Wine & Dine Half Marathon: Recap

Wine & Dine... or what many like to call WDW's 2014 Splash 'n Dash!

The week leading up to the race showed a chance of rain, but the forecast changed everyday. It wasn't until the day before or the day of the race that rain was imminent. I am a Goldilocks runner: I don't like to run when it's too hot or too cold. And running in the rain definitely is not my cup of tea. But this was my first trip to WDW and I was going to get my Coast to Coast medal, even with the rain. 

I had dinner at our resort- Boatwright's at Port Orleans Riverside. This was my first night race and I wasn't sure if I should carb-load or not, so I went with pasta anyway.

I considered wearing regular running clothes since it was raining, but I was super excited about my Mickey Ice Cream Bar costume. Mostly just the ears. :) I'll post a DIY on how I made them.

The character lines were long! I only had time to wait in one line, so of course I went with Mickey. The line took about 45 mins to an hour, but well worth it!

The rain didn't start until just before the race while we waited in the corrals. I started in corral E and was already pretty damp by the time I crossed the start.

And we're off!

A quick picture with one of the floats from the Electrical Parade that was stolen borrowed from Disneyland. ;)

I was averaging a 10:30 min mile- much faster than I'd been training. The rain really made seeing anything difficult. Water kept getting stuck on my eyelashes and getting in my eyes. Maybe it's just me, but when I wear contacts and I get water in my eyes, they get super uncomfortable. I was afraid they were going to come out! Does that happen to anyone else?

The textured ground in Animal Kingdom made for some great puddles. My shoes were totally soaked!

There was a pirate ship and pirates out for a photo op. There weren't as many characters out, probably due to the rain. These guys were troopers!

Hollywood Studios hat. I like it and I'm sad to hear it's being taken out.

Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights!!!!

The lights were my motivation during this race. I was tired and hating the rain, so I told myself I wouldn't stop running until I reached the lights. Then I could take a break and enjoy them.

A soggy and tired Mickey Ice Cream Bar

 The rain couldn't stop my excitement about these lights.

Pretty sure I took more photos here than the rest of the race combined. :)

After that, it was just a couple miles to the finish! At this point I really just wanted to be done, so I pushed a little harder at the end and picked up the pace.

My final time was 2:30, which is actually my 3rd fastest half marathon (my PR is 2:23). Surprised? So am I, considering the rain!

I considered just going back to the hotel after the race, after all, I was completely soaked and cold now that I had stopped running. But... I really wanted to eat at the Hawaii booth in Epcot. This was my last opportunity during my trip, so I put on a dry top and braved the rain. I got my food- a pork slider and tuna poke. And even a beer to go with it. :) 

Riding Test Track was considered, but I was shivering so much that I was spilling my beer, so that was my cue to head home.

I even made the official runDisney video! Find me about 27 seconds in. :)

I Made the Avengers 5k Official runDisney Video!

The costumes I made for the Avengers 5k for my friend and I were one of the biggest sewing projects I've ever attempted. This was the first time I made clothing, but I think they turned out pretty well! We got a lot of compliments along the course and even made the runDisney Facebook page and video! :)

Here are our USO Dancing Girl costumes. Photo from the runDisney Facebook page.

You can find us in the video around 1:29. 

Please excuse my face. The guy filming was using his phone or Go Pro, so I didn't realize that he was an official person. I thought he was just some random guy filming us. Haha. :)

Avengers Half Marathon: Expo Shopping

Today I'm headed down to sunny Southern California for the Avengers Half Marathon Weekend!

I'll be stopping by the expo while I pick up my bib for the 5k and half. Here's a little preview of the official merchandise!

I'm not a huge fan of the shirts, but it is nice that there's a nice variety of designs!

There's a special Dooney that's being released for the event. What do you think?

This is the race shirt for the half. I like this one!

I also heard that the 2015 runDisney New Balance shoes are going to be revealed this weekend. Who's excited?

I Made the W&D Official runDisney Video!

Have you seen the official runDisney recap video for Wine & Dine yet? You can catch me about 27 seconds into the video. :) 

I wanted my costume to reflect the theme of the race- I went more with the "dine" part and dressed as one of my favorite Disney treats- a Mickey Ice Cream Bar!

I'm off to the Avengers weekend in Disneyland, but I promise I'll have recaps of the race as well as my trip! :)

Facing My Fear of Racing Alone

I've been running and participating in races for about 4 years and for the most part, I have always run with someone. It's mostly been my husband (bless him for being my constant motivator), but I've also run with friends and family.

I've been lucky to have a decent medal collection from all these races. 

So it may surprise you to know that of the races I've run, only one of them I've run by myself. I know it's irrational, but I get really nervous about racing by myself. 

I had to overcome my fear when I ran the Tinker Bell 10k. 

It was strange walking to the corrals by myself, but I met some awesome twitter friends in the corral and they helped to pass the time. Plus I was in Corral A for the first time ever and I was gawking and taking pictures of the "A" corral marker. ;) 

The run itself was great. I loved the freedom of being able to hop in a character photo line or just jump to the side to snap a picture. I could go as quickly or as slowly as I wanted without having to consider someone else's pace.

I got some great photos during the race.

And took my first ever photo with characters during a race! Pretty unique characters for a photo!

But... this was a 10k and I was pretty used to the mileage. I think that's part of what made me feel at ease with running alone. It was only an hour or so and I knew I could easily complete the distance.

 This time around, my solo running comes with a longer distance- the Avengers Half marathon.

I'm really nervous about this race, mostly because I am very under-trained for this race and it's been months since I ran double digit miles (not including Wine & Dine this past weekend). I worry that I won't finish the race or that I'll get swept. Maybe it's a lack of personal motivation to keep moving? Does anyone else get this? The companionship of a running buddy has always been great encouragement, but as nervous as I am, I'm looking forward to running this alone and overcoming my fear of racing alone.

Do you race alone? Have you run with other people? Which do you prefer?

Wine & Dine Expo Shopping List

I'm still eagerly awaiting a sneak peek of the merchandise for the Wine & Dine Expo, but I've already started compiling a list of other fun stuff I'm lusting after.

I hope they have a lot of items with this design (from the official race guide) on it. I'd love a magnet or tumbler with it.

I have my eye on this Snow White hoodie from Raw Threads. I have a couple of Raw Threads skirts that I love (super soft and comfy) and I've only heard great things about their tops and hoodies. Since their inventory at the expo can be limited, I decided to pre-order this. They offer free expo pick up!

I'll probably pick up another Sweaty Band. They have some pretty ones like this gold one.

Do you have an items you look for at expos?

The Last Bit of Dallas Fun

With less than a week still in Dallas, I'm packing in as much fun as I can. 

Giant Jenga! They have this at a lot of different bars.

Hanging out at one of our favorites- The Truck Yard. Different food trucks park on one side and there's tons of outdoor seating and a bar inside. Very relaxed atmosphere. 

Getting pedicures with friends! All of our significant others work for the same company and we all moved to Dallas recently for that company. It's nice to know other ladies who can truly relate to and understand the crazy journey I've been on. I am really going to miss them. :(

And of course, we had one last night to two stepping. A lot of my Californian friends get a good giggle out of hearing that we go two stepping, but I really love it! Plus my husband has become quite the dancer!

Have you been to Texas?