BK Half: 1 week to go!

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 2M Easy

Wednesday: NTC- Shape + Sweat

Thursday: Cat Hill Repeats

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: 10K

I took it easy last week because I was trying to recover from the half, but the goal is to get faster, so off to work I went this week. Tuesday, Pam and I took it easy since she is just getting back into running. It was pretty much a 2 mile stroll, but hey at least we were out there. We also took a detour to visit the Alice in Wonderland Statue, which I had never been to. 

I knew I couldn't skimp on the strength training, so I gave the Nike Training Club app another chance. This time, I took all the workouts, slow and deliberate trying to make sure I did them correctly. Who cares how many I can get done in a minute? As long as I'm being consistent. It's safe to safe, I did not experience insane DOMS . . . yet :) I will say, I'm a little frustrated with the workout programs. Once you "start" a program, you can't go back and do a workout from the previous week. I know that it's a specific 4 week program, but I'd rather do them on my own time. I believe you used to be able to pick your own workouts, but with the upgrade Nike changed it. I'm sure I can figure something else out, but I just need to play around in it. 

Thursday night, I continued on my workout streak and did hill repeats- but here's the kicker. I ran the whole time, including down the hill. I usually walk down them, but Pam told me I need to work the muscles. No matter how slow I go, as long as it looks like running that's ok. And I did it! Luckily, I didn't have my Garmin with me to freak me out about pace. It was crazy and I felt like a bad ass afterwards. 

Which got me thinking about when was the last time I felt like a bad ass after a workout? It's been a minute. Last year this time I was training for the Dumbo Challenge. I trained my butt off for that challenge and I feel like I wasted my training season. Honestly, I didn't need to train that hard to frolic around Disneyland for 2 days with friends. I say that because it was really too hot that weekend to do much more, which I don't regret in the least! After Dumbo, I started marathon training again and the main goal was to finish strong; I was too scared to race anything because I couldn't afford to get hurt. Lesson learned: Do not train specifically for a runDisney event. Make sure you have a race you can actually race, either right before or right after. Luckily, this training is specifically to get a 10k PR, even if the "training" includes lots of half marathons. 

I took my long run easy this morning. Funny how less crowded the sidewalk is at 8AM vs. 1PM- RIP midday long runs. It was a perfect temperature in the shade and the sun reminded me these cool mornings are going to be few and far between as well pretty soon. But I will take it. Fingers crossed it stays cool for next weekend. 

New street art is always makes me happy. 

I'm really excited about the Brooklyn Half. I've been wanting to run it for years and can't believe I actually get to do it this year! Thanks to the New Balance sponsorship, there are tons of fun events happening and I can't wait to be involved. Stay tuned! 

Disneyland Half Marathon Expo

I experienced very little of the expo for The runDisney Disneyland races. The only good thing about having a later flight than everyone is you can send other people in with a list of things you want ;) HUGE shout out to Fred, Jaime and Ronda who all helped out! 

My bank account was very grateful for the amount of stuff I actually bought versus what I wanted to buy. I managed to get a Coast to Coast tech tee (even though I wasn't thrilled it's white) and some race branded Sweaty Bands, which seem to be working out well! 

ignore the mess it's holding back.

I don't know what it is about getting off of a plane in Disney, but I forget about common sense and just want to be there, on property as soon as possible. So, instead of chilling out, finding something to eat, or resting like a smart person who had just flown cross country, I threw my bags down and headed right back out the door. Did I learn nothing from Princess?! In my defense, I ate an energy bar, but I wasn't expecting the heat or the actual distance from our hotel to the expo (it looks so close on the map!). I had been following along on social media, so I knew what I was in for regarding mass hysteria (yet, another red flag I ignored), but I really thought it would be over by the time I got there. 

Definitely not the case. 

I took one look at the loop of lines outside the Disneyland Hotel and walked as quickly as possible to the nearest quick service restaurant to get some real food in me (shout out to the Disneyland Pool QSR! It was so delish, I ate there again the next day, when the line at Earl of Sandwich was out the door), where I had Karen and Fred meet me instead. If I didn't have to go into the expo to get my Park Hoppers and clear up a little mishap with my coast to coast status, trust me, I wouldn't have. 

After I had eaten, I returned to face the crowds, but was greeted by none! There was no crazy line, I just walked right in to the bib pickup and the vendor area. I still think I might have imagined it in a sun stroked hypoglycemic state, because there was nothing! I went upstairs by the merch and it was still a bid crazy at the runDisney booth, but everything else was manageable. It was literally a matter of under an hour that made all the difference. 

I did, however, wait in a very long line at Runner's Relations. I didn't have time to get a picture with the castle and Dumbo, I had to get to the cupcake meetup and Bacon Challenge Meetup!- but I made sure to go back after the 10k. I was finally at Disneyland and needed that coveted castle photo. 

Bacon!

The good news is I think women's cut race shirts might help the merch-madness that has become an epidemic at runDisney expos. Personally, I won't be that inclined to buy an extra race shirt if the official race shirt actually fits. However, I will still want a tech jacket since they didn't have one for the Dumbo Challenge- I'm looking at you, Glass Slipper Challenge. Here's hoping for a bit less crazy at the Marathon and Princess weekends! 

I've experienced crowds and crazy at many different race events, but nothing compares to runDisney. I highly recommend going on a full stomach and being fully mentally prepared for it. 

Disneyland Half (Dumbo Day 2!)

 (credit: Jaime)

The second morning was a little harder to wake up for, and not as exciting. There was definitely a more serious vibe, or people were still tired from the 10k. I also didn't run into anyone until I was in the corrals because people were either already in their corrals or still on their way. I found a second row of portapotties that had no line, then headed to the corrals myself. I stayed in the back, because after Princess, I've learned I love the back of the corrals.

A for Abby! or the Anaheim Convention Center.

Hey Pam!

Pam found me and we ran the first 8 miles of the race together. She had hurt her ankle the day before and was taking it easy. I didn't really have any goals but to have fun. I made sure to stay in the back of the corral and it was a nice way to start out the race. We ran a condensed version of the loop from yesterday and were in the parks super fast! 

The Petting Zoo!

World of Color fountains

Dumbo photo for the Dumbo Race!

Which way to the finish line?

We made our own character stops, because I didn't want to risk standing in a long line and losing my cushion in case I needed it. It was super hot and I had no idea what was in store for me after the park.

But we did stop for Snow White, Pam was the Evil Queen after all!

and I finally met Merida!

Once we got out of the park, onto the streets of Anaheim, I started to get a hot spot on my foot. Pam advised I should put more vaseline on it (we still had a long way to go) so I stopped at the med tent, took my shoe off. The entire situation struck me as hilarious, I had never stopped to take my shoe off during a race before, much less apply the most obscene amount of vaseline ever- it felt so weird and it totally worked! But it didn't stop me from laughing like a crazy person for about a quarter of a mile, sorry Pam! 

Then it got really hot and miserable. There was nothing to look forward to and no shade what-so-ever. Pam and I parted ways because the extremely hot blacktop with no shade was making it miserable to walk and I needed to be done with the race ASAP. I tried to keep it together as much as I could, but there were many touch and go spots, especially when the course narrowed and I was forced to walk. 

But we got to Angel's Stadium and I felt better. 

Wide World of Sports has nothing on this!

Then it was hot again. The only shade was taken by walkers, and I wasn't ready to give up yet. I heard someone say it's almost over, enjoy it while it lasts. That really resonated with me and stopped letting outside forces upset me and I started to focus on enjoying it. This was the race I had been looking forward to for the past 6 months and trained for; even if I had wasted the majority of the race being miserable, I still had time to enjoy it. I let the heat in January get to me, I was not going to let that happen again!

Then I saw a familiar Mario, Luigi and Super Woman ahead and I ran to catch up with them! 

Hi guys! 

I slowed long enough to tell them they can keep this Disneyland race in not so many words and continued on to finish strong because at that moment, I needed to. Surprisingly, I finished the race and felt amazing. I was a little sad that I didn't leave it all on the course (even though I was sure I had around mile 11), but it's a Disney race and I still had a lot of park walking to do! 

No worries, we all met up at the finish line again! 

And I finally got all my medals!

Dumbo for running the 10k and the Half

Coast to Coast for running at least a half marathon at both Disneyworld (the WDW Marathon and the Princess Half) and Disneyland (The Disneyland Half) in one calendar year.

So, I've had a few days to think about it and I haven't written Disneyland off completely (how could I?! We PR'D in FUN at the 10k!) but I'd like to try out the Tinkerbell course if/when I go back. I've heard people enjoyed that one better. 

The Disneyland 10k (Dumbo Day 1)

First thing's first, you should pop over to facebook and like my new blog specific page: 

https://www.facebook.com/abbysroadtoamazingness 

and now for the recap! 

I'm pretty sure this was my most favoritest race ever in existence! 

Have you heard the term #PRinFun? This race definitely holds that title for me. The 10k is my favorite distance (and if more gave out medals like this one, you better believe it would be my only distance!) throw in 4.5 of those miles being in a Disney park AND getting to run the majority of it with my friends, well then sign me up every year! 

Hey my NYC friends and plane-mates!

Seeing as this was an Alice in Wonderland themed race and I was there to get my coast to coast, I felt it was only appropriate to bring back the Mad Hatter costume. Miraculously, that hat survived traveling to and from Orlando, 26.2 miles then to and from travel to Anaheim and another 6.2 miles. 

Pre-race photo

This was my first Disneyland race and it was a little weird walking to the start line, but I was a fan because I used it as a warm-up-ish (seeing as I how I forgot to stretch). A couple of our friends had trouble meeting us at the start because of the 5k finishers, but they have ninja style moves and found us right before we crossed the start line.

Hey Roommates and speedy friends!

The first 2 miles took us out around Anaheim and the hotel we were staying at. Then, the fun began! The rest of the park was pretty much in the parks. We entered through Cars Land and this was my very first view of it! 

The Radiator Springs Welcome Wagon!

I didn't really have a race goal, I just wanted to go slow and have fun. I knew the character lines were going to be long, so I'd be selective about who/ what I stopped for. Luckily, we did not lack in the photo taking department at all. 

Random car!

Around Paradise Pier. 

This is supposed to be us and the wheel. 

No one ever said I was an amazing photographer.

Mr. Potato Head outside of Toy Story Mania
because the line for Woody and Jessie was way too long

Random Flower!

And as I type this, I just realized it's from Alice in Wonderland. Duh.

Red Street Car!

Then we waiting in the longest line ever, but I had to have the photo. I came to Disneyland for this photo: The Monster University Crew! Technically, in previous DL races, it's the other Monsters characters that WDW races never have on course, but I'll take it.

It was so long, I stopped for tea.

And asked directions for the finish line.

Just kidding. I needed a water fountain. I ran there and back and the line had barely moved. It was taking so long, the crowded had thinned out and I was starting to lookout for sweepers. 

But no worries! We got the photo! 

Back to running and taking blurry action shots.

Need water? Take a Liter and share with a friend.

Originally, I thought the water stations spacing was weird, but Tara made the point that even though it had been a long time, we hadn't gone very far. Opps. But looking back, there were 3 water stops: 1.5, 4.5 and 5.5. No wonder.

Look who we met up with right outside of Toon Town! 

All of those characters were Alice in Wonderland and the lines were insane and we had used up all of our cushioning. But not before we took the best photo of the weekend:

I love this photo so much!

Then it was time to finish! (credit: Jaime)

(credit: Ronda)

This weekend would not have been nearly as awesome if it weren't for the people. RunDisney events have turned into reunions and that definitely makes a difference. There is nothing better than randomly running into people you know along the course. Disneyland definitely just got happier as soon as we all met up :) 

(3 Things) Disneyland/ Walt Disneyworld does better.

Welcome to the special edition 3 Things Thursday, brought to you by my most recent trip to Disneyland! As I continue to get over a nasty case of jetlag/ back to reality, I thought it would be fun to tell you about what I liked better in Disneyland and what still wins in Disneyworld.

In case you were wondering, no, I do not miss the weather (NYC has been in the high 70s! After the extended weekend of sweating through my clothes, this feels COLD!), but I do miss my friends! Best runDisney race-cation yet!

3 Things Disneyland does better:

It's a Small World

This is a no brainer. It's the original that was at the World's Fair in New York City. But putting that aside, it's still a better ride. I also think they incorporate the Disney characters into it seamlessly. And for all of that, I can forgive their outdoor queue and loading area.

Tomorrowland

BuzzLight Year- You can take the gun out of the holster!! WHAT?! That's amazing . . . but I still suck. And you can email your photo to yourself?! Sold! 

Space Mountain- I can fit into the seats and climb in and out without contorting into a pretzel, what?! Although, Going on that ride jetlagged makes it 10 times scarier. Going on it right after The Teacups and Matterhorn, might create a protein spill. Just sayin'. Ride safely, people, especially if you're not 16 anymore.

Castle

I was totally Team Cindy's castle until I really looked at this photo. How can you not think Aurora's is better? The details are gorgeous! Definitely quality over quantity. Little Pinky is definitely beautiful in her own right. 

3 Things Walt Disneyworld does better:

Dole Whips

I remember reading they're different, but didn't realize it until I was actually eating it. Disneyworld's have a creamier/ fro-yo like texture, whereas Disneyland's were more "icy", if that helps explain it. . . or you just need to try one for yourself and let me know! 

Hotels

I spent the first two days completely frustrated and annoyed trying to figure out the best way possible to get to and from where I needed to go. Yes, I know it's my own fault for not doing proper research, but from what everyone was saying, I could walk everywhere. LIES! That's all lies. There are a handful of times I needed to get somewhere and it was not easy or convenient. Even staying "on-property" didn't look that close, unless you were staying at The Grand Californian. Although, the hotels right outside the ART/ Bus drop off would be a good place to stay next time. 

Illuminations in comparison to World of Color. 

I'm sure I'm going to get a ton of flack for this one. I know there is no comparing the two, but to me, WOC was just a 30 minute Sizzle Reel of Disney movie highlights (with the random Mufasa death scene thrown in there- what was that?!), set to water and lights. Was it worth seeing? Definitely. Would I do it again? Probably not, but would consider it if a different spot would make a difference. Illuminations is an award-winning, artistically beautiful explanation of evolution, and the ultimate proof you don't need to dummy-down beauty for people to enjoy it (coughtheoriginalTapestrycough). 

3 Things that tie:

Fantasmic

There are a lot of things that I hold special due to the time I spent in Orlando and this is one of them. I remember the first time I saw it straight from Traditions class, still in skirts and heels. I used to go to the park just to see this show on bad days . . so to say that Disneyland does it better, is a big deal. Disneyland's show is not in a theater, which makes it more of a pain in the sense of trying to figure out how it all works; there are sitting sections and there are standing sections. . . and it's all very confusing! BUT since you're not in a theater, you're really close to the show and that's exciting. Even though the premise is the same, the storyline IS significantly different. I can see both sides, but the tipping point was Maleficent in dragon form. Murphy has nothing on this original! 

Character Dining

World has more of a "variety" of options, but Land has more random characters. For example, you can count on finding multiple options including the populars: The Fab 5, Princesses, and Winnie the Pooh in Disneyworld. We had reservations at Goofy's Kitchen after the half marathon, I was expecting the Fab 5, but instead got an amazing array of different characters! Besides Goofy, Chip, Dale and Pluto, there was The Mad Hatter, Mulan, Aladdin, Raffiki and Gideon. You never knew who to expect and that made it fun. I'm always a fan of random and rare Disney characters!

Indie vs. Dinosaur

Seeing as I spent an entire Florida summer in those white polyester pants, I might be a little bias or a lot scarred. . .who knows? In case you didn't know, it is the exact same track and rover (just different design). It was really weird going around the corner and not seeing things I knew were supposed to be there in the other ride; riding a ride everyday for almost a year will do that to you. I felt like the Dinosaur ride was rougher and whips you around more, but that could just be the different ride contexts. I liked how open Indie was in the temple scene and crossing the bridge. 

What are your 3 Disneyland/World does better?