Before heading to bed the previous night, we gave our monitor to Nonie & Pops, since we would probably still be running when the duo woke up.
I mean, we had 6 miles to get through.
6.2 to be exact.
As excited and nervous as I was, it was still a struggle to wake up and get moving on time- but we made it. We had enough time to do a little walking warm up, and TT Dad was able to grab a cup of coffee.
With little to no real running experience (well, just a few 5ks…) I had been placed in the last corral. TT Dad joined me, instead of running with his assigned (first) corral. By now, the nerves were really kicking in. A LOT.
I wasn’t terribly certain that I would be able to finish within the required time limit/pace, so I wanted to buy myself a few extra minutes by starting at the beginning of the corral. Of course, by trying to get to the front of the corral, I ended up spending almost an hour lined up in the corral- after drinking a few bottles of water to try to hep myself say hydrated.
I probably don’t have to tell you what happens when you drink a few bottles of water in a short period of time, and then have to stand around for an hour.
I ended up having to walk the first bit of the run until I finally found the port-a-potties, in an effort to avoid having an accident. That didn’t help my pace- but neither did the long line for that first set of potties.
By time I finished up with my rest stop, we could see the dreaded ‘Balloon Ladies’ closing in on us. Invigorated by my impending sweep, TT Dad and I ran a little. Usually, I drive TT Dad crazy when we run, or ski, or really do anything physical together. He is just so much better and more fit than I am, so I bring him down.
photo cred: DIsney Photopass
Feeling confident that we had outrun those Balloon Ladies, TT Dad helped me settle into a run/walk interval that worked really well.
Photo Cred: Disney Photopass
It worked so well, that I was able to jump in line to get a picture with the Genie from Aladdin. Notice I said I got in line, not that I got the picture. Those darn Balloon ladies were back.
I jumped out of line and started running.
Running through Disney parks is such an amazing experience. We were able to finish- and I felt great after. I wasn’t sore, or really overly tired. How is that possible?
We were having so much fun during our run, I didn’t even notice how far it was.
Believe it or not, I felt so good, I even thought that I could have kept going.
Photo Cred: Disney Photopass
Laughing at myself, I climbed aboard the bus that would take us back to the Wilderness Lodge. We got back just as the duo was finishing breakfast, and they were so happy to see us. We all took a little boat ride over to the Magic Kingdom, and walked around a little bit. Just in time for lunch! Casey’s was calling us, so it was time for some hot dogs.
Once again, the wildlife (birds, this time) helped us keep kids entertained while we were waiting for the food!
After lunch, we took some pictures with the PhotoPass photographers, and jumped on a couple of rides. Before we knew it, it was time to go back to try to get the kids to nap.
Dinner reservations were at Whispering Canyon Cafe, located in the lobby of Wilderness Lodge, so we decided to stick around the hotel, and spend the afternoon at the pool.
The pool had a fun little waterslide that was the perfect size for our two littles… or at least one of our two littles. Garrett just couldn’t get enough. Zoey was not thrilled with the slide, and never actually made it down- but she did ask to go in the big pool, so we put a life jacket on her, and in we went. She loved it, too.
With two happy kids, we did a quick change, and headed to the lobby for dinner.
Research told me this was a fun, rowdy restaurant, with a few quirks. So true. I don’t want to give away any of the quirks, but we did ask for ketchup, and we had a few other memorable moments during our dinner.
The kids were fading fast- our low-key afternoon wasn’t all that low-key to them, it seems. The boys took them upstairs as Nonie & I waited for dessert- a gigantic ice cream sundae served in a plastic 10 gallon hat.
We couldn’t finish it, but our server was kind enough to bring us some to-go containers to bring it back to the boys.
Feeling recharged, we were so excited for our morning at Hollywood Studios. As we walked back to the room, however, our excitement was dampened- literally- by signage suggesting that the half marathon was cancelled in the morning.
Soon after, TT Dad received official word- due to thunder and lightning, there would be no official half marathon race.
We all went to bed fairly early. TT Dad was determined to earn his Dopey status, and decided to run his half marathon on a treadmill in the morning!