A Different Kind of Trip….Let’s runDisney!

I was lucky enough to be taken to Disney World 3 times while I was growing up, but it wasn’t until a 2011 “adult” trip with my parents to experience the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival that I became hooked. And by hooked, I pretty much mean obsessed! Since then, I’ve made several return trips to the World, with the most recent being last week. What made this trip a little different was that I wasn’t going to just have fun or relax, but to run a race!
Several times a year, runDisney puts on amazing race events at Disney World. runDisney events quickly became my favorite races to run after experiencing my first one last year. It was so much fun that I roped a friend into making this year’s Tower of Terror 10 Miler a fun girl’s weekend. Read on for a couple reasons why I think runDisney events can’t be beat!

We did it!!! #ToT2014 #tot10miler

A photo posted by Leslie Noggle (@onegirlandtwodogs) on Oct 10, 2014 at 9:56pm PDT

1. It’s totally okay if you’re NOT a speed demon! These races really are for everyone! I started running last year in an attempt to get back into shape- and what better incentive that training for a race that was in Disney? I remember being so nervous before last year’s race because I wasn’t a “real runner.” Not only do the runDisney events have a pretty generous pace requirement (runners/walkers must be able to maintain a 16 minute per mile pace), but the events are low pressure and fun!
2. Entertainment- before, during, and after the race! Races can be fun? Absolutely! Not only are the expos packed with speakers and great vendors, but the race itself is made fun! At both races I’ve participated in, there has been a couple hours of pre-race entertainment, in the form of a DJ and photo ops. Not only that, but there has also been entertainment along the course! Characters are out for those who want to stop for photos and there has been music and awesome course decorations as well. I’ve did the last two Tower of Terror races, and of course they were both villain themed, so those were the characters who were out. The course decorations were spooky and eerie, and just plain fun! At both night races, there is an after party of sorts in the parks after the race is finished. It was pretty great to have access to rides and entertainment way after hours with 10,000 or so other runners!
3. The volunteers are simply the best! I appreciate anyone who gives their time to volunteer during any race- runDisney or not! Both years, I was amazed at the friendliness and excitement displayed by the volunteers, even as the back of the pack was running! What you may not realize about the Tower of Terror 10 Miler is that it is a night race that doesn’t start until 10 pm! This means that runners are still on the course way past midnight, but the volunteers handing out water, Powerade, bananas, and medals at the end were still enthusiastic even that late!
4. The medals are amazing! So, we all run for the bling right? Well, I’m pretty convinced that runDisney events offer some of the best bling out there! I mean, take a look at the medal for the 10 Miler! Not only is the design itself pretty great, but the elevator actually moves, AND it glows in the dark! Totally worth all those months of training and running, right?

   Nothing beats @rundisney race bling! (And loving the @newbalance runDisney Minnie running shoes!!) #tower10miler

   A photo posted by Leslie Noggle (@onegirlandtwodogs) on Oct 10, 2014 at 8:21am PDT

I’m already looking forward to registering for my next runDisney race!

Tower of Terror 10 Miler–Before the race

Way back in April, probably thanks to enjoying a couple of cool spring runs and wishing I had a Disney trip planned for the fall, I decided to register for the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 1o Miler, which is a runDisney race held in October. If the name didn’t give it away, I registered for the 10 Mile run.

So after registering, I started training and running and did pretty well for a while! (If you don’t Instagram it, it didn’t happen, right?) I had a love-hate relationship with running all summer long. And if I’m being totally honest, it was mainly hate…because people who enjoy runs in the hot and humid Southern summers are crazy people!  So I followed the official runDisney training plan off and on, but I did get some runs in…and finally, it was time to head to Florida for race weekend!

BUT wait…a couple weeks before race weekend, my brother ended up having to back out of the trip. Thanks to him being a responsible adult and getting a brand new job, he was no longer going to be able to take time off, so I had a couple of days to find someone else to go with me. Enter my dad. He was able to get off work and happy (I think) to take Matt’s place. Since my mom went with me on my July trip, I felt pretty lucky to get a father-daughter trip in the same year! (I should mention that I’m also incredibly lucky that Dad kept all 4 dogs (my 2 and their 2) in July while Mom and I were in Disney, and Mom kept all 4 while Dad and I were gone. I guess this means that it’s my turn to stay home and dog-sit?) Thank you, Mom and Dad! You are the best!

Now, Disney is my happy place. I’m kind of obsessed with it, and usually my trips are planned and scheduled months in advance and I obsess over every single detail…but because of other stresses, and life, this one wasn’t exactly like that. If I’m being completely honest, I was also stressing about the race…because I’ve never run a race longer than a 5k, and this was 10 FREAKIN’ MILES. Not only that…but on average, we walk 7-10 miles daily while in Disney, and would be in the parks starting Thursday. And even though I wanted to do well running…I was not giving up precious Disney time to sit in a hotel room! So to say I was nervous and scared about the race was probably a bit of an understatement. Even so, Dad and I had a great time in the parks on Thursday and Friday. We had Fastpass + reservations for the rides we wanted in Epcot on Thursday and Magic Kingdom on Friday. In just a few hours in each park , we got to do pretty much everything we wanted! We also really enjoyed meals at Yachtsman Steakhouse and Cape May on those nights.

I knew that I wanted to get to the Expo before Saturday, so we headed over on Friday afternoon to pick up my bib and race packet. Since we stayed at one of the host resorts, Disney’s Beach Club, there was shuttle bus service to the Expo, which was at ESPN Wide World of Sports. We waited for a bus for maybe 10 minutes and then it was a quick drive to the expo parking lot, followed by a long walk! I’d never visited WWoS, so it was pretty neat to see! I think that this Expo, which was small by Disney standards, but huge compared to the local 5ks I’ve run was super organized! I loved picking up my packet and t-shirt in one place, and all the volunteers were super friendly and helpful. The only regret I have from this was not buying a finisher’s t-shirt. They were long sleeved, which would be perfect for fall/winter runs here in North Carolina! Honestly, I was still freaking out about maybe not finishing, and I didn’t want a finisher shirt (or medal) if that didn’t happen!

Since this was a night race, we had all day Saturday to freak hang out and rest. We spent the morning at Hollywood Studios making sure to ride Tower of Terror, Rockin’ Roller Coaster, and Toy Story Mania (thank you Fastpass +) since I wasn’t sure I’d want to stick around at the after party to ride.  I also made sure to step up my hydration game on Saturday…it was around 89 outside, sunny, and humid! We headed back to the resort around 1 or so to grab lunch and rest up! After inhaling a turkey sandwich from the Marketplace and texting back and forth with my friend who was running to figure out a meeting place, I tried to take a nap! And I kind of did…so around 5, I woke up with butterflies to start getting ready to run!

Since this is already so long…I think I’ll wrap it up here and post separately about you know, actually running! Stay tuned!

Do you get super nervous before races? Have you ever run a Disney race?