Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend

Like all runDisney events, the beginning of the weekend begins with the expo. The expo is where you pick up your bib and race shirts. You can also get any other merchandise you're looking for. From clothing, to shoes, to fuel, to tutus; you can find it at the expo! The runDisney booth at the expo is always the craziest booth. This time around, they filed everyone into a area and only let a certain amount of people into the booth at a time. This was wonderful. I never felt congested or overwhelmed like I have in the past. I got a few items here and then explored the rest of the expo.

The next morning was the Neverland 5k. The 5k started in front of the castle. There were no corrals for the 5k. Instead, as people entered the park and got closer to the castle they just stopped where the crowd of people were. I think I was in "Corral B". There was no official start line that I could see as well. I found this strange, but after the congestion in the beginning the course was great. The course went through Disneyland and out through a backstage area into California Adventure. After going through California Adventure, we exited through a backstage door and finished in Downtown Disney.  I wore the same leggings and tank I wore during the Princess 5k. I figured the mermaid look would work in Neverland as well.  

Saturday morning was the Tinker Bell 10k. This was the first race in the Pixie Dust Challenge. When I opened the hotel room door I found it raining. Luckily the ran stopped once I was I got to the parking garage and held off the entire day. The 10k started on the tram road underneath Downtown Disney. After going through some backstage areas we entered Disneyland. This race had a lot more time in Disneyland which was awesome. 

Running through the castle never gets old!

We left out the front gate and headed out to California Adventure. The finish was in the same spot as the 5k I wore a bright green tee and headband in honor of Tinker Bell. I really enjoyed this race. I was excited to spend the rest of the day in the park and get ready to run the half the next morning.

On Sunday morning, I got up early once again to run the Tinker Bell Half Marathon. I have only done the Disneyland Half Marathon and that course wasn't the most thrilling. I had heard much better things about the Tink course so I had my hopes up. We went through the same areas in the parks, but we did have to go out into the Anaheim streets. I saw much better areas of Anaheim and wished I had known about them before this moment. 

Everyone loves running through Cars Land!

 

One of my favorite parts of the streets of Anaheim was the Red Hat Society. There were so many of these ladies out and they were cheering for everyone. It was a really special moment that I could never put into words.

Once I finished the half, I hit up the photo area.

I was able to get the pink Coast to Coast medal during this run. When you do the Princess Half and the Tinker Bell half, you get a pink medal. The blue one is given for doing any half/full marathon in Disney World and then a half marathon in California. I was surprised to get both Coast to Coast bracelets at the Expo. I then heard that you could turn down the blue Coast to Coast to get it at a later race. It was nice to have all of the medals though. 

I am so happy that runDisney uses Disney Photopass now as well. The photos are so much better and you have the ability to know when a photographer is coming up (they have tents and balloons so you can see them). If you have a Photopass for your trip the photos can be linked into your account. No more spending more money to buy a package or even just one photo! 

Next up with runDisney: the Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend!

California!

It was March 2nd. I got in my car at about 6 am, went down the street to get gas. I was on my way to California. Yes I drove to California. Alone.

My driving took me through Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and finally into California.

I saw a lot while I was driving. You know trees, grass, mountains, trucks, bugs (mostly dead on my window), animals (dead and alive), tumbleweeds, snow, rain, trees, red rocks, deserts, and craters. There are things I wish I could have experienced with someone else because all the words will never describe it. It took me about 4 days to get across the country.

Grand Ole Opry Nashville, TN

Big Dam Bridge Little Rock, AK

Meteor Crater Northern Arizona

Temecula, CA

Now I rest in California. I'm working so nothing has fully changed for me. I have done a few things while I've been here. 

Things like:

Disneyland

Hiking Mount Woodson

Ate ice cream where they get me.

Spent Easter at the beach

Met up with Ryan

Met up with Molly

Watched World of Color in a VIP zone

Spent a night in the Grand Californian

Got into Lounge 1901

Rode Hyperspace Mountain after coming into contact with Kylo Ren

Saw a double rainbow

Went to Vegas to hang out with Britney Spears

Spent a day on Coronado Island

Entered the Twilight Zone

Ran with hot air balloons

Ran through a vineyard

Went to Universal Studios Hollywood

Hung out in Hogshead

Hung out in Springfield

Explored a studio tour

Drank butterbeer

Found God

 I have a little less than a month left now. There will be more to see. More to talk about. More feelings than I can explain.

Until then....

Princess Half Marathon Weekend

This post is a little late...okay a lot late. Sorry about that.

I decided after running Dopey last year that I would skip Marathon Weekend and head down to the Princess Half Marathon Weekend in Disney World in 2016. I must say I was really jealous of all the posts during Marathon Weekend, but Princess wasn't that far away.

We arrived in Disney World on Wednesday. This trip we stayed at Coronado Springs. I loved this hotel. It had a more adult feel and less of a Disney one, but the food was amazing there. I would stay here again in a heartbeat.

On Thursday Nate and I headed over to the Expo. I had to get my Glass Slipper Challenge and my 5k bib so I took a little bit longer than Nate just grabbing his 5k bib. I grabbed a couple items that I wanted and headed over to the rest of the Expo. It was a nightmare! To get into the Jostens Center there was a long line. That is fine except that there was 4 different lines going into one. The staff sent people to a line and then other people were yelling at people that they were cutting. I heard stories of fights breaking out. I had gotten a spot to the get a pair of the Ariel New Balance sneakers and decided to not go back based off of the craziness I had endured already.

That night we went to the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue. I had never been and had only heard great things about it. It was good and I would go back again.

I was ready for bed by the time the show ended. The alarm was set early for the next few days.

On Friday Nate and I headed out for the 5k. This was Nate's first run in Disney and I was happy to share this experience with him. 

These costumes were the coolest!

After the 5k we headed over to Animal Kingdom and had dinner at Be Our Guest. We didn't stay out too late, I had another run in the morning!

Saturday morning I was up again. The alarm is always going off far too soon on these race weekends. Am I right!?! Today was only a 10k right? And we had 'Ohana for breakfast afterwards. I think I was running for the food at this point. The race was the same course as during Marathon Weekend. I knew it wasn't great, but I got through it. 

After breakfast, we went back to the Expo. I guess I just wanted to look at the shoes again. Nate went back to the room to put down our stuff and I headed over to Epcot where Patti LaBelle was doing a book signing. I was told I wasn't guaranteed to get in, but I did! And they made her mac and cheese recipe for us all to try. And it was good!

Sunday was another running morning. I think I've seen more of Disney in the pitch black than in the daylight! I've done this course enough for me to know how it goes. Leave the Epcot parking lot, head to Magic Kingdom, and then back to Epcot to finish. I can't remember much that made me beyond excited. I don't have a lot of pictures during the races. Honestly there were very little princesses out for pictures. The lines for pictures were crazy long. I read a lot of people were disappointed with the lack of entertainment along the course.

Bling.

 I was excited to go to the California Grill for dinner to celebrate after all this running.

I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone and everyone. We had the dining plan, but I would pay for a meal here again. There is a dress code for the restaurant, but it didn't seem like they were that strict on upholding it.

We had some time to hang out without running before we needed to get on a plane home. We made sure to go back to Animal Kingdom. Zootopia was about to come out so I got my picture with this guy.

Soon enough I was home to get back to work and begin my journey to California for the next 2 1/2 months.

Titles Are Overrated

Running went good today. Or as good as it gets. This is Marathon Weekend in Disney. I'm jealous I'm not there. I'll be there next month so I shouldn't be too jealous.

Emotionally I'm kind of bummed out. Sometimes you get into fights or things don't go as planned. And it gets to the point you don't know how to fix it. That's where I am right now. I'm just trying to get through each day. 

Hoping tomorrow is better.

A Lovely Day Off

Just got home from see Beauty and Beast. It was amazing. If you ever get the chance to see the show, you should! 

They did a great job going from film to stage. And there's a lot of laughs. 

So today I felt good. Just good. It was nice. 

Brrrrr!

It's freezing! I'm a big baby in the cold. I need to be at a consistent 75 or above to be happy. 

Today was really good. I laughed a lot at the end of the day which was awesome. And much needed. I hope the next few days are the same!

The First Monday of 2016

Happy Monday all!

I started today with a work out. This was great. Okay so the workout was a little rough, but I did my best.

After working out I headed to work. Work was pretty good. It's a nice break from the craziness of the holiday season.

My team had a meeting. Listening to the meeting made me feel kind of sad, kind of bad, kind of confused, but also the need to talk to someone. I talked with one of my managers and went over how I've been feeling. It was good to talk about it and know I'm not the worst at work. (Not that I thought I was, but just in general the bad feelings that have lived inside lately.) I won't lie, there were tears. I mean I don't talk to anyone so it makes sense.

I'm hoping that I regain some spark over the next few months.