Princess Weekend 2020 Part 2: 10k Race Recap

Saturday morning for the 10k came dark and early and chilly! Last year, we had a heat wave for princess weekend but this year we had a cold spell. It was about 45F at race start! As a Floridian, I was not mentally prepared for standing in the corrals in that kind of weather. My original costume idea was to be Jasmine but in the week leading up to the race, I was scrambling to find a way to make my costume more weather appropriate. I had a pair of teal leggings to wear and I grabbed my 2020 Marathon Weekend shirt since the colors coordinated with everything else I was wearing. No one knew who I was but it still looked cute in photos.

I also bought some throw away gloves to wear. I wanted to grab a mylar blanket but I couldn't find any. A trash bag with a hole in the top also works in a pinch so I had a super glamorous look prerace. The character lines were super long by the time I arrived at the race site so I skipped character photos and instead met up with some friends I'd met on Instagram. The runDisney community is so awesome and it was awesome to get to meet more people in real life!

The 10k corrals are really close to the character area so I popped into my corral pretty early. It definitely felt odd being in corral A. I definitely don't run at a corral A speed but I decided to just enjoy the corral A experience incase it's my one time to be at the front of the pack. It was really chilly in the corral but the trash bag definitely helped. Pretty soon we were moving forward to get in position for race start. Unfortunately, I tossed my trash bag while we were getting into position. Usually, once I'm in the shoot, race start is imminent but in corral A, you are in the shoot before the preshow even starts. Oops! I still had enough layers that it was bearable but I was still colder than I would have liked.

Then it was time for race start! I've seen video from runners who start in corral A and actually run corral A pace but I was still amazed at how much space there was!! I opted to run the first mile before starting my intervals as it was cold and I really wanted to warm up. The first character we passed was Pocahontas. She was up on the overpass so she wasn't available for photos. I was kind of disappointed that she didn't have any photo opportunities the entire weekend but there were plenty of Pocahontas characters during the race which I really appreciated. There was John Smith, Meeko and Governor Ratcliffe. I stopped for a photo with John but I wanted to keep moving. Brr!

There was one section of the highway part of the course I really did not like. We ran back through part of the Epcot parking lot which was nice because it was a convenient place for spectators to go after the race start. Unfortunately, all of the buses that shuttle people back to their resorts were lined up along the course. They were all running so there was a really bad exhaust smell in the air. Nasty! It was bad for the runners but I felt really bad for the spectators who just had to stand there and breathe that gross air.

I made it into Epcot in the dark which was amazing! I wasn't going very fast as I wanted to save my legs for the half but starting right at 5:30 allowed me to get to the park in the dark. So beautiful! I absolutely love running through the parks in the dark. It's one of my favorite parts of a race weekend. The lights were all on and it was an amazing sight. I stopped for a few photos but didn't stop for a character until France. Esmeralda and Quasimodo were out! Esmeralda was out for the Marathon Weekend half but her line was super long so I didn't stop that weekend. The line was so short when I got there so I had to stop.

The course then headed out around the Boardwalk area. I do enjoy running the Boardwalk and for once it was dry! I ran into Kristen from Running in Makeup and Theresa from Running with Shinsplints who were cheering on the Boardwalk. Thanks for the support ladies! My next character photo was Clarice. She's a chipmunkette who appeared in some Chip and Dale cartoons. I've seen her with Chip and Dale during several races but the trio always has a super long line. She was kind of tucked away in a corner at the bottom of a hill right by the Swan and Dolphin hotel so I think a lot of people didn't see her. There were only 4 or 5 people in line for her so I had to stop!

Then I ran passed the Yacht Club and Beach Club resorts before heading back into Epcot. At the very center of the lagoon, Flora, Fauna and Merriweather were available for photos! Since they were the challenge characters, I was really excited to see them on the course. The line wasn't too long when I stopped but by the time I got my picture and left, it had really picked up. (The ended up also being on the half marathon course too so hopefully lots of people got the opportunity for photos.) 

After that, the course was almost over and headed out of Epcot and to the finish line. We got to run through some of the Guardians of the Galaxy construction area which was cool. I'm so pumped for that ride. I did start to get cold again during the last mile or so of the race. I had tossed my gloves around mile 3 and my hands started getting really cold at this point! I did check the weather later in the day and the temperature did actually dip a few degrees towards the end of my race. I took my time crossing the finish line and made sure to get a great finish line photo. They did have mylar blankets at the end of the race which I needed!

The character lines were pretty short so I grabbed a photo with Aurora and Princess Minnie. I got in line to see Anna and Elsa too but I only stayed a few minutes. For whatever reason, their line was moving really slowly and I was just too cold to stand outside anymore. I headed back to my resort for a hot shower and a nap. Since I got done with my race so early, I was able to nap and still make it in time for breakfast at my resort. Mickey waffles for the win!

After breakfast, I headed over to Disney Springs for some window shopping. I stopped by Erin McKenna's for some allergy friendly treats. Some Disney resorts carry mini cupcakes from this bakery in their cafeteria but no such luck this trip. I got my favorite-a mint brownie cupcake. Then I attended another meet up! Yay for friend time! It was a bit smaller than the Marathon Weekend meet up which was nice because I felt like I actually could catch up with everyone and not miss people. After the meetup, it was back to the resort for me. Since the weather was so great for running, I planned on going for a PR attempt at the half marathon so I needed to rest my legs. I got in an epsom salt bath and spent the evening watching HGTV in bed. A lot of people enjoy getting in tons of park time during race weekends but I really enjoy having some quiet resort time.

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Part 1: Expo
Part 2: 10k-You are here.
Part 3: Half Marathon
Part 4: Fairy Tale Challenge-Coming soon!
Part 5: Disney Magic at Animal Kingdom-coming soon!

Eye of the Dragon 10k

February has some of the best running weather in Florida so there are always a ton of races to choose from! I really enjoyed running the Eye of the Dragon 10k last year as it had a nice course, great entertainment and beautiful medals so I signed up to run it again. The weather was around 68F at race start but humid. The course was exactly the same as last year. It runs along the side of the river for about 1.5 miles then back past the start line. Then it goes left over the causeway about 1.5 miles and back with the start line transforming into the finish line.

My 10k PR before this race was a 1:09:42 from this race in 2019. I was aiming to hit sub 1:07 use as proof of time for runDisney races in hopes of qualifying for corral D. I had been trying to incorporate a bit of speed work into my training between marathon weekend and this race but I didn't really have a specific strategy for improving my time. I did make a running playlist to listen to during this race. I don't usually listen to music while I run so I was hoping it would provide a bit of extra motivation. I also opted to carry my own water so I could skip some of the water stops.

I felt really good at the beginning of the race. It was still pretty cool out and I was excited. The music definitely kept me pumped, a bit too pumped in fact. I went out a bit too fast in the first mile so I pulled it back a bit and I was on track when I hit the midway point past the start/finish line. And I passed the midway point before the race winner crossed the finish line which was a nice bonus!

Then I headed out over the causeway. In 2018, I did a lot of running over the causeway leading up to this race in 2019 so my legs were used to hills but in 2019, I really slacked on the hill runs so it was quite an effort to make it up the causeway. I tried to maintain a decent pace while not pushing myself too hard. But right around mile 4, I got side stitches so I had to take an extended walk break. It was right in front of the race photographer too. Not sure why they had her at the top of the causeway where we all looked like death but that's what happened.

I was able to start running again soon after but I never regained the sub 11 minute mile that I needed to reach my goal. At this point in the race, there's no shade and the Florida sun was starting to beat down on me. I did keep pushing myself all the way to the finish despite things not going according to plan. I clocked in at 1:10:27 which came in as my second fastest 10k and only 45 seconds slower than my 10k PR. It's also a really solid runDisney corral E POT. I definitely need to start running the causeway again though!

runningUniversal Part 2: 10k Race Recap

Race morning came cold and early! The race was scheduled to start at 6:15 am so we got to sleep in a bit compared to a runDisney weekend. That was really nice. The temperature was in the mid 40s which is great for running but not so great for waiting around in the corrals. Will and I both had to tweak our running costumes at the last minute for some extra layers. We stayed at one of the Universal onsite resorts and they provided transportation. Unlike Disney, the bus drivers were the regular drivers so they all knew exactly where to go. Plus, there's a lot less to get lost in at Universal.

 The race start was over by the Volcano Bay parking entrance so once we got dropped off at the normal resort drop off location, we headed back into the giant parking garage. They had plenty of staff members to direct runners. The security was set up in the parking garage for us and included medal detectors. It's definitely something to keep in mind when planning your costumes for future Universal races. They had a ton of port-a-potties immediately after security but none further down by the corrals. And that was about it.... No prerace characters and no prerace water available.

There were four corrals-elites/wheel chairs, A (sub 60 min 10k POT) plus B and C which were self seeded. The corrals were on one side of the parking toll booths and the start line and prerace announcers were on the other side. So it was really hard to see what prerace things they did have going on. The announcers tried to get us all excited but it was really cold and none of us were really having it. The did have King Julien from Madagascar up on the stage with the announcers but again, he was really hard to see. I don't think I saw anyone in corral C and we definitely didn't need to get there as early as we would for a runDisney race. This race was just not that big and there wasn't that much time between the first runner starting and the last runner starting.

I did have some huge issues with the corals. They were letting people in corral A without A stickers on their bibs. If you are going to do POT corrals, you absolutely cannot do this! I'm not sure what was going on but the people checking bibs at the corral entrance need to do a better job. Also, there was a couple with a jogging stroller and infant in corral A despite strollers being specifically prohibited in the race rules. This kind of race is not a good one for strollers and them allowing strollers would definitely make me less inclined to run this race again. Hopefully, this will all get cleared up for next year. The race ended up being pretty spacious since there was a pretty small field but this kind of thing will become a huge issue as this race becomes more popular.

Will and I were running this race with Gerald from RezRuns over on youtube. We decided to run the first mile or two and then start doing intervals so I could keep up with the boys. Plus it was cold and we all wanted to get moving and warm up. The first 3/4 of a mile or so are on highway so there was a lot of space but it was pretty dark. It was a bit difficult to keep an eye out for tripping hazards in this section. Then we headed back stage of Islands of Adventure back behind Hulk and the Marvel Super Hero area. There were a lot of tripping hazards in the back stage areas-grates, cracks in the pavement, speed bumps, etc. They did have some marked out by cones but it's definitely an area to be careful. We hit our first water stop right before heading into the park at Toon Lagoon.

Right inside Toon Lagoon, we passed our first in park bathrooms as well as the first character stop, Betty Boop. They did have a photographer as well as a team member who would take a photo with your phone. The character lines were generally quite short which was really nice! We then headed out passed the Marvel area. I was hoping they would have some Marvel characters out but no such luck! Will and Gerald were Winter Soldier and Captain America, respectively. The course went out the front of Islands of Adventure and we looped around City Walk. There was a great photo op in front of the Universal Studios ball.

Then we did a short jaunt backstage before coming out in Seuss Landing. There was another water stop and some Whos out taking photos. About this time, I was nice and warm and ready to start intervals. It was still dark out and so pretty to be in the parks with them all lit up. Over in the Lost Continent, we stopped for our first character stop Puss in Boots and his girlfriend kitty (It's been forever since I've seen that movie and I can't remember her name.). Then we were into Hogsmeade.

It was so beautiful!!! I've never seen that area so empty either. I know a lot of people run theme park races for character photos but I do them to be in the parks when they are all lit up and beautiful. Loved it! They did have some team members out in Hogwarts robes but no photo ops. Next was Jurassic Park. There's a lot of construction going on in this section right now so while there was still plenty of room to maneuver, it was not the most exciting part of the course.

Then the course headed back stage again past Skull Island. We hit mile 3 backstage as well as another water stop and some DJs. We did get to run under the Hogwarts Express track which was really cool! I had no idea how it actually worked but it's up on an elevated track with the ground level road underneath it. So if you want your train photo, grab it with the dummy engine in Hogsmeade. At mile four we headed back into the park by the San Francisco area before popping backstage again.

Then we snuck in a back way to Diagon Alley. It was so cool to run through there! A lot of the shop doors were open and the team members were setting up for the day. That section of the park is just so immersive because you literally can't see anything outside of that area while you are in there! We ran out past the bar and I was hoping we could grab a hot Butterbeer but no such luck! It wasn't open yet!

The next stretch was backstage again. We looped around behind the Men in Black ride and then popped in right next to it. We did a bit of zig zaging past the false front of Diagon Alley to make up a bit more milage. It took us right past the Knight Bus. The driver and talking head were out if you wanted a selfie. Then we headed back around the lake. The fountains were on so it was really pretty along this stretch. Then we had a few more character stops-the Simpsons (which we decided to skip), Winnie Woodpecker, and the big Transformer (one of the good guys I think).

Mardi Gras had started the night before so there were some Mardi Gras performers out for photos as well. I felt so bad for those poor girls! The costumes looked absolutely freezing! I hope they got plenty of breaks and hot coffee. Lastly, we ran out past New York to finish backstage behind the Blue Man Group building. The finish line was not crowded at all and they did have a few photographers here. They were also videoing the finish and showing it on a big screen. It didn't look like there was a lot of spectator area and there wasn't really anyone there cheering. It was really chilly and I think you had to buy the spectator pass to watch at the finish line so I wasn't surprised to see very few spectators. (Gerald had a friend buy the spectator pass and the verdict was unless it's your very first race or something else super special, let your support crew nap at your resort instead and save yourself some $$).

Time: 1:29:24

Distance: 6.2 miles

Pace 14:28

They had Blue the velociraptor right next to the finish line. His photo line was the longest of the whole race. It probably was about a 30 minute wait. But we all got really cold as soon as we stopped running so we moved on to the water, bananas and snack boxes. I was pretty happy with the snack boxes. We got Go-Go Squeeze apple sauce (of course! lol), pretzels, a granola bar and trail mix. Plenty of options for after a 10k. Then the Minions were out and had a much shorter line so we waited for a post race photo with them. So the finish line atmosphere was not as exciting as I would have liked but I think a lot of that had to do with the weather and the lack of spectators.

I did get to meet up with a running friend Audrey and also ran into two of my local running friends after the race. We did not end up staying very long after we finished. I needed a hot shower and then some breakfast!

Given how the expo and corrals went, I was super nervous about this race but I ended up having an amazing time! The course itself was so great! So much of the course was in park. I loved it! There was minimal highway stretches and the backstage portions were intermixed with park time so there was always something really cool to see. We ended up with about a 14:30 pace which included character stops, plenty of walking and stops for Gerald to film. There was so much space on course that it never felt congested. This course could definitely handle more people in the future. There is very little about the actual race that I would change. Way to go, Universal!

The medals were a really cool spinner. The ribbon was really pretty with a different design on each side. Size wise, they were a bit smaller than a standard runDisney 10k medal but still had a good weight to them. The design was really detailed and the characters look nice. I love having it hanging on my wall!

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runningUniversal Part 1: Expo
runningUniversal Part 2: 10k-You are here.
runningUniversal Part 3: My Quick Thoughts

runningUniversal Part 1: Expo

I was really excited when I heard that runningUniversal was bringing their races to Universal Studios Orlando! For their east coast inaugural race, they offered a 10k and a 5k. We decided to sign up for the 10k. The races are priced comparably to the runDisney races and registration was really simple.
I was hoping that after having two race weekends in Hollywood, a few of the kinks would have been worked out of the system but a lot of the administration stuff was a bit less organized than I would have liked. Things like race theme, medal design and packet pick up info came out really late and some stuff wasn't released until packet pick up.

Their website could definitely use some work to make it a bit easier to navigate. If you wanted to be notified when new info such as medal design or course map was going to be released, you had to sign up for each bit individually. When the big packet of race info was given out, it was a bit difficult to figure out where everything was. I kept having to click in and out of different pages to find all of the info I needed. I was able to find everything eventually but I also knew what to look for since I've done theme park races before. It really made me appreciate how much of a well oiled machine runDisney is!

Packet pick up was located in the Blue Man Group building in City Walk. Each runner was given a pass for free parking but you had to physically print it out and bring it with you. No parking passes were accepted digitally on phones. Once in City Walk, there were plenty of signs telling runners where to go for packet pick up. Once I got to the pick up location, it was clear just how much smaller this race was than a Disney race. If this race gets bigger, they are going to need to find a better place for packet pick up. They were a bit more disorganized than I would have liked but it was really empty when we went to pick up so we didn't wait long. We each got a tech t-shirt, a draw string bag and our race bib. The bag was a nice touch.

I was disappointed by two things. The shirts were unisex sized which means I'll be drowning in my shirt. I wear a women's X-small so the men's small was a no go for me even if they hadn't run big. This is a problem I have with a lot of races and I hope that they start offering women's sizes next year. I did really like the design of the shirt but the actual material was not the greatest. It's going straight into the to be made into a tshirt blanket pile. Also, I did not get into the proof of time corral. There was an option to put in a proof of time during registration but no more info was given about corral placements. I spoke to runner relations and the cut off for A corral this year was a 60 minute 10k. It would have been nice to know that ahead of time. I'll go into corrals and whether or not I think you need a proof of time for this race in the actual race recap.

They did have one character at the expo, Woody Woodpecker but we didn't stop for a photo. They had a very small merchandise tent. Most of the merchandise was general Universal merch like you can get in the parks but they had a few generic runningUniversal shirts, jackets, etc. I'd love to see race specific merchandise as well as magnets next year. All of the race merchandise was adult sized even though I did see quite a few kids on the course.

The theme of the race was "epic characters" with the 5k being Shrek and Bumblebee (from Transformers) and the 10k being Minions and Blue (the velociraptor from Jurassic World). I did like that they picked more well known characters but I felt that the theming was a bit weak. They didn't do much else with the theme besides the medals and tshirts. I liked the themes for the two Hollywood race weekends better and I hope that they decide to go with a more dedicated theme next year.

Lots of City Walk places were offering discounts for runners and Voodoo Donuts had special 5k and 10k donuts. Overall, despite seeing areas for improvement, it was a really good first effort for the Orlando runningUniversal team. Putting on a race is a huge undertaking with a steep learning curve but hopefully my experience will help new runners be prepared for next year.

Stay tuned for Part 2 all about the race. (Spoiler alert: It was much more impressive than the expo!)

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runningUniversal Part 1: Expo-You are here.
runningUniversal Part 2: 10k 
runningUniversal Part 3: My Quick Thoughts

2019 Medal Tag!

Happy 2020 runners! I thought this would be a great time to chat about my favorite 2019 medals as sort of a look back at this year and to get excited for WDW Marathon Weekend which is just around the corner. I had an amazing running year with so many great memories and special moments, not to mention a whole lot of bling! I've picked some questions from various running medal tags that have been going around Youtube to share with you all so let's go.

1. What is your favorite runDisney 5k medal?

I did the runDisney Summer Virtual shorts this year and my favorite 5k medal had to be the Captain Marvel one! Not only is Captain Marvel my favorite Marvel superhero, the medal is stunning! I love the bold but simple design. It looks great!

2. What is your favorite runDisney 10k medal?

When the designs were released for the 2019 Princess Weekend, my favorite was the Mulan 10k medal. I'm so happy I was able to register for this race at the last minute. It was such a fun race and I love the medal. And Mulan is probably the most active Disney princess so it really fits.

3. What is your favorite runDisney half marathon medal?

I did all of the Disney World half marathons in 2019 so it was really hard to pick but I have to go with the Donald medal from Marathon Weekend. It was my first half and my first runDisney medal and I was so proud of myself for earning it. The design is also so pretty with bold yellow and blue.

4. What is your favorite runDisney challenge medal?

I also ran a lot of runDisney challenges this year but the Kessel Run Challenge medal has to be my favorite. The Millennium Falcon is such a cool design and I like the aged look of the medal. I'm really happy that I got this medal this year because they redesigned the medal for 2020 and I'm not a huge fan of the new one.

5. Which is your hardest earned runDisney medal?

This is a hard one because I had a lot of difficult races at runDisney this year. The WDW Marathon Weekend half was my first half marathon and it was really rough on my body. The Star Wars Rival Run half was really warm but I pushed myself and got a 10 min PR. The Wine and Dine half was the race I pushed myself on the hardest getting another (almost) 10 min PR.

6. What is your favorite runDisney spinner medal?

I just love the Rival Run Challenge spinner medal. The black space theme of the background of the medal is really sharp and I love the divided spinner with Luke and Darth Vader. So cool!

7. What is the runDisney medal from your favorite costume?

I had a lot of great running costumes this year but my favorite was Orson Krennic from Rogue One. I ran as him for the Rival Run half marathon and it was so much fun! When in doubt, run with a cape. I'm not sure a ton of people knew who I was but it was so fun to run in plus super comfortable.

8. What is the biggest runDisney medal you earned?

The Wine and Dine Challenge medal is so huge and heavy! It's a giant pyramid with three spinners and three dangling charms! It's so big that I did not wear it around in the parks. I was worried the charms might fall off and that my neck would get tired! But it does look amazing on my medal rack.

9. What is your favorite non-Disney medal based solely on design?

This one has to go to the Space Coast Half Marathon. It wasn't my favorite race experience (mostly due to the weather and bad information about the course) but the medal is so beautiful! It's another big, hefty medal with a nice solid base so you could display it like a trophy if you didn't want to hang it.

10. What is the medal from your favorite non-Disney race based on experience?

I have to go with the Kissimmee Spartan Sprint for this one. I had a blast challenging myself with the training for this race by doing more strength training and getting outside of my comfort zone. I also ran this race with a team which was really fun.

11. What is your favorite runDisney medal based solely on design?

I'm going to mention a favorite that I haven't gotten to talk about yet and that's the Star Wars Virtual Half Marathon R2-D2 medal. It's so pretty! The silver with red accents is really striking and they did a great job of bringing our favorite droid to life.

12. What is the medal from your favorite runDisney race based on experience?

Another really hard question but I'm going to go with the Princess Challenge medal. I did a last minute girls trip for this race weekend with my friend Melissa. We ran the challenge and it was so much fun getting to have that weekend with her even though it was really crazy! So much fun!

13. What is your favorite race shirt?

I love the bright green Mulan shirt from the Princess 10k. I think the design looks really sharp and I love brightly colored shirts to wear when I run so I'm easy for driver to see. I know it's not everyone's favorite color but it's 100% my most worn runDisney race shirt.

Wine and Dine 2019 Part 4: Two Course Challenge

The Wine and Dine Two Course Challenge was my third runDisney challenge but the first one I got to dedicate a full training schedule to without having other races interrupt my training. I'm not going to lie. This wasn't my favorite training cycle. Much of this training was done in the depths of summer (which in Florida can last well into October) and it was rough. I knew running back to back training runs regularly would eat into my social calendar but having the runs take so much longer due to the heat made it extra difficult. It even made me decide not to do the Wine and Dine challenge again. (Which lasted just until they announced the 2020 theme of villains! Guess who wants to do the challenge again now?)

I do feel like I had a much better approach to running a challenge than I did at my previous two. Challenges take a lot out of me and we decided to prioritize rest and recovery this trip rather than park time. I loved getting to just chill in the hotel room and read a book! We also made sure to get naps plus I took an epsom salt bath after each race. We made it to bed early on Saturday night before the half and did lots of foam rolling over the course of the weekend. I also made better food choices on Saturday. (There's still always Sunday to eat all the things!)

I know for a lot of people these runDisney weekends are their time to get in the whole Disney experience. As a passholder, that's not the case for me. I was ok doing just a few Disney things and saving the rest for a nonrace weekend. It's definitely something to consider when planning your race-cation especially if you are running a challenge. And our rest paid off because Will and I both PR'd the half marathon. The moral of the story: don't slack on your recovery during race weekend!

I love going to Magic Kingdom on the Monday of race weekend. We almost always stay Sunday night in a hotel so we don't have to worry about rushing out of the hotel after the half. Magic Kingdom has some awesome places to get medal pictures. Will and I decided to go very Millennial and take some medal photos in front of the purple Instagram wall but the castle is always a great choice too!

Will rocked out all three medals but I'm a big believer in wearing only one medal at a time. And that challenge medal was seriously heavy! I bring a medal holder with my in my bag to store my medals in while I'm going on rides like Space Mountain where they might fly up and smack me in the face. (Tutorial here.)

We ran into Jen and Heather in Magic Kingdom and we all road Space Mountain together. It just worked out that we all had overlapping fast passes. It can be hard to arrange meet ups with people during the weekend because we're all busy and we're all tired and we all have different priorities race weekend but sometimes really spontaneous things like this happen. It really added to the Disney magic! The people I've met through runDisney are just amazing and the weekends wouldn't be nearly as fun without them.

Up next is the post about the Youtube vlogger meet up which is always one of my favorite parts of the weekend. If you have a chance to go to a meet up, definitely do it! I know that various running Facebook groups do meet ups so be sure to ask if your group is doing one. It's so amazing to get to meet your internet friends in real life.

Wine and Dine 2019:

Part 1: Expo
Part 2: 10k
Part 3: Half Marathon
Part 4: Two Course Challenge-You are here.
Part 5: Meet Up and After Party

Wine and Dine 2019 Part 2: 10k Race Recap

There are a lot of different approaches to running a runDisney race. Some people just want to finish ahead of the balloon ladies. Some want to stop for every photo opportunity. Some run for time. And still others do something in between. Leading up to Wine and Dine weekend, I was all set to run slowly, stop for some photos and try not to die from the deathly heat we've been having in central Florida. But then a cold front was forecasted to roll in just in time for the 10k and half marathon and I decided to go for the big goal in the half marathon!

Having PR'd my half marathon at Star Wars weekend earlier in the year, I had some idea of how I need to run the 10k and recover in order to set myself up for success in the half marathon. So I planned on having my actual running pace be around a 14 min/mi which I had been running at all summer in the heat and humidity. I knew that since I'd be running in temperature and humidity lows that I hadn't seen since before Star Wars weekend, I'd need to really stay on top of myself to not go out too fast and kill my legs on 10k day.

We were up at 2 am to get ready for the race and hit the first bus out at 3:30 am. My 10k costume was Belle's yellow dress featuring a top and headband by Crowned Athletics and a skirt by Sparkle Athletic. These are my two go to companies for ready to wear running costume pieces! Running in actual running gear is a must for me for longer races and races where the weather is not ideal. It also made it really easy to get ready in the morning!

The course for the 10k was very similar to the Star Wars Weekend 10k except for the very end of the course which had to be altered due to all of the construction at Epcot. So the start area was in the Magic Kingdom parking lot. The characters available for photos included Anna and Elsa, chef Goofy, chef Donald and Mickey and Minnie in chef outfits. We opted to do Minnie and Mickey and then Anna and Elsa but the lines were too long to get any other photos before heading to the corrals.

There were a lot of people including Will and I that were really surprised by our 10k corrals. For Star Wars weekend, Will was in A for the 10k and C for the half and this weekend he was in B for both. As for me despite having a better 10k POT, I my 10k corral was bumped from C Star Wars weekend to E this weekend. I saw a lot of bibs of people like Will and I who had the same corral for the 10k and half and I also saw a lot of odd combos like A or B for the 10k but G or H for the half. Neither G nor H corral require a proof of time (POT). Not sure why some one running the challenge without a 10k POT would be put in one of the front corrals for the 10k when having run a 10k at a predicted A or B corral pace would definitely meet the POT requirements for the half. I also heard that the 5k corral assignments were very different from previous race weekends. I really hope that whatever happened at this race changes before I run my next challenge at Princess next year!

Since I just wanted to take the 10k easy, I wasn't super upset about my corral assignment but it did definitely affect my race experience. Will elected to stay in B corral rather than dropping back with me and that was definitely a good choice for both of our 10k goals.

The weather turned out to be really nice and I was actually a bit chilly waiting in the corral. Once I got started running, it was a really comfortable temperature. It was very crowded back in corral E which did help keep me at my 14 min/mi pace goal. There were a lot of walkers around me which made it even more congested than usual. Some times there was a row of walkers all the way across the entire paved running surface which made it difficult to get around. I run walk and always try to get to the side while walking so runners can pass me.

The first half of the course is all highway from the Magic Kingdom parking lot to Epcot. There are usually several character stops in the first three miles but they all had really long lines! I was loving just being able to not feel like death while running so I kept going past the early character stops and hoped for shorter lines in Epcot.

I ran into Kirsten from Crowned Athletics during the dark highway stretch so I walked with her for a bit and grabbed a selfie. I'm so proud of Kirsten for all she's accomplished with Crowned Athletics so it was great to run into her on course while wearing one of her tops!

Right as I got to Epcot, Robin Hood was out and I decided to stop for him even though the line was long. I think I ended up waiting about 8 minutes for him and he's not a character that is out in the parks regularly. He actually swapped out for his break right before me so I got a bit of character interaction as he was walking back to the backdrop. He kissed my hand and walked me over which was very sweet. Usually, race photos are just pose, click and move on.

Once in Epcot, I got my photopass photographer smile on and went for as many action shots as possible as I ran around World Showcase. It was still very crowded on the course and I even missed seeing that some characters were even available for photos! But I did end up with some great action shots from in Epcot. They are my favorite kind of race pictures!

I also ran into Kimberly and her mom who were wearing the cutest Minnie costumes based on one of her resort specific outfits. They were the most adorable people on course that day! The photopass photographers managed to catch a photo of the three of us talking but we're all making ridiculous faces since we weren't paying attention to the photographers so I'll spare the internet from our awkwardness. If you aren't following Kimberly's youtube channel, definitely go check out her latest videos!

The course exited Epcot by Mexico and we ran through some backstage area under Test Track. I really missed getting to run by Spaceship Earth but there was really no way to do that given the construction projects in the front of Epcot right now. Some of them are more short term but several are 2+ year efforts so we may see continued changes to the end of race courses for a while.

Wine and Dine 10k

Time: 1:36:44 

Pace:15:36 min/mi

Then it was on to the finish line! Pro tip: it's easier to get good finish line photos if you cross to one side or the other rather than in the middle like I did for this race. There wasn't a lot of good spectator space near the finish line again due to the construction so that may deter your family from wanting to spectate or purchase chEAR squad until the change back to the old finish line set up. There was also a long walk to get your post race goodies. Walk, get your medal. Walk, get water. Walk, get snack box. Walk, walk, walk, get "I did it photos". It's not a terrible thing but it's definitely very different from previous runDisney set ups.

I met up with Will and my friend Melissa who finished way ahead of me since they are speedy. They changed up the snack boxes again this year. The fruit leather was replaced with a tastier one. The bland gluten free pretzels were replaces with rice puff almond fruit clusters which were surprisingly good. And, to the disappointment of many, the nacho cheese was replaced with an odd tasting hummus. I'm dairy intolerant so I didn't miss the cheese but the hummus was not great either. The chips and apple sauce were still there and they added some sort of caramel thing that I couldn't eat either. I ended up just eating the banana and snacking on the rest of the box later on in the day.

Will and Melissa had already gotten some post race character photos while waiting for me to finish but I needed one with Donald!

We also ran into Jen and Heather from the Go Find Your Awesome podcast. I've been training all summer listening to these ladies and it was so amazing getting to catch up in real life. Running friends really are the best friends! I'm so grateful for people like Jen, Heather, Kimberly and Kirsten who share about their running journeys online. It's so inspiring and without these ladies and others, I would have given up on trying to be a runner a long time ago.


Wine and Dine 2019:

Part 1: Expo
Part 2: 10k-You are here.
Part 3: Half Marathon
Part 4: Two Course Challenge
Part 5: Meet Up and After Party