Recap: 2015 #runDisney #WineDineHalf Weekend: Splash & Dash

It's been a few weeks since Wine & Dine weekend, and at last I've got my recap complete.

Friday: Expo

Driving from Tallahassee that morning, we missed the mad rush that is the opening of the expo.  Upon our arrival, I quickly grabbed my bib, waited in line for my pin, and headed to the runDisney booth.  The only thing I purchased was my magnet.  

 Jeff is always willing to help with last minute advice.

[My filing cabinet at the office holds my race magnet collection. Side note: my colleagues are starting to think I have a running problem.]

Following the expo we headed to EPCOT and Magic Kingdom to enjoy some park time.

 Cheese!

 Carb loading is important!

Buzz wants to be just like me.

We stayed until the fireworks and then called it a night.  I had an early wakeup for the morning 5K.


Saturday: Jingle Jungle 5k

I've run this race twice. It was actually our first runDisney event, way back in 2011.  But this time, I decided to volunteer instead. I enjoy volunteering at the races almost as much as I enjoy running them.  My assignment: I spent my morning moving people from the finish line to the medal volunteers.  "Move along folks, nothing to see here."  Yeah - that was me!  I saw many of my runDisney friends cross the finish line.  Great job everyone!  Also, if you haven't volunteered for a race or the expo, I can't recommend it enough.  So much fun. Do it!

Saturday: Baptism (The Splash)

Now for the "splash" in the splash and dash.  My two little nephews were scheduled to be Baptized at midday, between the 5k and the half marathon.  So, following my volunteer shift,  I grabbed DisneyBride and headed for Tampa.  We dashed to the church, rejected Satan, splashed holy water, and enjoyed dessert with the nephews before heading back to Orlando to relax for a few minutes before the race.  

      

Saturday Night: Half of a Half (The Dash)

I decided to go with a costume that paid homage to my favorite chef. The Swedish Chef from the Muppets is legendary in the Running Happily Ever After household. The costume started off intact as you see here, but the humid evening quickly made a casualty of my mustache adhesive.  So I  ran 'sans mustache'.
 

I arrived at EPCOT before 7:00 to make a quick trip into park.  With a kiss from DisneyBride and some soda from the Cool Club, I headed for the buses to ESPN Wide World of Sports.  Boarding a bus a few minutes after 7:00 I assumed it would be smooth sailing. I was WRONG.  The traffic was horrendous and it took the better part of 35 minutes to get to our destination.  Upon arriving, the Wine and Dine atmosphere is very different from other runDisney events.  The promise of beer and wine at the finish makes it more adult themed than family-themed.  Not bad just different.  

I worked my way around the crowd, running into friends and making some new ones.  Eventually, I decided I needed some caffeine.  I headed to the vendors to buy a soda.  A few minutes later, the wind kicks up and then everyone is making a mad dash for the baseball stadium.  

I will skip the details of the weather delay and just say that I am a little disappointed that runDisney/Wide World of Sports didn't seem to have a better communication plan.  Depending on where the runner was pre-race, he or she may not have had any information.  The floor of the expo hall was the only place where I could hear announcements.  I assume that WWOS has more communication equipment, as I imagine that evacuation of the fields is a normal occurrence during the summer.  I do not fault the race organizers for the decision to shorten the race or to evacuate us (apparently due to lightning), please just do a better job with communication in the future.  Also note, that not all runners carry their phone during a race, so more frequent announcements to everyone would have been appreciated.

With the all-clear given, it was another mad dash to the start line.  It may have just been the quickest start of any runDisney race I have ever participated in.  Here is where I would like to give the volunteers a shout out.  They were evacuated as well, and still managed to get all their tasks done.  Everything from having the water stops setup and manned, to guiding runners back to the corrals. 

The course was shortened with the out and back to Animal Kingdom being removed.  The short course lead to pretty long waits at all the character stops.  My longest wait was almost 20 minutes for Buzz and Woody.  Everyone along the course seemed upbeat, despite confusion over the shortened course.  This is my third runDisney night race (after the final Tower of Terror 2014 and the final Expedition Everest 2015) and I really enjoyed them all. Looking forward to running the complete 13.1 course in a future year.  

 

This is the final year of the Osbourne Family Festival of Dancing Lights in Disney Hollywood Studios, so I was excited and nostalgic getting to run through there.

  

The Muppet Theater!

After Party

With the course being cut short, it appears EPCOT was unprepared for more people staying for the after party.  The lines for food, beer, and wine were crazy.  I would say that they were as bad as any weekend day I have spent at Food and Wine.  Again, the night races being accommodated by an after party is great.   The crowd never really seemed to thin, even when we left at 3:30. I was also impressed with the amount of characters, especially the ones you don't see too often, that were out meeting fans during the party.   

 

I just ran a Half Marathon of undetermined distance and all I got was LIGHT beer. 

 

Final Thoughts 

Even with the shortened course, I had a great time.  Sure, I'm disappointed that it wasn't a half marathon, but any run through Disney Parks is fun.  I also enjoyed the party-like atmosphere that the Wine and Dine Half race weekend is famous for.  The after party, while packed, was still fun.  I will do this race again, with the hopes of enjoying the full course and a less crowded after party.
  

 

And DisneyBride picked up my souvenir race banner above to add to the other collection in my office.  Now you see why my colleagues think I might be obsessed. 

Next up is the Space Coast Marathon. The theme for that race is PR or ER. Yep - you heard right, I'm going for a marathon PR this coming Sunday. See you on the course soon!

-DisneyGroom

Who is your favorite Muppet?

Do you enjoy running or racing at night?
  

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Gasparilla Distance Classic- 2 days and 30.4 miles

Sorry for this recap being nearly two months late.  The Gasparilla Distance Classic was Feb 20 & 21, 2015.

This year we did not run the runDisney Princess Half Marathon.  We ran the Gasparilla Distance Classic in Tampa that weekend.  The GDC is a two day event, with two races on Saturday (15K & 5K) and two races (1/2 Marathon & 8K) on Sunday.

There are three challenges available: 
Michelob Ultra Challenge: All four races for 30.4 miles
Michelob Ultra Amber Challenge: 15K, 5K, & 1/2 for 25.5 miles
Michelob Ultra Lime Cactus Challenge: 15k & 8K for 14.2 miles

I did the Ultra Challenge and DisneyBride did the Ultra Lime Cactus Challenge.

Expo

This expo was by far the best I have ever attended. The expo took over a pretty large portion of the Tampa Convention Center. Free samples and demos were everywhere. 

There was even a Star Wars themed booth with characters for photos.

The pick-up areas (Bibs were picked up separate from your shirts and jackets) were well staffed with volunteers and the waits were a couple of minutes tops.  Free samples and demos were everywhere. We tried several foods including electrolyte popsicles, chips, drinks, fruit, and other snacks. Also, the reusable bags from the race sponsor, Publix, were a very nice touch.

Day 1: 15k and 5k

Our hotel was near the start area so we could walk to the races. The starting area was well organized and the corrals were well marked. The 15k was an out and back course mostly along Bayshore Blvd. 

It was a cold morning but we had a fun time.  We ran with several friends from Tallahassee.

The course had plenty of aid stations and also featured entertainment at several points. 

The legendary Bart Yasso was announcing the runners as they crossed the finish line

After finishing the 15k, runners had the option to check their medals before the 5k. I choose to put my medal in my hydration pack. Other runners told me the medal check was organized and accepted and returned medals very efficiently. The finish line was well stocked with water and Gatorade.

I finished the 15k with plenty of time to stroll towards the starting line for the 5k. Plenty of volunteers were on hand to guide runners to the the start of the next race. The 5k followed the same course as the 15k (obviously the turn around was much earlier). For a very well attended race, the crowds didn't seem that bad. At the turn around for the 5k, I ran into DisneyBride. We finished our respective races together.  

Following the race we headed to the festival area. The festival area is broken into two separate areas. One near the Convention Center has plenty of food and drinks from sponsors available. Fresh fruit, cold coke, fruit cups, and more was available to runners. Further down the walkway, in an adjacent park was a live band and the beer area. The cold beer and live music was a great way to wind down from the races.  

Day 2: Half Marathon and 8k

The starting area was well organized on day 2 as well.  Since I had to finish the race under 2:55 gun time, I decided to try and PR.  The course is a basically a figure 8 and relatively flat. Again oncourse entertainment was plentiful, bands and entertainers to keep your mind off the running. I did manage to get my half marathon PR that day. Not quite the PR I had hoped for, but a PR.      

The finish line was again well stocked with beverages and the medal lines were quick. I headed for the starting area of the 8k as was pleasantly surprised by how close it was. I had read recaps of previous years where people made it out to be quite the hike.  

The 8k was essentially the same course as the 5k.  Running the half really took a lot out of me.  I ran the 8k pretty leisurely with a friend.  Crossing the line, I headed to the food area next to the convention center (long drive this day, so I skipped the beer), they really brought out their "A" game.  Unfortunately, everyone decided to enjoy the festival area.  Lines were enormous.  I skipped almost all of them and headed straight to The Columbia table and enjoyed a nice plate of delicious hot food.

The Good

• The Ultra Challenge (all 4 races) cost the same as the Princess Half Marathon, so I felt like it was a good value
• The expo was amazing
• Aid stations were plentiful 
• Post-race food was great
• The shirts and the challenge jacket

My Michelob Ultra Challenge jacket

DisneyBride's jacket, bib, and medals

The Not as Good 

• All four courses are pretty similar
• The medals (with the exception of the half marathon) look the same.
• The challenge medal was not that impressive.

For next year, we are undecided if we will return. I would love to go back, but DisneyBride wants to go to Princess Half Weekend.  We still have a few months to decide.

Pirates OR Princesses for 2016?   
Tough decision.  Which would you choose?

~DisneyGroom

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Trail Toes Review & Giveaway {CLOSED}

This Giveaway has closed.  Check our most recent posts to see if we are running any giveaways.

There are a few running issues that no one likes to talk about.  Today I will talk about one.  Chafing.  I have chafed and blistered before, and I can tell you one thing - I'll do anything to prevent this.

Mickey doesn't like to blister or chafe!

As I've gotten more involved in trail running in preparation for my ultra, we did some research on what 'those guys' use.  You know - the crazy guys that run 100 mile races.  If the typical runner can get bloody nipples during a well-supported half marathon road race, imagine what might happen on 50 plus miles in remote and often harsh conditions - where aid stations are very few and far between. This is how we heard about Trail Toes and Trail Tape.  This stuff is designed for ultra runners. It is made to withstand hours and hours of water, mud, dirt, sweat, and more.  I just had to give it a try!

I was lucky enough to test out both the Trail Toes and the Trail Tape.  I have to say that I put them both through their paces and I am a huge fan.  I have tried a couple of other products in the past and they just couldn't keep up with me.  

My first test for Trail Toes was my Swamp Forest Half Marathon.  I slathered trail toes on my feet to try and avoid blisters and angry toe nails.  I also used some on what I will refer to my "bathing suit area".  While on long training runs, both areas have experienced chafing.  The trail was very wet from the rain, and it continued raining through the race.  The Trail Toes worked like a champ.  My feet were blister free and "my bathing suit area" stayed free of any chafing or irritation as well.  I will spare you pictures of my gross runner feet.

Muddy, wet, and very humid.  No "bathing suit area" chafing or blistered feet!

Following my trail half, I continued to use the Trail Toes on my runs.  I also put some of the Trail Tape on my feet to see if it would hold.  The tape held steady on my feet even through wet trails and humid and hot runs.  I also tested the Trail Tape on my nipples.  Being a larger guy, nipple chafing has been an issue for me.  I have previously been using a product called 'nip guards'. They work well, but each package contains just ten pairs and retails for about $12.  The Trail Tape works just as well for a fraction of the cost and at 10.9 yards per package, I think one box ought to last me for years, if I only use them for my nipples. Suggestion: pre-cut the tape before leaving for a destination race.  Don't be like me, frantically hunting for scissors on race morning.

Trail Toes protected me all throughout the the runDisneyDopey Challenge.  Four races and 48.6 miles and I didn't get a single blister on my feet.  I also found out that Trail Toes can help when you fail to ensure your race gear is ready.  Marathon morning, I woke up and got dressed only to realize that my compression socks had a hole on the heel.  DisneyBride freaked out and tried to talk me into changing into a different pair.  Nope, I decided to put the Trail Toes to the test and just slathered it on my heel.  It could've turned out badly, but to my relief - no issues at all. 

Holey sock, no problem, just add some Trail Toes.

48.6 miles is no problem when your feet feel great!

Probably my biggest test for Trail Toes and Trail Tape came from my 1st ultra marathon.  I ran the Destin Beach Ultra Runs 50K in Destin.  The race is 100% on the beach, features countless water-crossings, wet sand, and the ever changing tide.  One can only imagine what this puts your feet thorough.  I slathered my feet and "bathing suit area" with Trail Toes and protected the nips with Trail Tape.  Further, I left more Trail Toes in my drop bag with fresh shoes and socks at mile 16.

Sand and water was the ultimate test for Trail Toes! It passed!

I reapplied the Trail Toes and Trail tape at mile 16.

After 30 miles of wet sandy feet, not a blister could be found.  My "bathing suit area" was free of issues as well.  You might be laughing about the last comment, but a runner dropped out of the 100 mile race because he had rubbed his "bathing suit area" raw. He used a different term, but this is a family-friendly blog. 

The combination of saltwater and sand really beat up the feet of far too many runners that weekend.  Once across the finish line, many runners were catering to horrific looking blisters on their feet. I can't help but think that could have been avoided with some Trail Toes.

Wiped out after 31 miles.  My feet may be wet and covered in sand, but I don't have any blisters.

The following week after my ultra, I had another destination race event:  Gasparilla Distance Classic in Tampa, FL.  4 races, 2 days = 30.4 miles in temps that started near freezing and ended in mid 70s plus wicked humidity.  I don't have my race recap up for that one yet. But you bet I was glad to have the Trail Toes and Trail Tape with me.

That's 126.2 miles of races, plus countless training miles that this stuff has come through for me.  


Some final thoughts

Keep some Trail Toes and some Trail Tape in your running bag and in your car.  You never know when you (or someone else) will need it.  Trail Toes cleaned up pretty easily with some soap and warm water.  Don't remove the Trail Tape from your nips until you are in the shower and can loosen the tape with some soap and warm water (learned this one the hard way).

Trail Tape retails for $6.50 on the Trail Toes page.  For $6.50 you almost have a lifetime supply of nipple protection.  This is far cheaper than the method I currently use.  DisneyBride used the Trail Tape on the bra strap area, where she is prone to irritation. She finished all her events (on the beach and on the road) with no issues.

Don't forget, the tape can be applied directly to any part of your skin, including your feet.

Trail Toes comes in a 2oz bottle ($11.99) or in 7 gram single use packet($.99) .  I find the packets to be great for drop bags and for packing for racecations.  

1st prize

2oz bottle of Trail Toes

One box of Trail Tape

Second prize

10-single use packets

Trail Tape sample

Terms of the Giveaway
1) No Purchase Necessary.
2) Giveaway begins Monday March 2, 2015 and ends Monday Mar. 9, 2015 at midnight. Winner will be announced on the Facebook page and this blog post. He or she will be notified Tuesday, March 10, 2015.
3) Must be 18 years or older to enter. Must be a U.S. resident.
4) Two (2) winners will be selected. The 1st winner will receive one (1) box of Trail Tape and one (1) container of Trail Toes.  Approximate retail value is $18.49. The second winner will receive 10 (10) single-use packets of Trail Toes and a Trail Tape sample. 
5) Sign in through Rafflecopter below to enter. With your first entry, the app will capture your e-mail or facebook name. This is so we can reach you if you win, in accordance with sweepstakes terms. Your contact info will ONLY be used to contact you if you win.
6) There are additional opportunities for multiple entries.
7) The winner will be chosen at random using the rafflecopter app below. Odds of winning are determined by the number of eligible entries received.
8) In the event winner does not respond to contact attempts via e-mail or facebook name provided within a one week period, another winner will be selected at random.
9) Void where prohibited.


a Rafflecopter giveaway Disclosure of Material Connection: No financial compensation was received. We received product from Trail Toes in exchange for this review. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we believe will be good for our readers. All opinions stated on this blog are our own. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

For more great giveaways:click the image below

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Day 4: 2015 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend #DopeyChallenge #WDWHalf Done- 22.4 down, 26.2 until eternal greatness!

For this race, I would be flying solo.  Since she wasn't running or volunteering, DisneyBride decided to sleep in. Yeah, I know. But I can't blame her - those 2am wakeups are brutal.

Again I decided to catch a later bus.  This time, it almost came back to haunt me.  The driver managed to get lost trying to get out of the Art of Animation parking lot.  If only Disney provided large direction signs to help drivers exit their resorts, oh wait, they do!  He managed to do 2 figure eights before finally making it out of the resort.  A revolt almost broke out on the bus.  We did make it to the starting area, we arrived about 15 minutes later than we should have.  I think I am back to taking the earliest bus.

I wish something could be done to end the long march to the starting corrals for the half marathon.  The lighting was better this year, and they were kind enough to provide a DJ and cheerleaders along the path. I would venture a guess that the walk from bus to the startline adds at least a mile. 

The corrals set off at much shorter intervals than the 5k or 10k.  

With the highway being the course for about the first 5 miles, crowding wasn't much of an issue.  I am a big fan of the long stretch on the way to the Magic Kingdom.  

Arriving at these parking gates always reminds me of my first trip to Disney as a kid.  Its also the point that spectators start lining the course (ok - it is a little distance beyond the gates, but hopefully you get my point.

 

Let me take a minute and compliment all the marching bands that participated during the half and full marathons.  They really stepped up their game this year.  They all seemed to be really into performing and hamming it up with the crowd.  

The last thing I was ever going to do in high school was get up before the sun and watch people run.  Thank you all!

I also found the cheerleaders again!

It was nice to see Wreck-it Ralph and Vanellope on the course.  I am always happy to see some of the newer characters on the course. 

The run onto Main Street is always incredible. Rather than take a selfie, a spectator was nice enough to snap my photo.

It should come as no surprise that I made a stop in Tomorrow Land.  Buzz Lightyear took a break from Star Command to meet with runners.  He is always gracious, however, he didn't seem to appreciate my Darth Vader costume. He's a hero, I'm a villain - I get it...

  

Anna and Elsa welcomed us to the castle this year.  They even had snow.  It wasn't enough that you froze us a couple of days earlier, you had it snow at the castle.  Enough with the Frozen stuff, Let it go!  After I ran through the castle, a spectator took a fantastic castle photo for me.

Really excited about this pic - the castle isn't cut off this time!
It's the little things...

Near the Wedding Pavillion, I ran into Disney's alleged 'Disney Grooms'.  Never fear! There can only be one @Disney_Groom.

 Eventually, runDisney will remove these posers from the course. 

The run to the Finish Line in EPCOT was pretty uneventful.  Characters and entertainment were plentiful, however, I didn't stop for many characters until EPCOT.  Upon my arrival in EPCOT, I did stop for Phineas and Ferb.  I have never stopped for them in the past and no one was in line, a win-win. 

I also managed to get a pretty good shot in front of the Spaceship Earth.  This costume seems to photograph pretty well and might just become a staple at races.  The force is strong with this one. 

Approaching that glorious finish line just never gets old.  

Mickey was even present to welcome us.  I did a very quick, run-by selfie. Don't worry, I checked to make sure no one was running up right behind me.  Unfortunately the sun was right behind us... oh well.  Going to try again at the full.

This was my awesome medal volunteer for the Half!

I received my medal, beverages, and box o'food then headed to the bus area.  I had planned on just heading back to the resort.  Upon leaving the finish area, I noticed that Dopey had almost no line.  So I decided to keep the streak alive and grab a Dopey photo. 

I had a lot of compliments and questions, on my shorts, my hydration pack, and my custom compression arm sleeves that day. My shorts are from our awesome sponsor: X RaceWear, my vest is the Orange Mud VP2, and the sleeves are from Run Alice Run. The items all served me well on race day (and on training runs).

Leaving the race, I headed back to the hotel to get DisneyBride before heading to Magic Kingdom for lunch.  On the way, we ran into the Mayor and First Lady of Main Street.  

I wished him well with his upcoming campaign (I think he is a lock), and he wished me luck on my marathon.

The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train had a 70 minute wait (the best we've seen all weekend) so we got in line. Sure enough, the ride breaks down while we are in line - causing a 25 minute delay.  We were too close to the front of the queue to give up (hey distance runners are stubborn people... it's who we are) so we waited it out.

We were well rewarded.  The ride was AWESOME!

I even found DOPEY!

Following lunch, we attended a meetup hosted by Meranda and Lacey of FairyTales and Fitness.  All but one us (Amy) were running bloggers, so it was really cool getting to meet the authors of several of the blogs we follow.  The sparkly skirts seen below were provided by Amy Maust, owner and founder of Rock City Skirts; she was in town to run the Walt Disney World Marathon.

I was offered a sparkle skirt, as was Robert (husband of Lauren of Lauren's Glass Slipper).  We both graciously declined, much to the disappointment of our wives, who did their best to convince us we 'have the legs for it'.

I did however get a different prize, a running journal from Gone For a Run.

Leaving the meet-up, I had to call it quits and head back to the hotel.  It was pretty early - only 4:00ish, but spending more time in the parks would not have been the prudent decision.  It took me about an hour and a half to make it back to the hotel, get dinner, and put the marathon clothes out.  It was not a fun thing to do, however, it was the correct call. 

DisneyBride, ever the party animal - went off to Animal Kingdom to ride the rides, find some dinner, and get as many character photos as she could, until the park closed.

I think I was asleep before 6:30pm - because I wanted at least 6 full hours before the long day that was to come. 

Just 26.2 miles to go!

For my other 2015 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend recaps see the links below.

Expo Recap

http://www.runninghappilyeverafter.com/2015/01/day-1-disneygrooms-2015-dopeychallenge.html

5k Recap

http://www.runninghappilyeverafter.com/2015/01/day-2-disneygrooms-2015-dopey-challenge.html

10k Recap

http://www.runninghappilyeverafter.com/2015/01/2015WDW10K.html

-DG

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