Tinker Bell 10k 2016 Recap

Hello all! I'm excited to recap one of my favorite race weekends, the Tinker Bell Half-Marathon, which takes place at the Disneyland Resort every Mother's Day weekend in May. The race used to be held in January a week after the Marathon Weekend in Orlando at the Disney World Resort. It made it difficult to do both races so I'm glad they moved it to May, it's the perfect way to kick off the summer!

We left Bham around 10:45am and our flight finally arrived a little after 4pm. It was the longest flight process ever due to weather which then led to delayed flights. The flight was bumpy and we were happy to be on the ground (hello layover in Vegas!) and from Vegas the flight is a quick 30-40 min to Orange County. After checking in at the beautiful Grand Californian Hotel we simply walked over to the Race Expo (held at the Disneyland Hotel) to pick up our bibs. It was an easy process, I find it easier to already have your waiver printed out but they also have printers available. The expos are fine but there isn't anything I have to have from there so we did a quick walk around then got ready to explore the parks!

We were starving and there are always so many treats we want to try at Disneyland that we decided to check a few things off our list. My absolute favorite was the Churro Funnel Cake...yes, you read that right! You can find this delicious concoction over in the Disneyland Park in "Critter Country" at the Hungry Bear Restaurant. Seriously. This may be my favorite Disney snack ever.

From there we basically just walked around the park, it was crowded for a Friday night but not too terrible. I love that Disneyland has so many hidden gems and fun things for you to spot, like our frog friends from The Princess and the Frog at one of the windows in New Orleans Square. That's one thing that does give Disneyland an edge over Disney World, all the little details!

Another cool thing we discovered was over by the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, for just a quarter you could get a "fortune" delivered to you by this pirate. Kind of a fun souvenir that is unique and won't break the bank. Breaking the bank at Disney Parks is easy to do so when you find something like this of course I have to share!

I was thinking we would get back to the room at a decent hour, yeah we pretty much closed the parks down. Oh and we were on Alabama time so that's about two hours ahead, I love going to the West Coast since it almost feels like sleeping in and gaining hours!

 

Waking up was easier maybe because of all the excitement, or maybe we were just ready to get it over with, either way the race was quickly approaching! Getting there was easy, it was maybe a 10 minute walk, the weather was a bit rainy at first (always pack a cheap poncho) then the rain ended shortly before the race began.

We were in Corral B so it didn't take long before we were off! This is a really good 10k course, if you are looking for your first 10k, I highly suggest a runDisney one. The best part about this particular 10k is that most mileage is in the parks! A definite bonus especially since they can be on the pricier side.

 

You are only on the roads for like a mile before you enter the backstage of the parks, you see some really cool stuff that you wouldn't normally get to see and who doesn't want to run through an un-crowded park!? I mean you get to see...The classic Matterhorn....

 

The whale from Pinocchio....

 

The cutest little carousel...

 

Obviously... what you paid for, to run through the castle!

 

Just your typical Saturday run scenery, right? Well maybe not but it really is beautiful to see the sun rise over the parks and everything feels quite serene even in such a rushed, excited atmosphere.

 

 

After Disneyland you head to California Adventure, where you can get a pic with the man and the mouse himself. I love this statue, it really is amazing to think of what a visionary Walt Disney was and a man who truly was able to make his dreams become a reality. This is always a popular spot for a pic!

  

I mean no race is complete without a jumping pic, I think it's a law you have to do one. Just kidding but they do look pretty cool! The race is starting to wind down at this point in the course, yes there are character stops, I saw several fairies (including Tinker Bell) but I couldn't name any of them if I tried and the lines were super long so I just decided to get pics around the park that didn't have a 20 minute wait.

By mile 5, I was ready to be done so after passing the "fun wheel" and exiting California Adventure you run past the Downtown Disney area and finally you are at the finish! The finish line is always a celebration plus you get an awesome medal!

 

Bling bling! I was doing the 10k in part of the Pixie Dust Challenge along with the half marathon the next day so one down, one to go! I didn't have the time to make a costume so I did a bit of a Zootopia theme and I didn't see anyone else with the same thing on and got lots of compliments. Always do a little costuming at these races, it makes it more fun!

 

 

One more jump shot! Stay tuned for how to do Disneyland and California Adventure in one day and the recap of the half-marathon tomorrow!

Happy Travels!

xoxo,

Star Wars 10k: The Dark Side

It's is no surprise I love runDisney races while they can be expensive, the race experience is one of a kind. Now, the Star Wars race series is fairly new with the Light Side option being held in the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim and the all new Dark Side option at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. If you do both races (half-marathon and challenge distances you receive the special Kessel Challenge Coast to Coast medal!) and with Star Wars being the hot commodity these races sell out fast but I was pleasantly surprised with the Dark Side!

It all started late Friday afternoon when we boarded the plane to Orlando (thanks Southwest!), one of the first times I've flown in a while that there wasn't a delay and we even arrived safely in Florida earlier than expected. It was after 8pm when we arrived so after we checked into the lovely Disney's Boardwalk Inn, I love this hotel! A major plus for me is that you not only have the fun Boardwalk area with food, shopping and entertainment but you also have the easy option of walking to Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios.

This resort is also in the same vicinity of the Yacht and Beach Club resorts so we walked over to the Beaches and Cream Soda Shop, they have simple food choices you would find at the beach, we got cheeseburgers and they were delicious! They are also known for having a dessert called "The Kitchen Sink" yes, it's a giant ice cream sundae in an actual kitchen sink. This is a thing. You can look it up. We didn't want the spectacle of ordering the giant sundae so we decided on individual desserts. I did get the mini Kitchen Sink!

After walking around the Boardwalk for a bit, I realized I had to be up in like three hours so we went back to the hotel and I took a short nap before long my alarm went off and my favorite race past time of getting ready in the dark while other people slept happened. The races start EARLY like 5:30am early, the bus to the start was pulling in as I made my way down to the pick-up area at the resort around 4am. There was some traffic and a normal 8 min bus ride was about 15-20 so not too bad. I arrived and picked up my bib (eeek! I actually forgot my license as a form of ID so I had to answer a ton of questions but I passed my life and got my bib!) and looked for my running bestie from LA.

 

The waiting area was very nice! As I looked for my friend (who was getting a picture with BB-8) I noticed Disney had tons of photo opps before the race, there were at least 7 options! This is great for those who don't like stopping during the actual race or someone who may be in one of the last corrals and fear waiting 20 minutes for a photo then ends up getting "swept" off the course for not keeping pace. Here are a few you could choose from including Jaba the Hutt, Darth Maul and Darth Vader!

 

I found my friend and we were off to the corrals! The weather was pretty humid but I mean it is central Florida in April so that was to be expected. While waiting in line the race announcers kept the crowd energized and even showed clips from all the Star Wars films (yes, even Episode 1). Soon enough we were off! The course starts in Epcot where you run though parts of the park then you make your way to the Boardwalk District followed by Hollywood Studios and finally finishing the course at Disney's Wide World of Sports.

 I actually really enjoyed this course, it was scenic plus there were a good amount of photo opportunities. The only section I didn't care for was the trail portion as you make your way into the Wide World of Sports. There were a few bottlenecks but remember this is a Disney race, there are LOTS of people, relax, have fun, and don't worry about time. You are in Disney!

Soon we were finished and my only big complaint of the entire race weekend...the busses. Wow. The line to take everyone back to the Boardwalk area hotels was completely backed up. I also didn't really care for the fact that you ended up in a different location than the start. It's just a bit of a headache to get back. However, Disney seemed to learn from the bus ordeal since the next day at the half there were plenty of busses back for the more congested hotels. So they did notice the problem and were quick to alleviate some of the issue!

How about this 10k bling!? Love!!

Arriving back at the hotel, it was so fun to see the colorful Boardwalk! I took a quick shower and new clothes then I felt like a new person. We were ready for the parks! I love the Magic Kingdom and my all-time favorite dessert is the Ooey Gooey Toffe Cake from Liberty Tree Tavern. You have to try it.

I mean look at it. After a few hours it was time for a much needed nap. An hour turned into like three hours but hey it's vacation!

The rest of the night was spent having dinner at Epcot, walking around the Flower and Garden Festival , then capping off the day at Magic Kingdom! 

All fun and games until I realize I have to be up in three hours to run 13.1 miles. See how that turned out here!

 

 

Happy running and traveling!

 

xoxo,

 

Star Wars Half Marathon: The Dark Side

 

Welcome to part 2 of the Dark Side race weekend! It felt like we had just gotten back from the Magic Kingdom (oh wait we had) when my alarm sounded off. I took my time getting ready since I knew I had plenty of time plus I already had my bib today so no need to rush. Funny story runDisney races for as long as I have been doing them (5 years) have always started at 5:30am unless it is a noted night race. Well, it seems they are experimenting because the Dark Side Half definitely started at 5am!

Luckily I boarded my bus at 4am and while there was some traffic I couldn't figure out why some people were nervous on time...until we arrived and I saw the photo op characters gone and staff telling runners to quickly make their way to the corrals. As I arrived in Corral C, the announcers said we were starting the race in 5 minutes. That was close! This is why even runDisney veterans need to double check the event guide and times. Just like that it was our time!

Pre-race sparkle selfie! This is what people do, right? Just trying to stay on trend.

The course route is the same for the first few as the 10k the day before. I liked the course and it seemed to fly by, I felt good and decided to stop and take photos, I mean that's what people really want to see so they can get a feel of the race!

 

One thing that was different than the 10k was Kylo Ren from the new Star Wars was out and people were freaking out around me. I was sad it was not Adam Driver but moving on!

Disney also had volunteers that were dressed in their Star Wars best so even though not official Disney Parks characters you would see in the park there were lots of photo opportunities for those not wanting to wait in the longer lines.

 

The course also takes you inside the Animal Kingdom so essentially you get to visit three parks during the race which I really like! The weather was absolutely beautiful, the sun was shining and it was pretty warm but it wasn't cold and rainy so I was happy!

 

The race moved very quickly, I have had back and knee problems for a few years now and while I love running sometimes it hurts and I can't keep up the pace I want to. It's crucial to not hurt yourself and if you feel like slowing down, do it. Want to take a picture? Take it! You are running 13.1 miles, that in and of itself is a huge accomplishment and Disney is a fun place to run. Make every mile magic as runDisney says. I also loved the earlier start time, I hope they continue this! Before I knew it the finish line was in sight.

 

It was bound to happen...I fully converted to the dark side. These medals though...love the Darth Vader spinner! After more fun times on the bus (yay at least there was more than one waiting this time!) I was back at the hotel. It was our last day but we had a late flight so we went to the Studios and Epcot plus lots of snacks (the main incentive to run. Jk! Well maybe) and yes, we didn't want to wait 30 minutes for a ride but saw no problem waiting to see Kylo Ren for an awkward photo shoot.

 

See for yourself. I'm not even sure what was going on since we were a little scared of him and yes, he can talk to you! It was funny, scary and intimidating all at the same time. My best friend since high school is just like what and I don't know what I'm doing but this picture exists and that's all that matters. Enjoy the awkwardness!

 

Happy Running and Traveling! For more info on the Dark Side Challenge, runDisney and more check here!

You can also check out my10k recap here!

xoxo,