Showing posts with label Disney World. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Disney World. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The rest of Marathon Weekend

In an effort to wrap this up before Princess Weekend this weekend, here is what else my family was up to at Disney World during Marathon Weekend...
My parents, sister, aunt & cousin all took part in the Family Fun Run 5K on Friday morning
We took my niece to the Magic Kingdom on Friday afternoon.
Let me just tell you that taking a 3 year old to Disney World is so much more fun than taking a one and a half year old (when she first went).  She absolutely had a blast and was really into everything.  She loved the rides, especially the teacups!

I also found it funny she picked out the same Mickey balloon as she did the first time she was here.
Those suckers are tough, the balloon is still alive and well in my living room!
Lily loves her balloons so much, I never have the heart to pop them and throw them away, so I bring them home with me.
These Disney balloons are like $10 or $15 but you definitely get your money's worth!

She took this great picture with Tigger & Pooh :)
Friday night we had dinner at Portobello at Downtown Disney.
I gave my spectators goodie bags as a thanks for waking up early to watch me run (and walk) around Disney World.
Don't you wish you could come see me in a marathon? :)
After dinner as we walked out of the restaurant there was a band playing, so Lily put on a little show for us.

And the adults all took pictures of her...
Can you tell she is the only kid in our family?

Saturday night we had a Princess birthday party for Lily, she turned 3 on Sunday!

My friend Annette came to visit with her family.  Addison (Annette's daughter) and Lily share the same birthday, so they were both dressed in their "birthday girl" outfits!
They were friends when they first met last year, and they picked up right where they left off, so cute! Lily was sad when Addison left.
A tad dramatic...

Sunday after the marathon, I took a quick nap, then I headed over to Epcot with Amanda and Sarah to meet up with Derek & Celeste.  We did some drinking around the world to celebrate the 26.2 miles.
The Jalapeno Margarita from the Mexico tequila bar is delicious!
We had dinner at the Germany Biergarten Restaurant which was fun and then ended the night at The Boardwalk (ESPN & Jellyrolls)


I have no idea why Derek is doing this.

So that ended our trip in January.  It was such a great time and of course, it went by way too fast!  Luckily I will be back up there in ONE DAY!!

Friday, September 30, 2011

Favorite Thing Friday

Wow, I haven't done one of these posts in a while.
Best thing about today (and this weekend)... the pool at Disney's Beach Club Resort.
Source
Hope you all have a great weekend!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Guest Post... Little Fruit Fly in Rainbow Colored Socks!

Hey there!  While I am on vacation this week and traveling for work next week, I figured it would be a great time for a couple of Guest Posts!  
My first one is from Ronda at Little Fruit Fly in Rainbow Colored Socks.  I asked her to write a post for me because of our shared love for all things Disney!  Enjoy her post below, and go have a look at her blog.  She is an enthusiastic, entertaining writer and has shared lots of great stories on running, working at Disney and her life in general!
**********************************************************
Hi! I'm Ronda, otherwise known in the blog world as Fruit Fly!  I'm so happy that Heather asked me to write a guest post for her ... and when she said I can write about Disney, running or BOTH I was very excited to see what I could come up with!  I spent 3 and a half years of my life working for the Mouse in Walt Disney World (in both Magic & Animal Kingdom, on-stage and in a lovely air conditioned back-stage office). And I've spent the last 2 years of my life trying to be a runner. Nothing pleases me more than when these two passions mix. But this wasn't always the case!
Disney Internship 1997...
remember that Birthday Cake Castle?!
The first time I worked in Walt Disney World my internship ended right before Marathon weekend. I didn't even know there was a WDW Marathon, and if I had known I wouldn't have thought twice about it! After college when I returned to Florida (I am an Oregonian) to dedicate myself to Mickey again, it didn't take long before I was smack dab in the middle of this bizarre group of people called runners.
My mom and step-dad came to visit me in January of 2002. I had been in Florida for a few months and was so happy to have my mommy in town to see where I lived and what I did every day. To start off their vacation I insisted they first visit Disney's Animal Kingdom (and soak in every inch of Asia because it IS the best land -- not that I am 100% biased or anything!) **This is Heather -  she use to work the Kali River Rapid ride! It was early morning, still feeling kind of dark outside, and cold. We parked in the Cast Member parking lot and I was going to escort them to the main entrance on my way to work. Then those darn runners ruined my plans. I can't even express how annoyed I was when I had to detour and stop and just wait. I had to get to work, but I also was being forced to watch people run. Even later on a bus when we saw guests in their Mickey and Donald medals I had to vent. Why?? Why on earth would anyone ever want to go on vacation to Walt Disney World and then get up at some ungodly hour just to run around ... and it was so cold!! What is wrong with these people?
Fast forward to 2009. After reading about a friend's journey to become a runner, and seeing other friends that I adored had completed marathons I thought that maybe I should buy some shoes and give it a try. So I went to the Nike outlet, found a cute, comfy pair of shoes and a Nike+ sensor and started. Because I am ultimately a total slacker I knew I had to register for a race. I feared if I didn't have a goal and a date for a race then I would just give up and never be able to run even a mile. I was bored and decided to search for races that appealed to me. I found a 5K fun run that finished on the 50 yard line of my college. Perfect! I immediately registered and was so excited that I had to look for more. (I may as well point out now that I think I might be addicted to registering for races!) I started aimlessly looking and for whatever reason (I like to vacation!) I looked up Disney races.
It didn't take long and I saw there was this event called the Disney Princess Half Marathon. That didn't exist when I was in Florida, so I had to look further. Hot dog! They had a 5K race. Immediately I had convinced my mom that I HAD to run in this and she HAD to come with me to cheer. And there I was, registering for a Disney race. I was going to be the one vacationing in WDW just so I could run at some ungodly hour when it was cold!  I ran it all. It was the first time in my life I had run 5K non-stop, and I was thrilled to achieve my goal!  However, I needed more.  It was that weekend at the Fit For A Princess Expo in 2010 that I was suddenly embarrassed that I wasn't going to be running THE big race. That day I looked at my mom and said, "Next year that will be me. I will be here and I will run the half marathon."
I spent all of 2010 preparing for February 2011. I raced nearly a 5K every month, as well as some 10Ks thrown in for good measure. By the time the Princess was here I was more than ready! It was the most amazing experience unlike any other. I met so many awesome fellow bloggers, I stood right by Jeff Galloway, I earned my huge medal!  
Woohoo for all 2010 Princess Half Marathon finishers!
Because we goofed off during the race and took pictures at probably 95% of the photo stops, I knew what I had to do. I had to redeem myself. I haven't yet figured out what I'll be wearing that day, but come January 2012 I'll be back in WDW on another one of those vacations where I am there to RUN!! And if that isn't enough, in just one month I'll be down in Disneyland getting my Coast to Coast medal! (If you are there, and happen to be running the 5K as well ... look for the lizard and the dino...that'll be me and my racing partner!)
So I guess the moral of my babbling story is, you just never know! Don't make fun of those crazy, annoying runners because some day you might be one, too!
*************************************************************
Thanks Fruit Fly for putting together such a great guest post!  For all you readers, don't forget to check out her blog.  For a quick link to her Princess Half recep, click here and for her pictures of the race, click here.
Only 24 days until the Disneyland Half Marathon!  Coast to Coast Medal, here we come!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Disney's Expedition Everest Challenge



Saturday night was the second time Annette & I competed as a team (All About the Medal) in Disney’s Expedition Everest.  We killed it!  Last year we finished in 1 hour 11 minutes, placing 49th out of 423 women’s teams, this year we finished in 55:32, placing 15th out of 420 women’s teams!!  We were so proud of ourselves :)  The winning women’s team finished in 47:01.

Some of my pictures in this post are from last year because we wore the same outfits and this year we had no time for photo shenanigans since we wanted to improve our time!
Packet pick-up was at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex.  They have it set up like Base Camp, very cute!  This year I volunteered that day putting all the waivers in ABC order.  Seems like an easy job, but it took all day, and there was 3 of us!
Packet pick-up is set up like Base Camp
On Saturday night the race took place in Disney’s Animal Kingdom at 8:30pm.  There are 8 wave starts; since there are obstacles on the course they need to spread everyone out.  There was maybe 3,500 participates, definitely not as large as other runDisney events.
We were in Wave 6, with most of the other all-female teams, and started at 8:55pm.  It was pretty crowded the first mile, so we spent a lot of time going around people.  I hate that, Annette is definitely a more aggressive runner than I am, so she was ahead of me.  We thought the balance beam obstacle would be first (like last year), so I waved her ahead because I knew I would skip it because I hate heights.  Heights and band-aids, my two greatest fears… coming in third – beaks.  Yup, as in birds.  
Anywho, jumping over bails of hay was actually the first obstacle.  I was behind Annette at this point and really had to make up some time.  I was running way faster than I knew I could keep up with for 3 miles, so before even hitting the 2 mile mark I was pretty exhausted.  
Mile 2 = Heather dead!
(This pic is from last year)
We completed the 5k in 31:43 (I am the slow one) Annette really kicked my ass in this part of the challenge!  This was the second fastest 5k I have run, but like I mentioned earlier, I was running so much faster than normal in the first mile, it really did me in.
Course
Once we crossed the timing mats for the 5k, we headed over to where we got our first clue, little flashlight and Sharpie marker and then we headed back into Animal Kingdom for the scavenger hunt.  I love, love, love scavenger hunts.  Since Annette is the “speed” of this operation, I needed to be the “brains”. 
I got over my fatigue from the 5k and took control of the clues.  Annette was laughing afterwards because she didn’t even get a chance to see the clues.  She would hand me the clue and I would see where we needed to go, yell to her where to run to next and then figure out the answer which we needed to show the volunteers to get the next clue card.
The second clue was really hard and it took us at least 5 minutes to figure it out.  I even had to ask one of the volunteers for help.  It was a young kid, maybe 11 years old.  It was definitely an “Are you smarter than a 5th grader” moment for me.  That little kid was excellent though, totally gave good hints and was not at all flustered by this weirdo lady (me) saying over and over “I don’t really get it”.  After explaining it to me for the millionth time, he said “Go and figure it out and if you have any other questions come back over to me”…. LOL, he was the cutest!  Thanks little guy for your help!
We feel like we are on the 'Amazing Race'!
On our way to the next stop, I asked Annette how we were doing on time and she said “47 minutes”… what?!  I thought she meant 47 minutes just for the scavenger hunt (I am telling you that second clue threw me for a loop, it felt like 47 minutes!), but she meant 47 minutes total.  Once I realized this I was so excited and started running even harder to the next stop.  Our goal of one hour was definitely attainable.  We got the through the next two clues with no problem and then had to figure out the password to cross the finish line and enter the post race party.
I got the first 4 letters "m-o-u-n" and said this to the volunteer in the finish shoot.  She said I was half way there, so I yelled "mountain" and we were able to finish!  I think that when I yell out answers during a scavenger hunt it makes them right :)
As we were approaching the finish line there was a couple in front of us holding hands, with their arms up in the air, no doubt taking a great finishers photo.  I so wanted to push them over the finish line cuz they were going so slow!  LOL, now that would have made a good finisher's photo!
Our clues that all added together for
the password to the Post Race Party
Back side of the clues formed the map of Animal Kingdom
Following the Challenge is the post race party.  It's a good one.  Animal Kingdom is open only to race participants and their guests.  They have a dance party going on... also where they give out the awards.  The best part though is being able to ride the Expedition Everest roller coaster (2 times) and Kali River Rapids in the dark.  Animal Kingdom is rarely open late, so it is a treat to be there after dark.  
Goofing with Goofy at the dance party!
Annette's husband, Brian, and her sister, Christine, were also a team: Brains>Speed.  This was Christine's first ever race and it was Brian's fastest 5k yet, they did great!  Annette's neighbors, Tracy & Doug were also there - Team Rich... try a little harder on the name next year Doug.  They also did great!  
Christine's girlfriend, Buffy, was a spectator (and holding our bags for us - thanks!), but I think she may have been bit by the runDisney bug.  She told Christine after the race that she would be interested in doing this next year.  Yay!  
Me, Annette, Brian &
Christine with our medals
!
Also at the post race party was Brian's friend, Dave, and his girlfriend Wendy.  Dave handed us ice cold beers pretty much as soon as we saw him after the race, thanks!  Dave, on October 1st we'll set you up with race notifications for me, Annette & Leah so you can have those beers waiting for us after the half marathon!
Yet another great Disney race!  Only 117 days to go until the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon - can't wait!
Awesome medal and race bib!


Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Re-introductions, motivation & a MARATHON!

Two months into my blog and you all are sticking around to read some more.  THANK YOU!  Writing this blog as been so much fun and I absolutely love, love, love reading your comments, as well as reading everyone else’s blogs too! 
So what’s going on in Heather’s World this week…
I knew as soon as the 5Ks I was signed up to run in March were over my motivation would be hard to keep up going into the summer. 
I… was… not… wrong.  It’s been two whole weeks since I ran a step, ugh!  What to do?!  First, put down the iPad…
What!?  It's not normal to walk around all day with your iPad?!
Second, Heather let me re-introduce you to your new sneakers, which last month you said you loved.  Now, put them on!
Sneakers... love them... wear them...
Third, remember how Shakira’s Waka Waka is your new favorite running song?  Well in order to hear it you need to use your iPod shuffle, headphones from the 80s (I LOVE these) and then time your run on your Nike+ sportsband.
Good music, good times
Here’s to hoping this little motivational talk helps.
If not, I also just subscribed to Runner’s World magazine & ordered a couple of their books (which I will review in a later blog post).
'New Year, New You'... Ok.
I decided to subscribe because I want to read up on anything and everything concerning running since my fall will be full of half marathons.  I just signed up for one of them today actually, Disney’s Wine & Dine Half Marathon on October 1st. 
Can't wait to run this race a second time!
I ran this last year and it was the very first half marathon I have ever done.  I swear Disney made this race for me… Disney parks at night, running, wine, dine… all things I love in this world!  Last year’s race was the inaugural and there were some issues with crowding, etc., but Disney seems to have gone above and beyond to correct those issues and make this year’s race the best it can be!  I am absolutely so excited for this race!  Annette… Trish… sign up already!  Anyone else want to run!?
I am hoping the half marathons I run in the fall will really help me to prepare for my next challenge… the Disney Marathon on January 8th!  Yup, I am going all the way!  26.2 miles!!  I also signed up for this race today!!  You’re welcome runDisney for my generous donation to your running program :)
My mantra:  Mickey medal, Mickey medal!
One statement I often hear about marathons is that 26.2 miles is a distance to be respected.  Not gonna lie, I am a little freaked out about it.  I know I have LOTS of work to do in the next 9 months, but I know with hard work and motivation I will be happily accepting my Mickey Mouse medal from one of the volunteers in January! 
Wish me luck! I hope I can keep you thoroughly entertained throughout this little challenge!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

PR for 3.1 & Volunteering for 13.1

I headed back up to Orlando on Friday afternoon so I could participate in ESPN The Weekend 5k on Saturday morning at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
If you are wondering, yes my car can make the drive to Orlando pretty much on its own at this point.  While it wasn’t ideal to drive up two weekends in a row, I needed to get in the ESPN 5K so that I could complete all Disney races by January.  Nothing special happens if I do that, I am just a Disney dork who figured I would give all the races a shot this year.
Friday night I met up with Annette & Brian at Fort Wilderness for the Hoop-Dee-Do Revue.  I have not seen that dinner show in about 10 years, but not one thing has changed.  The show is the same, the costumes are the same and the food and drinks are the same.  While it is a bit touristy it is still a great time!  Definitely got us laughing. 
Saturday morning we headed over to the Studios for the race.  Mickey & Minnie were there bright and early for pictures and there were a couple of pro athletes at the start and finish lines to cheer us on.  A few members of the Harlem Globetrotters were there and there was also a player from the Packers as well.  I love sports, especially baseball and football, but if someone is not on the Red Sox or Patriots, the chances that I remember their names is quite slim.
The race was great, I love running through Hollywood Studios.  I bested my previous PR by 1:08 and was very happy about it!
My Disney character favs


Fabulous Disney bling
We spent the rest of the day playing in the park, love, love, love the Toy Story ride!    I also got my picture with a Harlem Globetrotter… they are so tall!  I also saw Kevin McHale, Karl Malone and Alonzo Mourning doing an interview for ESPN.
Basketball players are tall
Kevin McHale & Karl Malone

Back here in Miami this morning I was able to volunteer at the Miami Beach 13.1 half marathon.  I am a volunteer with the Miami Dolphins Special Teams group and today we were at the post race party handing out information on the Dolphin Cycling Challenge taking place in November.  It raises money for cancer research and last year, its first year, the Challenge raised over $500,000.  Definitely a great fundraiser!
It was fun to watch the half marathon participants at the start of the race as well as nearing the finish line at Mile Marker 13.  Before the race you can see the nervous energy all runners are feeling and as they approach the finish line you can see some of them digging deep to get to the end.  It is great to observe other runners, because you then know you are not alone in your anxiety, nervousness and extra efforts in those last miles.
I really think that all runners should volunteer for a race once in their life.  It will make you appreciate other runners and the goals you accomplish all the more!
Now it is time to go and watch "The Amazing Race", my most favorite Sunday night show ever!
Awesome sand castle at post race party

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Princess Half Marathon Weekend

To say I had a great time at Disney’s Princess Half Marathon weekend would be an understatement.  This race is spectacular and all women, everywhere should participate at some point in their life.  Whether you want to run, run/walk or walk the 13.1 miles you will be treated like a Princess every step of the way! 
As you know, my dilemma last week was deciding whether or not to really run the race or blow of my time and just take pictures with the characters along the way.  I was still undecided as they called our Corral up to the start line.  I started off running and my first two miles were going great.  Then I turned onto World Drive headed toward Magic Kingdom and saw the huge pirate ship they had set up, along with Jack Sparrow and his Pirates of the Caribbean.  At that point I blew off my time and went into picture mode! 
It felt like I was breaking the rules whenever I pulled over to the side for pictures, I even waited in line for about 15 minutes at the MK for a pic with Minnie and Mickey.  Had I forgotten this was a race?!  It was a great experience and this race will forever be my “fun” race.  There are plenty of other races where I can work on time, etc., but this one is gonna be for the fun!  Plus, I can’t resist the pictures with the characters and how they say “Hello Princess” as you walk up to them!
Let’s get to those pictures…
I arrived in Orlando on Saturday morning and met up with my fellow Princess, Annette, and her husband Brian at the Fit for a Princess Expo at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports.
Before we even stepped into the Expo we felt like royalty with the red carpet arrival and a picture with Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother and Footmen.

The expo was packed!  The vendors were great and I bought a cute 13.1 charm from the Lift Your Soles booth, some Jet Blackberry GU and a new pair of Saucony sneakers.  Very successful shopping day!

Packet pick-up was also at the expo and we finally got our Princess tech tees and “fancy” mesh bags!

For our pre-race dinner we headed over to Disney’s Boardwalk and had dinner at Cat Cora’s Kouzzina.  Our dinner reservations were for 5pm… it felt like we were there for the early bird special!  I have wanted to try this restaurant for awhile and it did not disappoint.  I had the Kouzzina trio, which was a great combo of carbs and protein, perfect for the pre-race meal!

After dinner it was time to relax and hopefully get to sleep early.  A 2:45am wake up call was scheduled for Sunday morning – eek!  We got our race gear ready to go Saturday night.  When we signed up for the race we got to pick our favorite Disney Princess and her name appeared on our race bibs.  I chose the Little Mermaid, Ariel and Annette chose Belle from Beauty & the Beast.

Sunday morning started off with a coffee and a peanut butter crunch Cliff bar, my perfect pre-long run breakfast!  We were staying at Disney’s Port Orleans hotel and left for Epcot at 3:30.  We were parked and in the pre-race staging area by 4am.  I got my race gear together and went to check my bag.  Disney did a great job with this pre-race area…. Bag check was easy, clear to understand, not crowded, all really great.  At 4:40 they opened up the path that led out to the start corrals.  They say it is a 20 minute walk to the start corrals and that is not a lie.  This is the same set-up used for the Disney Half & Full Marathons as well, so make sure you are there on time!

We had to be in corrals by 5am.  I was really dreading the 45 minute wait, but we were entertained by the live MC and videos.  The time flew by!  The corral was not crowded so we were able to sit down.  They also really patrolled the corrals to make sure you entered the correct one.  Thank you Disney for doing that!  It was so nice to start a race with actual runners and not surrounded by people who start out walking.
Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother counted down to start off the race and waved us through the start line with her wand.  We were off!

Entertainment in miles 1 & 2 was a marching band and stilt walkers (don’t know how they can stay up there for so long!).
Once into mile 2 we saw the pirate ship; Jack Sparrow and the pirates; a hot air balloon shaped like Epcot’s Spaceship Earth; and the Heroes (which included Aladdin, John Smith, Prince Eric, Tarzan and I think the other guy was Snow White’s Prince Charming).  We also ran through the Magic Kingdom entrance.



Mile marker 3 had my girl Ariel on it, so I needed to take a picture.

We then passed Richard Petty’s Driving Experience.  Race car drivers were out front giving everyone high 5s.  Then Lilo & Stitch were having a luau party which also included the Polynesian Luau dancers.

Running through the Ticket & Transportation Center was next and it was filled with spectators – awesome!!  As you left the TTC there was a Chinese drum group.

We passed another marching band, I got a quick pic of the Contemporary Resort and then headed into the Magic Kingdom.

Running up Main Street toward the castle definitely made me a little teary-eyed.  It was my first time running in the Magic Kingdom and I loved it.

Turning into Tomorrowland there was Chip & Dale and then in Fantasyland I got a picture with Alice in Wonderland with Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum

Once I reached the backside of the castle I got in line for a picture with Minnie & Mickey.  I also took a picture of the Trumpeters that were there announcing our arrival to the castle.  It was fun to look around and see all of the other runners as well.





After running through the castle, we turned into Liberty Square and Tiana, Louis the Alligator and Prince Naveen were there.  Annette later told me that on the other side of the road were the Haunted Mansion ghosts.  I totally missed them!  I think I was looking ahead into Frontierland where I could see Jesse from Toy Story!

We made our way past Splash Mountain and headed out of the Magic Kingdom through a backstage area.  There I got my picture with Pinocchio, Geppetto & Jiminy Cricket.  Also in that area were the characters from Peter Pan and the Genie from Aladdin.

Next we were on the road that runs past the Grand Floridian hotel.  There was a Reedy Creek Fire Department truck set up.  With fire trucks come hot firefighters and they did not disappoint!  Annette later told me Aurora and her Prince were set up on the right hand side of the road… totally didn’t see them.  
Also along that road was Belle & Gaston, Fairy Godmothers from Sleeping Beauty and I got pictures with Cinderella’s coach & her footman and played some golf with Goofy.  Apparently running a half marathon wasn’t enough for me.  



Heading back down World Drive towards Epcot, there was another school marching band, we also  passed the Hess Gas station where they had sports cars set up out front with their “mechanics”.  
There wasn’t a line for Princess Atta, so I stopped for a pic with her.



I was able to get a picture of the Heroes and a picture with Jack Sparrow and the pirates this time around.


He was saying to me “Do you know what comes next?”… me “No”… him “Neither do I…”  that is why I look a little scared.  Just as quirky as the Johnny Depp character, pretty funny!
At this point we were at Mile 10.  Couldn’t believe there was only 3 miles to go!
Running up the ramp from World Drive there was a Green Army Man from Toy Story.

I also took a couple of pictures of the course, runners and volunteers.



Epcot!  We are almost home!

In the Epcot parking lot there was an all-girl rock band jammin' out and 4 characters set up right next to each other.  I got my picture with the mom from Incredibles, Meg from Hercules, Jane from Tarzan and Mulan (this one is for my sister!)







I took this picture of Spaceship Earth as I headed into Epcot.  There was less than a mile to go and I was so sad it was almost over.

Got a pic with Pluto (oops moved before the picture was done).  Phineaus & Ferb and Duffy Bear (who? yeah exactly) were also there taking pictures.

Needed a picture of Epcot’s World Showcase since this was where the idea to get into running all started!

A Gospel choir lifted our spirits at the Mile 13 mark.

Mile Marker 13!  The Finish Line!  Mickey & Minnie (again)!





The ladies from the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique were there to sprinkle us with fairy dust and then I received my beautiful medal!

It was so organized and easy to get around after the race.  Got my picture taken with my medal.  Had some water, powerade, a banana and got a Luna bar for later.  Collected my bag, changed into my flip flops and headed out to meet up with Annette and her family.
They had signs and a flower for me… thanks Giovanelli family!  Congrats Annette on your first Half Marathon!
Like I said earlier, it was a spectacular race!  Thanks to all the volunteers for their support and to the Disney Cast Members who took my picture along the way!  Can’t wait to do it again next year!