Tag Archives: Walt Disney WOrld

Running from Little Green Men

As a self-proclaimed Walt Disney World expert—meaning I can tell you the exact number of churros you can eat before you lose the will to live—one of my favorite corners of the parks is Toy Story Land. Nestled in Disney’s Hollywood Studios (which, let’s be honest, will always be MGM Studios to those of us who remember the Backlot Tour and the inexplicable presence of a Golden Girls house), this is the place where you get to be a toy for the day. It’s all giant building blocks, oversized board game pieces, and a healthy dose of nostalgia. It’s like stepping into your childhood, only with more sunscreen and slightly more expensive snacks.

Now, as a parent, my mission is to bring a little of that magic home, specifically, to the boys’ bathroom. Yes, you heard me: I am attempting to transform the most utilitarian room in the house into a Toy Story-themed wonderland. I have plans. Big plans. Beadboard! Wallpaper! Window coverings! Hanging monkeys! (The plastic kind, not the real ones. I’m not that ambitious.) I want it to be colorful, kid-friendly, and the kind of place where you half-expect Woody to pop out from behind the shower curtain and remind you to wash your hands.

But here’s the thing: the only thing standing between me and this Pixar-inspired paradise is, well, me. And a lack of power tools. And possibly a healthy fear of accidentally nailing my own foot to the floor.

What I really want—what I yearn for—is a mitre saw. And a jigsaw. And a nail gun. I want to be the kind of person who uses phrases like “orbital sander” in casual conversation and actually knows what it means. I want home projects to be my hobby, not just something I watch on YouTube with a mixture of awe and mild terror.

But here’s the secret Disney never tells you: learning something new, whether it’s how to wield a nail gun or how to navigate Genie+, is a lot like training for a marathon.

Stay with me here. When you decide to run a marathon (or, in my case, when you decide to run away from everything and end up in a marathon by accident), you don’t just lace up your shoes and jog 26.2 miles. You start small. You run a block. You wheeze. You Google “can you die from running?” You keep going. Over time, you get a little stronger, a little faster, and a little more confident that you won’t collapse in a heap by mile two.

Learning a new skill—like transforming a bathroom into Andy’s room, or figuring out how to use a mitre saw without losing a finger—is the same way. It’s about taking baby steps. You watch a video. You read an article. You buy a tool and stare at it for a week, wondering if you need a permit just to plug it in. You make mistakes. You learn. You get a little better. Eventually, you’re not just surviving—you’re thriving. Or at least you’re not actively endangering yourself or others.

So, as I stand in the doorway of the boys’ bathroom, armed with nothing but enthusiasm and a vague idea of how wallpaper works, I remind myself: this is my marathon. There will be setbacks. There will be questionable design choices. There will almost certainly be paint on the ceiling. But with each small step, I’m getting closer to creating a space that’s as magical as Toy Story Land—minus the crowds and the $6 sodas.

And who knows? Maybe someday I’ll be the kind of person who can say “orbital sander” with confidence. Or at least with fewer power tool-related injuries.

Until then, I’ll keep running from everything—except my dreams of a Toy Story bathroom.

Have you tackled a Disney-inspired home project? Or survived a marathon (literal or metaphorical)? Share your stories below! And if you have tips for using a mitre saw, please send help.

Running from the Phoenecians

Ah, dear reader, strap yourself in for a journey through time and space, or at least through the peculiar realm of Disney’s imagination, as we explore the marvel that is Spaceship Earth. This gargantuan golf ball, this colossal cue ball, this spherical spectacle that looms over Epcot like a geometric tumor, has been boggling minds and confusing pigeons since October 1, 1982.

Picture, if you will, a structure so audaciously futuristic that it makes the average UFO look positively pedestrian. This 18-story geodesic dome, wrapped in a dizzying array of 11,324 triangular panels, stands as a testament to human ingenuity, or perhaps to our species’ collective madness. One can’t help but wonder if the designers were inspired by a particularly vigorous game of connect-the-dots.

Now, imagine my wide-eyed wonder as a young lady in 1996, stumbling upon this behemoth for the first time. “Good heavens,” I thought, “has a colossal alien egg landed in Florida?” Little did I know that this extraterrestrial-looking orb housed a ride that would take me on a whirlwind tour of human communication, from prehistoric grunts to the information superhighway, all without the need for a single textbook or a stern librarian’s glare.

Inside this titanium-clad time machine, we’re treated to a parade of narrators that reads like a Who’s Who of distinguished voices. From Walter Cronkite’s reassuring tones to Jeremy Irons’ silky British purr, and now Dame Judi Dench’s regal intonations, it’s as if the history of communication is being whispered to us by a rotating cast of celebrities who’ve somehow found themselves trapped inside a giant ball.

The current iteration, narrated by the inimitable Dame Judi, is a sensory smorgasbord. As we glide through time in our “omnimover” chariots, we’re assaulted by the scent of burning Rome (a curious choice for a family attraction), while interactive screens invite us to ponder our future. It’s all set to a soundtrack so catchy that I often find myself humming it in the shower, much to the confusion of my neighbors.

But here’s the kicker, dear reader: without this plastic fantastic voyage through human achievement, I might not be here, tapping away at my keyboard like a caffeinated chimpanzee. The very existence of this blog, nay, the entire online Disney community, owes a debt to those intrepid Phoenicians and their newfangled “alphabet.”

So when I inevitably collect my “Most Spectacular Epcot Blogger in the Known Universe” award (a category I’m still lobbying to have recognized), I’ll raise my glass not to some deity or Hollywood star, but to those ancient scribes who set us on the path to today’s digital wonderland.

Here’s to you, Phoenicians! May your legacy live on in every tweet, blog post, and wildly inaccurate online review. Without you, we might all still be communicating through a series of elaborate grunts and interpretive dances. And let’s face it, some of us struggle enough with emojis as it is.

Why the events of 2014 are making my 2015 even better

I am usually a very sentimental person around this time of year. I like to reflect on the past year, but I love looking forward to what the next year will hold for me. This year has been a little bit different than normal. I haven’t really felt that way this year, for multiple reasons of which I thought I would share with you.

dsc_8518 (1)Reason #1: I got married!
That was of course a major life changing event, and something that I had been hoping for for a very long time. There is a level of satisfaction that comes with marking that milestone off you list of things to accomplish in the future. The fear of being alone is long gone, and I think that is the void that was filled more than the need to have a diamond ring and a fancy wedding dress. I couldn’t be happier about the path my love life has taken. Having a witness to all the good and bad that we have to wade through year after year is totally worth the heartbreak and pain you go through in your dating life.

Reason #2: I have a home!
This is hard to explain, but every place that I have lived (Cleveland, Parsons, San Jose) has never felt like where I was going to stay. Something inside of me always said that it was just a temporary stop on my way to my final location. Because I always had that in the back of my head, I also was extremely reluctant to completely unpack. I put stuff away, but I never made it my own. When I moved into Chas’ house back in May, there was a sense of relaxation in placing everything where it needed to go. I finally felt like the space was mine, and not just a stepping stone. I am sure this isn’t where we will live for the rest of our lives together, but for now, it is perfect for a newly married couple, 2 English bulldogs and a tuxedo cat.

Reason #3: I’m having a baby!
First comes love, then comes marriage. Well we have almost completed the final step of this school yard rhyme. So many people have said something to the affect of, “Man, you guys didn’t wait long!” We have been together for 7 years and were smart enough and responsible enough to wait until we were married to get pregnant, and now they are hassling us because we got pregnant three months after we got married! Suck it people! At least this baby will have two unbelievably committed parents in a loving relationship… I tell you. You just can’t win.

Reason #4: I don’t have to worry about my weight for the first 8 months of the year!
This has actually been a tough thing for me to comprehend. I am a fairly fit person, as can be deduced from the name of this blog, and telling yourself that it is ok to see extra pounds show up on the scale is not a easy mind switch. Of course I want to stay healthy and fit for my baby, but knowing that most of this year will be spent at a higher weight than I am used to is sort of a relief! My fitness goals are complete different from every other year of my life, and that is comforting, relaxing, and almost a bit satisfying.

Reason #5: I have new family members!
Friends that started the year as just my friends have quickly become family to both Chas and me. In January, I ran one of the toughest series races of my life, the Dopey Challenge (see previous posts for more information). My friends Darren, Bruce and Julie ran with me. Not only was that another life changing experience that happened in 2014, but it brought us extremely close together. They are now my family, and I have been lucky enough to get to spend quite a bit of time with Julie and her daughters in San Diego this year. I am so excited to be part of Darren and Bruce’s wedding in February, along with running the Glass Slipper Challenge with them and Julie at Walt Disney World that same weekend. As always, it will be epic!

My new extended family! Love them all!

Combine all 5 of these things into a person’s new year, and you have almost a perfect year on the horizon. I am sure there will be bumps in the road, but remembering all the good things about 2014 and the special things that are coming are sure to keep me focused on making 2015 the best year of my life… and my husband’s life… and my little lemon sized fetus’ life!

On to the next one! Cheers!

Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Recap

My biggest race of the year is always the second weekend of the year. I figure if I get the hard stuff out of the way early in the year, the I can sail through the rest of it. This year is sort of an exception, because I have to get married in the middle of it… you know, move in with someone, be a wife. This is not easy stuff we are talking about!

So back to the reason for this post: Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend! I was a complete idiot this year. I signed up for the Dopey Challenge, which involved running a total of 48.6 miles over the course of 4 days. I have never done this before, but the plan from the beginning was to run with friends, as I knew that slow and steady would be the best strategy. This is a struggle for me, because I have the mindset to put my head down and trudge through. I knew going in that I would need to hold back for the sake of the team.

We started with a 5K on Thursday bright and early at 6:15 am. My friends and I had decided to run 3/1 minute intervals, so slow and steadily, off we went. It was a successful race, through the back entrance of Epcot, around World Showcase, and back up to the parking lot where we started. It was a short, but enjoyable and fun race, and a great way to kick off a weekend of running.

Bruce, Me, Julie and Darren… My running buddies!

Friday was much of the same, but a little bit longer (10K distance) and started a little bit earlier. The group had decided to decrease our intervals to 2/1. The course was very similar, but extended the first 2.5 miles through the roads outside the front of Epcot. It was again an easy run, and I pushed it towards the end, finishing strong.

Day 2: Bruce, Julie, Me and D$

We knew Saturday was going to be a big test. The distance was 13.1 miles. Darren’s knees weren’t feeling great, and to be perfectly honest, a few of us were having some trouble getting rid of waste (if you get my drift). Our intervals were scheduled to be 1/1, and as we started our trek to the Magic Kingdom, it was obvious that at some point we would have to separate. We stayed together through mile 9-10 ish, then Bruce and I unleashed the beast and finished by abandoning out intervals and running the remainder of the way. I felt very strong after the race, but my heel was extremely sore.

Sunday morning came quickly, and let me tell you, knowing that you have run 3 races already, but you aren’t even halfway done with the total distance you are running (at this point we had completed 22.4 out of 48.6 miles) can be an overwhelming thought. Our intervals were scheduled at 1/1 again and we started out at target pace through the first 6 miles. We had to pull teeth for quite a few miles after that, trying to keep the group together. Once we got to mile 16, and had spent much of the last 6 miles walking, standing and waiting for fellow Team Kitchen Sink members, it was clear that continuing on was the only option. Bruce and I once again took the lead, pushing the pace, and finishing stronger than we had started. It took us over 6 hours to finish, which pains me a little bit to say, but I can tell you that I felt very confident in my training. Had I run at my training pace, I am certain that I would have PR’ed .

AH! Finished…

With lots of running, thousands of people, travel and very little sleep surrounding me, I headed back to California with a fever that reached 103.4 and lasted for about a week afterwards. Two weeks out at this point, I am still recovering physically from the flu, but I am getting back to normal.

I doubt that I will ever run the Dopey again. It is very time consuming to train for, plus I am fairly certain that married life will bring new challenges to contend with. I am so happy that I got to experience it though. It makes training for a regular marathon seem quite easy. On to bigger and better things in the coming days!

I just posted my new training schedule on the running calendar page. I am planning for another marathon in Oklahoma City in April at this point and am excited to start my new February schedule.

Walt Disney World Half Marathon Review

Half Marathon CourseI am super excited, because I have been waiting for almost 2 months now to give you a review of the Disney World Marathon and Half Marathon. The reason for the delay is that I have been waiting to get my marathon photos. The CD arrived today, and I am happy to share them with my blog readers.

After a 2 am wake up call, we arrived at Epcot  just before 3. When a race starts at 5:35 am, you have to get going pretty early to be ready to run 13.1 miles. After weaving my way through a very congested pre-race area, I walked the near mile trail to the start line to wait in a corral for another hour. The pre-race process at Disney is very taxing! I finally crossed the start line about 6:05 am, and the congested feeling that had been present all morning continued on the race course.

I have posted a map of the course. From the start of the race, we head straight on Epcot Center Drive, and then proceed on the ramp to World Dr. The course was so congested here that I was ready to scream. The combination of a very full race (27,000+people) and a narrowing course caused me some major problems. While I used the Galloway method to complete the Goofy Challenge over this weekend, I run quite a bit faster than many of the folks I was 725161_1015_0002corralled with. I was walking because I simply couldn’t get by people, not because I wanted to. By mile 5, we were in the Magic Kingdom, where I dropped off my tech shirt to my mom near the castle, and moved along the course.

I finished this race strong, but disappointed and frustrated that I felt stifled by the crowd. My finish time was 2:45:05, which was my goal actually. I was excited and frustrated to think that I could have easily run that race a lot faster had I not been held back by the thick crowd of runners.

The rest of the day was spent sleeping, relaxing and refueling for the big day that was coming. My body felt pretty good for having run 13 miles, but my feet were a bit sore. Mom ordered us Outback, steaks and vegetables for dinner, and we took them back to the resort, sat by the pool and ate. After dinner that evening, I jumped in the hot tub for about 20 minutes to recover a bit. It was all the perfect combination, because the next day went splendidly…

More on the full marathon soon…

 

Mission: Accomplished

I am back home, back home after 39.3 miles on the roads of the Walt Disney World resort. I made it. The Goofy Challenge is complete, and I (excuse my language, but after almost 40 miles I think it is warranted) FUCKING ROCKED IT!!!! Thought I would give all my readers… if there are any… a summary of my race. So here it goes.

I have never really cared about my time when I run. It’s about completing a distance. Well that magically changed at WDW. I started the half marathon with 27,000 others on a crazy crowded course. It was jam packed with people who thought a half would be easy… very few serious runners. It was a very frustrating run, because of the crowds, and I ended up finishing in 2:45:05. My goal was 2:45:00, so I was very happy with that. I definitely thought that I could have run it 5-15 minutes faster without the mass of people I had to weed through.

I felt good the morning of the marathon, and was ready for a very hot day… A heat advisory was in effect due to the combination of temperature and humidity. As I crossed the start line, I felt amazing. Upon approaching the 5 mile mark, I realized that I was really doing great. My time was at exactly an hour, and I felt awesome. By mile 10, I was cruising. At the half way point, I realized that I had PRed from the day before, decreasing my time by 3+ minutes. It got very hot very fast on the course, and by mile 17 I started to worry a bit when I was getting the chills. I immediately made sure that my mind set was all about fluid, and I stopped at every water station there after. It continued to happen, but I was doing ok. I started really feeling the heat between mile 20 and 21, but I just slowed down a bit, and made it into Hollywood Studios with few problems. As Epcot approached, I was again cruising. It wasn’t hard, it was just a matter of continuing to move. I was nearly brain dead by the finish line, as I just couldn’t even comprehend what I had just done, but was overwhelmed with joy. I got a PR on my marathon by about 21 minutes.

So happy… I missed this amazing feeling that running give you. I am so happy to have it back, and I am not going to lose it again. More races are in my near future. Thanks for everyone’s support, kind words, and help over the past year of training. I am excited to re-evaluate my plan and continue to grow as a runner.

Catching Up On Past Due Issues

Goofy LogoI am attempting to update my “Upcoming Runs” page tonight for the remainder of January. We will see how far I get, but hopefully I will have it totally done by the end of this weekend.

I am super excited for my runs this weekend, as they will be my final long runs before the Goofy Challenge begins next Saturday. Tomorrow, I am starting out with about a 4 mile jaunt, but I will be running on a treadmill, as I have to try out my warm weather clothes since I don’t think I will need my arctic wear in Florida this year. Sunday I will double my distance from tomorrow (I am assuming an 8 miler) and again test my warm weather wear indoors on the treadmill. I am super pumped about this final weekend, but I am even more excited to re-evaluate my goals when I get back, and work on scheduling the remainder of my races this year.

Here’s to a great weekend for runners everywhere!