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runDisney’s Wine and Dine Half Marathon 2014 Recap

November 19, 2014 By Lindy 1 Comment

runDisney’s Wine and Dine Half Marathon was a race that I’ll never forget. Has it replaced my favorite runDisney race (Tinker Bell)?

It was the first Wine and Dine Half for me. It’s a night race and I had to switch my thinking and planning. I’m used to carb-loading the evening before, waking up at 4 AM, or in runDisney’s case, 2 AM, etc.

Flew out Friday to Orlando and stayed at the Magical Disney’s Polynesian Resort. Just the thought of having Tonga Toast (Kona Cafe), Dole Whip (Pineapple Lanai) and Stitch (‘Ohana) in the same resort made me feel giddy. I’m a kid at heart! 🙂

Went to the Expo on Friday afternoon at ESPN Wide World of Sports and to my surprise it wasn’t overly crowded. I didn’t have to wait in line for anything – packet pickup, race shirt, or even the runDisney Merchandise area. Considering that all of the runDisney Expos I have attended have been agonizing, hours-long events, I was more than delighted to be in and out.

If you liked runDisney on Instagram, you got one of these:

Since I had to switch planning, we planned on sleeping in Saturday and going to Epcot for lunch at Tutto Italia to carb-load, followed by a nap until it was time to take the bus to the race start. My friend Becky and I headed to the buses and hung out at the corrals for a while before separating – I was in G, she was in K.

runDisney Wine and Dine Half – Waiting before entering corral

It started to rain around 9:30 PM and I was just hoping it would stop. It was 63 degrees at start time and drizzling. Corrals crossed the start five minutes apart; I think the G corral crossed around 10:35 PM or so. We exited ESPN Wide World of Sports and made a left out of the complex into Osceola Parkway and run there for about 3.5 miles before entering Disney’s Animal Kingdom. In the parking lot before entering AK, there were two characters from Disney’s Electrical Parade – the turtle and the bumblebee, all lit up and glowing.

Animal Kingdom was beautiful. I stopped once to use a real bathroom and to warm up a bit. AK was dark, with paths so narrow you were forced to walk at times. I remember turning the corner and seeing the Tree of Life all lit up. I didn’t take pictures because I didn’t want my phone to get wet, but the sight was gorgeous. We ran past Expedition Everest and then back out on the highway. AK is one of my favorite Disney Parks, and I truly enjoyed how magical it was to run through it. Took a picture with Pluto on my way out.

Back on the highway, we ran opposite direction in which we entered AK. The rain got heavier, yet we saw some folks in the middle of the highway, cheering with signs for us. That was amazing! The spectators make such a huge impact on us runners. My friend Becky, when she finished, she said that there were times when she felt she couldn’t go on, but it was those spectators yelling out her name, encouraging her that got her to the finish line.

We ran another 4 lonely miles in the dark on the highway before entering Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The rain wouldn’t let up. I kept hearing people yell, “puddle”, but it just didn’t matter anymore. My clothes were soaked and my feet were wet and cold. I’m pretty sure I stepped on at least a dozen puddles. My headphones kept sliding out of my ear canal.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios – I believe we ran through the whole park. We passed Toy Story Mania and Woody and Buzz were out but the lines were too long. Once you got into the Streets of America, it was all lit with holiday lights, music and even snow, which took my breath away. Seriously, the most beautiful scene in a race, EVER.

Exited DHS and ran through the DHS/Epcot connector. Into Boardwalk (where it was a bit slippery!), past Yacht and Beach Club, when I found the best spectator ever, Peggy Sue, sitting in her wheelchair in the rain, with her bag of Starbursts and Twizzlers, God bless her! I just started bawling; she truly made my day!!

runDisney Wine Dine Half at Boardwalk with Peggy Sue

Entered Epcot, where we ran past the United Kingdom and Canada, into the main corridor, past Spaceship Earth (you awesome spectators were loud, thank you!!!) to the finish. I love how you can’t see the finish line but it’s so close you can feel/hear it. There was a beautiful light display right before you made a left turn into the finish line.

Heard the announcer call my name and that got me pumped up. High-fived Mickey at the finish line, grabbed my medal and determined that having finished this race meant much more to me than any other race. The dark course, the rain and the cold didn’t stop me, even when I was heavily tempted to get inside the sweeping buses that idled on the highway.

I was less than pleased when finishing the race, cold and shivering, we had to wait over 20 minutes for gear pickup. The voluntEARS were awesome and trying to expedite the process but that didn’t really help. The changing tents were crowded, with another long line to enter, so I skipped it. Here’s when the situation got even more annoying – to enter Epcot, you had to have your bag checked, again! Yet another crowd of long lines for bag check and another to check wrist bands for the finish line party. If you got a drink at the finish from your voucher, you had to dispose of it before entering Epcot. This made a lot of sense to me…sigh.

My friend Jillian was waiting in front of Soarin’ and I changed in a bathroom there and went into Soarin’. There was no line/no wait for Soarin’ and that made me really happy. One girl who’d finished the race was waiting to get on the ride when she passed out. Nurse instinct was to run over and help her. I think she was dehydrated and hypoglycemic. I hope she ended up ok.

The finish line party would have been awesome had it not been for how miserable the weather was. My left ankle was swollen, with pain radiating to my shin. I had tostones with mayo-ketchup in Puerto Rico in Epcot and waited for Becky, who was limping from the blisters on her feet. No food and drinks around the world for us as planned – ugh!

Did it replace my favorite Disney race, Tinker Bell? Maybe. I loved Tinker Bell because it was a smaller race, but Wine and Dine was smaller as well. I’d say that out of all the runDisney races, Wine and Dine Half’s course was my ultimate favorite. I think that I would’ve enjoyed the race much more if it wasn’t for the weather (nobody’s fault, really, and besides Florida hadn’t had rain in close to a month!) Needless to say, I’ve decided that in California, Tinker Bell is my favorite runDisney race and in Florida, Wine and Dine.

I must admit, that the most rewarding highlight of the race was seeing my friend Becky finish. This was her first half marathon, and she finished in the cold rain and with blisters on her feet. I loved hearing how much I’ve empowered her to get started with running and I couldn’t be prouder. It’s rewarding to learn how much of an impact you can make in someone’s life on a daily basis. I don’t blog too much and I know not too many people read this space, but I hope that even if it’s one person who’s life I’ve changed, that I continue to have the ability and the means to do that.

Celebratory Post-Race Meal: Cinderella’s Royal Table Lunch

Post-race celebratory brunch at Cinderella’s Royal Table

With a swollen left ankle (me) and painful foot blisters (Becky) we can say, we did it! See you next year, Disney!

P.S. Thank you to Jillian for being such a good supporter, to the voluntEARS and spectators for making this race magical.

Disney’s Glass Slipper Challenge Weekend: Enchanted 10K

March 4, 2014 By Lindy

I’m back from an amazing week at Walt Disney World. I must admit it started out crazy – mad traffic on I-95 at 6 AM, TSA security checkpoint lines all the way down the corridors of the Philadelphia Airport, followed by US Airways changing the gate last minute from Terminal A to Terminal C. We almost missed our flight. I swear we ran a 10K to the gate, with the doors closing promptly behind us. Remember that scene in Home Alone when everyone is running through O’Hare? Yep…that was us.

We departed on Friday and left on Wednesday. The Expo was held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports and the resorts had buses running every 15-20 minutes. Setup was no different than last year’s – it was still cramped and crowded. I just grabbed my race packet, stopped by my two favorite spots: Sparkle Skirts and Raw Threads and got out. Had a great dinner at Bongo’s in Downtown Disney and went to bed early.

Enchanted 10K

Woke up at 2:45 and headed out to the buses by 3:30 AM. Loved that the race started on time. I was in Corral B and headed out shortly after 5:30.

I didn’t care much for the first half of the course. I ran with my friend Patricia. We started out great but it was so warm and humid we had to slow down considerably.

The first 5K (3.1 miles) were on the road, pitch black and not much in sight. We passed the White Rabbit shortly after passing Mile 1 and probably 15 people in line to take a picture so we decided to keep running. There was an overpass set up with a snow-making machine and Queen Elsa from Frozen was on top of the overpass. It was a breathtaking scene. Probably my favorite highlight of the race.

After the 5K mark, we were entering Epcot and ran through World Showcase, into Boardwalk, past Yacht and Beach Club, back to Epcot and to the finish line there, past Spaceship Earth. The last three miles were awesome – lots of spectators, character stops and since the sun had already risen, everything looked beautiful. Also, it was such a nice break on my legs/feet running on the boardwalk.

Disney’s Boardwalk

Ran the latter half faster than the first half so I was pleased with those negative splits. Also, having a half marathon the next day meant that I had to conserve as much energy as possible. The course didn’t feel cramped at all. I wish they had more entertainment during the first half. It was a great race, nonetheless. Hearing my friends shouting my name near the finish line was priceless.

The medal is really pretty. If you were running the half marathon the next day, as part of the Glass Slipper Challenge, you got a bracelet on your arm that read, “Enchanted 10K finisher.”

Here’s a runDisney photo of the Enchanted 10K medal:

Stay tuned for my recap of the Disney’s Princess Half Marathon.

Lindy xo

runDisney’s Princess Half Marathon recap

February 28, 2013 By Lindy 24 Comments

On Sunday, February 24th, I took part in the most amazing, most challenging thing I’ve ever had the courage to do: run a half marathon. I say this because I’ve never considered myself a runner.

In middle school I ran track, and I was fast. Once I entered high school I didn’t participate in sports and I quickly fell out of love with running. As I got older, I attempted running again but found it frustrating. I couldn’t run half a kilometer to save my life! This changed last May when I spent a week in Walt Disney World and picked up a Women’s Running magazine at the airport, that’s when I saw an ad for runDisney runs. I was sold! Anything to go back to Disney? Yep.

On Saturday, I carbo loaded at lunch, a meal of spaghetti with marinara sauce and bread at Pizzafari in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I drank more water than I normally drink in a few days. I was feeling both excited and nervous. I kept telling myself, “You can do this!” I wanted to prove myself wrong, but to prove to others-who very much talked behind my back, saying, “She can’t do this.”- that in fact, I could do it.

Laid all my clothes out the night before and set alarm clocks on my iPhone at 15-minute intervals: 2:00, 2:15, 2:30. I wanted to be at the bus stop by 3 am since I had a race retreat and wanted to sit and relax before heading to the corrals.

The bus at the Art of Animation resort was already there and there were no lines. The ride was about 20 minutes with traffic into Epcot. The parking lot had lots of tents: ice tents, medical tents, bag check-in and the race retreat tent. I walked in and helped myself to some pre-race treats. They offered bagels with peanut butter, jam/jelly, muffins and coffee/tea. It was also nice to have a private port-a-potty!

I left around 4:15 and walked outside once the announcement was made that runners needed to make their way to the corrals. A volunteer checked my bib and told me to follow the crowds and the corrals would be there in about 20 minutes. Talk about a nice warmup!

The weather was cool but not cold, and once at the corrals, I placed my sweater on the fence. There were cardboard bins for clothing but I saw runners throwing trash in there!!

A volunteer checked bibs to ensure that you were entering the correct corral, however, I saw people climbing the fence and getting into earlier corrals, which really annoyed me. The corrals were crowded and it was difficult to get back if you needed to use the potty, so I can see how some people used that to their advantage to climb into earlier corrals.

At 5:30, fireworks went off and off went the wheelchair participants, and every 7 minutes after that, a corral was off and running. I was placed in H, which took off at 6:24 AM.

Miles 1-2 seem to pass by quickly and soon I was looking for that 5K mark. I signed myself for runner tracking and about 5 secs after passing the mark, I received a text message. I passed Captain Jack Sparrow and the ship on my left, the villains on my right, but the lines were too long to stop and have a picture taken. As much as I wanted to stop, I couldn’t, I was worried about being in the last corral and being swept. I just had to run.

The field was crowded and there were a lot of walkers. There were walkers to my left, to my right, runners on the left and right, and runners bobbing and weaving through crowds just to get through. A one point, I ran about 1/4 mile on the grass and it hurt my hips, badly. I just couldn’t get by!

The crowd seemed to spread out once we were about to enter Magic Kingdom and it was exciting to see that I made it that far. Made a left turn around Space Mountain and on my left, I saw a band playing drums and it made me smile.

Once entering Magic Kingdom, there were crowds on both sides of the ropes, cheering people on, clapping, holding signs, and I was pumped. Running through Main Street USA and seeing the castle up ahead, and the field became congested. At that point, I couldn’t run anymore, I had to walk, slow. The lines were long and I really wanted a pic with Mickey and Minnie, but again, I worried about timing. Once walking through the crowded Cinderella Castle, photographers were set up to take pictures in front of the castle. I waited about 3 minutes and I was well on my way.

Half Way mark!! Alicia Keys’, “Girl on Fire” played on loud speakers.

I HAD to stop and have my picture taken with Lilo and Stitch….I just love Stitch 🙂 I felt like such a kid when I saw Stitch, I’m like, “Stiiiiiitch!!!!!” 🙂

Outfit: Headband, Cindy Blue Skirt – Sparkle Skirts | Shirt – Raw Threads |

Arm Sleeves – Team Sparkle | Compression Capris – Under Armour |

Sneakers – Nike Lunarglide +3 | Socks – Feetures | Hydration Belt – iFitness

10k mark and my body felt like I hadn’t even run that far! I stopped at every water/Powerade station and had a cup of each. I have issues with dehydration and that was the last thing I needed to worry about.

Mile 10 and I was really starting feeling the heat. The humidity was getting to me and I kept looking for the next water station. My legs felt tired, but it never crossed my mind to slow down and quit when I was so close. On I-4 and the exit sign for Epcot when I noticed it was a hill leading to an overpass. Well, that hill was killer. I ran/walked up that hill and regained strength to get me through the last 2 miles.

Spectators once again cheered on and when I saw the choir on my right, I wanted to cry. I was out of breath, choking on my tears. Seeing that choir meant the end was just around the corner. I couldn’t slow down! I remember saying I my head, “I want this soooo bad!”

Turned a corner and there it was, the finish line. I ran faster from excitement, there were spectators in bleachers cheering on, and arms held high, I crossed that finish line, with a smile on my face and tears in my eyes. A lady approached me with a medal, took my pic and walked off feeling like I was walking on clouds. Days later, it all still feels surreal. I did it!!!

I’d like to thank runDisney for giving people an opportunity to make their dreams reality. So many runs are not walker-friendly and it was nice to see runners of all ages and backgrounds get off the couch and attempt a half-marathon.

Thank you to the volunteers who provided us with water, Powerade and fuel to finish this run. The volunteers who cheered us on from the sidelines, you have no idea how much your encouragement helped, at times when my mind wanted to quit.

Thank you to my Mom, who believed in me when no one else in my family did. I love you!

Last but not least, to the Princess Posse. You are all amazing and I could not have done it without you.

I realize this is starting to sound like I won an Academy Award, ha!! (Sorry)

I’m already looking forward to next year’s Princess Half, but first, I’m off to California for Disneyland Half Marathon.

See you at the finish line!

Lindy