Dee Runs Disney (Part 2)

Thursday morning we got up pretty early, hit the Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory for some breakfast, and grabbed the bus to the Disney Health & Fitness Expo at the ESPN Wild World of Sports complex. I had no idea what to expect there, but it was pretty cool. I picked up my race bib and t-shirt, and they had lots of running goodies. Poor Jay was completely bored out of his mind as I dragged him from booth to booth. I had no idea how many cool running gadgets, accessories, etc. were out there! It was a runner's paradise for sure. We stopped for some photo ops and then set off for Epcot.   

My one major complaint about the Expo was all the walking. Walking from the bus to the complex, walking back and forth between the buildings, walking back to the bus... it was exhausting! Next year we must plan better! More time up front and after to properly rest the legs! 

Anyway, off to Epcot we go! We had a pretty good day there. We had planned our Fast Passes in advance, so we hit up Mission Space first, the Soarin' (which we hadn't been able to get on in our last 3 trips!) and then we hit the character spot and had some pics taken :) 

The best part about being there without the kids was that we didn't have to rush anywhere! We weren't being pulled in 5 different directions, so we were able to take our time. We used that time to wait an hour to ride Test Track, which would have been a nightmare with the kids!!! Then we took  a very slow stroll through World Showcase and actually wandered through every single country, which I haven't done since I was a kid! It was so much fun!

Mexico!

Morocco!

Of course, my favorite stop was the good ol' US of A!!!

Funnel Cakes!!!

We finished off the night with the most delicious dinner in Japan, at Teppen Edo. It was a wonderful hibachi style meal with a very talented and funny chef, and a very friendly family from Indiana who were celebrating the engagement of one child and the college graduation of another. Dinner ended just in time for the fireworks show, and then we headed back to the Port Orleans. Hollywood Studios was on the agenda for the next day! 

Our plan was to hit Toy Story Midway Mania as soon as the park opened and get that long wait out of the way, then head off to take care of our fast passes. It must have been only ten minutes past 9 by the time we got over there but the wait was already over an hour!!! That ride is insane. So we set off to do some of the smaller stuff while we waited for our fast pass times. They were scheduled one right after the other so we rode Star Tours, Tower of Terror, & Rock 'n' Roller Coaster (MY MOST FAVORITE RIDE EVER!!!) pretty much back to back. I still haven't purchased my Disney photopass pics yet, but when I do I'll post our pic from Tower of Terror. It is priceless. I am screaming like a mad woman, I look like a lunatic really, and Jay is just looking at me, laughing hysterically. This pic pretty much sums up a day in the life of "us". 

We used our extra fast pass to ride Star Tours a second time because everything else was sold out. In our travels we noticed the wait for Toy Story was down to 45 minutes so we jumped on that and waited. We also hadn't been able to get on this ride in our last 3 trips, so we were determined. I decided after that I don't think it's worth the wait, but hopefully now I'll remember for next time! 

After that we decided to basically see every show in the place, another feat that is next to impossible with 5 kids in tow. We saw Indiana Jones, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show. The only things we missed were Frozen & American Idol. I couldn't believe how fast that day flew and before we knew it, it was time for our pre-race dinner! We hit up Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano for some pasta & meatballs. 

3 am was right around the corner, so right after dinner we headed back to the Port Orleans & grabbed my runner's box (breakfast: bagel, PB, granola bar, banana, water). I hit the shower quickly and then laid out flat me. Flat me is basically every single thing I need to put on for a race. You would think that some things are obvious, but I am terribly forgetful, so I lay every single thing out. All the basic attire including my Brooks Adrenaline GTS 14's,  plus my Garmin GPS watch & heart rate monitor, Glide, iPod Nano & super cool new headphones, Flip Belt (for my phone, inhaler, tissues, snacks & ID), headband, race bib and pins. 

I was fairly satisfied that I had everything, so I hit the sack.

FLAT ME!  

I was asleep a little before 9 pm if I had to guess. I had a little trouble settling down, but I still ended up with a little more than 6 hours sleep. 

The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song woke me up at 3 am on the dot. I could hardly believe that the day I had been working so hard for over the past year had finally arrived! 

Stay tuned for my recap of the big day, the WDW Half Marathon!