...Just Me and My Running Shoes...: January 2018

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

2018 Walt Disney World 10K

After a very cold 5K morning, I definitely wasn't looking forward to yet another freezing race start! I've said it before and I'll say it again, the worst part of Dopey Challenge for me was simply getting out of bed, knowing I had to face the cold for several hours before our run was set to begin. I was slightly better prepared this morning, though - I saved my mylar blanket from the day before and had it wrapped around my waist/legs - it was seriously a life saver!

For a full recap of our WDW Marathon Weekend experience, check out these links below:

We were appropriately dressed as Anna and Elsa for this 10K and received several funny comments along the course about it being "her" fault for the cold, make it go away, etc!

I waited once again until 4 a.m. to head to the bus stop. Thankfully, the line wasn't near as long as the day before which was great!

After arriving at the starting area, I found my running buddy and we made our way to coral C.

It honestly felt a little warmer this morning and we were able to bundle up close to the runners in our coral which made a world of difference!

Before long, our coral had made it to the start line and we were up and running!

Side note - I love the new(ish) digital start signs runDisney had out for both the 5K and the 10K!

I absolutely LOVE the Disney 10K course which leads runners out on the highway for a little while (ok, that's not my favorite part) then through World Showcase, the Boardwalk/Yacht/Beach Resorts, and finally back into EPCOT for the finish!

While out on the highway, we spotted a couple of characters from Bug's Life but decided to skip that line...so when we saw these parade performers with a super short line, we knew we had to stop!

Pinocchio was also inside World Showcase, so it was fun saying hi to him!

The sun was just starting to rise as we approached the Boardwalk and Crescent Lake. A few similar characters from the 5K were also out (like Vacation Genie), so we decided to skip them.

This dude cracked me up so I had to snap a picture! I'm assuming he was cheering on the Be Our Guest Podcast Lizards? Still hilarious, even though I wasn't an official part of their group! Also along this area, we spotted Lou Mongello from the WDW Radio Podcast - he was out to cheer on his WDW Radio racing team!

A fun surprise for us was seeing Duffy in EPCOT! We were a bit of a ways back in line and were told that Duffy was about to go on break - so several people left the line...which meant we got to see him before he left for break! Another fun surprise!

A photo with the EPCOT ball was also a must-do!

Our final stop of the race was with another set of parade performers! They were standing in the spot where the gospel singers are usually located and they had a super short line, so we had to stop and say hello!

We crossed the finish line, got our medals, drinks, and food boxes, then made a bee line for the bus! Although we'd run most of this race, we were both freezing by the time we finished and were ready to warm up!

Part 2 of Dopey Challenge, the Walt Disney World 10K was complete! I couldn't comprehend that I still had 39.3 miles to run!

Stay tuned for more from our 2018 WDW Marathon Weekend vacay! Also, if you're interested in Disney vlogs from the remainder of our trip, look to my YouTube channel for updates! Have a great day!

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Favorite Hometown Race

Please pardon my lack of human social interaction over the past few days - I am officially down with the flu (type A) and have been since Sunday. Ironically, my brother who lives in another state was also diagnosed with type A on Sunday although his case is WAY worse than mine, symptom wise. For two days straight, I've been quarantined to my bedroom, only leaving with a lysol can in one hand and a clorox wipe in another - and the trips out of my room have been few and far between. I've been SO meticulous over the past few months with hand hygiene for both Brayden and I so I'm not quite sure where I picked this up from! (Yes, I also received the flu shot as required by my job.) Now, my biggest prayer is that Brayden doesn't get it...that would be awful.

Anyway, I decided to join in on a little Tuesdays on the Run fun today to help break up this crazy watch tv, sleep, drink fluids, repeat monotony.

Today's topic is all about your Favorite Hometown Race and after a little deliberation, I chose one and actually surprised myself with my choice - it's the 4 Miler On The 4th (of July, that is).

This race is hosted by our local running association. They host several races throughout the year and always do a great job, but this one happens to be my favorite.

Once May hits around here, races are few and far between due to the heat. I guess I always look forward to this 4 Miler for a couple of reasons - first because by the time it rolls around, it's been a while since I've run a race and second, this is one of the first races I ever ran when I began my running journey back in 2009!

This race also holds a lot of fun memories for me! I ran this race in 2009 with my sister in law - it was my first time to run this race but her first race ever! We still joke about this one because it was super hot and probably not the best race to choose for a first ever!

Another year, I must have missed my alarm and woke up from my dad's text, asking if I had made it to the race start! YIKES! I somehow managed to get dressed and out the door in record time, which led to a pretty interesting race to say the least!

I've also had the opportunity to run this race with friends over the years (here and here) which has always been fun and helped those hot miles not seem so hot after all!

This past year's race was one of my favorites, though! I went into the race not expecting much at all and came out with a 30 second PR! I still have NO idea where that came from, but I'll keep it! :)

Oh yes, I should also mention that I love the 4th of July which definitely helps with my loving this race! Red, white, and blue, patriotism, USA, summer, fireworks, BBQ...need I say more?

Do you have a favorite hometown race? If so, what is it?

Tuesdays on the Run Link Up- every Tuesday we have a new running related topic. Join your favorite running bloggers in linking up each week.

It's the Tuedsays on the Run Linkup with Erika, Marcia and Patty!

Friday, January 26, 2018

Walt Disney World Kids Races (100 m Dash)

During most runDisney events at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland (when they were available), a variety of shorter distance kids races are also offered...which is a fun way to get the kids involved in a runDisney event of their own!

Having only previously participated in the Diaper Dash with Brayden, we wanted to see what the 100m Dash was all about now that he's fully mobile!

For a full recap of our WDW Marathon Weekend experience, check out these links below:

I made sure to check the race guide before heading to ESPN because I remembered that the races were tiered by times. With the 100m Dash being the shortest kids race (apart from the Diaper Dash), the start time was right at 10:30 a.m., so we planned to be there around 10 a.m. We also scheduled this race for Friday morning (after the 10K) because I knew I would have more time after the race to shower and get ready.

When we arrived, we first headed over to the track to figure out where the start line was located so we could get in line fairly early. This was a mistake we made for the Diaper Dash so we wanted to be prepared this time.

After securing our spot in line, I sent Jason off to the bleacher area to take pictures.

This may look like a lot of people in front of me but it actually isn't. You should have seen the line BEHIND me...oh my goodness. We made it into the third wave of runners so it wasn't bad at all!

This family was absolutely adorable! If you're familiar with the Disney Jr show "PJ Masks", the kids were dressed like Cat Boy and Gecko and the mom and dad were dressed like Luna Girl and Romeo! So precious!

Mickey was waiting at the finish line to cheer the kids on!

By the time we lined up, we weren't able to get up to the white starting line but that was ok with me - I planned to stick back so Jason could see us and take good pictures! I also wanted to make sure Brayden had plenty of room to run so he wouldn't get knocked over!

After we moved to the side and I let go of his hand, he had a BALL! He was so exicted to run and his little giggle of delight was too precious!

Photopass photographers were out there, too!

It was cold so you can't see his outfit, but his shirt is the "Original Mousketeer" onesie - I figured it was appropriate for a Mickey medal! :)

As we neared the finish line and Mickey, I told Brayden to give Mickey a high five, so he did!

What a way to end a race! Jason even managed to catch the high five on camera!

100m Dash - all done!

After crossing the finish line, there was water, bananas, and GoGo Squeeze Apple Sauce packets for the kids. They each also received a medal at the finish line and an adorable t-shirt/race bib with their registration packet.

This medal is precious and now hanging next to his Diaper Dash medal!

It has been fun to see and participate in several aspects of the runDisney Kids Races.

From crawlers (or non crawlers because he wasn't even really crawling for the Diaper Dash) to older kids, there's something for everyone!

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Vlog: Walt Disney World 5K

As promised, I brought my camera along with me on all of the Marathon Weekend races I recently ran on my quest for the Dopey Challenge medal!

Beginning with the 5K, here's a quick video recap of our time on the course through EPCOT and World Showcase!

For a full recap of our WDW Marathon Weekend experience, check out these links below:

(I'm sorry the video is dark - this was my first time to finish a runDisney event when the sun hadn't quite risen all the way yet!)

Thanks for following along on our journey!

Sunday, January 21, 2018

runDisney's Walt Disney World 5K

The morning of runDisney's Marathon Weekend 5K was COLD and I felt rather Dopey waking up at 3 a.m. to run it!

For a full recap of our WDW Marathon Weekend experience, check out these links below:

When my friend Melissa and I decided to run Dopey Challenge, we knew we wanted to dress for each day of the race. For the 5K, we decided to go as Mousketeers as that costume was relatively easy to put together for both of us!

I laid everything out the night before so I wouldn't have trouble with it on race morning. We were also given two Dopey Challenge bibs for this race with specific instructions - the lime green one was to be worn for the 5K and 10K and the white one for the Half and Full. Melissa and I were both placed in corral C for the 5K and 10K which worked out great for us!

Feels like what in Orlando?! This was when I knew that the term "Dopey" seriously applied to us!

I decided to be "smart" and not arrive at the resort bust stop until 4 a.m. Well, I think everyone else at Port Orleans Riverside had the SAME idea. This line took 4 buses before it went down! You cant even see the end of the line in my picture - it continued into the lobby of the resort!

It didn't take long before we were at the starting area of the race. While waiting around for Melissa, I heard my name - it was Jennalyn and her sister Jill! Somehow we have managed to see each other at every race since Princess this year!

After standing around the heaters as long as possible, we managed to pull ourselves away to make the short trip to the corrals.

By this point, I was freezing and seriously questioning my sanity for agreeing to this crazy experience!

Although you can't really tell, I had several layers on - I was wearing two long sleeve dry fit shirts, my Mousketeer shirt, Legend Compression socks, and ankle length tights. I also had on a pair of gloves and ear warmers as well as Hot Hands hand warmers!

As soon as the race began though, my excitement level kicked up an extra notch and I was ready to run!

This 5K route was the typical EPCOT one where runners spent a little time on the highway, then ran through World Showcase, out by the International Gateway, then into Future World before crossing the finish line in the EPCOT parking lot.

We passed Jiminy Cricket as his line was a little long, but stopped for Genie when we saw his line was a little shorter! The kid behind us in line was SO cute....he was dressed as Genie and was so excited for this character stop! It made me even more excited for the day when I can experience something like this with Brayden!

These mile markers were all Pluto/dog themed.

We both had to stop to see Koda and Kenai! While waiting, Melissa and I discovered that we'd both seen Brother Bear while out on a date with our current spouses back in 2005/2006! So cute!

It was strange to finish this race in the dark, but EPCOT was beautiful as always!

After crossing the finish line, we grabbed our medals and made sure to pick up a mylar blanket. I had plans to use mine for the start of the race the following day!

We also received water, Powerade, a banana, and the traditional runDisney food box which included the ever popular chips and cheese dip!

Before we knew it, 3.1 miles of our Dopey Challenge adventure was over!

I found myself not being able to think about the challenge as a whole as my brain would go into panic mode. Instead, I had to take this overall challenge race by race. As one race was over, I would look only to the next day's race and so on. Although I was trained and ready, I was still scared and nervous and worried about the task of it all. So, instead of thinking about the 45.5 miles we still had to go, I mentally prepared for the 10K the following morning which was totally doable in my mind...only 6.2 miles! With that mindset, I was ready to go!

The remainder of our day was spent at EPCOT where I started off with Starbucks to help warm me up!

Stay tuned for more from our Dopey Challenge weekend! Thanks for following along with our truly Dopey adventure!

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