There is no way to prepare your body for two 3am wakeup calls in a row. I trained for running two races in a row, but the mornings hurt more than anything. Luckily we all went to bed earlier so we had a little more sleep. We were up and on the shuttle around 3:30 to get to the race. It really is amazing how you start smiling once you get off the bus though. The MC is showing Star Wars clips and people are surprisingly happy at 4am. We decided to get in line for pictures with Jabba since it was the shortest. We finished in time to hit the bathroom and head to the corrals. We all split into different corrals again. Waiting in the corrals is when I actually start to get tired again. You are waiting for the start with nothing to do.
The race finally started and there were much better fireworks for the start of each corral. Nothing is better than fireworks at 5:30am. The start of the race reminded me of a portion of the marathon, which wasn't a good thing. The first 5 miles are just on the back roads, but Jenny and I were pleasantly surprised with a laser fight in the woods. It was fun to hear the fight and see the lasers. It definitely distracted us from the incredibly humid morning. I loved the screens randomly placed around the course showing clips from the movies. There were more characters along the course too, which was fun, although the lines were long (especially for the Ewoks). We entered Animal Kingdom around mile 5 and were thrilled to see restrooms right away. The amazing thing about running through the parks is that you can use a real bathroom and skip the porta potties on the course. It was fun running through Animal Kingdom, but way too short as we were soon in the parking lot and back on the roads. I was worried to have the sun come up since it was already so hot and humid, but the sun coming up actually made it less humid and much more comfortable for running.
By mile 7 we were doing well and keeping a good steady pace. The humidity definitely cut down on the talking, but we were doing ok. We enjoyed the costumes around us and tried to stay positive. We entered Hollywood Studios around mile 10 (I think). It was the same route we had run the day before but this time, there wasn't a line to take a picture with the Storm Troopers so of course we stopped (too bad we were looking at different cameras). The last two miles were definitely rough. Boardwalk and Epcot hurt this time around. We ran around the whole world this time to add in the extra distance. We basically kept telling ourselves that we were close and could make it. We did make it! We were thrilled to finish and were happy with our time of 2:21:43. We had a few more walk breaks this race due to humidity and heat, but we had fun.
Corey ran a quick half and his foot pain didn't bother him too much. Hiram and Ducky seemed to enjoy this race more. They did a great job finishing their first half marathon in crazy heat and humidity. They were both smiling in all of the race photos and still had a smile on their face at the finish. Hiram even said he wouldn't' rule out running another half (which is a success in my book).
We didn't have time to waste after the race though because we had a full day at Hollywood Studios. We went back, took quick showers, and immediately went to the park. We all ate our post-race snacks to tide us over. Hollywood Studios was perfect for after the race because it is really a half day park right now so we had plenty of time to do everything we wanted. We got there at the right time because Darth Vader and the Storm Troopers were walking down Main Street. It was fun to watch. Then we started with pictures with Olaf (yes we had no kids with us). We had time to kill before our first FastPass so we figured why not. I loved him. He really does give warm hugs :)
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| Olaf! |
Then it was off to enjoy a few rides including Toy Story Mania and the Great Movie Ride. We took a break to grab lunch. Fit in a few more rides including Star Tours, Tower of Terror, and Rock n Roller Coaster. Sadly Ducky couldn't ride any of these due to her pregnancy. We also saw Beauty and the Beast and I caught the new Star Wars show.
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| Toy Story Mania. For once, I won! |
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| Have I mentioned that I love the PhotoPass. I never buy ride photos |
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| The kids around us are freaking out and Corey and Jenny are just staring at each other. |
After we finished the "scary" rides, we met up with Hiram and Ducky at the Star Wars Launch Bay. I think this was my favorite part of the park. But first, we stumbled on Pluto with no line on the way there and couldn't pass up a photo. The Launch Bay is really well done. They had three characters to get your picture with (Chewbacca, Kylo Ren, and BB-8). Corey, Jenny, and I just missed Ducky and Hiram for the Chewy picture so we went on our own. I told Jenny and Corey to get a picture with just the two of them and Chewy reacted wonderfully and left the picture too since I said a picture of just them. All of the characters at Disney do such a wonderful job of improvising and playing the part. The pictures with Kylo Ren were hilarious. Remember, we had pictures with him at the race and it was so awkward so we wanted redemption. Instead he stalked Ducky around the room and we didn't end up getting those photos linked to the pass somehow. BB-8 was fun and actually moved (the one at the race didn't move). As great as the characters in their photo rooms are, the characters walking around are more fun. Storm Troopers are walking around looking for rebels. Corey and Hiram were both challenged as being rebels and asked for ID. The Storm Troopers actually took their MagicBands to examine them and stated that they were watching the boys. It was hilarious. It probably didn't help that Hiram was wearing a rebellion shirt. Also there were small creatures (maybe Hiram can remember what they are called) that were walking around and causing chaos, like knocking hats off or staring down people with their creepy eyes. We had so much fun in this area.
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| Pluto! |
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| BB-8 |
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| Just hanging out with Chewy |
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| I forget the names of these creatures but they were funny |
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| Corey being questioned by the Storm Troopers |
We had made dinner reservations at the Brown Derby. We were all exhausted and ready to grab food and get to bed. I had heard wonderful things about the Brown Derby so I was excited. Sadly it took awhile to get a table, even with our reservation, and we almost fell asleep in the lobby. I was excited to see Javy Baez's signature on their guest book. He went to Disney after winning the World Series with the Cubs! Go Cubs Go (sorry Jenny). I actually got a Cobb salad for dinner since it started at the Brown Derby. I never get salads but it was good. Everyone enjoyed their food, despite starting to fall asleep.
After dinner, Corey, Jenny, and Ducky went back to the hotel to sleep while Hiram and I stayed to watch the nighttime Star Wars spectacular. Luckily it started only 10 minutes after we finished dinner. It was a fun show with lasers, clips from the movies, and fire. It was fun to see how Disney combines the different clips (mostly avoiding Episodes 1-3) and makes it a fun show. We enjoyed it and then got out of there quickly (two tall speed walkers = pass a lot of people and get on the first bus back to the hotel). It was a crazy busy day, but so much fun.
Monday- Animal Kingdom
We were able to sleep in until about 7:15 the next morning. Our goal was to be at Animal Kingdom at the extra hours opening, but we missed it by a bit. So when we got there, we enjoyed some pictures before heading to the safari.
Then off to the safari where we were able to see a lot of the animals out and about including rhinos, lions, wild dogs, giraffes, zebras, and so much more. I kept comparing it to my African safari (doesn't quite measure up), but I was still impressed with all the animals we saw. I adore seeing animals and can't wait for my next safari.
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| Rhino! This is way closer than I got in Africa |
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| 3 lions lounging on the rocks. Can you find them all? |
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| Group shot. |
Then we were off to use our FastPass for Dinosaurs. We even convinced Hiram to join for the Dinosaurs ride, although Ducky had to sit it out again.
Our friend Lyndsay was also in Orlando that weekend and was able to come join us for the rest of the day at the park. It was great to have her join the group. We introduced her to our group by getting pictures with Mickey and Minnie. She might have briefly thought we were crazy for getting character pictures, but it was fun.
We used a FastPass for the white water raft ride, but no one wanted to get wet, so I did the ride solo. Luckily I had a great time and didn't get very wet. I was also able to see some animals before rejoining them for Expedition Everest. I remember being amazed by Expedition Everest the first time I rode it because it hits a "dead end" and reverses backwards out of it. I actually used to turn around to see the track flip (yes I am an engineer). We all enjoyed the ride and agreed it was probably a good thing that Hiram didn't ride. Finally it was time for lunch and rest.
After lunch we went to see Finding Nemo the Musical. I loved it! It was a fun way to present the story. I think some in my group used the air conditioned setting for a quick nap though (it was a long, exhausting weekend). After the play, we enjoyed some ice cream and called it a day. Lyndsay had to get to the airport and we decided we would spend a little time relaxing at the hotel before needing to catch the Magical Express to the airport. I spent that short time by the pool trying to get a little bit more Florida sun.
It was an exhausting, but fun weekend. Hiram is already counting down the next trip in 2020. I would love to say that I am taking a break from Disney for awhile, but that is a lie. I will be returning to Disney World in November to take on the Two Course Challenge (10k and half) for the Food and Wine Half Marathon to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. It will include my mom's first race ever (the 10k) and my brother's first half marathon. I am looking forward to revisiting Disney with my family for the first time in years.
