The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway, a 2017 Marathon Weekend TR
- Thread starter lhermiston
- Start date
bananabean
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2014
I can't get over how awesome your pics are. Can't wait for more!
lhermiston
Beer-powered running machine
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2013
It's tough to find that balance. I want to have photos to help me remember these moments, but I don't want to experience my vacations through a viewfinder.
I try to hit 'pause' when I can to grab a photo or catch what might otherwise be a perishable moment, otherwise I do a lot of my shooting at night when I'm alone.
Sailormoon2
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2015
Cool photos!
lhermiston
Beer-powered running machine
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2013
Thanks for all of the feedback, especially on the photos! Photography is a hobby I'm really excited about and Disney is my favorite place to shoot.
More photos to come!
More photos to come!
CheapRunnerMike
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2014
Totally digging your photos and your TR so far! Tom Bricker takes some great shots too, love his wet pavement reflection stuff. My wife and I actually ran into Tom at MK late at night on Marathon Sunday 2015...he had just ran his first marathon and was still able to get out to get some sweet pictures. Nice guy.
lhermiston
Beer-powered running machine
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2013
I love his blog. A lot of what I shoot is inspired by what he posts, as you'll see later on with IllumiNations. Cool that you got to meet him!
lhermiston
Beer-powered running machine
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2013
I caught parts of the parade twice. It's really good! It was cool seeing the Maleficent float as we left MK during the marathon.
lhermiston
Beer-powered running machine
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2013
I was thrilled at the opportunity to get some reflection shots. I might have been the only person excited about the rain.
lhermiston
Beer-powered running machine
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2013
DAY 2: Animal Kingdom and the Expo
With the expo's opening delayed until 11, we shifted plans a little bit. I had originally planned to go to the expo with DD and DW first thing Saturday morning and then head over to AK for the remainder of the day. Instead, I rescheduled our Kilimanjaro Safari FP+ for 9 a.m. with the intent of getting an hour in at AK, heading back to the hotel, then to the expo and then back to AK in time for FP+ for the 3 p.m. show of Finding Nemo the Musical and 4 p.m. show of Festival of the Lion King.
The best laid plans...
Anyway, when we got up and moving, I looked out our window to see dozens of runners cruising past. As many of you probably heard, unofficial half marathons took place all over the Disney property Saturday morning for the half, Goofy and Dopey runners who didn't get to run their half that morning. It was really inspiring to see so many runners, in their shirts and bibs, getting their miles in, even if they didn't have to. We cheered a few on and DD handed out some bite sized nut rolls that some friends had given me as part of a marathon care package.
We got to AK easy enough and made it to Kilimanjaro Safari just as our 9 a.m. FP+ was starting. DD is a huge animal fan and DW loves the safari, so were all thrilled on the ride. DD called out animal names and I took photos, including one of the new baby elephant.
After the safari, we took to the adjacent walking trail, again taking in all of the animals.
We saw this dude just chilling:
After the trail, we stopped for family photos on the bridge heading into Harambe and grabbed breakfast at Creature Comforts. We then headed to the bus stop. We got to the bus just as the doors were closing. Despite the fact that there was room on the bus and the bus wasn't even in motion, when I waved at the driver, he just shook his head and drove off. Consider me annoyed. It would be roughly 20 minutes before another bus came by.
After another Pop bus came, we got back to our room, dropped off my camera bag and the stroller and got on a bus to the expo. It was already about 11, so my plans to get to the expo first thing were thwarted.
Getting to the expo took FOREVER. We were probably on the bus for close to 40 minutes, if not longer, despite Pop being relatively close to ESPN. I think there was just a ton of traffic.
We got to the expo just as the rain was starting to pick up and followed the mass of humanity into one of the halls, where I was able to grab my bib. No wait, which was nice. After a little wandering in the now-pouring rain, we found the expo hall where I picked up my gear bag. I'm not much of a shopper and I assumed much of what was for sale at the expo I could get on Amazon for far less if I really needed it. But, I did want to check out the official runDisney merchandise, so we headed over to that section.
The runDisney area was understandably busy, but not unbearable. I found the marathon gear and perused things a little bit. My Christmas gift from DW was runDisney gear, but there wasn't really much that impressed me. I tried on a short sleeve shirt, but DW thought the fit was weird. I tried - and failed - to find a 26.2 car decal. DW had me try on one of the marathon lightweight jackets. It was sharp, but not something I really could see myself wearing around back home. I settled on a long-sleeve, red and black marathon shirt (which I'm wearing right now).
I paid and then we braved the rain again as we went back to the bus stop. Getting on the bus only took about 15-20 minutes, but once we got on we DID. NOT. MOVE. At all. Anyone that was there that afternoon knows what I'm talking about. Traffic getting out was just chaos. After 20-30 minutes, we finally got out of the ESPN area and then had another 40 minute drive home. DD survived all of this with no meltdowns thanks to a really nice couple on the bus who gave her a small Disney plush toy to hold on while we were on the bus. When we got back to Pop, I asked DD to give the toy back, but the couple told her she could keep it. It was very sweet and she slept with that toy every night of the trip after that.
Back at Pop around 2, I figured we could still make our 3 p.m. FP+ for Festival of the Lion King, but we still hadn't had lunch and I knew that was a recipe for disaster. We ate at the Pop Century cafeteria, which was fine, but underwhelming.
We finally got back to AK a little after 4, if I remember correctly. We did one more of the walking trails then headed over to Finding Nemo the Musical for the 5 p.m. show. DD loved it and DW, who has seen it twice before, said it was her favorite of all the Disney attractions.
We got out of the show at about 5:40 p.m. and after a diaper change, I told DW that there was a possibility we might not make it to Lion King. I didn't know how busy it would be or if we could make it across the park in time. There's always one thing I say to her in a situation like this:
"Give me the stroller. Follow right behind me and try to keep up."
So, I weaved us through the crowd at a brisk pace and we managed to get one of the last seats for Festival of the Lion King, just before it started. Great success! We sat in the Warthog section and had a great time!
After Festival of the Lion King, we were left with a slight conundrum. We weren't exactly hungry, but DW said that - under no uncertain circumstances - would she eat the hotel food again. I said that was fine and I had really wanted to do Flame Tree BBQ, so we headed in that direction.
We got to Flame Tree BBQ just in time ... to find out it had closed at six. Bummer. Maybe next time. I maintain missing this food was a butterfly effect from that bus driver not letting us on earlier that day.
Fortunately, it occurred to me that Rain Forest Cafe was likely still open. A check of their hours confirmed they were open until 8, but the MyDisneyExperience app showed no reservations available. Nonetheless, we were able to get a table in fairly short order and had a nice meal before heading back to Pop.
Now, throughout these past two days, I was *aware* that I had a marathon to run on Sunday, but it never really felt real. As I would find out just a few short hours after laying down, it was as real as it gets.
Next...My first marathon.
With the expo's opening delayed until 11, we shifted plans a little bit. I had originally planned to go to the expo with DD and DW first thing Saturday morning and then head over to AK for the remainder of the day. Instead, I rescheduled our Kilimanjaro Safari FP+ for 9 a.m. with the intent of getting an hour in at AK, heading back to the hotel, then to the expo and then back to AK in time for FP+ for the 3 p.m. show of Finding Nemo the Musical and 4 p.m. show of Festival of the Lion King.
The best laid plans...
Anyway, when we got up and moving, I looked out our window to see dozens of runners cruising past. As many of you probably heard, unofficial half marathons took place all over the Disney property Saturday morning for the half, Goofy and Dopey runners who didn't get to run their half that morning. It was really inspiring to see so many runners, in their shirts and bibs, getting their miles in, even if they didn't have to. We cheered a few on and DD handed out some bite sized nut rolls that some friends had given me as part of a marathon care package.
We got to AK easy enough and made it to Kilimanjaro Safari just as our 9 a.m. FP+ was starting. DD is a huge animal fan and DW loves the safari, so were all thrilled on the ride. DD called out animal names and I took photos, including one of the new baby elephant.
After the safari, we took to the adjacent walking trail, again taking in all of the animals.
We saw this dude just chilling:
After the trail, we stopped for family photos on the bridge heading into Harambe and grabbed breakfast at Creature Comforts. We then headed to the bus stop. We got to the bus just as the doors were closing. Despite the fact that there was room on the bus and the bus wasn't even in motion, when I waved at the driver, he just shook his head and drove off. Consider me annoyed. It would be roughly 20 minutes before another bus came by.
After another Pop bus came, we got back to our room, dropped off my camera bag and the stroller and got on a bus to the expo. It was already about 11, so my plans to get to the expo first thing were thwarted.
Getting to the expo took FOREVER. We were probably on the bus for close to 40 minutes, if not longer, despite Pop being relatively close to ESPN. I think there was just a ton of traffic.
We got to the expo just as the rain was starting to pick up and followed the mass of humanity into one of the halls, where I was able to grab my bib. No wait, which was nice. After a little wandering in the now-pouring rain, we found the expo hall where I picked up my gear bag. I'm not much of a shopper and I assumed much of what was for sale at the expo I could get on Amazon for far less if I really needed it. But, I did want to check out the official runDisney merchandise, so we headed over to that section.
The runDisney area was understandably busy, but not unbearable. I found the marathon gear and perused things a little bit. My Christmas gift from DW was runDisney gear, but there wasn't really much that impressed me. I tried on a short sleeve shirt, but DW thought the fit was weird. I tried - and failed - to find a 26.2 car decal. DW had me try on one of the marathon lightweight jackets. It was sharp, but not something I really could see myself wearing around back home. I settled on a long-sleeve, red and black marathon shirt (which I'm wearing right now).
I paid and then we braved the rain again as we went back to the bus stop. Getting on the bus only took about 15-20 minutes, but once we got on we DID. NOT. MOVE. At all. Anyone that was there that afternoon knows what I'm talking about. Traffic getting out was just chaos. After 20-30 minutes, we finally got out of the ESPN area and then had another 40 minute drive home. DD survived all of this with no meltdowns thanks to a really nice couple on the bus who gave her a small Disney plush toy to hold on while we were on the bus. When we got back to Pop, I asked DD to give the toy back, but the couple told her she could keep it. It was very sweet and she slept with that toy every night of the trip after that.
Back at Pop around 2, I figured we could still make our 3 p.m. FP+ for Festival of the Lion King, but we still hadn't had lunch and I knew that was a recipe for disaster. We ate at the Pop Century cafeteria, which was fine, but underwhelming.
We finally got back to AK a little after 4, if I remember correctly. We did one more of the walking trails then headed over to Finding Nemo the Musical for the 5 p.m. show. DD loved it and DW, who has seen it twice before, said it was her favorite of all the Disney attractions.
We got out of the show at about 5:40 p.m. and after a diaper change, I told DW that there was a possibility we might not make it to Lion King. I didn't know how busy it would be or if we could make it across the park in time. There's always one thing I say to her in a situation like this:
"Give me the stroller. Follow right behind me and try to keep up."
So, I weaved us through the crowd at a brisk pace and we managed to get one of the last seats for Festival of the Lion King, just before it started. Great success! We sat in the Warthog section and had a great time!
After Festival of the Lion King, we were left with a slight conundrum. We weren't exactly hungry, but DW said that - under no uncertain circumstances - would she eat the hotel food again. I said that was fine and I had really wanted to do Flame Tree BBQ, so we headed in that direction.
We got to Flame Tree BBQ just in time ... to find out it had closed at six. Bummer. Maybe next time. I maintain missing this food was a butterfly effect from that bus driver not letting us on earlier that day.
Fortunately, it occurred to me that Rain Forest Cafe was likely still open. A check of their hours confirmed they were open until 8, but the MyDisneyExperience app showed no reservations available. Nonetheless, we were able to get a table in fairly short order and had a nice meal before heading back to Pop.
Now, throughout these past two days, I was *aware* that I had a marathon to run on Sunday, but it never really felt real. As I would find out just a few short hours after laying down, it was as real as it gets.
Next...My first marathon.
Wow great pictures! I have a DSLR and like you said I tried to find balance this trip by not having it out all the time and always taking photos. I think last trip I took close to 4,000 photos. This trip I was under 3,000 so I am getting better lol.
Can't wait to hear about the race.
Can't wait to hear about the race.
lhermiston
Beer-powered running machine
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2013
Thanks!
I took about 3,500 photos during my 2014 trip and ended up with about 100 that I actually liked. This time, between the much shorter trip, less time at the parks and the difficulty in getting a 2-year-old to pose for pictures, I took considerably less. Maybe 400? That said, I probably came away with almost as many photos that I liked this trip.
surfde22
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2015
Part 1 - Getting to Disney, Magic Kingdom
Welcome back! Thanks to those who have already subscribed to the thread.
We got up at 4 a.m. (not the earliest I would have to wake up this trip) and headed for the airport. Because DW decided to join the trip a few months after I booked my flight, she and DD had to take a different flight. I headed for Chicago and they headed for Detroit. Once we landed and DW made a mad dash to her next terminal, she reported that DD acted like she'd been flying for years - it was her first flight.
A few hours later, I touched down in Orlando and met up with DW and DD near the Magic Express. DD was passed out in her stroller, but we managed to board the Magic Express and keep her asleep. About 40 minutes later, we were dropped off at Pop Century. DD woke up and found a set of over-sized blocks in the airport bus area and wanted to play with those instead of even head to the room. After a few minutes of playing, we headed to our room in the 1950s area, dropped off some stuff and hopped on a bus for the Magic Kingdom.
We got into Magic Kingdom and were delighted to find that the afternoon parade had just started. After weeks of talking about meeting princesses, DD was thrilled to see them go by on their floats.
DD loved pointing out each princess as they went by. I could tell this would be a good trip.
Then...Maleficent.
DD decided the dragon was a little too scary (no tears, though! a good sign!) so we headed over to our FP+ meet and greet with Rapunzel and Tiana. DD was both shy and starstruck. She didn't say much, but we got their autographs in her "princess book," posed for a few family photos (that didn't turn out) and headed out. At this point, DW was battling a little bit of a headache, so DD and I got in line to do Prince Charming's Carousel while she went to get a drink.
We reunited with DW and did Philharmagic (or as my older daughters called it during our first trip "Fill Up on Magic). It was a huge hit. DD loved all of the characters. After that, we did our FP+ for it's a small world and had dinner at Columbia Harbour House. We had a quiet dinner upstairs (one of the reasons it's one of my favorite WDW restaurants and probably all-time favorite counter service).
After dinner, DW still wasn't feeling well and I offered to keep DD with me so we could continue doing some rides. It was time to show the rookie how her old man does Disney: we don't stop until we drop!
From Columbia Harbour House, we headed over to the Tommorowland Speedway for our final FP+. DD and I had been talking about this ride for weeks! She had seen a few POV videos and was adamant that we ride a "boo (blue) racecar." We managed to get an orange car with blue stripes and she loved it.
After that, we moved over to the other ride we had been talking about, the tea cups. This line was a little longer without a FP and the ride was actually shut down for a few minutes. She enjoyed the ride, but by the time we were done, it was starting to get close to bedtime. After snapping a pic of us together in front of the castle (which still had the holiday lights!) we got on a bus and headed back to Pop.
But, like I said, I don't stop until I drop when I'm at Disney, 4 a.m. wake up call or not. I grabbed my tripod and headed back to the park to shoot Wishes.
Now, as you've seen above, I've shot Wishes before. My plan for this trip for was to get some shots from some unique angles, hopefully with the aid of my relatively new 8mm fisheye lens. My original plan had been to post up by the Partners statue, but by the time I got to Magic Kingdom around 8, that just wasn't feasible. Instead, I was able to grab a spot by a trash can, which I hoped would prevent anyone from standing right in front of me and blocking my shot.
BUT...I had forgotten about the No. 1 rule of Disney World fireworks photography: the sooner you stake out a spot, the more likely you are to have someone step right in front of you at the last minute. In this case, a dad decided to prop his young son up on the trash can. Since, I believe it's more important for people - especially young kids - to enjoy the Disney magic, I didn't say anything and did my best to shoot around it. I did, however, ask a woman in her late teens/early 20s to kindly stop bumping my tripod with her backpack, which was met with a rude remark. SMH...
Nonetheless, I did come away with a couple of shots I was happy with, one of which I'll share here.
I didn't stick around for Once Upon a Time (watched it on YouTube once, by my love for Celebrate the Magic runs too deep) and instead went to the back of the castle for a few photos. I then hopped on Haunted Mansion, which had a relatively short wait.
When I got out of Haunted Mansion, it was starting to sprinkle, so I rushed over to Splash Mountain. Splash - my all-time favorite ride - had been in refurb during my last trip and I wanted to make sure I got to ride it at least once. The rain steadily picked up as I waited in line and went on the ride. In fact, I probably got wetter from the rain than the 50 foot drop!
The rain let up slightly after I got off Splash which left me with a slight dilemma: head over to Big Thunder, Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear or take advantage of the wet pavement and get some castle reflection photos. Since I was getting a little tired at that point, didn't feel like getting a wet butt on Big Thunder and wanted to take advantage of a rare combo of holiday castle lights and wet pavement, I opted for photos. I'm really glad I did. Thanks to Tom Bricker and the Disney Tourist Blog for the inspiration.
Here's one shot:
After about 30 minutes of shooting, I exited the park and headed back to Pop.
During the wait for Wishes, I got word - along with thousands of other runners - that Saturday's half marathon had been canceled and that the expo - where I needed to go Saturday to pick up my race bib and other gear - was starting an hour later. Oh, how I wish I could have gotten that hour back...
NEXT...Day 2, Animal Kingdom and Stuck in Expo Limbo
Amazing photos. My wife just got her first DSLR, and is hoping to get more into amateur photography, especially now that we have a son.
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