2017 runDisney Star Wars Dark Side 1/2 Marathon Weekend

I've been meaning to write about this wild and crazy adventure ever since we got back from Walt Disney World exactly one week ago tonight, but I've been busy and super tired. A runDisney "RUNCATION" takes it right out of you. Especially when the goal is to run all three races in three days time while you're on vacation in one of the busiest, most hectic, most amazingly awesome places on earth! We weren't able to leave for this trip until super early Thursday morning, around 7am, but the runDisney expo started at 10am. So we were a bit stressed out about being a few hours late and perhaps missing some amazing piece of totally awesome race merchandise. In races past, we learned that in order to beat the Ebayers at their game (getting there early to the expo and just buying up all the perceived collectible items and then reselling them to runners on Ebay for a huge profit) we had to get there on the first day, and early. But of course we aren't the only smart people on the block, so everyone else caught onto this too and now it's a thing to get there right at expo opening.  So...we didn't get there until about 2:30pm and lo and behold, we breezed right through! There was NO LINES! Zilch! We walked straight up and got our race packets (bibs, race shirts, pins) and walked right into the merchandise area without a single hiccup. We also seemed to see everything that we could have wanted and I noticed nothing was missing. We had all of the pins, hats, shirts, jackets, and everything else our imaginations could land on. It was totally amazing and I, of course, spent too much money, as usual. The next item on our agenda was to check in at our resort! We were beat after not sleeping much and driving 7.5 hours to get down there, so we desperately wanted to get checked in and move all of our stuff into our room and settle in. We get to Old Key West resort and oh my goodness you will not believe what happened. Even though I booked and paid for a Deluxe Studio, we had been upgraded to a two-bedroom villa. That's right. We had 5 extra spots but unfortunately no partying friends to share it with. Holy cow. This place was over 1300 square feet and really super nice. Everyone had their own space and no one had issues sleeping due to noises like snoring or someone being awake and moving around when you weren't.  We even had a washer and dryer so I was able to do our race-stinky laundry before we headed back home. The view at Old Key West was so picturesque and everything was so clean and neat, which is usual for Disney property. This was a sprawling resort however, so we had to take the internal resort bus to get to the main Hospitality House where the restaurants and the main bus stop was to grab busses to the race starts. After a serious scare on the morning of the 10K (internal resort bus failed to pick us up and we almost missed the bus to the race) we decided to simply drive our car over there from then on out. It wasn't that far to drive but definitely too far to walk when you're saving your energy for the race. After unpacking the car, we were all pretty spent and we knew we had to be up at 3 am for the 5K Friday morning, so I cancelled the fast passes I'd reserved for rides in the Magic Kingdom and we called it a night. The 5K was an awesome course around Epcot. Easily doable for us because we'd trained properly for it. This was the only race for Sarah (the kiddo) too, so having her made it even more fun. We got there on time and had to wait in the corral for a long time, so of course by the time our corral gets to the start line, I have to pee like mad. Fortunately there was some woods nearby after the race got underway and it was still dark enough to hide behind the trees. There was absolutely no way to navigate back through the corral to the port-a-potties - there were thousands of people. Peeing on Disney property during a race is something I've had to do three or four times now. On the course, especially when the race first starts, there are very few potties so lots of folks hit the bushes and trees. Once you pee on the course, generally you're good to go for the rest of the race! Then, your sweat glands take over. After the race was over, we stopped for pictures, grabbed the bus back, took a shower and a nap, and headed to Epcot. We rode some rides, like Frozen Ever After, and some delicious food at Akershus with the Disney Princesses, and headed back to the hotel for an early bedtime. The 10K was equally awesome. We ran from just outside of Magic Kingdom over to Hollywood Studios to the Boardwalk and then around Epcot to the finish. It was a beautiful course. Running the Boardwalk is my absolute favorite spot for racing at Walt Disney World. I'd rather run the Boardwalk than run through Cinderella's Castle any day. The sounds it makes, the resort guests cheering you on with their voices and their cow bells and their funny signs is just too good for morale. And the beauty of that area cannot be overlooked. It's very well built, themed, and decorated. After the race, showers, and naps, we headed over to Hollywood Studios for a bit and ate a big lunch at the 50's Primetime Cafe. That was hysterical and delicious all wrapped into one. Once again, no fireworks for us, because we had to get back to the resort for an early bedtime. Again. The Half Marathon Course was over twice as long and, after starting in the MK parking lot, included a jaunt through Animal Kingdom, where I felt less intelligent than the monkeys who were looking down at all of us homo sapiens running through their home in the wee hours of the morning. They were barely up for breakfast and I'm sure we created quite the stir! The monkeys were the only animals I saw though, because I was trying to concentrate on running (it's still hard for me)! Overall, the Half Marathon course was really great, probably my favorite one so far out of all the courses I've completed at WDW. We hit Hollywood Studios, the Boardwalk, and Epcot again and the finish line was the same each day, just outside of Epcot. There was a few miles of back roads from the Magic Kingdom parking lot to Animal Kingdom park, but runDisney had quite the trick up their sleeve. We literally ran through what felt like a Star Wars battle in the dark. It was totally awesome. Laser lights, sound effects, and running. (Pew pew pew!) I'll never forget that stretch of road! There were Star Wars characters out at various stops during all three races, including characters before the races in the staging area and after the finish line too. I am much too slow a runner to take photos during the race, so the one I covet is the Ewoks! If you have a picture with the Ewoks, please share! After the Half, our legs were pretty wasted so we went back to the resort and spent the day there in the hot tub, pool, and sharing in a few activities at the Community Center. You can't see it of course, but I'm wearing a Darth Mickey tie dye shirt I created there that day! One ear is a bit wonky, which is why it's not included in the photos. That evening we had a great dinner at Olivia's Cafe right there at Old Key West. The next morning we had breakfast at Ohana at the Polynesian Resort and spent a few hours walking slowly around the Magic Kingdom until we had to load up and drive home so everyone could get back to work and school. It was a very quick and busy trip, which is why it's taken me a week to put this together. Overall, I was okay with our performance. We finished all three races standing up, smiling even! Training for these races is serious business, and we had some sickness between Star Wars Light Side, and Dark Side weekends. So the training for Dark Side wasn't as good. We were a bit slower towards the end of the race. At some point around mile 11, we turned off our Galloway interval timer and started using the "photo pass interval." That is, when you see a photographer you run for a bit so he or she can catch you looking the part and smiling for a split second, and then you go right back to walking and grimacing or whining or cussing or limping or whatever you were doing in a non-photogenic way before. The highlights of our weekend were definitely the room upgrade, the coveted Kessel Run medal, the unexpected Coast to Coast medal, meeting a new friend (Yo Samantha) on the half marathon course and running with her for 10 miles to the finish...and definitely the Disney dining plan. It was my first time using the Dining plan and it was ah-mazing. We had more food than we could safely eat, so we wound up bringing several snacks home with us. I brought home some cute BB-8 shaped rice crispy treats. Yum! We also met a very animated BB-8 in Hollywood Studios, and got a pic with Jabba the Hutt before the Half Marathon began on Sunday morning. Lots of other pictures, but those were the coolest ones by far. **I probably should say a word about taking the semi-required picture in front of Cinderella's Castle with my new 10 medal kessel run spread. Word to the wise: You need a friend to help you get all those heavy medals situated around your neck and over your arms. It is much harder than it looks!  I'm sure I've left a lot of stuff out. There is so much to share about 4 full days of pure adventure, that it can't possibly all fit into one blog post. I'm still pretty psyched about all of it, and I know that the Force was with us!