Dopey 2020 recap
In short: I ran my personal worsts in good health, had great mother-daughter moments, got tons of pictures and found the weather amazing but for the first time in forever, I am not wowed by Disney.
The prep work
I had a good training cycle and was happy that the nordic weather had allowed it. I had even run with an extra sweater at the end to acclimate to warmer temperatures. I packed additional shoes and ponchos in case of rain, more fuel than normal and warm throw away clothes and blankets. I had planned it all: The bookings, the ADR, the FastPasses, the PhotoPass, the MagicBands, the flights check-in, even the beach hotel and car for those staying after I left
The actors
We could describe our party as follow:
DD12 and me, the runners
DM and DU, the retired supporters who were there to stay with DD12 when I was running longer distances
DH and DD14, the weekenders wanting to use all of their shorter vacations.
Bottom line, too many people with different speeds and one person that dampened everyone spirit. What a waste, in top of running Dopey, I had to walk on egg shells all week
The pre-race days
We flew direct to MCO on Tuesday and took the
MDE to Pop where our room requests had all been granted. We swam a bit and then headed to Epcot via Skyliner for our Frozen FastPass. And that was it!
Wednesday, DD12 and I woke up to get a BG for RoR. Stressful process, we ended up with no 96. We rode RnRC, TSMM and Alien Saucers. Breakfast at Woody’s lunchbox was fun. We decided to leave the group and skip the Beauty and Beast show to go to the Expo. Great decision. We got everything easily, enjoyed the characters meets and even got matching temporary spray tattoo. That said, I am really disappointed with the quality of the shirts. I was looking forward to new Champions since our registration. We left to go eat beignets at POFQ and then took the boat to DSprings. We got our BG call as we disembarked. DD12 had made only one request: A dinner at T-Rex so we chose to go straight there and eat rapidly. We had to Uber to HS where a huge line for RoR awaited us. We enjoyed it and finished riding at 8:25PM. That was a very long day, mostly a mother daughter one.
Although enjoyable, we would not repeat that experience (RoR) given what it demanded from us, including going to bed late the night before our first race.
The 5k
Like clockwork and in a good mood we got ready and out of the door by 3:30AM. I had the bright idea to bring our light winter coats and a Gear check bag in top of the blanket and throwaway. We were impressed by the lineup to get to the bus and had fun looking at people costumes. We never found our DISers friends. We went to our A corral and even found it a bit slow at the start. We were thrilled that the first character stop, Chip and Dale, matched our costumes. DD12 stressed while in line (especially the 20+minutes Beast) because we were passed by kids younger than her. I had to reason her that speed was not the goal of a runDisney untimed race!
After eating, napping and freshening up, we spent the rest of the day at MK: BOG, 7DMT, BTMRR, HM. I stayed with the family to watch the fireworks while DM left with DD to rest before her first 10k.
The 10k
Very similar to the 5k in terms of routine, practice calms the nerves. DD did amazing on her first 10k. The characters definitely acknowledged how young she was compared to the rest of the crowd and were giving her huge hugs
She wore her medal proudly for the rest of the weekend even though she still finds it ugly, like it is missing a part.
After we cleaned-up, we went to Typhoon Lagoon to float and rest our legs a bit. Unfortunately, DD scrapped her face at the bottom of a pool (her mistake, it was coming up and she had her eyes closed). The staff was amazing in helping and consoling her, Mickey ice cream sandwich included. We then met the rest of the family at AK, some rode FoP which is amazing (better than RoR according to DD) and Everest.
The Half
I actually missed DD12 while prepping (
). DD14 had enthusiastically volunteered to be woken up to apply BodyGlide to my back, she did a great job (and again for the Full). No other race (including the previous runDisney ones) had prepared me for the volume of runners present at the Half. Think Main Street USA after fireworks time ten. I walked what felt like 2 miles (3km) to corral C. I found the course crowding very frustrating. There was nowhere to run, especially after stopping for a few characters. Those were great though! First was Lilo and I was dressed as Lilo and Stitch! I made it to the castle in the dark, yeah! Thanks to the other runners who took pictures of me in front of the castle while coming on MSUSA (on both days): You are much better photographers than the ones that were there placed in front of the castle!!! Then, again, slow motion until we were back at Epcot and its dumpsters: What a boring and smelly end to four races.
After (eating, showering then) floating in the pool for a while, I meet the others at Epcot and got the heat from everyone for not having made their day. I refused to take that monkey (their happiness, their responsibility) and we ended up ok after a while. Dinner at Via Napoli was pleasant. I wished good return to DH and DD14 as they were leaving during the Full.
The Full
Ready with a revised strategy: This would not be a 5 hours race, this would likely be an almost 7 hours race! Additional fuel, hydration, electrolytes and patience would be required. Phone was put in battery saving mode. I walked out with a sign in hand «
@flav DISer looking for Goof Troop » and it worked! Thanks for spotting and getting me
@SheHulk @Leia's Mom and for welcoming me other DISers!
I started with the GoofTroop but ended up wanting to stop for characters. I learnt that I needed my bubble more than company sometimes, sorry. I actually enjoyed the Full more than the Half. I ended up stopping for bathroom breaks like 12-15 time (thankful for the extra water stations) and felt great overall the entire time. Even while baking on the highway I was smiling thinking that my next run would be too cold
I had a good time but did not feel the exhilaration I was anticipating. I am proud of myself but somehow it felt too easy (?!).
The celebrations
I wore my Dopey medal to MK that afternoon (Pirates, PeterPan, Carrousel) and the next day. The sense of community (shared accomplishment) it gives feels great.
I had decided to splurge on StoryBook Dining at AP and truly enjoyed that experience and the food.
The next day, DM and DU were leaving, so, after a breakfast together, it was DD and I with a wish list.
We swam at Pop, we rode the Skyliner, we met Winnie the Pooh and Minnie, we ate School Bread with the DATW gang, we ate tacos and I got a Margarita, we discovered Coronado Spring (we were upgraded), swam in its pool and sat in its hammock, rode SDD, saw the MK fireworks from a super spot and I went to recuperate our luggage while DD fell asleep from happy exhaustion.
The pluses (what I would repeat)
Rooms, breakfast and runners energy at Pop, Skiliner, warm weather stolen from winter days, FoP, running and touring with DD12, PhotoPass, Characters Meets
The minuses
runDisney Shirts, Medals, RoR BG process, Epcot bypass via dumpsters, race official Castle pictures, Magic Bands upgrades, managing too many people
The conclusion
This was a good trip but not a great one. I have to work on my capacity to shrug little irritants and appreciate the big picture. I am usually of a much lighter spirit and thank you for reading all the way: I might have needed to write this down to see how many good moments there was.
And DD12 asked if we could do her first half at Disney to celebrate her 14th, 15th or 16th birthday! I am already envisioning Wine&Dine 2021 or 2022