Wife Mother Runner 10K Archives - Wife Mother Runner

runDisney Races Are Coming Back!

July 12, 2021

RunDisney races are coming back! If you haven’t heard already, then you must live under a rock! Not only that, they are coming back this November for Wine & Dine weekend. Do you all know what that means? Registration day is going to be INSANE! It also means it’s time to start training!

Along with the amazing news that RunDisney has finally bestowed to us, after teasing us on social media for the past few weeks, there are some changes for their return. I’ll share with you the changes you can expect in comparison to races prior to Covid-19.

runDisney Race Registration

Those of you who still have your Walt Disney World Annual Pass, or are a DVC member, you will no longer have an earlier registration date. The only people who will be granted early access are the runDisney Club Gold and Platinum members.

If you are not a runDisney Club member and you’d like to join, the registration period to join is currently closed. According to the runDisney Club page, the current membership term ends on September 30, 2022:

Club runDisney Membership is valid October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2022. Benefits listed expire on September 30, 2022 unless otherwise noted.

I am not a runDisney Club member, and at this point, and from what everyone is saying, it is enticing to want to consider it for the benefit of getting a better corral placement and the ability to register a week early for the races. However, the early registration option is only available for the Gold and Platinum memberships. The corral placement option is only available for the Platinum membership.

Silver Membership Benefits $265.43
Gold Membership Benefits $478.63
Platinum Membership Benefits $798.43

Travel Agent Packages

You can no longer book a race package through your favorite travel agent. All registrations have to be done by the individual runner. However, you can still book your rooms and park passes through your favorite travel agent. In fact, I would recommend you get on that ASAP!

From what I am hearing from my podcast friends, that the reason for not having travel agent packages is to entice people to register for runDisney club when it opens again for new members.

Charity Bibs

There is a lot of chatter in the Facebook groups about charity bibs. From what I have learned, there are requirements of the charities that they are unable to commit to at this time, so the charities that used to receive bibs for the races are not getting bibs for the upcoming races and for 2021.

Registration Dates

Registration is going to be a race in itself. With so many people chomping at the bit to get back to these races, the registration process will be similar to what it was back in 2014 and 2015 when registration day would cause as much stress as race day!

Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend – November 4-7, 2021:

- - Club runDisney Gold & Platinum Registration Opens July 6, 2021 at 10 AM EST.
  - General Registration for In-Person Races Opens July 13, 2021 at 10 AM EST.
  - General Registration for Virtual Races Opens July 16, 2021 at 10 AM EST.

Marathon Weekend – January 5-9, 2022:

- - Club runDisney Gold & Platinum Registration Opens July 20, 2021 at 10 AM EST.
  - General Registration for In-Person Races Opens July 27, 2021 at 10 AM EST.
  - General Registration for Virtual Races Opens July 30, 2021 at 10 AM EST.

Princess Half Marathon Weekend – February 24-27, 2022:

- - Club runDisney Gold & Platinum Registration Opens August 17, 2021 at 10 AM EST.
  - General Registration for In-Person Races Opens August 24, 2021 at 10 AM EST.
  - General Registration for Virtual Races Opens August 27, 2021 at 10 AM EST.

Springtime Surprise Weekend – March 31 – April 3, 2022:

- - Registration dates have not been announced at the time of this blog post.

Prices

Seems like the prices haven’t changed too much compared to previous years. Here are the breakdowns for the races:

Wine & Dine Race Weekend:

- - 5K – $95
  - 10K – $135
  - Half Marathon – $215
  - Challenge (10K & Half Marathon) – $360
  - Virtual Races ($79 – $252)

Marathon Weekend:

- - 5K – $95
  - 10K – $135
  - Half Marathon – $195
  - Full Marathon – $195
  - Goofy Challenge (Half Marathon & Full Marathon) – $390
  - Dopey Challenge (5K, 10K, Half Marathon & Full Marathon) – $600
  - Virtual Races ($79 – $480)

Princess Half Weekend:

- - Disney Princess Sunrise Yoga – $95
  - 5K – $95
  - 10K – $135
  - Half Marathon – $210
  - Fairy Tale Challenge (Half Marathon & Full Marathon) $355
  - Virtual Races ($75 – $232)

Proof of Time

This is a big concern for runDisney race participants. And it has been one of the reasons why I thought I had to register for a local half marathon as soon as we heard if runDisney was going to host races again. A proof of time is only required if you are going to run a half marathon under two hours. This was what was written for the Wine & Dine Half Marathon weekend.

The proof of time instructions for the full marathon has been shared in a few Facebook groups. I saw one that was requiring a marathon finish time of less than 4 hours and another showed a requirement of less than 5 hours. Either way, I don’t have the ability to run the races that fast, so my corral placement fate will fall into the hands of runDisney.

New Special Offerings

New Race Theme

There is a new race added to the line up. Instead of the Star Wars Dark Side Half Marathon weekend that took place in April, there is a new Springtime Surprise Weekend which will take place every March. Each year there will be a different theme for the races. Details are yet to be released for the 2021 races.

Sunrise Yoga!

I love yoga! Yoga in front of Cinderella Castle at sunrise? Sign me up! During the Princess Half Marathon weekend, there is a special event taking place on the first morning of the event weekend. Sunrise Yoga will take place before Magic Kingdom opens, led by a professional yoga instructor to help you get your mind and body prepared for the race weekend.

Photo by Disney Parks Blog

Changes For Race Weekends

Race Day Bib Pickup

Something I used to rely on in case of bad weather or a late flight before the races was race day bib pickup. RunDisney has now published that this option will not be available. Race bibs and shirts must be picked up prior to the day of the race. We are hoping that runDisney has announced that but will still have bibs with them on race morning in case of extreme circumstances, and they just aren’t sharing that the option is available.

Character Stops

The races will still have on-course entertainment; but it won’t be the same as in the past. Word on the street is that there will be “selfie stops” along the course to take pictures of characters from a distance. Very similar to how character interactions take places in the parks now.

Kids Races

The kids races are being modified and are not currently offered during the races posted for 2022. They have published a new experience for kids called the runDisney Kids Adventures; but no details are available at this time.

Spectators

At the time of this blog post, there isn’t a Chear Squad offered for spectators. RunDisney is still evaluating this experience option. One of the questions going around is if spectators will be able to cheer from the parks. I’m sure we will get more info as time goes on.

Which Races Are You Going To Do?

With all of these changes coming back, will you be registering for one of, or all of these races weekends? I plan to run marathon weekend to continue to keep my streak going. I will most likely register for Goofy again. However, I don’t want to miss the Princess Half Marathon weekend and the yoga experience!

Let me know which races you are doing! I can’t wait to see all of my running friends again!

My Running Goals for 2019

February 20, 2019

Now that I already have the 48.6 miles from the runDisney Dopey Challenge under my belt for this year, I am working on my running goals for 2019. Each year I set goals for which races I want to run locally or in different states. I don’t have a Fall marathon on my schedule. I didn’t get into the New York City Marathon this year so I have to consider an option for a different marathon or to decide if I even want to run a Fall marathon. I do know that I am going to participate in several 5K races and a handful of half marathons in Connecticut.

Upcoming Races

My son and I will be running the Hartford Marathon Foundation Lucky Challenge. He told me he wanted to run these races with me again, and he also wanted to see the medals. Looks like he has inherited a little bit of the bling fever from me!

We will run four 5k races in four towns of Connecticut. These back to back race weekends lead up to St. Patrick’s Day for the final race in the state’s capital. These races are a lot of fun and we get dressed up in St. Patrick’s Day accessories.

We don’t run fast but we enjoy the time driving to the races, running the races, the great swag, seeing my friends, and even the post race corn beef sandwiches.

What Are My Goals?

More Half Marathons

I am planning to get a decent proof of time for any future runDisney races. I am training for, and running the Cheshire Half Marathon in April. That is where I have had my best half marathon finish times. It is also the location of my very first half marathon. I’m also planning on doing the Cape Cod and Hartford Half Marathons. I may consider the Hershey Half Marathon as well this year.

Incorporate Speed Work Into My Training

It’s going to take some work and dedication to increase my speed for my next half marathon in April. I want to get a finish time between 2:15 a 2:30. It’s a big push goal for me.

But in order to get faster you have to do the cadence drills like Jeff Galloway recommends. I trained with Jeff Galloway with his e-coaching for my first Dopey Challenge. I found his training plan to be spot on and I successful with finishing my first and now fifth Dopey Challenge.

Hit The Hills

Yea hills are no fun. But it is a nice change for your body to push yourself up the hills. You need the challenge and it will ultimately make you stronger. Here are some tips on how to begin running and including it as a part of your lifestyle.

Hit The Gym

You can also incorporate cross training that includes squats and runner lunges that Fitz Kohler offers. She has great exercise programs dedicated to just runners of all abilities.

How To Register For A Disney Race

Registration for next January’s races opens up on April 19th so I have a little over a month to decide. I don’t know if this year it will sell out. Last year it did not. To register for a runDisney race or to see other runDisney races, visit www.rundisney.com. During the summer runDisney also does a virtual 5K series. I participated in the first year. Last year the theme was on the Incredibles along with the release of their new movie. I wonder what this year’s theme will be!

Will I Do Dopey Again?

I really don’t know how to answer that! I want to…. so I guess between now and when the registration opens I have to make some decisions and do a reality check. I should also talk with the friends of mine that were freaking out along with me just before the race weekend.

I did have such a great race this year. Despite my fears, I surprised myself with my strong finish. I’ll do some soul searching and think about my intentions while I continue to remain consistent with my weekly running and cross training schedule.

What races are you running this year? Share them in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!

Disneyland Half Marathon Medals Released

July 25, 2017

The new runDisney medals were released on Monday for the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend. With just over a month left until the race, things are starting to come together in regards to the theme for the race. This means I need to get my head around some costume ideas!

Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend Sponsored by Cigna Race Themes

Based on the images on each medal the themes for each race is the following:

5K – Incredibles

10k – Monsters Inc.

Half Marathon – Toy Story

Attention Dumbo Double Dare Legacy Runners!

Good news for Dumbo Double Dare legacy runners! I read the fine print and answered a question I had been wondering for a long time. With the change of the theme moving to Pixar, Dumbo Double Dare legacy runners will be recognized with a special medal.

Since I have never done a Pixar theme for a race before this will be fun and interesting to pull together rather quickly. Thank God for Pinterest and Etsy!

Do you have any ideas for me? What will you be dressed up as for these races?

2016 WDW Marathon Weekend 10K Now Known As the PK10K

January 16, 2016

The 10K took place on Friday, January 8th. PK and his daughter Katie were running it and it was their first runDisney race! There were many first for my friends and family this year! We talked on the phone a week before the race because they didn’t know what to expect. They weren’t sure if you ran the race for time or what time you had to be there. They were staying at the same hotel as us so I told them I would drive them to the race and that they didn’t have to get up at 3:00 a.m. because we are staying close to Epcot and it only takes less than 10 minutes to drive there. I explained to them that the Disney races are races for fun and that there are character stops along the way that you take photographs with. They weren’t aware of the character stops. I also told them that the Disney races are far different from the races back home. I also told them that costumes are welcome and recommended. Katie said she would put something together and PK said he wanted to wear his Patriots gear. Come to find out, the Patriots jersey got the most complements out of all of us that day!

Since I hadn’t seen PK in over a year and Katie in many years, I wanted to run the race with them. I told them that I use the walk/run method but we could play it by ear on race morning. Since the 5K and 10K are early in the Dopey Challenge series, you can run those races with little issue for the full marathon on Sunday. I couldn’t wait to see them. We planned to meet up at the Expo after they land on Thursday, run the race together on Friday and then spend the day at Magic Kingdom on Friday afternoon after the kids races.

The morning of the race, I set my alarm for 3:30 and met them at the hotel lobby at 4:30. I was a few minutes late because I had to dig through my luggage to find extra rain ponchos. It was raining pretty heavily and I saw the radar wasn’t looking too good for the race either. I told PK and Katie I’d bring them a poncho. I picked them up in the front and drove us to the parking lot at Epcot. We were there at a good time because the rain was picking up and we didn’t want to stand too long out in the rain. We used the porta potties and then had to resort to the ponchos to stay dry.

PK and Katie’s 1st runDisney Race!

In our corral waiting to start

Once we started running it was getting warm with our ponchos on. We started taking them off within the first mile and I stuck mine in my race belt. We didn’t do walk run at that point in the race. This section of the 10K is the 3 miles out on the road leaving the Epcot parking lot and running on the road to head towards the backstage entrance to Epcot. My legs felt fine to do a constant run. PK is a faster runner, but he had his leg wrapped because he was having an issue with his calf. So he said that taking it slower in the beginning saved him from having trouble with his leg issue. We ran to the first area where a character stop would have been at the turning point toward the overpass but because of the rain there was just a plane prop there without a character. We walked up the hill on the overpass and ran the downhill. On the downhill there is usually a character stop with Lilo and Stitch; but again, because of the rain there wasn’t a character there for photos.

We did start a run/walk ratio around mile 2.5 and then entered the back of Epcot at mile 3. I was getting excited to enter this area because I love the way Epcot looks in the early morning hours with the torches lit and the music playing. We did our first character stop as we entered Epcot. Mulan and Mushu were there and it was perfect! Katie and PK reminisced about when Katie used to ask for her “Mulan Sheets” when they were camping and PK and his wife Lori would make the bed for her in their camper. I enjoyed knowing that the character stop was something that had relevance to them. Diana texted me and told me she was at character stops up ahead so I figured we would meet up eventually at a stop.

The next character stop was a new set of characters that haven’t been out for the races yet. Remy and Emile from Ratatouille were there so a new joke with PK, Kevin and I is the Rat-Stinkin Ratatouille Bastard (long story). We met up with Diana at that point so it was perfect timing. We did our group photo there and then proceeded to run over the bridge to the International Gateway and towards the Boardwalk and Beach Club Resort area. Mike and Sully from Monsters University were at ESPN, then we saw Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum around mile 5 but didn’t want to stop for their picture. We went backstage in Epcot and then headed towards Spaceship Earth towards the finish line.

We had such a great time at the race! They are planning on doing it again next year. Katie wants to do the 10K and the half marathon as well!

After the race we went to ESPN for the kids races. It was pouring rain and my son was still fighting a bad cough. He didn’t want to run the race but I brought his bib with him just in case. Just as I suspected, as soon as we were at the race start he changed his mind and wanted to run. I had him carry his bib in his hand and he shot off like a rocket! I couldn’t keep up with him. Then he looked back to find me and waited and we ran together to the finish. Adrienne had already taken off with my husband and she sped ahead as well. She had her eye on that finish line!

Adrienne in the purple sweatshirt

After the kid races we went to the Magic Kingdom to play with PK and Katie and my parents. The weather cleared up and it turned out to be a very nice evening. We had so much fun! We went on Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. Then we waited in line for the Mine Train. This was Adrienne’s and my mom’s first time ever! After that we rode the people mover while PK and Katie had fast passes for SpaceShip Earth; and then we all went over to ride Big Thunder Mountain. After we rode the rides we went to the Columbia Harbor House for dinner. I had a great meal of Salmon, cous couse and broccoli. This was the perfect pre-race meal choice for the half marathon. After dinner PK, Kevin and the kids went on Splash Mountain and then we hit Pirates before heading back for the night. I needed to get to bed for the half marathon the next morning. PK and Katie were staying to watch the fireworks.

It was a great day! I had so much fun running the race with them and it was so good to see them again. I have exposed two more friends to the runDisney club and can’t wait to run more races with them!

runDisney Star Wars Dark Side Challenge Medals Released

December 4, 2015

Are you running the Inaugural Star Wars Dark Side Challenge in April? I am! I try to run almost every inaugural event that runDisney launches. But then that means I have to keep running them so that I can eventually earn legacy status with their special recognition.

Today runDisney launched their medal designs for the Star Wars races in April and they look awesome! I wish I were running the Star Wars challenge in January in California so that I could also earn the Star Wars Kessel Run Challenge Medal. It’s all about the BLING!!!

Photo by runDisney

There was another teaser in the email which was the announcements for the registration dates and race dates for 2016 and some for 2017. As a fellow Mickey Miler, Eddie McCoy pointed out. There is the caveat at the bottom of the list telling us to stay tuned for 2017 additional race dates. Wonder what that means!

Photo by runDisney

Which races will you be running in 2016 and 2017? I will be running the Dopey Challenge, Princess Glass Slipper Challenge, Star wars Dark Side Challenge, Tinkerbell Half Marathon and the Dumbo Double Dare. With intentions of doing Wine and Dine when registration opens.

Dumbo Double Dare Travel Day 1 and Expo

September 8, 2015

I can’t believe this trip was already a week ago. Life was so hectic right up to the trip and then right afterwards. I will be providing you my details of the trip in segments. Today we will begin with the travel day out to California and the Expo.

The trip began with a little bit of frenzy. When my alarm went off at 6:00 I snoozed it. Then when my backup alarm went off at 6:15 I snoozed that. I finally got up at 6:30. I wasn’t motivated to get moving too quickly. I wanted to be around to see Kevin get on the bus and then at least I’d have a few minutes with Adrienne also. I watched the traffic on the news so I was keeping up with any issues on the highway. With the last traffic check I did at 8:05 there was an accident just outside of Hartford! That’s when a little panic set in. I grabbed the
last of my things, kissed Adrienne and my husband and got on the road. Thank God for the Waze app. The traffic was looking OK according to the app. My estimated arrival time was 9:07 and I was leaving my house at 8:20 for a flight at 10:30. I arrived at 9:00 – Perfect.

I parked the car and got on the shuttle. Diana texted me that the line at the counter to check bags was very long. When I arrived, there was no one left! A flight to Chicago had a large amount of people there so they moved them all through. Security had a longer than usual line. It was doing the Disney zig zag rather than the usual straight lanes. But even with that we got through in less than 10 minutes. But of course, BOTH of my carry on bags needed
to be inspected. We were fine though. We had plenty of time to get a tea, use the restroom and chill for a few minutes before getting on the puddle jumper to New Jersey.

It was a quick 1 hour trip to New Jersey and when we arrived, we picked up sandwiches and snacks for lunch since it was close to lunch time and our flight to California was 6 hour flight. We wanted to make sure we had sufficient food with us to keep us fueled up for the flight. The flight ended up taking 5 hours and 30 minutes flight and was a good flight. I got some work done and rested and Diana read her book and rested. When I think back on it, it did go by quite fast.

When we landed we gathered our luggage and used the restroom. I had a moment in the restroom where I heard a woman calling out for help. I was alone in there with another woman and the woman in the stall. So we both walked over to see what was wrong. The woman who needed help had MS. She needed help moving from her motorized scooter toward the toilet so she could go to the bathroom. She did need the help of both of us women in the bathroom to help her move her legs. She had no feeling and mobility in her legs. We helped her and left her to her privacy and then helped her get dressed and move back into her chair again. She was a wonderful woman, whose daughter was going to run the Dumbo Double Dare Races. After she was all set and back into her chair we said our goodbyes and I felt grateful for my health and to appreciate the little things like how easy it is for me to quickly go in and out of a stall to get my business done and rush onto my way.

Diana and I got our rental car and went on with our journey to Disneyland. I took the advice from the man at the rental car check-out counter and we took the back roads to the Disneyland hotel. He said the highway at that time of night was a mess. That didn’t surprise me because that is how it was for me for the past two prior years. So we typed in the address to our phones and started on our way. As usual, it took 45-50 minutes to get to the hotel, when it is usually a 15-20 minute drive. Like in the past, I had to make a few U-turns and then we parked at the Downtown Disney parking lot and walked over to the Disneyland Hotel to go to the expo.

It was around 6 pm and many of the items at the Expo were picked over and there wasn’t as much of a selection left. I purchase an “I Did It” shirt; but it was only for the Disneyland Half Marathon, it wasn’t even for the Dumbo Double Dare. I also picked up a new Coast to Coast shirt. Those are the two items that I always want to grab when I run the Dumbo Double Dare races.

I did have the chance to go to the New Balance booth with no wait time and had the chance to pick up a pair of children sized Donald Sneakers. They didn’t have the exact size I wanted; but I was able to squeeze my foot into a half size smaller and was OK with that. We went downstairs to pick up our bibs, park passes, and coast to coast wrist band. Then we went upstairs to pick up our shirts. As we walked to the car it dawned on me that I had a coast to coast wrist band and Diana didn’t. Good thing I noticed it! We went back to the expo and talked to Runner Relations to get that resolved and she got her wristband.

It was getting late and we were getting hungry. So we dropped our items into the car and grabbed a sweatshirt to bring with us to Disneyland to watch the Electrical Parade and fireworks. Mandy had landed around this time and we were making arrangements to meet up near the gate so we could give them their passes. Diana and I went to Earl of Sandwich to pick up dinner and brought it with us into Disneyland to eat. But being close to the parade time; there was a large crowd on Main Street. I didn’t want to be too far from the gate because I still had to walk out to meet Mandy to give her the park passes.

We finally met up and the parade had started. Unfortunately, it was just too crowded to enjoy the parade. There wasn’t a good place where I could see the floats. But I did my best to take some pictures. We hung out for a little bit at the park and then decided it was time to head back to our hotels because it was getting close to 9:30 (12:30 back home) and I wanted to be asleep by 11:00 PST the latest.

We checked into the hotel, laid out our race materials for the next day and hit the sack around 11:00 p.m. The alarms were set for 4:00 a.m.

Stay tuned for my recap of the Disneyland 10K race recap.

Yup! A New Star Wars Race Is Coming to WDW Next Year!

August 30, 2015

Remember in my blog post about the new Star Wars Worlds coming I wondered what that was going to mean for the runDisney races? Well, that question was answered just a week later when runDisney announced a new Star Wars Race coming to the East Coast in April, 2016. It ties in perfectly with our family vacation plans for next year so I already warned my husband about it! The races will take place April 14-17, 2016.

The first-ever Star Wars Half Marathon – Dark Side will be in Walt Disney World with a 5K, 10K and half marathon. Also included is the Ultimate Darth Vader Challenge! Participate in the 10K Saturday, April 16 and the half marathon, Sunday April 17 to receive the special Star Wars Dark Side Challenge Finisher Medal. The start of the half marathon will be at Epcot and the finish will be at ESPN Wide World of Sports. The 5K takes place in Epcot alone, the 10K begins in Epcot and ends at ESPN Wide World of Sports. This may be a new course from races past. I’m looking forward to seeing what the information will be regarding the course.

We vacation in Disney in May and it’s a very warm time of year. This is going to be one of the warmer races in their calendar year; but I’m hoping since it will be starting early in the morning, like all of their races, it won’t be too bad.

This race was just announced last week and registration opens on September 22nd! Quick turn around for such a big event! Who will be registering for this new challenge?

Dumbo Double Dare – Day 2 The 10K

September 14, 2014

By far, this was my HARDEST day in my racing history. I hadn’t slept that great the first night in California (typical after a day of travel and anticipation of waking up for the race). I woke up prior to the alarm going off in a sweat and I felt that feeling in my stomach that I might throw up and I had a migraine. I quietly got out of bed and went into the bathroom where I begged and pleaded with my stomach to settle down. I had all those throw-up-about-to-happen signs. It wasn’t good. I laid on the cold bathroom floor for a few minutes and tried to calm myself down. Then the alarms on all of our phones began to go off. It was time to get up for the 10K race.

I tried very hard to get ready. I had to lay on the floor a few times to just try to quiet things down. But I did everything in my power to get my butt out the door to that start line. When I brushed my teeth things didn’t go well. I just about hurled. But I didn’t! I got out the door with the girls and made it to the corrals. That was still a shakey time for me and at that point I just wanted to start the race so I could get my body moving, the blood flowing and hopefully it would ease the pain.

We finally got to start the race and I began to feel better when we started running. The 10K course if my favorite. We got to run through California Adventure and then into Disneyland. We had the chance to take a few pictures along the course.

Photo by www.makermothermarathonrunner.com

After the race I went back to the room and showered, had a Coke and some cinnamon bread and took a nap. The nap was critical to helping my headache feel better. After my nap I went to the expo and met up with Laurel and Dan.

Then I walked around the expo to pick up a few more things. I bought some Sweaty Bands and Beecause charms for my Cinderella sneakers. After that I went to downtown Disney to buy gifts for my family at the World of Disney and had a snack at La Brea Bakery. I also picked up my Disneyland Alex and Ani bracelet there!

Beecause charm

I met up with Laurel, Dan, Dee Dee and Meg along with the Magic Milers at the bakery and hung out for a little bit. It was getting close to 5:00 and I needed to meet up with everyone at Disneyland for the pasta in the park party.

My pasta in the park party ticket had a ticket to the park after 4 PM and the dinner was from 6:00 to 8:30. I met up with Becca, Gail and Kim and we went into the party at Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree. I enjoyed the party. They had pasta, salad, bread, vegetables, dessert, water and lemonade. They also had a cash bar but I only had the water.

There were Hawaiian dancers and character photo opportunities. I enjoyed the event but if I had to purchase it on my own I would not have participated in it. The price is too expensive for such an event.

Photo by www.makermothermarathonrunner.com

After the dinner we went on some of the classic rides such as Pinocchio and Snow White. But it was getting late and I was beginning to get my headache again. I left early to go back to the room and rode the monorail so that I could get ready for the race the next day and get into bed early. That was a critical move for me. I really wanted to ride the rides with the girls but I knew I had to get back when I did.

Stay tuned for the half marathon recap next!

Disney Dumbo Double Dare Airport Recommendations

August 13, 2014

Last year was my first time flying to Anaheim to participate in the Inaugural Dumbo Double Dare race weekend. I watched the flights for that race for several months. I chose to fly into John Wayne Airport (SNA) because it was closer to Anaheim and LAX. Considering I was flying there alone and renting a car (for the first time at the age of 41), I didn’t want to have to drive from LA to Anaheim. I was lucky that all of my flights were on time.

I arrived on schedule to California and got off the plane (with carry ons only) and headed down to the car rental area. I learned a few lessons about car rentals. It is best to sign up for the Express check-out where you just have to find a car in your price level and then you can take it from the lot and sign out without having to go to the main car rental desk and the whole process of checking out a car. I also learned that you DON’T need all the extra insurance they offer to you.

Next, when you get into the car, set up your GPS ahead of time so you are all set to hit the road with the navigation system telling you where to go right away. As I drove out of the airport I was sitting on the entrance to a highway and I had NO idea where I was going. I pulled over and fumbled through my papers to get the address of the hotel and get my phone working with the GPS and the car charger and Bluetooth so that I could call home to my family while travelling to my destination. That’s another bad idea. Get settled and comfortable with where you are going before you start making your phone calls! I was sitting there sweating, in a little Fiat with huge airplanes flying over head while I was getting myself oriented.

Once I started driving it was ok, The route to Disneyland is pretty easy and quick. The trip back to the airport was even quicker. It felt more direct and was much less traffic on Sunday of Labor Day weekend as opposed to Friday at 5:00 on a holiday weekend. I planned on returning home the same day as the race so that I could spend the Labor Day holiday with my family. I took a 1:00 flight home so I had to rush back to my off-site hotel to shower, eat and finish packing up the last of my things. I did have enough time and plan on taking a flight home the same day of the race this year as well. I don’t have to rush as much because I will be staying on property at the Disneyland Hotel and my flight is also at 3:00 p.m. I wanted to have time after the race this year to shower and enjoy a meal with my friends before heading out.

I really enjoyed this race. Out of all the Disney races I think this was my favorite so far. I have done the marathon in 2013 as my first marathon, Dumbo Double Dare (2013), Tower of Terror (2013), The 10K and full marathon (2014), Glass Slipper Challenge (2014). Out of all of those races, I liked The Dumbo Race Weekend because of the race course. Out of all the races I did in Disneyland and Disney World these races had the most time in the park. I had awesome photo opportunities at these races and got to see the parks. I hadn’t purchased a park pass for this trip but was totally ok with that. I loved seeing what I had seen while in the parks for the races and enjoyed the races thoroughly (except for the last 4 miles of the half marathon because of the terrible heat and humidity).

Besides the heat, this event was a great time for me. I loved travelling alone to a far off city, having some quiet time to myself, venturing out to Downtown Disney and participating in several meetups. Hooking up with my friends Mandy and Kenn Remo and their two sons for dinners and the races. And I also enjoyed shopping for my family at Downtown Disney. Each runDisney event has its own unique characteristics. I would like to one day participate in the Tink, Avengers, or Star Wars races out West, but for now I’ll stick to Dumbo.

Virtual Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Blog Hop Directory

Will runDisney Add A Second Star Wars Race Challenge?

June 12, 2014

Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog

So now that the registration has come and gone and filled up, I wonder if runDisney will offer another Star Wars Race. There are talks of it on the pod casts that I listen to. All speculation of course.

Here are thoughts:

Get rid of Expedition Everest and add a Star Wars weekend the first weekend in May. Star Wars weekend takes place during May at Hollywood Studios so it would be a nice marriage of two events. The kid races and 5K could take place in the morning and then the 10K and half marathons could take place at night since it is very warm in May. Expedition Everest takes place at night already so this wouldn’t be too different. Perhaps don’t include the 10K with this race series and just have the half marathon at night to help with logistics.

There could be an Coast/West Coast coast to coast medal with special recognition of the two different Star Wars Challenges.

Then there is the added element of the Tinkerbell Half Marathon weekend taking place May 7-10, 2015. Yet another coast to coast race going from the East Coast to the West on back to back weekends.

What do you think of this idea? Do you think it is feasible? Do you think it will really happen? Would you do all of the races?

Tag: 10K

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