It is Monday so we are linking up with another Magical Mickey on Monday with John at run.geek.rundisney and Katie from Adventures by Katie. Day 2: Let's do this!  

The weather was much better but still pretty cold. We were on our own this morning and decided to leave around the same time. The 10k was a bit busier than the 5k but not by much. We were ready for day 2!

The corrals were more organized this time and started right on time. I had another throw away sweater on that kept me pretty warm until it was time to start. 

The 10k heads out towards service roads before looping back into Epcot. It is the same course as the Princess 10k I ran last year. Within the first mile is Anna and Elsa on an overpass making it snow (and of course Let it Go is playing!) which is great. . The beginning is pretty boring-we hit our first character (white rabbit then lilo and stitch) around mile 1 but kept going until we reached Epcot. Along the way they played some fun music videos but other than that, the course was a bit dark and quiet. 

The most frustrating part about the 10k was the weather was great so we both wanted to fly but knew we had to keep a conservative pace. 

The course never felt crowded as the corrals were released every 10 min. It was great to have wide open spaces to run but it also added to the desire to go fast. 

We finally entered the back of Epcot just like the 10k and entered World Showcase next to Norway. As we continued around, there were characters out but different ones than the 5k which was great! 

We didn't stop for any characters in world showcase as the lines were too long. We did come up upon a line with NO CHARACTER. I've never seen this before at any Disney race and found it ridiculous and pretty unacceptable for a race that cost 100 dollars that they couldn't switch out characters. Even worse that you could wait In line and then have no one there! We found out later it was Genie. 

We exited Epcot at the International Gateway and headed to the Boardwalk which is gorgeous when it's so quiet. We came up to a decent line at ESPN zone and figured it would be a sports character. Well imagine my surprise WHEN IT WAS A MASSIVE LINE WITH NO CHARACTER AND NO IDEA WHEN THEY WOULD BE BACK. once again, I find this unacceptable. It was to be sports Mickey but the risk of him not coming for 5-10 min and then him leaving again was too great to wait. 

We continued around the boardwalk (stopped for a pic with yacht club in the background as our characters are from Cape Cod in Japan)  and headed back into Epcot next to Figment ride. We finally stopped for a character: Chip and Dale all dressed up. 

Let me explain our costumes here for a second. We were Duffy and Shelley May, who is Duffy's girlfriend in Japan. I knew no one would know who I was so I decided to go all basic with pink and a small headband and a Mickey on my Butt! We decided on this as Minnie created Duffy for mickeys adventures (yes, we totally listened to the tv bedtime story about him before going to sleep before the 10k) so it would fit with the Minnie Mouse theme. Devin did get great comments on his Duffy costume though! 

We finished around spaceship earth and headed back to eat at the hotel before going to Hollywood studios in the afternoon. I took a quick nap and felt great-no soreness and not tired. 

Honestly if this was the only race I was running this weekend, I would have been so disappointed. I talk up WDW races a lot as they can have more characters than DL can and this race was lacking (minus my favorite Anna and Elsa at the beginning). I found the lack of characters at the last 2 Disney 10ks (enchanted princess 10k and Disneyland 10k) so disappointing compared to the amazing first Disneyland 10k. I'm honestly a bit nervous for the Princess 10k and Tink 10k I have coming up based on this race. 

Characters seen:

• Anna and Elsa 
• White rabbit
• Lilo and stitch
• Parade characters
• Mulan and mushu
• Genie
• Sports Mickey 
• Parade characters
• Chip and Dale
  

What are your thoughts on the WDW 10k? Have you run any of the other Disney 10ks?

So many thoughts on this weekend (and also last weekend!!) but I wanted to let everyone know I finished! 67.9 miles in 11 days for 10 medals and couldn't be happier.

Even better-my legs feel great!

A great way to start 2015-can't wait to see what else is in store!

Anyone else run Star Wars races this weekend? What did you think?

Hi all! Linkup Friday!! Thanks to our amazing hostesses: the DC Trifecta Bloggers (Courtney from Eat Pray Run DC, Mar from Mar on the Run, and Cynthia from You Signed Up For What?!). This week's topic is What's in Your Gym Bag!


I actually am going to start going to the gym next week! As a student, I can go to the gym at work/school for free so I am going to take advantage of it on days I need to be at work early for class (I start work around 8 on days I have class so I can leave early). I plan on leaving my leaving my house around 6:15, should be at work by 6:45 (since traffic will be less) and then be at the gym by 7. Do a 30-40 min workout, shower and get dressed and head back to work for breakfast.

5 things I need to make my new workout schedule at the gym work:

1.     workout shoes in my office-I have a pair of my sneakers in my office so I will try those out. I will wear my workout clothes straight from my house and pack my clothes for work and bring them along.

2.     office keys, student ID, staff ID-I will need to get a pouch to put all of my stuff in so I can get into my building and also my

3.     water bottle-I have an old one I can bring along to ensure I am hydrated

4.     towel-I can borrow one from the gym so I can shower

5.     toiletries- so I can actually take a shower! And I will need shower shoes as well. I plan on using my leftover Disney toiletries and the usual (soap, lotion, deodorant, perfume, a bit of makeup)

What do you take to the gym?

Remember when I wrote that whole post about how I was going to not register for the NYC Marathon this year? Well I DID IT ANYWAY! 
The application is open from January 15- February 15th. The drawing will take place on March 3rd. 

Here is the link to enter the lottery. You will pay a nonrefundable deposit of 11 dollars. If you are selected, your credit card will be charged $225 dollars. 

The chances of me getting in is insanely slim as there are 3 separate lotteries (locals, USA, international) and it does not look like they will give an idea of how good your changes are but I figured I will keep entering until one day hopefully I will get it! If not, I will try for Marine Corps, if not that then I will try for Chicago and if not, I will try for Nike Women's half. If I don't get any of those, I will figure out a new plan! 

Anyone else enter? 

Well this is very different than I was expecting because it was SO COLD!

We headed out at 430 and got there by 5 and stood around in a tent forever. Eventually we got kicked out and headed towards the corral and it took awhile to get in mainly because most people's bibs weren't visible. 

We got into the corral with about 10 min until the start and did a few warmup strides and stretches. 

Elites and Corral A went off and we moved right up and I took off my throw away jacket (this saved me as much as it could but it was still freezing. Wind chill in the 20s!!) and waited for the fireworks. It was so cold and all I wanted to do was be done.

OFF WE GO! 

We went out into the parking lot. My goal for the races is to keep a pace of around 12 min miles so that our heart rate doesn't go too high. It was so tough to do that because once we started and warmed up, it felt great and I wanted to go fast but restrained myself  

Since it was my first Disney 5k, I kinda knew what to expect but we went through the parking lot and down the path you walk to get to the half corrals. 

We were in the park fast! World showcase is gorgeous in the dark. 

CHARACTERS SEEN:

Flik down the path right after the parking lot

daisy dressed in Norwegian clothes in Norway

Chip and dale in Japan

Marie in France

Donald in Canada 

Most of the lines were long but I'm assuming not as long as they could have been as it was so cold, I think lots of people didn't stop! We stopped for Marie in France and Donald in Canada. At Donald, there was a horrible party that took multiple iterations of pictures AND also came back twice to retake it. The first time the camera timed out and the second they wanted to pose again. It was insanely rude. 1 picture with a camera and phone per group is fine but more than that, is pushing it. 

Before we knew it, we had made it around world showcase and we're heading to future world for the end of the race! 

Since the race wasn't timed, I didn't know our finish time until I looked it up. We finished in 49:16 and probably spent about 10 min in line for pics. 

Afterwards we went back for breakfast and bundled up like I never have before for a Disney park-2 shirts, leggings under my jeans, scarf, winter coat and gloves!

When I do the 5k for princess, I will definitely sleep in a bit more and roll up closer to the start. The waiting around for an hour was pointless and any extra sleep would be great. I would probably head out closer to 5 to have time to check my bag and get to my corral because I do like to be in the corral at least 15 min before the start. 

I did like the 5k-it was just around Epcot and went by quick and the characters were out in fun costumes. 

3.1 miles down and 45.3 to go! 

What did you think of 5k? 

Hi all! I am writing this waiting for the saddest part of any Disney trip: the Magical Express bus! It's humid yet still cold. Oh Florida, your weather has been crazy this week!

Patty from My No-Guilt Life, Erika from MCM Mama Runs and April from Run the Great Wide Somewhere are hosting Tuesday on the Run. This weeks topic is 2015 Race Schedule!

As I have mentioned before, I have a goal of running 15 races in 2015 however with Dopey just completed and Rebel in a few days, that goal is not going to be hard to complete. I haven't decided yet but I may shoot for 30 in 2015! Eek! But that will be much farther off.

Below is broken up my race schedule by month. The underline means registered and the italics means planned but not registered yet because it is not open yet.

• January
• 2015 Dopey Challenge (5K+10K+HALF+FULL)-COMPLETE!
• 2015 Star Wars Rebel Challenge (10k + Half)
• February
• 2015 Princess Frozen 5k
• 2015 Glass Slipper Challenge (10k +Half)
• March
• 2015 LA Marathon
• 2015 Great Race-10K
• April
• 2015 Santa Anita Derby 5k
• 2015 Angels Foundation 5k
• 2015 Sunset Strip Half Marathon
• May-gotta keep up the Perfect Pixie
• 2015 Pixie Challenge (10k+ Half)
• June-OFF-WDW trip and school plus a nice recovery month
• July-a few local races I have randomly found
• 2015 July 4th 5k 
• 2015 South Pasadena 1 mile Run
• August-maybe something local like the 80s run but I'm not sure yet!
• September
• 2015 Dumbo Double Dare (10k+ Half)
• 2015 Dodger Foundation 5k
• October-still debating on a fall marathon!
• 2015 Fall Marathon
• November-I have a few friends that want to do it. Once I lock them down, I will be in!
• 2015 Wine and Dine 5k??
• 2015 Wine and Dine Half?? 
• 2015 Avengers Half
• 2015 LA Turkey Trot 
• December
• 2015 Santa Monica-Venice Christmas Run

Overall, I am excited for my race schedule. I have been wanting to do more local races and there are many on the schedule!

I am excited to push the boundaries and do new things. Overall, my legs are tired but I'm not too sore. I am going to run 2 miles today when I get home and 2-3 on Thursday and try to get ready for Rebel.

I am a bit nervous for March and April as I will get back from princess end of February (best Taper ever for a marathon!) and then have a 2 week recovery until the LA Marathon. I then will have a week off before doing the Great Race 10k (which was a great recovery run last year). Then I am racing the next 3 weekends in a row-2 5ks and the a new half marathon (Sunset Half) that will probably be very hilly. I am going to use the 5ks as speed work (1 I plan on racing and 1 I plan on running straight through).

What do you have planned for 2015?

It is Monday so we are linking up with another Mickey Monday with John at run.geek.rundisney and Katie from Adventures by Katie. 

Yesterday seriously was the best day of my life!!! Dopey, especially the WDW Marathon, was greater than anything I could imagine!

I need a few days to process and be able to write things and let's be honest, I'm mentally exhausted! But I will get out all of my thoughts soon especially on choosing Dopey over other races.

But here are some pics to hold you over :)

If you want more pics, check out my Instagram http://instagram.com/julianac28

Anyone rose do Dopey?

Expo 

This was my first time getting to an expo on the first day when it opens.

We got up at 6 and just stretched and caught up on life before getting ready and going to breakfast at 8. The food court was pippin! We got done at 850 and took a cab over to wide world of sports from pop century that cost 10 bucks with tip. 

We got there right at 9 and took a ton of pics with the posters with no wait and got in line in the cold and wind. We were hoping they would open at 915 but didn't open until 930. 

We had our waivers and went to pick up our bibs and get our pic taken with our bib. This is what they are doing instead of wristbands and I guess they will just check them at the end? It was not explained but that's out best guess.

Before getting shirts, we went to the official expo where I got 4 sweaty bands, 2 magnets (one for the fridge and one decal for my car), and a mug. I was so happy I was able to get that stuff and it was very uncrowded. I got my shirts (5k was a youth large as the smalls were unisex) and headed to the main expo. I also stopped to see if they had the new Meb Skechers and ended up trying in the run 4 that just came out. I don't need any new shoes now, but I may buy a racing marathon shoe. I will see how my current shoes hold up. 

On the way to the merchandise, we noticed KT line was super short so we both got taped up! I've never used the tape but it feels good so far. 

The merchandise area was a zoo! I could barely even walk down the dopey aisle. I got an I did it (which was sized super tiny as I had to get a large to hope it won't shrink since its 100% cotton) shirt and a coast to coast shirt. 

I saw the princess medals!!! And then got to meet and talk to Jeff Galloway and his advice for doing dopey and rebel was to take it easy which we plan on doing. 

After we wandered around the expo and of course visited the clif booth and bought extra fuel since it was a good deal from fit2run. Then I visited sweaty bands to buy some headbands for some other costumes (Ariel, Elsa, Cinderella, Anna and Iridessa) and then we were done and headed to the outside expo. We got some free sunscreen and I tried on arm sleeves at sparkle athletic. I plan on buying a white/silver pair at the Star Wars expo to start bringing with me to wear as something to warm me up. 

Overall the expo was great and I was glad we waited for it to open because it was so uncrowded. When we left, it was very busy!

The transportation was easy from our hotel but since we didn't take the bus there, it was a bit confusing but we figured it out. 

How did you like the Expo? 

EAT WELL

LAST WEEK:
I was completely off of the rails the last few weeks and don’t feel bad about it all. Not a bit. I indulged in ice cream sundaes, homemade hot chocolate, a lot of candy and more. I don’t think I gained much weight but I feel sluggish. I had some great Christmas food and got some family recipes I have been meaning to get for awhile. Now if only I can adapt them for gluten free!

One week until Florida and I want to get back to eating decent so I don’t get sick. I bought some veggies already and need to buy some more fruits! I also need to buy a few things for my run: portable peanut butter, smoothie packs, hot cereal and bananas (which I will buy Saturday night). If I can stick to pretty gluten free and eat decent, I will feel so much better heading to Florida

THIS WEEK:
At Universal and Disney, my main goal is to eat as healthy as possible, avoid gluten and make sure to carbload properly! I am very excited about all of the good food we have lined up!

SLEEP WELL
LAST WEEK:
It has been freezing so I have not been sleeping the best. I only slept 4 hours the night I landed with the delays of my flight and I feel like I have been trying to change up which is hard with my little siblings always waking me up!

I have been having issues with sleeping and only getting 7 hours of sleep :/ Not sure what it is but it has been frustrating. I think some of it is nerves.

THIS WEEK:
I am going to aim for 7-8 hours of sleep a night in Florida! Those 3:30 AM wake up calls will be here before I know it!

EXERCISE WELL:
LAST WEEK:
MON: Rest Day because I had to be at work early
TUES: 3.1 miles in 39:06 (12:36 pace)-legs were not feeling it!
WEDS: Rest Day as we had Christmas
THURS: 4 mile in 51:14 (12:49 pace)-still recovery and I was running through random streets so I had to slow down
FRI: 1 mile with the siblings (around 18 minutes) and 8.5 miles (13:04)-I had to walk the last mile-I was feeling so sick!  
SAT: Rest Day
SUN: Rest Day
MON: Piyo Alignment
TUES: Rest Day
WEDS: 3 miles at 12:34 pace (rain-blaaah! and my shins were not happy)
THURS: Rest Day-I wanted to do the New Years run but it was cold and POURING. I knew there was no way I could run in a park which is sad!
FRI: 3 miles at 12:04 pace (not happy shins and legs. so BLAH)
SAT: Rest Day but I stretched a total of over an hour (no joke!)
SUN:  Flying to Orlando!!! Walk around Universal

THIS WEEK:
MON: Walking around Universal
TUES: walking around Universal and MK
WEDS: walking around the Expo and Epcot
THURS: 5k + walking around MK
FRI: 10k+ walking around Studios
SAT: Half + walking around AK  
SUN:  Full marathon + walking around MK

BE WELL
LAST WEEKS:

• TEXAS TEXAS TEXAS!
• Christmas was great!
• Seeing my family
• Family recipes
• So much Blue Bell ice cream
• Did a Rebel Challenge simulation-4 miles and 10 miles! I feel ready for Dopey and Rebel!  
• Final training runs for Dopey! 
  

THIS WEEK:

• Universal and Harry Potter!
• WDW
• Dopey!
• #runalltheraces
  

So for you, how was your week???

Running 4 races requires a lot of packing so here is all I packed! I had to pack early as I was going home for Christmas and then straight to Florida 

For the races (I put all of this in a carry on to ensure it did not get lost):

• 4 pairs of shoes-I am wearing a different shoe for every distance just incase it rains. Also, I am still breaking in a new pair of shoes so they will be great for the shorter distances
• 4 pairs of socks
• 4 shirts
• 4 bottoms
• the weather looks fine but I packed 4 pairs of capris to run in just incase a surprise cold front comes through
• 4 costumes
• **I pack all of my stuff in drawstring backpacks to ensure all costumes are accounted for
• flip belt
• sunglasses
• ipod for music and case
• backup ipod
• headphones
• backup headphones
• garmin
• Road ID
• Hair ties
• Hair bands
• garmin charger
• ipod charger
  

During races:

• breakfast before-I plan on buying peanut butter travel packs, smoothie packs, cereal, vega pre and recovery
• I packed chia seeds and sugar for my cereal
• Fuel-I packed a 2 packs of margarita shot bloks and a few clif shots. I need to buy more at the Expo
• Band-aids
• Icy hot packs
• Icy hot/biofreeze
  

Recovery:

• Baby wipes to use right after the race
• 3 pairs of compression socks
• Procompression capris
• Rollers
• Lacrosse balls-great for those tough knots
• Water bottle
  

Clothes:

• I usually end up wearing my race shirts after they happen but they are long sleeve so just incase I always pack 4 extra shirts
• Outfit for Expo
• Outfit for extra days (I will also be there Sunday and Monday before the expo and Monday after)
• Outfit for plane ride home
• Pajamas
• Swimsuit
• Jean shorts, 2 pairs of jeans
• 2 light jackets
• Pair of boots and winter coat (this is more for the holidays but just incase!)
• 2 long sleeve shirts to wear incase it gets cold
• flip flops to wear around the hotel
• 2 pairs of sneakers/flats to wear around the parks
  

Parks:

• Magic bands!
• Tickets
• Money/credit card
• Umbrella/poncho/rain coat incase of showers
• Park bag
• **bag for Expo-I am going to bring a bag to help carry all of my shirts and stuff I buy. 6 long sleeve shirts take up a lot of space
  

Misc:

• Power strip (there are never enough plugs in a hotel room)
• Plastic bags (use for ice, incase it rains, etc.)
  

Carry on bag:

• Books to read
• Headphones for the plane
• Kindle/tablet
• Computer
• Snacks
  

That should cover it! What are some of your packing secrets?