Dig A Little Deeper: Dopey 2019

[garneska]

What’s your next race? I’m trying to decide if I want to do a full at the end of April. I feel good, but have never done a full this quickly after another one.

I am doing a 50k trail race on feb 9. I am supposed to do another 3 hour trail run on the weekend, not sure how that will go. I am finally feeling better today (tuesday) no fever, but it is definitely in my chest. i am hoping maybe to run thrusday.

In term of doing another race so quick, i will be honest marathon is tough on my body. I did Chicago and that was my A race so i pushed every ounce i had. It was 3 months then Disney, my goal was not to push but to use it as a supported training run for the 50k. i probably should have slowed it down about 15 more minutes. So i think 3 months is definitely doable, if you are feeling good. No injuries, body not giving you the finger. i am not overly surprised i got sick. i think i have been doing too much and this was my body's way of telling me to chill out. Thankfully since it is my first Ultra, i am just trying to survive and finish.

 

[BigEeyore]

Well done on the fireworks photos! And I never get tired of seeing beautiful castle shots!

Been to Trail's End a couple of times - the food is decent, but for the price I would expect the restaurant itself to be nicer - feels like a Cracker Barrell in there! However - I do love the "old school Disney" environment at FW. It is really peaceful there, and you can see deer and wild turkeys roaming. Love watching the fireworks from the beach too! I have a weird fascination with River Country too - last time we ate at TE we "snuck over" to peek thru the fence at RC - just amazes me that Disney just abandoned it there, and it still sits untouched from the day they closed it years ago. (though apparently they are going to tear it down finally and build a DVC resort).

 

[lhermiston]

I am doing a 50k trail race on feb 9. I am supposed to do another 3 hour trail run on the weekend, not sure how that will go. I am finally feeling better today (tuesday) no fever, but it is definitely in my chest. i am hoping maybe to run thrusday.

In term of doing another race so quick, i will be honest marathon is tough on my body. I did Chicago and that was my A race so i pushed every ounce i had. It was 3 months then Disney, my goal was not to push but to use it as a supported training run for the 50k. i probably should have slowed it down about 15 more minutes. So i think 3 months is definitely doable, if you are feeling good. No injuries, body not giving you the finger. i am not overly surprised i got sick. i think i have been doing too much and this was my body's way of telling me to chill out. Thankfully since it is my first Ultra, i am just trying to survive and finish.

Good luck with your ultra! Physically, I am ready get back into training, but some of the temps over the next 10 days look absolutely brutal. I don’t know if I’m up for that.

Well done on the fireworks photos! And I never get tired of seeing beautiful castle shots!

Been to Trail's End a couple of times - the food is decent, but for the price I would expect the restaurant itself to be nicer - feels like a Cracker Barrell in there! However - I do love the "old school Disney" environment at FW. It is really peaceful there, and you can see deer and wild turkeys roaming. Love watching the fireworks from the beach too! I have a weird fascination with River Country too - last time we ate at TE we "snuck over" to peek thru the fence at RC - just amazes me that Disney just abandoned it there, and it still sits untouched from the day they closed it years ago. (though apparently they are going to tear it down finally and build a DVC resort).

Thanks! TE was definitely a unique experience.

 

[Baloo in MI]

Going to join in. Really like your trip report and the fireworks shots are incredible! Do you ever visit Tom Bricker’s website? He has incredible shots of Disney Parks and focuses a lot on photography. It is all lost on me, other than to say “wow, what a great photo!”

Looking forward to the rest of your trip report!

 

[run.minnie.miles]

Wow! Full day!! Great 5K and then an even better day with your family at MK!

Your HEA pictures are stunning! If you don't mind, I might use one for my phone wallpaper? The crowding during fireworks can be insane!

 

[TheHamm]

Good luck with your ultra! Physically, I am ready get back into training, but some of the temps over the next 10 days look absolutely brutal. I don’t know if I’m up for that.

I take this as a check on myself. It is absolutely brutal, and much like running when sick it is not always worth it. Give it a go on the 'better' days and find another option for the rest? It seems to me our extreme temps are going to be cyclical for the next 8 weeks so I will have another opportunity to mix up the routine!
Good luck!

 

[lhermiston]

Going to join in. Really like your trip report and the fireworks shots are incredible! Do you ever visit Tom Bricker’s website? He has incredible shots of Disney Parks and focuses a lot on photography. It is all lost on me, other than to say “wow, what a great photo!”

Looking forward to the rest of your trip report!

Tom Bricker is the inspiration behind all of my Disney photography. And by “inspiration” I mean I shamelessly try to recreate his best ideas. I love his photography and reviews.

Wow! Full day!! Great 5K and then an even better day with your family at MK!

Your HEA pictures are stunning! If you don't mind, I might use one for my phone wallpaper? The crowding during fireworks can be insane!

Feel free. I’d be honored.

And the crowds are truly insane at times. It has made Wishes/HEA a stressful endeavor in the past. That’s part of the reason I love IllumiNations so much, it’s so much easier to get an unobstructed view.

 

[Neon Cactus]

Great fireworks pictures. Love the Peoplemover, it's always a good place to relax and enjoy a few minutes out of the crowds. The castle looks great with the projections. I've only seen HEA from Ohana, I'm looking forward to seeing it in the park on my next trip.

 

[lhermiston]

Great fireworks pictures. Love the Peoplemover, it's always a good place to relax and enjoy a few minutes out of the crowds. The castle looks great with the projections. I've only seen HEA from Ohana, I'm looking forward to seeing it in the park on my next trip.

It’s a really cool show. I hope you enjoy it.

 

[21LizSalute]

Wow! Fantastic fireworks shots! Can't wait to read more!

 

[mankle30]

Wow! The Fireworks shots are incredible! Great that you could find a spot to set up! When we saw HAF on the Friday night (10k night), there was so much action right in front of us that it was hard to stay focused on the show!

I know what you mean about the snacks. My wife and I had the dining plan two years ago and we had about 6-8 snack credits left at the end of our stay that we cashed in for portable snacks we could take to Universal the next day!

 

[lhermiston]

Wow! Fantastic fireworks shots! Can't wait to read more!

Thanks!

Wow! The Fireworks shots are incredible! Great that you could find a spot to set up! When we saw HAF on the Friday night (10k night), there was so much action right in front of us that it was hard to stay focused on the show!

I know what you mean about the snacks. My wife and I had the dining plan two years ago and we had about 6-8 snack credits left at the end of our stay that we cashed in for portable snacks we could take to Universal the next day!

Thanks!

It's sooooo many snacks on the dining plan.. I could see if I had used a snack credit for breakfast, quick service lunch, counter service dinner and a snack credit late at night that *maybe* it would work, but that didn't fit our plans and even then, it's so much food.

 

[lhermiston]

Day 4, Part 1: More shots, another chilly race, fatigue sets in

As much as I love watching Jackie Chan movies with bus drivers, I tried to get a little more sleep the morning of the 10K. My plans were foiled around 2:40 when Maya - who tosses and turns - fell out of the bed she was sharing with her sisters and took one of them with her. My alarm was set for 3:00, but when I saw the time, I just decided to get up.

Friday morning was supposed to be a few degrees warmer than Thursday, but I layered up even more than the day before. I put on my winter weather base layers, my Spider-Man compression shirt, my winter running hat and a sweatshirt (if not a sweatshirt and a long-sleeve, I don't recall). I was on the first bus and arrived quickly to the staging area.

I posted up in the same spot and quickly had a gathering of runDisney all-stars, including @jennamfeo The Indispensable Dispenser of Booze. She had mini shot bottles (how did you get those past security anyway?) for her, @rteetz and I, which put a little welcome fire in my belly. She didn't offer me any of her pizza, though. I guess beggars can't be choosers.

It was definitely a chilly morning, but my base layers helped mitigate much of the cold. I was more comfortable than the previous morning. Around 5, we made our way to the corrals and I was back in A. I don't know if I was farther up than the day before or if they made the mini waves bigger, but I was probably in the third wave, which was appreciated.

Nearly two weeks later, there's not really a lot about the 10K that stands out to me. I do remember my legs not feeling very fresh and having some thoughts about doing this two more mornings at increasing distances. The first few miles are also pretty tame, mostly just highway.

I really enjoyed the part of the race that goes through the Epcot resort area. I remember seeing it at the tail end of the 2017 marathon and it was even better at before the sun came up. There were lots of spectators, as well, so that was really nice considering how early it was.

I looked for Keels' libation station, but it turns out The Man shut her down. Bummer.

Running through parts of Epcot was a lot of fun again and I even took a quick detour for a Space Ship Earth pic.

PhotoPass_Visiting_WDWRUNDISNEY_8304827284 by Lee Hermiston, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_WDWRUNDISNEY_8305112098 by Lee Hermiston, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_WDWRUNDISNEY_8305189085 by Lee Hermiston, on Flickr

As I was entering the chute to the finish line, I heard "Born to Run" blasting over the speakers. I'm a huge Springsteen fan, so that was pretty great.

PhotoPass_Visiting_WDWRUNDISNEY_8305093555 by Lee Hermiston, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_WDWRUNDISNEY_8305227329 by Lee Hermiston, on Flickr

Overall, with the exception of the Epcot resort area, the 10K was just kind of fine for me. Part of that can be attributed to me just not feeling awesome for the race, but I wasn't thrilled with the course. I enjoyed myself as much as I could, but it was also evident I needed to change things up a bit during the day and evenings if I wasn't going to burn myself out for the half and full.

Next up: Oh...Canada?

 

[rteetz]

I can see why you didn't like the 10K as much but I love the 10K. Its different from the other races for the most part and not as quick as a 5K. It was fun enjoying shots with you again before this one as well. Great photos!

 

[Chaitali]

You had good music luck during the races, with the perfect song coming on at the perfect time!

 

[lhermiston]

I can see why you didn't like the 10K as much but I love the 10K. Its different from the other races for the most part and not as quick as a 5K. It was fun enjoying shots with you again before this one as well. Great photos!

I want to like it more, but it felt like the 5K with more streets and the Epcot resorts (which I loved) subbed in for the world showcase. It could also have been a state of mind thing since I loved the half, but was better rested.

And yeah, those shots were great!

 

[SarahDisney]

I love your fireworks photos! Amazing!

I get what you're saying about the 10K. The Epcot resorts are my favorite part of the course and are probably the reason why I'd do it again, but the rest of the course is kinda meh. I wish they could make the first half of that course a little more exciting.

 

[lhermiston]

I love your fireworks photos! Amazing!

I get what you're saying about the 10K. The Epcot resorts are my favorite part of the course and are probably the reason why I'd do it again, but the rest of the course is kinda meh. I wish they could make the first half of that course a little more exciting.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[cavepig]

Love your trip so far! Your family looks like they had a blast. Awesome pictures! I hardly took any photos this trip so enjoying yours, especially your firework shots! That 5k was sooooo cold, doesn't matter that we live in cold in the midwest because Florida cold feels so different.

The fun really began when we hit Epcot. We entered the World Showcase (near China, I think?) and I immediately recognized the music playing. "Dig A Little Deeper." I was floored and smiling like crazy. That song has been my Disney jam for the last month.

So, since I volunteered the water stop, we heard the music loop over and over for hours, but I loved the mixture they had and "Dig A Little Deeper" is a favorite of mine too. I didn't get sick of it at all.

And the clientele was unlike anything I've seen in any Disney restaurants - no apparel, no Mickey ears, etc. It literally could have been any buffet in the Midwest on a Tuesday evening.

I love Fort Wilderness mainly because it's where we always stayed as kids. It has nostalgia to me, but I totally get what you are saying. We did a Trail's End breakfast Tuesday after the races & agree it is the most unDisney like yet to me most Disney just because I grew up with it. One friend had never been there and was so surprised how it was still Disney yet so calm and away from the park crazies. We took my friends then on the walk to Wilderness Lodge so they could check that out, so peaceful to step away for a bit from the parks.

 

[BigEeyore]

Yea the first half of the 10K course is pretty boring - not sure what they could do to make it better other than maybe try to include HS but that would be tough.

No character stops for this one?