Birthday Disneybound

What's a girl to do for her 30th birthday? Go to Disney World, of course! To celebrate, we booked one night at the Caribbean Beach resort and a Keys to the Kingdom tour in Magic Kingdom.

We started out the trip by hanging at the resort and checking out the fun pirate pool. We don't usually make it to the pool during race weekends so it was nice to have some chill time. Plus, it was definitely warm enough for a swim.

Our first park of the weekend was Animal Kingdom. I absolutely love Animal Kingdom! It's so beautiful and perfectly themed. I really feel like I'm somewhere else when I'm there. I wore my brand new Kiss the Girl athletic top for the perfect mermaid vibe. We grabbed dinner at my favorite Animal Kingdom restaurant Satu'li Canteen and then it was off to park #2.

Guess who else turned 30 in May? Hollywood Studios! It's so much fun sharing an (almost) birthday with a Disney park. Fun fact: My baby sister shares an almost birthday with Animal Kingdom. We didn't really do much at either park but I just love hanging out and enjoying the Disney ambiance.

The next morning, we headed out super early to Magic Kingdom for our tour. I really wanted to do the Keys to the Kingdom tour because it takes you behind the scenes in Magic Kingdom and let's you see how some of the magic is made. It was a lot of fun and we had really great tour guides. The tour includes lunch at Pecos Bill, which is another favorite. We got unlimited guac which is not longer on the regular topping bar. They sure know the way to this girl's heart!

I got in touch with my villain side for day 2. I paired my Evil Step Villain top with a red circle skirt and black belt. I knew I needed to be comfortable for a five hour walking tour during Florida summer. There were plenty of water stops and rest breaks during the tour and the guides did their best to have us stop in the shade but it was still quite hot by the end of the tour. I was really happy that I had opted for cute and comfy.

One of my friends saw this photo of us and asked if that made Will Cinderella's dad? I told him it didn't matter if he was Lady Tremaine's first hubby or Cindy's dad, it didn't bode well for him. lol

We ended the trip at Epcot for a really brief visit before heading home. What a magical Disney trip!

Dapper Day Spring 2019

Dapper Day is one of my favorite Disney days each year! It's a sort of fashion flash mob where people dress up to go to Disney like they did when Disneyland first opened. Many people dress in a vintage style but all dapper looks are welcome!

This year, spring Dapper Day was forecast to be in the upper 80s so comfort was key in picking out my Dapper Day outfit. Usually, I stick to cotton or linen for these super hot days but this year I had an ace up my sleeve.

Just before Dapper Day, Crowned Athletics released their newest princess running top inspired by my favorite princess Belle. I had some yellow cotton sateen in my stash set aside for a yellow circle skirt so I whipped on up last minute to wear with the yellow Belle top. So, tada!

I absolutely adore this top! It's so beautiful and I love the lace detail in the back. It's so perfect for Belle. And it was so comfortable. I think this is the most comfortable Dapper Day I've ever had. It's usually hot in Florida!

My friend Melissa came out with me. She wore a really pretty pink vintage repro dress. We didn't plan our outfits together at all but they look really nice together. And her hair turned out so cute!

We had loads of fun checking out the Flower and Garden Festival and eating tasty things. Epcot definitely has the best food options so I'm glad we ended up going to the Epcot Day. Overall, it was a really amazing day. Dapper Day is an awesome time for people watching and we saw so many great outfits and bounds this year!

I can't wait for next Dapper Day!

Star Wars Rival Run 2019 Part 4: Half Marathon

On Sunday, the buses started even earlier than for the 10k so we got up at 2 am with plans on being on the first bus out at 3 am. I really appreciated having a much simpler costume for the half marathon. It definitely made getting ready so much easier! We did make it on the first bus and our bus was one of the first ones to the start area.

The character lines were really short and we were able to get so many photos! We opted to skip Darth Vader since we caught him at the 10k but we got through all of the other lines really quickly. If you want to get lots of character photos before the race, plan on getting to the start area early.

We decided to hang around the main stage area. I've never really watch the preshow but we found a group of Joyful Milers and ended up in a prerace dance party. It was really fun hanging out with my friends and rocking out to some music.

Once we got into the corrals, the preshow entertainment continued. I really liked not having a hike to the corrals for the half like I did for Marathon and Princess weekend but there's a lot of repeat material between the 10k and half marathon preshows in the corrals. Will and I each decided to run this race for time so he went up to corral C and I went to E. Soon we were headed out to the start line and the race began.

The first four miles or so of the course were along the highway in the dark. runDisny had two sections of the course with lazers, lights and sound effects to make it more interesting. One was Darth Vader dark breathing noises and the other was the battle of Endor sound effects. It definitely made this section of the course more interesting but it was dark and I was a bit nervous about injuring myself. I wish some of the course could have had better lighting.

Around mile 3, I had to take my hat off. It was just way to hot so I carried it for most of the race. I wore it for photopass photographers and when I ran through the water stops so I could have two hands free. My hat was definitely not a tech hat and it was just too hot for this race.

My goal for this race was to beat my Marathon weekend half time which was my first half so I decided before hand not to stop for photos unless I was really struggling and knew I was past all hope of hitting my goal time. Rey was out again and there were also a bunch of 501st members along the highway section of the course. I would also have loved to stop for the Hoth and trash compactor photo ops but they had super long lines!

I ran into fellow Joyful Miler Leslie outside of Animal Kingdom and we ran together for a bit. Just inside Animal Kingdom, we ran into Kimberly in Africa but I was still on track so I just waved and kept going. I really wanted to make it to Pandora in the dark because it was going to be beautiful and with the projected high, I wanted to get a lot of the course done in the dark.

I did enjoy running in Pandora in the dark but it seemed less glowy than when I've been there at night during normal park hours. It was also wet and tight through this area so it's a good place to slow down a bit and watch your footing. It wasn't as exciting as Magic Kingdom in the dark during Marathon weekend, but Animal Kingdom was definitely a high light of the course for me.

Then it was out into the Animal Kingdom parking lot and out towards Hollywood Studio. I was in corral E which had a 2:30 and 2:45 pace group. Since my goal was to hit a 2:45 half, I planned on staying in front of the 2:45 pace group and joining them if I started struggling and they caught up to me. I had been safely ahead of them but after Animal Kingdom, they kept catching up with me at the water stops when I slowed down to get water.

I ended up joining the 2:45 pace group in the stretch into Hollywood Studios. I was really struggling with the heat and humidity and having run a 10k the day before. The pace group was using a 30:30 interval (mine was 60:30) so running with the felt like a break due to all the extra walking. My body got a bit of a rest and I was able to stay on pace. If I had been on my own, I probably would have slowed down a lot more and lost quite a bit of time.

I started feeling better in Hollywood Studios so I put my hat on, pulled away from the pace group, and put on my happy face for the photopass photographers. I love the candid shots from these races and runDisney really stuff the photopass photographers inside of the parks!

Once I exited Hollywood Studios, I knew that the race was almost over. I've walked from Hollywood Studios to Epcot enough times to feel really confident in handling that distance. It was a bit crowded along that narrow stretch but I took the opportunities to pass people when I could and slowed down a bit when there was less space. Once I hit the Boardwalk, there was plenty of space. I also ran into my friend Audrey in this area but we were both trying to hit tough time goals so we just said hi and kept on with our own intervals.

I entered World Showcase near the UK and made my way around the world. There were more character stops and photopass photographers in this stretch but I just kept moving. Then it was a straight shot out of Epcot and into the finish chute. Just like for the 10k, there were more 501st members just outside of Epcot with very short character lines but I was rocking my time so I skipped these photo ops too.

In the final stretch, I saw Will cheering for me and yelling at me to skip my walk intervals. Which I did to sprint across the finish line. I didn't have my official time by my phone time indicated that I crushed my PR. Whoohoo!

I made it down to the challenge area to get my two challenge medals. It was really cool to get the extra medals! After stopping for an I did it photo, I met up with Will and some Joyful Milers to chill and see how everyone's race went. It was a really rough race for a lot of people which made me even more excited about my half PR. I'm hoping to get an even better time in the fall once the weather cools off again.

Having run one runDisney half race for photos, one mostly for time but with a few photos and one completely for time but with no photos, I can definitely say that each strategy gives the race a really different feel. For me personally, I think I prefer not stopping for every photo because waiting in too many lines and getting passed makes me feel anxious, but not stopping for no photos because there are always a few really short lines that make for some great photos.

The runDisney race weekends are pretty much spread equally out over the best running weather in Florida so that limits my opportunities to PR a longer race like a half so I think that if I continue to run several race weekends at Disney every year, I'll probably pick one to run for time and run the rest with a few spontaneous photos. So you can definitely PR at Disney but it's all about figuring out what you want out of your race and making the most of that experience.

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Star Wars Rival Run Posts:

Part 1: Expo
Part 2: Joyful Miles Meet Up
Part 3: 10k
Part 4: Half Marathon-you are here.
Part 5: Rival Run Challenge
Part 6: Kessel Run Challenge

Further, Higher, Faster

Growing up, I was never into comic books and the only super hero cartoon I watched was Sailor Moon but have have enjoyed all of the Marvel films that have grown into the MCU. One thing that has been lacking from this great movie universe was strong women. We have Black Widow who is awesome but she still hasn't gotten her own film and, to be honest, the sexy, undercover assassin stereotype always seemed to fit more of what a guy would want out of a female superhero that what I would like. Black Panther gave us so many great strong women, and all women of color! We got the warrior, the social justice champion, the genius and the wise queen all in one film! I especially loved Shuri and I would 100% be behind her getting a stand alone film or TV series. But the heroine I've fallen head over heals for is Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel.

I'll be the first to admit that the movie is not perfect and that I definitely wouldn't say it's the best Marvel film from a film critique perspective but I love the story that it tells and the message that it sends to young girls. One of these is how we should respond to sexism and discrimination against women (though these lessons could be applied to any sort of discrimination). Every time she gets shot down, Carol gets back up and says "You don't get to define my limits."

There's a very vocal section of the Marvel fandom that is upset about this film and thinks that it is just about some sort of extreme feminist agenda. The fact of the matter is that while things have improved, racism and sexism are still alive and well today and that is not ok. Comics are not just for boys. Sports are not just for boys. Being strong is not just for boys. Fashion is not just for girls. Expressing your emotions in public is not just for girls. Being a stay at home parent is not just for girls. These are all activities for humans and we're all human.

Sadly, these upset fans are proving the exact point they are arguing against. 

One thing that I didn't like about the film the first time I saw it was Carol's extreme power up towards the end of the film after talking to the Supreme Intelligence. I still think it was a bit of a stretch and I like to see my heroes work for their powers but on my second viewing, I realized the picture the film was trying to paint here. This is what happens when a woman wakes up and realizes that she is strong! And it is amazing!

It is only when Carol frees herself from the arbitrary rules created to keep her down and that she realizes that she has nothing to prove to the world that she reaches her full potential. I think too often that as women, we allow ourselves to be limited, consciously or unconsciously, by "rules" set by society, tradition or even ourselves. I hope that this film helps women turn their I can't into an I can. I'm realizing that I can be more than I ever though I could be. I am strong and I have so much to give to the world!

Another thing I love about Carol is that she has a strong drive to do the right thing which I think is common in many women. She joined the military not to prove she was better than a man but so that she had a shot at doing something that would save lives! We can see that in her decision to pilot Dr. Lawson's plane during it's fateful last mission. Dr. Lawson wanted to go alone but Carol knew that if wars and lives were at stake, she couldn't sit idly by. Even when she was living with the Kree, she still tried to do her bit for the Kree Skrull war. And when she found out that the war was not what she thought it was, her first instinct was to brave dangers to try and make things right. And isn't that what a super hero is supposed to do?

When we take a look at our beloved male heros, many of them do not have this attitude from the beginning. Tony Stark is far from a hero when we meet him and he's still got his share of character flaws. Thor is so bad that his dad grounds him from his power and kicks him out of the house. Hulk has his own set of issues that cause Bruce Banner to go into hiding. Probably the Avenger who is most like Carol in this respect is Steve Rodgers. He also had a strong desire to stand against evil even when everyone around him told him that he had nothing to give.

Hopefully, this next phase of the MCU will give us more strong female superheroes. Until then, we're the ones who have to show the world that we can go further, higher, faster.

Star Wars Rival Run 2019 Part 3: 10k

When Will and I first started talking about Star Wars Weekend 2019, my total running career amounted to one 5k and I hated it. But runDisney looked like so much fun and Star Wars weekend was just a month before our 10 year anniversary so we came up with the genius idea to run a 10k for our 10 year. By the time registration came around, however, I had already signed up for the WDW Marathon Weekend half marathon and talked myself into trying the Star Wars Weekend Challenge. We decided to still run the 10k together and then go at our own pace for the half.

We had a 2:30 am wake up call and made it out on the second bus from our hotel. When we got to the start area in the Magic Kingdom parking lot, the character lines were already so long! I think the rain on the morning of the 5k kept people from getting as many photos that morning so they were all out trying to get photos at the 10k. The only character photo we got before hand was Darth Vader.

Once we got out of his line, we decided to head to the corrals as the other lines were all 45+ mins. Will was supposed to be in corral A but he dropped back to C with me. We got a nice spot in the corral and enjoyed some dancing to the music the DJ played. They did a little preshow with First Order Troopers and resistance fighters. The Troopers' bit seemed to be about the same as last year and the whole thing was a bit cheesy. (It was even cheesier the next morning during the half as the performance was almost word for word the same.) But soon it was time to start!

We quickly came upon our first character stop which was Rey with a Takodana backdrop. She did a really great job as Rey.

Soon afterwards, there were a bunch of 501st and Rebel Legion members. The 501st and Rebel Legion and dark side and light side star wars cosplay groups, respectively, who do a lot of charity events. There's no photopass photographers for them but we had the people behind us snap a photo on our phones. There were also big screens along this section of the course playing Star Wars clips.

Another cool photo opportunity was sitting in the Emperor's chair. Don't I look like I belong on a throne? The first four miles of the course were along the highway which can be kind of boring between photo stops. I also had a really hard time hearing my phone beeping for my intervals as the music along the course was really loud! Just something to consider if you use intervals.

Look! An ewok!

We did have one clover leaf on ramp where the green army man usually is. They had the rebel leaders from the preshow here challenging us to keep moving. I didn't like them as much as green army man but it was a nice touch.

We stopped to see Sabine and Ezra (I think) from Star Wars Rebels just outside of Epcot. Hopefully, Rebels will be on the new Disney streaming service so I can finally watch it!

Finally, we hit Epcot during mile 4. We came in the front and took a side detour over by the Sea and the Land before heading out to World Showcase. I love running in Epcot as they really cram in the photopass photographers. The candid running shots are always my favorite. We ended up with some really great couple shots from this area.

 I pretty much had to give up on my interval beeps in Epcot. The music was too loud. So I ran intervals by feel. I wasn't running for time so it wasn't a huge deal but it did make me really nervous for the half as I was planning on going for a PR. I wasn't going to do that without my interval beeps! Will kept me focused on having fun through the end of the race.

One of my favorite photo stops was Darth Maul in the America pavilion. I wish they had a Darth Maul meet and greet in the park somewhere. He's my favorite Star Wars villain!

Soon enough we were headed out of Epcot and into the final stretch. There were more 501st and Rebel Legion members just outside of Epcot and we stopped for a few more photos. Then it was time to cross that finish line and get our medals! I really loved the design of the 10k medal. The gold and green was really striking.

Star Wars Rival Run 10k

Time: 1:59:21

Pace: 19:15 min/mi

We headed down the chute for water, snack boxes and I did it photos. I have to confess that I didn't eat anything from the snack boxes at either race.  This year, the Oreos had been replaced by gluten free pretzels. Normally, I'm all for more gluten free options but as everything else in the box was already gluten free, I didn't think it was necessary. Please bring back the Oreos! I don't really need to refuel much after a 10k, so I ate the banana and then had a chocolate chip Larabar when I got back to the room. (So yummy! Tastes like cookie dough).

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Star Wars Rival Run Posts:

Part 1: Expo
Part 2: Joyful Miles Meet Up
Part 3: 10k-you are here.
Part 4: Half Marathon
Part 5: Rival Run Challenge
Part 6: Kessel Run Challenge

Princess Half Marathon 2019 Part 2: 10k Race Recap

The morning of the Princess 10k, Melissa and I woke up dark and early at 2 am. I didn't sleep super well but a bit of tea helped me wake up and get excited about racing. We stayed off property for this race and we wanted to make sure that we had plenty of time to drive in to Epcot. Which we did since we actually arrived before they opened the race area to runners. Oh, well. The upside was that we got in to meet characters really early! And we got so many character photos.

Before the race, we say Aurora, Mulan, Elena and Cinderella. There were four character lines. Princess Minnie was by herself but the other princesses were paired and swapped out. Cinderella/Snow White, Aurora/Mulan, Elena/Ariel. We were also able to catch Princess Minnie and Ariel afterwards but the Snow White line was crazy long so we missed her. Surprisingly, Princess Minnie's line was crazy long before hand but short after so it's worth a shot to try and get character pictures after the race too.

Melissa and I both decided to dress up as Mulan for this race. I went with the before makeover Mulan and she was the after makeover look. It was really fun to get dressed up together, especially considering that we had only three weeks to pull costumes together. I think they both turned out really cute! And everything is more fun in costume.


This was my first Disney race where I had a proof of time to submit so I was in corral C for the 10k. Melissa is much faster than me but she came back to C so we could run together. The 10k corrals are right in the Epcot parking lot, unlike the half corrals which are a hike from the start area. The weather was feeling pretty nice at that time and I was close enough to the big screen to get to watch the preshow. It was kind of fun and definitely helped pass the time until it was time to walk to the start line.

The 10k is definitely a bit more low key than the half. Mulan came out for a bit to say hi and then they started sending people off. There was a small firework send off for each corral and then we were off to the highway in the dark. One thing I like about the 10k course is that the first 3 miles are in the dark on the highway but the second 3 miles is in Epcot and the Boardwalk area.

Our plan was to take the 10k easy and stop for characters so we could have energy for the half the next day. Melissa had run her very first marathon the weekend before and I PR'd my 10k the weekend prior at the Eye of the Dragon 10k. Plus, as soon as we started running, I could really feel the humidity. It was going to be a hot and sticky race.

This race was the very first run that I had run with someone else and it was really fun. We did get separated at the first water stop because it was crazy but we got caught up with each other and made a plan to meet at the next mile marker if we got separated again. Princess was definitely a crowded race weekend but that's how runDisney races go. The first character stop we passed was Belle and the Beast but the line was crazy long so we skipped. We both kind of regret not stopping but it was early in the race and neither of us had run a race for photos before.

None of the other characters in the first half of the race really spoke to us but we saw Joy and Sadness right outside of Epcot and we had to stop. The line looked long but it actually moved really fast. It feels odd seeing so many people run past you but we only ended up waiting a few minutes and we got a really cute photo. On the course, there are no character interactions or autographs. You just jump in, get your shot and move on. Most characters have a photopass photographer but they will also usually take a photo on your phone if you want to. We also stopped for Mr and Mrs Incredible shortly after Joy and Sadness but that photo never showed up.

Once inside Epcot, I had so much fun running! We came in behind Test Track and ran through the World Showcase. I love World Showcase! It was so beautiful and there were tons of photo opportunities and characters out. The one we absolutely had to stop for was Jasmine and Aladdin in Morocco. You can meet both of them in Magic Kingdom but Aladdin is usually in his street rat outfit. It was a real treat to see him in his Prince Ali outfit.

After France, we headed out to the Boardwalk. That area is so pretty and it was fun to run through it. You get to run by the Boardwalk, the Swan and Dolphin, the Yacht Club and the Beach Club. Most of the hills on this course were in this area. If you ever stay on property and want a nice place to run, this loop is really nice. We also got to run back through the Skyliner construction area on our way back into the World Showcase.

I was feeling really good once we got back into Epcot so I picked up the pace a bit. That would end up being a bit of a mistake. We were able to get some really nice photos including stopping for a posed photo in front of Spaceship Earth. I had felt cheated on running through Epcot during the WDW Marathon half marathon since we were barely in the park but I got all of my Epcot miles in during this race. Soon we were passed the ball and hit mile marker 6.

It was still hot and humid but overcast so we decided to run from mile 6 to the finish line instead of continuing doing my run walk intervals. But I forgot two things, A) a 10k has 0.2 miles to go after the last mile marker unlike the half marathon is 0.1 miles and B) the finish line is actually a decent distance from the park entrance. I was not feeling so great during that stretch and I ended up getting really bad side stitches within sight of the finish line. It was hard but I had to take a walk break until the pain subsided a bit.

Luckily, I was able to muster the energy to run over the finish line. And, of course, I put on my photopass photographer face. Smile like you're having fun people! It felt really great to get my 10k medal. It was a hot and hard race for me. It took a lot more out of me that I was expecting, but I did it!

After the race, we munched on our snack boxes and got a few more character photos. Then it was off to our room to shower and nap. I definitely recommend planning a nap if you are doing multiple races in a weekend. I really needed one. After the nap, we headed out to the Boardwalk for the Joyful Miles meet up. Melissa and I didn't stay long because neither of us had had any real food yet that day. Lunch was at Sunshine Seasons. I had a chicken salad and a vegan cupcake because I wanted veggies and sugar.

Our next mission was to have Mulan sign our medals. She was really great and impressed that we had run that morning. If you can, I highly recommend meeting the character on your medal. So much fun! We ended the day at Hollywood Studios for a few rides before heading back to our room to get to bed early. We had another 2 am wake up call for the half!

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Princess Half Marathon 2019:

Part 1: Expo
Part 2: 10k Race Recap-You are here.
Part 3: Half Marathon Race Recap
Part 4: Fairy Tale Challenge Race Recap