(Final 8/12)The WILDEST Ride in the Wilderness!" Princess Half Marathon TR/Feb.2014

[annmarieda]

Great room! I stayed in the 60's section...lake view once. It was before AoA was in. Such a nice and quiet location.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Joining along! We could have waved at you from our room at AOA. Very interested to hear how the race went as I am seriously considering doing this myself next year.

Oh you will hear so much about the race, I have a three page recap written up on my blog already! I loved it!

Great room! I stayed in the 60's section...lake view once. It was before AoA was in. Such a nice and quiet location.

It was really nice and Savannah is right, we have less traffic on the top floor.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Caught up. Caught up! Yhea.. caught up. Can't believe I failed on this one. Discover you have a TR THREE PAGES IN. Sigh. I'll blame it on the excitement of planning an outfit I'm going to wear in 350 days!! Which is going to be sooooooooooooo cool.. so totes worth it!

Sorry about the cheesecake. That is a royal bummer. Hopefully you found some other stuff that made up for it- even if not at Pop!

Great pics of Eleanor and Savannah outside the room. Even if, ahem.... you called me out on posting them all and there is only one. Just sayin'.



Oh Ann, don't discount yourself. There are actually 'walkers' only in these races. You could always work and train for the 5K or the 10K and not the 1/2 That would get you cupcakes and booze... and of course, awesome company.



I see you are doing ToT?! Me too!!! Very excited! (sorry, that was a takeover of your TR Karen)



It won't last Hope. The fever will come back strong- especially with Karen's awesome pics. I mean, she has not even gotten to her DRINKING yet... so... ya know?!?... it's coming..........



I here now!!! With a pup in my lap. All caught up!

Ok, you totally misunderstood! I mean that over the course of the trip there are millions of shots of them, doing the same thing, same smile, same lean in...and I'm going to post them all!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

We headed to the buses and found the bus to the Expo easily. It was getting ready to leave and we hopped on! I sat down, went to pull out my phone and GAH!!!! Forgot my phone!

Savannah had hers, so it wasn't that I was without a phone completely, but the plan was to head straight from the Expo to the Polynesian for the #runnerslove meetup and now we would have to go back to the resort to get my phone. I forgot it because I had to charge it when we arrived. It really struggled to hold a charge all day at Disney.

Well, at least it would charge up while we were at the Expo!

We arrived at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex really quickly, it's prety close to Pop! Then we took quite a trek to the complex. I've read a few Expo reviews and no one mentions the walk, so maybe I'm just a pansy, but it seemed like a bit of walking to get there, pretty normal for Disney but I was concerned about my knee for the race, so I was trying to be careful with how far I walked.

Funny sidebar here, the walk to the corrals is always something people complain about and say it's SO FAR. Since I had read that so many times and expected it, it didn't seem far at all to me.

So, we arrived!

I knew where to go b/c I do my research, but I thought there were a lot of signs and CM's directing people.

First we headed to get my bib! This is the building for that.

It was pretty easy! I went downstairs, walked right up to the area that had my bib number and they gave me what I needed.

There was an official merchandise area there as well but they had virtually NOTHING in there. (forshadowing???) Just keep in mind that it was Friday afternoon, around 1:30pm. The Expo was from Thursday morning through Saturday evening.

Out back we go and to the building with the red carpet! Now that's my kind of treatment!

I took a picture with the carriage men, completely dorked out.

Holy Expo!!

It was pretty busy. I've never been to an Expo before and wanted to shop, but having the girls with me made it difficult. I kept thinking I would lose them and they were just standing there a lot of the time. Next time I go alone! We went and picked up my shirt and then headed to the official merch. I wanted a jacket and a shirt. The jackets were GONE. A couple of the shirts I wanted only had smalls left. Boo. Hiss!

I ended up getting a couple shirts anyway and a magnet for my car and moved on. Next year I'm going on Thursday to ensure I get the jacket, it was the one thing I knew I would use.

I made a b-line for the Sparkleskirts, bought one of those and then we tried to browse a bit but it was just too crowded. I think it was mostly the girls who were bored out of their minds and had just traveled all day. I was making them wait more. So, I found my name on the wall and we headed out!

Back to the bus stop!

When we arrived at AoA, we decided to hop off and walk back to our room. It was probably around the same distance and we wanted to see AoA up close. There was a bird on the bridge that made friends with us, he was talking up a storm. I should have named this TR the bird report b/c we had many bird encounters this trip!

As we were near the building, it started raining and we made a run for it, so once back at the room, I changed my shirt and took a few minutes to take a pic of my Expo loot. After a little waiting the rain stopped, thankfully!

Back to the buses! I had the #runnerslove meetup to get to by 3:30! I decided that since the Expo was so close, it would be easier to go to the Expo again and then just jump on the bus to the Polynesian. In theory, this worked. We got there and could see the Poly bus across the parking lot...but they wouldn't let us cross, we had to go all the way around...and by the time we got there the bus had pulled off. No problem, we'll be the first on the next bus! A bus pulled up immediately but a CM working there told us she was going on break. Aw, bummer! Wait a sec...she gets on the bus and asks the driver if she can take just straight to the Poly before going on break. Yes! Cool beans! So, we get on this huge charter bus all by ourselves and we're off!

This is Savannah's "awkward face" she makes when something is strange. I guess having a bus all to yourself is strange! LOL

Poor Eleanor...she's like "Another bus??" or "Another picture?" I'm unsure of which.

We arrived at the Poly in no time and I was so excited to meet some of the runners that I had been chatting with for the last year onine!

We headed out to the beach area and I found the group pretty fast. We were late, so they had started and were giving out prizes.

The meetup was fantastic, but short. I was taking pictures for Meg (one of the coordinators) and it started to rain. It wasn't an option to stay in the rain with my camera, so I had to say goodbye pretty quickly and run for it. I'm sure the girls were a little relieved to head to DTD for dinner and shopping b/c they had been waiting even more at the meetup! Poor things! No matter, we were on a bus to DTD before we knew it and it was time to SHOP!

I swear this TR gets more interesting! I guess now reading it, you all know how the girls were feeling after lots of traveling, running related stuffs, and waiting.

Up next...more waiting??

 

[Tinker326]

The PHM Expo sounds pretty close to the Wine & Dine expo. I thought for the size of the thing- it was pretty well run & easy to get around (although def. a lot of walking!)

I was so sad to see how fast stuff did disappear too - I still mourn my "I Did It Shirt!". So I guess it's settled we WILL arrive Thursday to get good dibs on merchandise.

Love Savannah's facial expression on the bus. That is about the same expression I get from Sarah all the time! Too funny!

Bummer you didn't get to stay longer at the Poly- I just LOVE that resort. I think it's still my favorite- edging out AKL only slightly....

Plus, they have Dole Whips at their QS place. So that makes it Heaven for me!!!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

The PHM Expo sounds pretty close to the Wine & Dine expo. I thought for the size of the thing- it was pretty well run & easy to get around (although def. a lot of walking!)

I was so sad to see how fast stuff did disappear too - I still mourn my "I Did It Shirt!". So I guess it's settled we WILL arrive Thursday to get good dibs on merchandise.

Love Savannah's facial expression on the bus. That is about the same expression I get from Sarah all the time! Too funny!

Bummer you didn't get to stay longer at the Poly- I just LOVE that resort. I think it's still my favorite- edging out AKL only slightly....

Plus, they have Dole Whips at their QS place. So that makes it Heaven for me!!!

Do you know that in 6 trips I have never had one?!?! I keep thinking I will try one and then the cupcakes always win.

Aw, so sad you didn't get the I DID IT shirt! I did get one of those, luckily, but heard they ran out later. I think I would have enjoyed shopping if I hadn't had the girls with me and I think RunDisney did a fantastic job with organizing the whole weekend. SO MANY people and yet it still seems to run really well!

 

[disneyhorselover]

We arrived at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex really quickly, it's prety close to Pop! Then we took quite a trek to the complex. I've read a few Expo reviews and no one mentions the walk, so maybe I'm just a pansy, but it seemed like a bit of walking to get there, pretty normal for Disney but I was concerned about my knee for the race, so I was trying to be careful with how far I walked.

Funny sidebar here, the walk to the corrals is always something people complain about and say it's SO FAR. Since I had read that so many times and expected it, it didn't seem far at all to me.

Love the pictures! Glad you had an easier time than I did (and were smart enough to figure it all out ahead of time, something I should have done...)

I agree! What a long walk to the expo! I think I remembered hearing that from marathon weekend too, but even knowing ahead of time didn't really prepare me for that hike.

I also agree about the corrals, but I think that felt shorter because I was excited and chatting and not fully awake yet, so I just kind of followed the crowd until I was there....now that I think about it, I don't think I could tell you how long it was

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Love the pictures! Glad you had an easier time than I did (and were smart enough to figure it all out ahead of time, something I should have done...)

I agree! What a long walk to the expo! I think I remembered hearing that from marathon weekend too, but even knowing ahead of time didn't really prepare me for that hike.

I also agree about the corrals, but I think that felt shorter because I was excited and chatting and not fully awake yet, so I just kind of followed the crowd until I was there....now that I think about it, I don't think I could tell you how long it was

I could have sworn before the race I had heard it was nearly a mile? 20 minute walk? It didn't seem like that to me at ALL...maybe they changed it this year and we just didn't know it!

 

[wiigirl]

Great pics!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Great pics!

Thanks!!

 

[-Hope-]

It won't last Hope. The fever will come back strong- especially with Karen's awesome pics. I mean, she has not even gotten to her DRINKING yet... so... ya know?!?... it's coming..........

Yep, just looking at Karen's pics on FB has ramped up the fever! Soooo jealous that you guys get to have a trip together!! One of these days I'll have an adult trip to WDW...

 

[-Hope-]

That really sucks about the jacket and the rain. I'm glad all of the transport mojo was working in your favor though.

 

[annmarieda]

We headed to the buses and found the bus to the Expo easily. It was getting ready to leave and we hopped on!

Yay!

I sat down, went to pull out my phone and GAH!!!! Forgot my phone!

Booo

Savannah had hers, so it wasn't that I was without a phone completely, but the plan was to head straight from the Expo to the Polynesian for the #runnerslove meetup and now we would have to go back to the resort to get my phone. I forgot it because I had to charge it when we arrived. It really struggled to hold a charge all day at Disney.

I have found that I have to change so many settings when I am at WDW. My phone battery just drains far too quickly. It sucks! I have taken advantage of guest services and their phone charging on multiple occasions in MK and DHS (epcot apparently doesn't do it and I have never tried in AK)

Well, at least it would charge up while we were at the Expo!

Hopefully it did!!

We arrived at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex really quickly, it's pretty close to Pop!

Driving it recently... that distance is really nothing! I am not sure there are sidewalks, but I bet if one were trying to get some miles in for the day it would be a good "short" run.

Then we took quite a trek to the complex. I've read a few Expo reviews and no one mentions the walk, so maybe I'm just a pansy, but it seemed like a bit of walking to get there, pretty normal for Disney but I was concerned about my knee for the race, so I was trying to be careful with how far I walked.

I was ill prepared at the ToT in October for this. At that point I had done two RD races. The first (ToT 2012) - I rode with a friend to the expo and being there with her made it go by super quick. We took a cab back though. Then the second. (phm 2013) the expo was at the resort I was staying so I just walked over from my room. Then came ToT 2013 and the first trip to the expo my friends drove me....so when I went back a second time by myself I was SHOCKED!!! It has to be at least a mile....and my guess well over it. Needless to say I was more than happy to have a car for marathon weekend in January.

Funny sidebar here, the walk to the corrals is always something people complain about and say it's SO FAR. Since I had read that so many times and expected it, it didn't seem far at all to me.

I know distance wise it really is. However, I think just like with my first ride to the expo where a friend was with me and we were excited... the same thing happens in the walk to the corrals. Lots of people and excitement!!! Makes it seem like no distance.

I took a picture with the carriage men, completely dorked out.

Look at you in your minnie skirt!!!

Holy Expo!!

This is so much better a venue for this. Last year they crammed everyone into the convention center at CSR. It looked like this

It was pretty busy. I've never been to an Expo before and wanted to shop, but having the girls with me made it difficult. I kept thinking I would lose them and they were just standing there a lot of the time. Next time I go alone! We went and picked up my shirt and then headed to the official merch. I wanted a jacket and a shirt. The jackets were GONE. A couple of the shirts I wanted only had smalls left. Boo. Hiss!

I am sorry that things were gone. It is weird how some things go and others don't. I learned something though (and maybe this is kinda a secret ) After the race, the left over merchandise goes to Team Mickey in DTD. I was able to snag the pullover that I had wanted at 33% off. I think the next day they went 50% off. THEN they go to the Character Warehouse in the outlet mall. (I think that is the name of the store) Very limited stuff... but I did see 2012 wine and dine merchandise (just like magnets) for like $1 or $2 each... there may have been a shirt I cant remember.

I ended up getting a couple shirts anyway and a magnet for my car and moved on. Next year I'm going on Thursday to ensure I get the jacket, it was the one thing I knew I would use.

I am glad you were able to find some things that you wanted.

I made a b-line for the Sparkleskirts, bought one of those and then we tried to browse a bit but it was just too crowded. I think it was mostly the girls who were bored out of their minds and had just traveled all day. I was making them wait more. So, I found my name on the wall and we headed out!

Isn't the name on the wall so cool!!!! It was a hard thing to do at the 2013 though... mine was low to the ground and the walk way was jam packed with women (that picture I posted doesn't do it justice) I had to squat down and be pressed right up against the wall and was bumped over a bunch of times.

Back to the buses! I had the #runnerslove meetup to get to by 3:30! I decided that since the Expo was so close, it would be easier to go to the Expo again and then just jump on the bus to the Polynesian. In theory, this worked. We got there and could see the Poly bus across the parking lot...but they wouldn't let us cross, we had to go all the way around...and by the time we got there the bus had pulled off. No problem, we'll be the first on the next bus! A bus pulled up immediately but a CM working there told us she was going on break. Aw, bummer! Wait a sec...she gets on the bus and asks the driver if she can take just straight to the Poly before going on break. Yes! Cool beans! So, we get on this huge charter bus all by ourselves and we're off!

That was an excellent plan! I know that I got yelled at for wanting to cross that lot for the ToT 2013.. it was weird how they wanted people to go up and around... just weird. Glad you got on your own charter though1!!

This is Savannah's "awkward face" she makes when something is strange. I guess having a bus all to yourself is strange! LOL

Poor Eleanor...she's like "Another bus??" or "Another picture?" I'm unsure of which.

Great pictures of both of them.... even if they each have a "look" in the pictures.

We arrived at the Poly in no time and I was so excited to meet some of the runners that I had been chatting with for the last year onine!

How fun! I love dismeets... I assume this is similar.

I swear this TR gets more interesting! I guess now reading it, you all know how the girls were feeling after lots of traveling, running related stuffs, and waiting.

I am truly in awe that this happened all on your travel day! What a full day you have had so far!!

 

[JessM]

Joining in! I was down there for PHM weekend too!

I went to the expo first thing Friday morning and luckily they still had everything I wanted. I love how well organized it was, it was fabulous!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Yep, just looking at Karen's pics on FB has ramped up the fever! Soooo jealous that you guys get to have a trip together!! One of these days I'll have an adult trip to WDW...

I haven't even gotten to World Showcase and drinking yet!

That really sucks about the jacket and the rain. I'm glad all of the transport mojo was working in your favor though.

We had pretty decent luck with transport on the trip.

Yay!



Booo



I have found that I have to change so many settings when I am at WDW. My phone battery just drains far too quickly. It sucks! I have taken advantage of guest services and their phone charging on multiple occasions in MK and DHS (epcot apparently doesn't do it and I have never tried in AK)

I even brought my cord b/c I thought I would charge at the parks, but that never happened and a couple times I nearly lost it pulling stuff out of my bag, so I may just have to get an extra battery on future trips or something.

Hopefully it did!!



Driving it recently... that distance is really nothing! I am not sure there are sidewalks, but I bet if one were trying to get some miles in for the day it would be a good "short" run.

I so so so wish I could get a run in at Disney. I fully intended on running while we were at BCV, around the Boardwalk, but I was in too much pain. Every time I have gone my feet are so much more sore than I expect from being on them all day, I never end up running.

I was ill prepared at the ToT in October for this. At that point I had done two RD races. The first (ToT 2012) - I rode with a friend to the expo and being there with her made it go by super quick. We took a cab back though. Then the second. (phm 2013) the expo was at the resort I was staying so I just walked over from my room. Then came ToT 2013 and the first trip to the expo my friends drove me....so when I went back a second time by myself I was SHOCKED!!! It has to be at least a mile....and my guess well over it. Needless to say I was more than happy to have a car for marathon weekend in January.




I know distance wise it really is. However, I think just like with my first ride to the expo where a friend was with me and we were excited... the same thing happens in the walk to the corrals. Lots of people and excitement!!! Makes it seem like no distance.



Look at you in your minnie skirt!!!




This is so much better a venue for this. Last year they crammed everyone into the convention center at CSR. It looked like this


I remember reading all about CSR and the expo! Ack! I'm so glad they were able to move it back and hope they never have to do that again!

I am sorry that things were gone. It is weird how some things go and others don't. I learned something though (and maybe this is kinda a secret ) After the race, the left over merchandise goes to Team Mickey in DTD. I was able to snag the pullover that I had wanted at 33% off. I think the next day they went 50% off. THEN they go to the Character Warehouse in the outlet mall. (I think that is the name of the store) Very limited stuff... but I did see 2012 wine and dine merchandise (just like magnets) for like $1 or $2 each... there may have been a shirt I cant remember.

Next year I just plan to get there the day the Expo opens so I make sure I get what I want!


I am glad you were able to find some things that you wanted.


Isn't the name on the wall so cool!!!! It was a hard thing to do at the 2013 though... mine was low to the ground and the walk way was jam packed with women (that picture I posted doesn't do it justice) I had to squat down and be pressed right up against the wall and was bumped over a bunch of times.

I never even thought of that! It would be difficult if your name were near the top or bottom! It took me a while b/c there were so many people, but I eventually found mine!


That was an excellent plan! I know that I got yelled at for wanting to cross that lot for the ToT 2013.. it was weird how they wanted people to go up and around... just weird. Glad you got on your own charter though1!!





Great pictures of both of them.... even if they each have a "look" in the pictures.

I was happy to get any photos that weren't the exact same face they were giving me in every shot!


How fun! I love dismeets... I assume this is similar.

Yes! It was fantastic, I don't think I'll go without doing meetups again. In fact, I'm already planning stuff for next year. It really made my experience amazing to meet other runners and spend time with them.

I am truly in awe that this happened all on your travel day! What a full day you have had so far!!

Joining in! I was down there for PHM weekend too!

I went to the expo first thing Friday morning and luckily they still had everything I wanted. I love how well organized it was, it was fabulous!

I will definitely be there the first day next time and I'll be alone so I can shop shop shop! That may not be such a good thing!

 

[Imbri]

The sparkle skirt you got is gorgeous, I love the pattern! I'm going to have to invest in one one of these days...

We went to the Expo mid Thurs and they still had Jackets left. I didn't realize they'd be such a hot ticket item, or I may have picked one up. I didn't see any glasses/mugs that a bunch of people got, though, so I wonder if they were sold out before I even got there. I only regret not picking up a cute PHM 2014 headband. They were kinda pricy, but they were so pretty.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

The sparkle skirt you got is gorgeous, I love the pattern! I'm going to have to invest in one one of these days...

We went to the Expo mid Thurs and they still had Jackets left. I didn't realize they'd be such a hot ticket item, or I may have picked one up. I didn't see any glasses/mugs that a bunch of people got, though, so I wonder if they were sold out before I even got there. I only regret not picking up a cute PHM 2014 headband. They were kinda pricy, but they were so pretty.

I didn't see the headband! Watch out with the Sparkleskirts! They are totally addictive! I started out with a plain black one (that I still wear constantly to train in and wore under my costume at the PHM) and I now have a closet full and can't run in anything else! The shorts DO NOT ride up, ever, and the pockets are HUGE! I cannot run in anything else now, I'm always looking for pockets if I wear something else.

 

[Imbri]

http://parksandresorts.wdpromedia.c...4/02/04_ParksBlog_PrincessHalf2014_Things.jpg

The ones below the mickey ears were what they were gonna have. By the time they got there, they only had the Pink Logo one, and I had had my heart set on the "Once Upon a Run" one. Owell, maybe next year!

Now I'm looking at the sparkleskirts site. I liked the skirt I got, but it didn't have any shorts underneath, and the shorts I bought for under weren't staying in place, so I ended up wearing my capri running pants under the skirt. Looked a little silly, but w/e.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

http://parksandresorts.wdpromedia.c...4/02/04_ParksBlog_PrincessHalf2014_Things.jpg

The ones below the mickey ears were what they were gonna have. By the time they got there, they only had the Pink Logo one, and I had had my heart set on the "Once Upon a Run" one. Owell, maybe next year!

Now I'm looking at the sparkleskirts site. I liked the skirt I got, but it didn't have any shorts underneath, and the shorts I bought for under weren't staying in place, so I ended up wearing my capri running pants under the skirt. Looked a little silly, but w/e.

Oh yeah, I tried one without shorts once and hated it, the tech skirts with shorts attached are totally different! Those are the ones I have!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Let's finish up this waiting day, shall we?!?! Can you believe I'm still on our arrival day?!?

So, we arrived to this lovely!

Ahhhhh...stepped off the bus and heard the music and felt like I had finally arrived! There's just something about DTD that I adore. The music and twinkly lights in the trees make it so magical. It was the first place we ever went on our first trip in 2008 and I think it's just a special place for Savannah & I because of that. We both exclaimed that we finally felt like we were at Disney!!

The girls wanted to shop right away and I hemmed and hawed a bit at that, my feet already hurt??? But, I had made them wait all day long, so it was my turn to wait to sit and follow them around while they explored a few of the stores.

Naturally I had to take a photo of these lovelies!

I also thought it would be a bright idea to take shots of things I wanted to purchase but didn't want to purchased right NOW. It worked out well, I ended up buying this later in the week.

No, I didn't want to buy those...but wouldn't they look fabulous on me?!?! Too bad they don't have a size 11.

Girafffff-yyyyyyy!

So, story about Giraffey. Yes, that's his name. When Rey & I went in 2012 for our Anniversary trip, I bought Savannah a Zebra pillow pet. His name is Zebo. I secretly wanted to get Giraffey b/c I LOVE giraffes. I didn't though and haven't the last two trips, I just longingly take photos of him and say maybe next time. I mean really, where the heck am I going to put a giraffe pillow pet?!?!

Dumbo! I seem to have an obsession with him as well. Huh.

I was starting to get hungry but the girls really wanted to find Eleanor Minnie ears. She had been planning for MONTHS to get them and now all of a sudden we couldn't find them? I knew just where to go...

Jackpot! I did, at that point, beg for them to leave to eat and we would come back to shop more afterwards. Savannah says this is the last shot of her the WHOLE TRIP where her hair looks normal. She will never live in Florida b/c the things it did to her hair! Frizz for days!

Off to RFC we went! We had a 6pm ADR and walked up...to a hugea** line. I couldn't figure out if even reservations were supposed to be in the line and apparently they were. Yay! More waiting. LOL

Once we got through the line (in which they were telling walk-ups 3-4 hour wait! ack!) and got checked in, it was only about a 10 minute wait in the gift shop before they called us in. Yay!!!!! We went farther back in that we have in the past, under a lovely tree...full of monkeys!

We ordered salads and sides of fries (well, I got mashed potatoes) and the waitress seemed confused until I told her we were saving room for the VOLCANO!!!!!!! It's really the only reason we go there. So, we dutifully ate our food, it was yummy, and waited. It was dark, so I only got a shot of the important stuff at dinner:

and what was left of it after we had our way with it. Oh man, it was better than I remembered.

If you followed my PTR, you will remember we made a VOLCANO at home on one of our Disney Days...not the same. Nope. I'm positive that 5 of the 10 pounds I gained this week were from the VOLCANO.

(Continued in next post...)