to go off road on my way home and run through part of the cornfield. I kept going and went to the Gouveia vineyard up the hill from where I live and decided to run through the grape fields. So while I didn’t necessarily do some real trail running; I consider it close enough to trail running. The ground I was running on consisted of uneven car paths from where the farmers drive their vehicles through the vineyard. I ran about a quarter mile through the vineyard.
Then on my return route home I went off the road into a cornfield. I didn’t run very much in that field but it was nice to get off the road and run on a different surface. With marathon and Dopey training being my priority from now until the end of the year I have to be careful if I am going to run off road. I don’t want to hurt myself. I wasn’t running in special trail shoes so I don’t have the necessary ankle support to run on such surfaces. It was great to do something different and mix up the routine a little and run on a surface other than the hard pavement.
I’d like to make a goal to run in Tyler Mill near my house after I complete my Dopey challenge and don’t have to worry about avoiding any injuries prior to that big race weekend. I also made it a point to start cross training during the week with weights. My daughter always loved when I would go workout in our workout room. Once she heard me say I was going downstairs to work out she ran to her room to find her favorite workout clothes so she could join me. That night when she went to bed she kept asking me if I was going to work out again the next day because she enjoyed working out with me and spending girl time with me. She’s so awesome!
