11/23 COMPLETE! Course by Course, One By One...A 2016 Wine & Dine Half Marathon Trip Report!

[disneydaydreamer33]

Dang girl, you got some AMAZING action shots on the 10K! You and your hubby look great! Congrats to him on doing his first 10K too!!

 

[Ariel484]

Congrats!

I really enjoy the 10K distance and course at WDW. You got some awesome race photos and character photos.

Congrats to Mr. A too on his first 10K!

Love that medal, I will need to run this weekend at some point.

I think the 10K distance is probably my favorite. All of the runDisney 10K courses I have run have been great!

Port a potty meet up!

Where the elite meet!

It was funny cause I was in line behind you for a few minutes probably, than I was like oh she looks familiar, then just blurt out "you're Ariel!!" Duh, of course you know who you are. It was nice talking to you and your husband is super nice too!

I'm glad you said hi!! I think the husband is nice too.

I agree with the humidity. Others I talked to were like oh it was fine, meanwhile I'm like really, I'm a sweatball!

Yeah, I thought the temperature was great. The humidity was But with the lower temperature and no sun, I could deal with the humidity...even if it meant I was drenched in sweat by the end!

So, the penguins is who I saw as well, didn't stop either, but My brother says he saw Mary and Bert with them. He was ahead of me by a bit, but I think he "thinks" he saw them, because I haven't seen them in anyone else's pics posted anywhere either. I said maybe you thought the chair was Bert and horse was Mary, haha!

Ah, maybe Mary and Bert were taking a tea break when I ran by.

Great pics of you and Mr. A together too! Congrats to him on his first 10k!!

Thanks!!

You guys got some great race pictures! All of your character stops were great (personally, I'm a big fan of stopping for Chip n Dale whenever I see them, so I think it's awesome that you stopped even if you've seen those outfits before!).

Oh yes, we love the Chipmunks!! Who doesn't?! I am so impressed with PhotoPass' pictures during the races, they really do a great job!

So ... other than leaving Epcot, the course was the same as January/February? That actually saddens me a little. I wish they had more variety in the courses for the 10Ks. I do love the 10K course ... but I just wish they could change it up a bit more.

I completely agree with you!! The course was exactly the same except for the last half-mile or so.

Congrats to both you and Mr. A on finishing! And yay for Mr. A making it through his first 10K ... even if he was on his feet for a little longer than anticipated.

Thank you!!

I'm sorry you had such a rough evening at the Polynesian. That is a bit ridiculous that they made you pay for more coffee. I'm glad you can look back on it though and not feel too negatively. The Grand Floridian looked like an amazing place to wind down. I've visited there before but never stayed. It's on the bucket list but really hard to get with DVC. I'm shocked we were able to get the Polynesian since I thought it would be just as hard. And let me just say about that view of Wishes and the water pageant. Love!

Yeah, the coffee thing just seems cheap to me. I am a total pixie dust snorter but even I cannot justify that!

We stayed at the Grand during marathon weekend in 2013 paying cash, and we really dd love it. If we were going to buy into DVC, we'd probably buy there (and maybe the Poly). Buuuuuut that's a pretty big *if*!

I definitely did. Congrats to Mr. A as well on finishing the 10K, despite the humidity and feeling a bit rough at the end. It was humid for both races and I felt it, but for some reason I did not think anything of it and did not think it was anything extreme. Which is crazy because I'm a wimp when it comes to being hot. Anyway, I agree that the medal is awesome. I can't choose my favorite from the weekend, I love them all, but I do love Remy!

If it had been really hot or sunny, I think it would have been super tough! The humidity along I could handle, I was just sweating buckets!

I have no doubt that the Disneyland races are a lot different. But I've seen the 10K course maps and am extremely jealous of them! My sister did the 2015 Dumbo Double Dare and enjoyed it, even though the halfs are spent mostly outside of the parks. But either way, it's definitely on my bucket list to make it out there soon (next year maybe? ) And if I go all the way to California, it would have to be for a challenge. We'll see what happens. I can for sure see where the addiction comes from! I doubt I'll ever be able to do more than one race weekend a year, but I know I want to do more!

I LOVE the Disneyland 10K courses - the half courses less so, just because there's no park time for the last 9-10 miles. They do make up for it with some amazing support from the locals, but it's definitely something to keep in mind, that all of the park time is right at the beginning.

Unfortunately no "proper" parade viewing on this trip. I was only able to stay for the long weekend (got there Thursday and left on Sunday night) so I only had 2 park days, enough time for a day at Food and Wine and a day at Magic Kingdom. But it's okay - I've seen Festival of Fantasy close to 10 times in only 2 years already (we're obsessed and watched it 3 separate times on our trip in March!) and know I'll see it again.

Sounds like you made the most out of your 2 days! I can understand the FoF obsession, it's a great parade.

Looking forward to your review on the half marathon!

Dang girl, you got some AMAZING action shots on the 10K! You and your hubby look great! Congrats to him on doing his first 10K too!!

Thanks!! So impressed with PhotoPass and their race pictures, they blow MarathonFoto out of the water!!

 

[Ariel484]

Saturday, November 5: Post-10K, Part 1
We hopped on a bus back to the Polynesian...we were cutting it close for our Kona ADR, but we both agreed that we HAD to get cleaned up first. We hopped in the shower, changed, and I didn’t even have time to dry my hair. Gonna need to pad future post-race ADRs a little more, I think!

We made our way toward the Great Ceremonial House and were surprised at how sore we felt! Seriously, we were struggling. Going up the stairs was a challenge, and I was feeling like this did not bode well for my running the half pain-free the next day! We arrived, were seated pretty quickly and marveled at the runners in Kona that had come there straight from the race. Props to them - we would have been way too sweaty for that.

First and foremost- I NEEDED a pressed pot. I’d told Mr. A I was planning on taking a nap almost immediately after breakfast and he thought that coffee was a bad idea in light of that plan, but I was pretty sure I’d fall asleep with zero issues! It soon became clear Mr. A would as well...he was struggling to stay awake all through breakfast.

Speaking of coffee...I forgot to mention that we did indeed get more coffee sent to our room (I forgot to look and see if it was billed but I have to think it was), a bag with maybe 6 new packets (again, I think I forgot to mention, when we checked in we had 2 packets - so 2 morning’s worth). I feel so weird about this, but I actually brought them home with me and will be taking them back in January since I’ll be renting points again. I know this doesn’t seem like a big deal but I was just so perturbed by this whole thing!

Anyway...originally I’d been planning on the fruit plate, but I was pretty hungry by now and ordered the same thing Mr. A chose: the two eggs with potatoes, bacon and toast. It hit the spot.

We headed back to the room and were OUT. I don’t have another picture until about 1PM when we headed to the Magic Kingdom!

We stopped for some pictures on Main Street!

While waiting in line for the above picture, I heard the guy behind us wondering aloud where we'd gotten the “big lanyards” we were wearing...LOL!

We had FP+ for Philharmagic, Space Mountain and Haunted Mansion. We went to Philharmagic (obnoxious family behind us, sadly) and Space Mountain (so fun!). We still had a bit before Haunted Mansion, so we headed to the Tiki Room!

After the Tiki Room, we headed to Liberty Square to wait for our FP+ window for Haunted Mansion to open...and we began to notice something...lots of Cubs fans. Lots and lots of them. We’d seen people in Cubs gear all weekend (which - if the Tribe had won, I would have been wearing my Cleveland stuff, so I get it), but suddenly it was like we were surrounded by them.

It was like a light bulb went off over Mr. A’s head: “Is the championship parade today?”

Quick google search confirmed that yes, it WAS that day, and about to start in 30 minutes or so! We were OUTTA THERE. Salt in the wound, I tell ya!

We headed to the monorail and changed over at the TTC, and this was when we first truly saw the crush of the last weekend of Food & Wine - there was a line up the ramp to get on the Epcot monorail! We waited and eventually were packed into a car like sardines.

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

Saturday, November 5: Post-10K, Part 2
Hi again, Epcot! Let’s have a little medal photoshoot!

Gonna need to frame this one, I think.

This one turned out to be my favorite (besides the above, obviously).

Walking through World Showcase on a Saturday night during Food and Wine - aka Drunkytown - SUCKS. I do not recommend. But I’m very picky about what I eat the night before a long race, so it had to be done.

We had a 6PM reservation at Via Napoli, my pre-race dinner of choice! We were seated outside, sort of right by the main pathway in Italy that leads to Via Napoli. There was a row of shrubbery separating us from the path and it was quite nice...very pleasant evening.

We started with the caprese to split...

Mr. A got the sausage pizza and I got my usual pepperoni:

SO GOOD. Seriously one of my favorite Table Services meals at WDW - much better (and cheaper!) than ‘Ohana the night before.

After dinner, we decided to GET OUTTA THERE. Things were getting sloppy in the World Showcase!

We got on the monorail and transferred to the resort loop. We road around to the Contemporary to get a cupcake. The line at Contempo Cafe took FOREVER. Ugh!

Pumpkin cupcake back in the Poly lobby...it was just okay.

We also stopped at the front desk...Mr. A was due to fly home tomorrow (WAHHH) and we hadn’t gotten any DME information for him, so I wanted to check on that. Turns out they had him down for Monday’s bus instead of Sunday’s bus, so I’m glad we checked!

Back in the room...flat me for the half marathon:

I got all of my stuff ready as Mr. A packed up, and then went to bed way too late. Wine & Dine Half Marathon recap up next!

 

[rteetz]

That's so funny that someone said I wonder where they got those big lanyards! That makes me wonder how much people would pay for a medal like that.

Great Epcot/medal photos!

I'm a big fan of Via Napoli, glad you had a good meal.

I've heard plenty of horror stories about food and wine on the weekends.

Can't wait to hear about the half!

 

[SarahDisney]

While waiting in line for the above picture, I heard the guy behind us wondering aloud where we'd gotten the “big lanyards” we were wearing...LOL!

I love when people ask questions about the medals.
"Where did you get that?" "What's that from?" "How do I get one of those?" "They have races here? In the parks?"
It always makes for an entertaining moment.

It was like a light bulb went off over Mr. A’s head: “Is the championship parade today?”

Quick google search confirmed that yes, it WAS that day, and about to start in 30 minutes or so! We were OUTTA THERE. Salt in the wound, I tell ya!

Man, it must stuck to be fans of the losing team when there's a championship parade going on. You don't want that crap invading your fun happy Disney time. Sorry you had to see all the Cubs fans ... but at least you realized what was going on and made it out of there before the parade started!

Gonna need to frame this one, I think.

I love this picture! Definitely frame-worthy!

SO GOOD. Seriously one of my favorite Table Services meals at WDW - much better (and cheaper!) than ‘Ohana the night before.

I think Via Napoli is one of those places that's just universally loved. I've never heard anyone say anything bad about Via Napoli.

We also stopped at the front desk...Mr. A was due to fly home tomorrow (WAHHH) and we hadn’t gotten any DME information for him, so I wanted to check on that. Turns out they had him down for Monday’s bus instead of Sunday’s bus, so I’m glad we checked!

One of my biggest fears with every trip is that there will be some mixup with DME. So glad you guys got it straightened out!!

Back in the room...flat me for the half marathon:

Kimono Kit! I love it!!

 

[JulieODC]

Great race photos!! And congrats to you both on a successful 10K!

Sounds like a great breakfast and well-deserved rest. Sorry you were subject to the Cubs fan onslaught - I don't blame you for skipping parks! Via Napoli looks delicious! We are booked for dinner there the night before PHM -- can't wait!!

 

[TeeterTots]

More great pics!
You were so right about F&W. It was insane and not really kid friendly and we were there at 5!
Via Napoli...yum! Our go to is caprese and Carciofi. I was concerned how I'd feel for the half after eating my favorite pizza. It's so rich and I eat way too much...seriously thanksgiving uncomfortable. Then again it could've been the tiramisu I insisted on? Maybe I'll get that to go for after the PHM!
Bummer Mr A had to leave but hopefully you got to enjoy some time even though he had to leave.

 

[tigger536]

Great update! I was at Kona Saturday morning too! I had to get my tonga toast and a POG mimosa.

We went to Epcot after and it was NUTS! We had pre-booked the W&D tequila lunch (highly recommend this one!) otherwise we would not have attempted it. So many drunk locals! So little room! The lunch was worth it though.

Love your flat outfit for the half. Looking forward to the rest!

 

[Ariel484]

That's so funny that someone said I wonder where they got those big lanyards! That makes me wonder how much people would pay for a medal like that.

Yeah, that's probably the funniest thing I've heard someone say during a race weekend. I also had someone ask me where they could buy a medal I was wearing.

Great Epcot/medal photos!

I'm a big fan of Via Napoli, glad you had a good meal.

I don't think I have had a bad meal there yet. It's so good!

I've heard plenty of horror stories about food and wine on the weekends.

Can't wait to hear about the half!

Yeah, I would highly recommend avoiding F&W on the weekends. I don't know if it's like that every weekend or if it was worse because this was the last weekend (I've only ever been to F&W on the last weekend, aka when Wine & Dine is happening).

I love when people ask questions about the medals.
"Where did you get that?" "What's that from?" "How do I get one of those?" "They have races here? In the parks?"
It always makes for an entertaining moment.

Ha, I agree! I always am surprised when people don't know Disney does the races...because that is what most of my trips to WDW are centered around! So it's just a totally different mindset for me.

Man, it must stuck to be fans of the losing team when there's a championship parade going on. You don't want that crap invading your fun happy Disney time. Sorry you had to see all the Cubs fans ... but at least you realized what was going on and made it out of there before the parade started!

Gah, exactly! I mean, if Cleveland had won we absolutely would have stayed, but still!

I love this picture! Definitely frame-worthy!

I love it soooo much!

I think Via Napoli is one of those places that's just universally loved. I've never heard anyone say anything bad about Via Napoli.

I think you're right! I'm sure it's not everyone's favorite but it always seems like people have pretty solid meals there/

One of my biggest fears with every trip is that there will be some mixup with DME. So glad you guys got it straightened out!!

Me too, would have been super stressful if we hadn't figured it out the day before!

Kimono Kit! I love it!!

Me toooo. I actually had a couple of people compliment/ask me about it on the course, which was fun!

Great race photos!! And congrats to you both on a successful 10K!

Thanks!!

Sounds like a great breakfast and well-deserved rest. Sorry you were subject to the Cubs fan onslaught - I don't blame you for skipping parks! Via Napoli looks delicious! We are booked for dinner there the night before PHM -- can't wait!!

Now that we're a little more removed from the World Series, I think it's a little funny that we were there the day the parade was about to happen. Having said that...I'm glad we left when we did!

I'll be there that night too! YUM!

More great pics!
You were so right about F&W. It was insane and not really kid friendly and we were there at 5!

Eek...yeah, not kid-friendly at all. I couldn't believe how many people had made group t-shirts that were all about binge-drinking. Maybe I'm just naive.

Via Napoli...yum! Our go to is caprese and Carciofi. I was concerned how I'd feel for the half after eating my favorite pizza. It's so rich and I eat way too much...seriously thanksgiving uncomfortable. Then again it could've been the tiramisu I insisted on? Maybe I'll get that to go for after the PHM!

Either way, you'll need some Via Napoli in your life that weekend.

Bummer Mr A had to leave but hopefully you got to enjoy some time even though he had to leave.

Grr, he just HAD to go back to work, didn't he??

Great update! I was at Kona Saturday morning too! I had to get my tonga toast and a POG mimosa.

Wait.

There's a POG MIMOSA?! Why did I not know this??!

We went to Epcot after and it was NUTS! We had pre-booked the W&D tequila lunch (highly recommend this one!) otherwise we would not have attempted it. So many drunk locals! So little room! The lunch was worth it though.

Yeah, we were heading there and I'm just thinking, "why does Via Napoli have to be in Epcot? WHYYYY" Glad your lunch and our pizzas were worth it!!

Love your flat outfit for the half. Looking forward to the rest!

Thanks!

 

[cavepig]

oops double post

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

Via Napoli is one of my favorites too! It's so delicious and feels really reasonably priced LOVE your medal pics!

 

[ZellyB]

Love that frame-worthy shot! So awesome. Sorry that F&W was rough though. We avoided it on the weekend we were there for the race last year. I've got an ADR for Via Napoli the night after the marathon on the January trip. Our first time there, so I'm excited to give it a try! Sorry that Mr. A had to leave so soon Can't wait to read about the half!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I do not see how you can stay out so late the day before a half! We're back in the room by 6:30/7 always and hanging out in bed at the latest of 8PM!

Seems like you dealt with lots of crowds (we dealt with them to to get to our dinner reservation but our dinner was at 4:45pm) Smart idea to get out of MK before the parade started!

 

[tigger536]

Wait.

There's a POG MIMOSA?! Why did I not know this??!

Yes I discovered this gem in April. Its not on the menu, but the same price as a regular one, just request the POG juice. Yum!!

 

[CherieFran]

I'm with you - I could not have gone straight to breakfast from the race. I was a sweaty mess.

I feel like I've read a recommendation somewhere that it's good to have coffee right before a nap because when you wake up the caffeine will have kicked in and you will be extra alert with no post-nap hangover. Or something like that. So pre-nap pressed pot seems right to me.

Those are great medal shots at Epcot!

 

[LuckiestMom]

Wow. Definitely on my bucket list.

 

[Ariel484]

Via Napoli is one of my favorites too! It's so delicious and feels really reasonably priced LOVE your medal pics!

I totally agree that it feels reasonably priced. I got a small discount with my AP so that made it even better!

Love that frame-worthy shot! So awesome. Sorry that F&W was rough though. We avoided it on the weekend we were there for the race last year. I've got an ADR for Via Napoli the night after the marathon on the January trip. Our first time there, so I'm excited to give it a try! Sorry that Mr. A had to leave so soon Can't wait to read about the half!

Yay, I hope you love it! It can be a little loud if you're seated in the main room, but we haven't had a bad meal there. I really like it!

I do not see how you can stay out so late the day before a half! We're back in the room by 6:30/7 always and hanging out in bed at the latest of 8PM!

This is something I need to do a better job of in future challenge weekends - I'm getting too old to stay out that late! Not what I would recommend, we were struggling.

Seems like you dealt with lots of crowds (we dealt with them to to get to our dinner reservation but our dinner was at 4:45pm) Smart idea to get out of MK before the parade started!

Yeah, i definitely noticed the crowds a lot more over the weekend compared to the first few days we were there!

Yes I discovered this gem in April. Its not on the menu, but the same price as a regular one, just request the POG juice. Yum!!

Making a mental note to try this in the future for sure. I think if I'd had one during that post-10K breakfast it would have ended me and I would have keeled over because I was so tired...but some day...

I'm with you - I could not have gone straight to breakfast from the race. I was a sweaty mess.

Seriously, one of my biggest motivators toward the end of races is the thought of getting to shower soon. "Keep going, you get to be clean and dry soon!" No way could I have sat through breakfast feeling like I did!

I feel like I've read a recommendation somewhere that it's good to have coffee right before a nap because when you wake up the caffeine will have kicked in and you will be extra alert with no post-nap hangover. Or something like that. So pre-nap pressed pot seems right to me.

Really....that is interesting. I feel like that does make sense in a weird way.

Those are great medal shots at Epcot!

Easy to get great medal shots with such a great medal!!

Wow. Definitely on my bucket list.

Definitely add to your bucket list!! Running Disney is pretty fun.

 

[Ariel484]

Sunday, November 6: Wine & Dine Half Marathon! Arriving

Time for Wine & Dine Half #3!

But first - an extra hour of sleep for Daylight Savings Time ending! This freaked me out until I realized if the time change didn't work on my phone the way it was supposed to, I'd be an hour early to the race start. Which would still suck, but better than being an hour late! That extra hour of sleep was GLORIOUS. This may have been the first time ever in my life that I was a fan of the time change (normally I hate it, whether we’re springing forward or falling back).

So. This was Wine & Dine Half Marathon #3 for me. To quickly recap my previous Wine & Dine Half Marathons…
#1: 2013 - Hobbled through with a foot strain, slowest half ever
#2: 2014 - Got sick hours before the race and it monsooned the entire time

Would the third time be the charm?!

Let me say, I really wasn’t looking forward to this race. For a teeny tiny second, when my alarm went off, I considered skipping it. I wasn’t looking forward to the course (so little park time!), I was bummed that they changed this race from night to day (still bummed about that), and I wasn’t sure how my body would hold up. But I got myself up, got dressed and headed out to a bus.

When I arrived at WWoS, I was surprised to find nothing going on! The runners were there and everything, but no DJ, music, etc. It was weird! Later I found out they had temporarily lost power or something, and eventually the DJ did start back up.

I got in a porta-potty line, ate my bagel and headed to the corrals.

This was when it hit me just how nervous I was for this race. I had done a Wine & Dine weekend simulation 2 weeks before (back-to-back-to-back runs of, 3, 6 and 12 miles) and it had gone great until about mile 9 of the 12-miler, when I was hit with unexpected IT Band pain. And my back had started to get “tired” as my long runs got longer...so while I was pretty sure I could finish the race today, I wasn’t sure how enjoyable it would be.

Just when I got into my corral, a friend messaged me on Facebook to meet up (funny story - our bib numbers were right next to one another. What are the chances?!). She probably saved my morning - chatting with her distracted me from my negative feelings, and when the feelings crept back in, she let me vent. I felt a little guilty that I was possibly putting a damper on her morning, but she really helped me SO much. I am so grateful!

The race began at 5:30, but we still had a few minutes to wait. I think we started more like 5:42 or so.

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

Sunday, November 6: Wine & Dine Half Marathon! Miles 1-3

3-2-1-GOOOOOO!!!

We headed away from Wide World of Sports. My friend and I weren’t running the same intervals, so we said goodbye, good luck and split up quickly. I was happy to find that the soreness I’d felt after the 10K yesterday seemed to be gone!

The Country Bears were out just before Mile Marker 1.

Not much going on as far as entertainment for the first few miles! Just a few screens with cartoons.

There was a high school band in here, though, which was fun.

I was pretty down at this point...I know I sound like a baby, but I just wasn’t happy to be there. The course wasn’t exciting and even though I was feeling okay so far, I felt like my body was a ticking time bomb, like any second I would start hurting somewhere. As we approach Animal Kingdom, I passed someone who was wearing a boot on her foot due to some kind of injury, hobbling along as quickly as she could. And seeing that, I forced myself to have an attitude adjustment. I was here in Disney, I was running again...things could be worse and I should be grateful. Just reminding myself of that made me do a total 180, attitude-wise, and I had a smile on my face for the rest of the race.

Continued in Next Post