"I Only Run in Purple." - Anisum's Road PRs in 2018

Part 2: Tiana Room & Expo
So Magical Express took us to the hotel (Riverside) and L being the Disney pro she is suggested she get the bags from the bus while I go to check-in (or really find our room number because our friend who lives down there henceforth known a D already checked in for us on her way to work) I ended up in a line that grew rather long behind me but it was no big deal. After a few minutes of waiting we were ready to go. We had requested a bottom floor room near transportation and as far as Riverside is concerned (it's one of the big sprawling resorts) we pretty much got that. We entered our Royal Room and it was of course magic.

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This is pretty much what our room (sorry if the image is large) and it was epic. It was also disorienting because that letter on the desk looks real and it's not and the magic carpet looks like a separate carpet but again, is not. The sink faucet is the magic lamp and the whole room is full of little bits of magic. This may not have been as luxurious as a Deluxe resort but it was probably one of the coolest Disney rooms I stayed in. We didn't have long to check it out though because it was almost noon which meant expo time.

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We had decided in advance to worry about our bibs and then determine whether the merch line was worth waiting in based on the size. We had a few goals 1. Pick up our bibs. 2. Find L a Flip-Belt 3. Try and pick up my mom's ChEAR Squad Packet. 4. Pre-Order Merch 5. Determine whether or not runDisney merch was worth it.

While we got on a bus just before it left our resort we were still immediately subjected to the mass chaos that is a runDisney expo on opening day. We found the Dopey (and Goofy) line easily and wound around to get our stuff. Since L and I were consecutive bib numbers it was easy not to lose each other at pick up. They gave us our bibs and our complimentary race dots or whatever they're called and of course our luggage tag. L thought ahead and asked about our pins (meaning our pre-order Disney pins) but they handed her pins to attach her bib instead. This would be of great use to me since I didn't think to ask and didn't trust the dots I had never used before. Then it was off to shirts. I got my shirts, make sure they were a women's set instead of a men's set (I had only done the Princess and Tink where the majority of the shirts were women's sizing so I didn't worry about checking). I do wish I had checked closer because since all of my shirts were my women's size, the 5k shirt is giant on me since it's the unisex equivalent so that will be a nightgown or pajama top.

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Next was Flip-Belt. We went into the area where most of the vendors were to see if Fit2Run carried them since L got a discount there. They did not however which kind of makes sense since the Flip Belt company was there in one of the other buildings. We tried them on and I liked it enough that I felt it was worthwhile to get one myself. Part of that was because I had read that you shouldn't carry camelbaks or other superfluous water delivery systems on your body during races because of the stress it puts on your shoulders. I don't really need extra water but I had brought my camelbak because I can only store so much fuel and for me a marathon was 3 packs of gummies and four gels. I also was able to carry suntan lotion and lip balm day of which was nice.

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Next was trying to pick up my mom's ChEAR squad using only my receipt (I bought it) and my mother's waiver. Fun fact, ChEAR Squad waivers are the same as athlete waivers but without a bib number. There was a slight line for this as people who didn't pick up their race retreat entry were doing so along side ChEAR Squad pick-up which blew my mind since they had already lost out on what to me is one of the biggest perks, early expo entry? Come on guys? I hope your flights at least got delayed to make you miss out on that. When I got to the front they let me pick up the packet but the volunteer had to call over a runDisney cast member to approve it since I didn't have my mom's ID.

Meanwhile in hellthe magical official race merch line.

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L waited. She decided to see how fast it moved while I got the packet. In 20 minutes we were almost under the tent thing that led to the entrance (and by almost I mean halfway there). It was already 2:30 which is around when the expo usually starts to calm down but it was just getting worse. More importantly our pre-purchased pins were in there and at the time cast and volunteers were still telling people they could only pickup said merch by waiting in the line. We decided to just wait it out. Whether or not that was a good decision I still don't know.


After another 20 minutes we got inside, only to run into ANOTHER LINE! This was truly Disney.

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Another 20 minutes passed before we were let in. The expo space was much larger which made sense because runDisney needed to sell their official line of Disneybound Running Costumes or whatever they were calling it in addition to regular merch. Our first stop was the Dopey aisle where the last of the men's blue hoodies were going fast with only XL and XXL still on the shelves. A cast member was passing and when someone asked her to look for something L jumped on and asked about getting a size large. It was nice to be able to get a hoodie that was bigger since it was a departure from the light jackets we usually are able to get at expos. The women's Dopey stuff was bypassed by us because while I adored the gray tank I didn't like the texture and both of us found the purple/pink/magenta color of the women's jackets disorienting. I can't find a picture online that does the men's hoodie justice but I love it. Then it was off to get our magnets (3x Dopey and a 10k for D), our tervis tumblers (mug for D and big bottle for myself and my mother), bondi bands (5k, Marathon, and Dopey), and ornaments (one for each of us), and look around picking up and putting down random articles of clothing and merch before deciding to check out. That line was also a mess but it was super fast with cast members lined up ready to take your money.

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Then we headed to pick up our pre-purchased pins. After making our way through that final line it was almost 4pm so we headed back to the hotel for a late/light lunch and a quick nap while we waiting for D to get out of work and do the expo. We each had a flatbread for lunch (I had chicken and L had meat lovers) and our quick nap had us discovering another hidden treasure in our hotel room. You may see a button on the top of the headboard. It makes fireworks happen on the headboard which is kind of the best thing ever.

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After our nap D came to pick us up after her own expo adventures which involved picking up her 10k bib, a few odds and ends for herself, and some secret stuff. We headed to Disney Springs for dinner. We had hoped to do Homecoming but it was a 50 minute wait so we looked online and were able to get a reservation at Frontera Cocina. It was going to be a little while so we hit World of Disney. Then we headed back for dinner and had guacamole, salsa, and finally some delicious chicken tortilla soup. It was delicious!

Then D dropped us off (she had to work the next day and not at 3:00am when we were getting up for the 5k) and we headed straight to bed after setting out our clothes for the morning.
 
Loving this so far. And, on a random note, thanks for all the details you’re posting about Riverside! I was eyeing it for a future trip and your posts are totally selling me on it.
 
Waiting for anything(anyone) at the airport is so stressful. Glad the children beside you were peaceful, that is a trigger for me too.
Yeah, I'm not the best with kids unless they belong to someone I know.
Omg, a trip without a phone?! I don't think I would survive.
Honestly it was fine. Freeing even. I was with friends and I had my Garmin so I didn't need it for running. L is the My Disney Experience App pro so if we needed to know wait times or make reservations that was her job anyway. There are definitely trips where I would want my phone, any international trips or ones with a lot of downtime. Since L was with me, I used her to request certain things when she arrived but beyond that I was good until I got my phone back.

I will also 2nd not surviving without a phone. In fact that is how DD got her first phone. We had gone to a swim meet out of town(which in AK means a 2hr plane ride) and discovered leaving my phone in the car at airport. Since the meet info, times, etc are all on the internet that meant first stop would be ATT&T. So upon returning DD got my old phone and I had a shiny new one. Glad you found some nice folks and that your mom had yours. Excited to hear how the rest of your weekend went.
I mean, depending on where I ended up and if I was alone I would have considered it but others had phones so I wasn't too worried.

Loving this so far. And, on a random note, thanks for all the details you’re posting about Riverside! I was eyeing it for a future trip and your posts are totally selling me on it.
Oh man, so I loved Riverside with one exception. It wasn't a big deal for us because we came and went at off times because of race weekend but unlike French Quarter, Riverside has four bus stops total and ours was the last one so there was always potential to miss a bus because it was full. On the other hand, we were always headed straight to the parks after they picked us up, but we had to sit through every stop to get back. We did use Lyft a few times and that worked great so if you ever don't want to sit through a bus line I'd say that worked well.
 
Oh man, so I loved Riverside with one exception. It wasn't a big deal for us because we came and went at off times because of race weekend but unlike French Quarter, Riverside has four bus stops total and ours was the last one so there was always potential to miss a bus because it was full. On the other hand, we were always headed straight to the parks after they picked us up, but we had to sit through every stop to get back. We did use Lyft a few times and that worked great so if you ever don't want to sit through a bus line I'd say that worked well.

Ooooh, that's a great pointer. I can see that being a challenge with a toddler in tow, so I'm glad to know about it ahead of time... thanks!
 


Part 3: Why Is It So Cold?

I brought all of my warm running clothes on the off chance it would be cold like last year. Apparently that decision really paid off given the weather on Thursday morning. We packed on the layers which consisted of long sleeve top (purple), fleece lined hoodie (purple), fleece lined leggings, thick socks, gaiter, and a hat for me and long sleeve top, short sleeve top, fleece lined leggings, some kind of socks, and a hat for L. We both put on my cheap mylar blankets, which while not as good as Disney's will do in a pinch) and headed out.

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It was cold. We were lucky enough to get on the bus that was already outside the resort and while it might seem unlucky we were lucky enough to be on the back (an extra few moments of warmth while off loading). Due to how close we were to Epcot we did not get to enjoy the warmth for long before being sent out into the cold. We got our picture taken with the Marathon Weekend sign and got our little glow stick necklaces from R.O.D.S. and then headed further down. All of the heaters they stuck out were surrounded so we went to huddle for warmth in the character lines instead. All lines were roughly equal because the characters weren't out yet so you had no idea which one to get for a specific character. We got in the green line because green is L's favorite color and definitely in my top two favorites. It turns out Donald came out for our line so we got a picture with him. I was a little bummed because Pluto was the next line over with a blue background but we had enough time to get into his line after Donald's.

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Then we headed to the corral. We huddled together for warmth while we watched the announcers on the video screen. It was Rudy, @Ariel484's nemesis Clarissa, and announcer number 3 (I think John?). They were all decked out in Pluto inspired winter gear. They were mildly amusing and it was one of the few times I actually got to watch them since I'm not normally by a screen but they did a good job with setting up screens for the 5k and the 10k. Anyway, by the time the first corral got set off our corral was already moving to the front (I was in D). The whole thing was kind of nice because the long winding walk to the start kept me warmer than hanging out in the corral did so I would definitely approve of doing so again.

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Before long we were throwing our mylars out (please don't drop them in the corrals Rudy pleaded constantly) and heading off. It was the usual Princess/Marathon Weekend 5k course around World Showcase. It was different than usual though because of the 5:30am start it was darker than usual and we got some great shots in the dark. We ran most of the backstage portion and walked a lot of world showcase. We stopped for a few selfies and got a picture with I think it was Horace (I'm terrible with my early Disney characters) which was cool.

All too soon we reached the finish and headed through to get our medals (featuring my fav Pluto) and more importantly a stockpile of mylar blankets for the next morning. L and I briefly got separated in the finisher's chute but we eventually found one another without the use of cell phones (since I didn't have one) and we got our banana and box (complete with fake cheese of course) and headed out.

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We went back to the hotel to change and grab our ears before heading back out to Animal Kingdom to hit our 8:10am Fast Pass for Flights of Passage. By the time we got there the standby had almost reached the park entrance and was between 3-4 hours long. I have to say it was really good but not worth that much time out of my day. I liked the movement of the ride and the way the seats were set up. We decided to get breakfast at the Satu'li Canteen but found out it only serves lunch and dinner (L was there for opening day and it had a delicious breakfast apparently). We decided to get a few photos taken, check out a few shops and watch Festival of the Lion King.

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We got into the giraffe section (What sound does a giraffe make?) and my mother started texting L about checking in for her flight. See, I had booked her flight and so I had the confirmation email for her to check in. I planned to forward it to her but with my phone being with her I could not. Luckily she got on my phone and found it and was able to get her boarding pass. Yay!! She had a snow day so she was using the home printer to print her boarding pass which means color ink (what can I say I ran out of black ink) but managed that and was ready to go. We finished watching Festival of the Lion King and I commented that I hoped they were on the course of the marathon but found it unlikely and headed back over to the canteen for a lunch of hamburger filled steamed buns and a blueberry mousse thing. It was delicious. Below is pretty much our lunch.

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Then we headed back to the front of the park, got our pictures by the tree and headed back to our room for a midday nap.
 
Carissa IS my nemesis! :headache:

Satu’li Canteen is so good! I wish they still served breakfast, I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. :(
 


So glad you not only survived the expo but actually got what you wanted! Yay you!
Also that room at Riverside is incredible!! I don't know if they've recently redone the Princess rooms-but it did not look that well themed when we stayed in one years ago.
 
Ooooh, that's a great pointer. I can see that being a challenge with a toddler in tow, so I'm glad to know about it ahead of time... thanks!
Yeah, apparently that's why some people (my cousin) end up liking French Quarter better (also because it has beignets) but for me it's really hard to pass up a room with even a hint of Tiana theming.

Carissa IS my nemesis! :headache:

Satu’li Canteen is so good! I wish they still served breakfast, I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. :(
I was told it was amazing and it made me hungry and then we found out it wasn't open. It was a tragedy. :(

I feel like she yells into the microphone. Every time she talks (screams) I flinch. :duck:
What was weird about this was every time she found a runner to interview she made no effort to put the microphone near their face so you can't hear them.

Sounds like a successful race morning! Excited to read more : )
It was. I actually waited in a photo line which is always a big deal.

That and I feel like she only talks favorably about faster runners. That’s my biggest problem with her. :sad2:
I've noticed this as well it made me curious as to how fast she was since she actually ran the 10k (or at least I think that's why they said she wasn't there but I don't know what corral she was in.

So glad you not only survived the expo but actually got what you wanted! Yay you!
Also that room at Riverside is incredible!! I don't know if they've recently redone the Princess rooms-but it did not look that well themed when we stayed in one years ago.
Me too. The expo was crazy and I really feel for anyone who didn't get what they wanted because they didn't wait in that line. That was almost me.

I really adore the room though I have no idea when they renovated it.
 
That and I feel like she only talks favorably about faster runners. That’s my biggest problem with her. :sad2:

Agreed!

I've noticed this as well it made me curious as to how fast she was since she actually ran the 10k (or at least I think that's why they said she wasn't there but I don't know what corral she was in.

I am a creeper and looked up her time for the Wine and Dine 10k last year. She ran it in 52:39, so around an 8:30 minute/mile which is fast, but not elite level or anything.
 
Part 4: Night Time in Animal Kingdom
This was going to be the first time I went to Animal Kingdom with the later park hours. So when we woke up in the afternoon I was pumped. We figured it would be getting cold again so we wore heavier jackets and put mylar blankets in our bags just in case. We got back on the bus and headed to Animal Kingdom. Our next fastpass was for the safari just as the sun was setting. We had been told it was the best time to get pictures so that was when we went. Due to buses arriving in a timely manner we actually made it to Animal Kingdom early and ended up checking out some of the shops. We actually ended up with a giant sugar cookie that we split since we weren't getting dinner until post safari. It looked like the one below but was green instead of pink. It was delicious!

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Then we hopped in line for safari. A family in front of us was pushing a toddler (maybe two or three years old) in an adult wheelchair when the kid fell out and almost got run over. Not sure why they thought it was a good idea since the kid was very clearly too small but luckily the kid wasn't injured. They had to park the wheelchair not long after and in the time it took we ended up continuing through the fastpass line. We got on just as sunset according to L's phone and we got some really awesome pictures. Between the cold and the not-quiet dark some animals weren't seen at all while some were more active than usual. The safari as a whole was as good as ever though our mirrors were not crooked at all from what I could see.

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Once the safari was done we had some time to grab dinner before Rivers of Light. We headed to Flame Tree BBQ where I got the baked mac & cheese with pulled pork while L got the kid's chicken sandwich. The whole meal was delicious. I love Disney's mac and cheese and while baked isn't my favorite form of it with the pulled pork it was really good.

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After dinner we had some free time to pick up some pins I had seen that I wanted. I got the Winter Wishes Pluto and a few others I had been looking at.

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Then it was time we headed to Asia to get seated for River of Light. We got front row seats (apparently no one wanted to feel the wind coming from over the water) but with out mylar blankets we were warm enough. It was my first time seeing Rivers of Light and while I thought the technology used was very impressive, the use of the actors on the boats and the conveyance of the storyline didn't seem as strong as many of the other Disney shows. I am glad Animal Kingdom has a nighttime spectacular now though even if it isn't my favorite.

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After the show we booked it back to the bus and headed back to Riverside. We were half way into bed when D finally arrived with her things. She had taken Friday off since she was running the 10k so she was staying over with us. It was exciting. In our excitement we probably didn't get to bed quite as early as we would have liked but we had fun.
 
Part 5: Running in the Cold... Again

We woke up early to the happiest alarm ever (Google LG's Good Morning Alarm) and headed off towards the bus. D had to wake up even earlier to make her hair look like Minnie Ear buns. Luckily I just had to throw on some running clothes and walk out the door. When we got to the bus the line was much longer than the previous day (possibly because we set our alarm for later?) and given our position as last bus stop on the Port Orleans route we had to wait until they sent back an empty bus just for our stop (maybe 15 minutes). Our bus driver this morning either was testing out the route he'd be driving the next day or only knew one way to Epcot because we went the long way around Swan and Dolphin and then the Boardwalk area to get to Epcot. Ahh, well, more time in the warm bus.

L and D were just wearing one mylar blanket each so I abandoned my original plan to wear two (this would prove to be a mistake) and just wore one as well. I think corrals were open by the time we got our picture by the marathon sign so we headed straight to get a warm seat there. D was in Corral C while L and I were in D but D decided to stay with us (confusing I know). This morning we sat in the corrals despite the cold ground because it makes it easier to fully cover yourself in a mylar blanket.

Today there was Rudy, the Announcer formerly known as Announcer 3 (John?), and Not Clarissa. Why? Because Clarissa was running. Happy day. All of them were wearing Minnie themed merch and while I may have thought it an accident yesterday today I learned the truth. They weren't including Shannon, the wonderful sign language translator who knitted her own fingerless gloves for the even (at least according to Rudy) in their group costumes!!! Now, I'm sure Disney provides the costumes but I am crushed they didn't do the same for Shannon as she was often the highlight of the pre-race show, especially when she was translating for a character (her Donald was outstanding!).

Anyway, by the time the first corrals were going off we were walking once more on our long winding way to the start. When we started we said by to D who was using this race as a PoT for future Disney races and continued along our path. We tried running and then walking and then running but there was too much walking for me so L got us on her intervals 1min/1min which seemed to work much better for us to stay together. The first bit before Epcot was boring but then in Epcot I got to play my favorite runDisney game, try to run/pose in a way that they get a good photo of me.

Soon we were going around the boardwalk and I saw @Dis_Yoda who gave me a beer! I don't know what beer it was (it was not a sour) but it was pretty good. It made it to Beach/Yacht Club with me. When we entered back into the backstage of Epcot we were in a construction zone and guys... they had the most creative "characters". They had two cast members dressed as superhero inspired construction workers (Thor and Hulk) making the snarkiest comments. "It's okay, keep walking, I'm not doing any work until you finish the race." was one I really liked.

We made it to the finish and got our medals and our mylar blankets and met D who was in line for a photo with Minnie. We were planning to wait until she finished with Minnie BUT the kind people in line behind her urged us to join the line (THANK YOU WHOEVER YOU ARE!!) which was very kind of them. After Minnie we took a photo with Mickey who had next to no line before heading back to the bus.

There was a bus waiting for us to hop on and we headed back to Riverside. L got a text from my mother that she had gotten on the magical express so I called first dibs on a shower so I would be able to go up and meet her. We decided we would get breakfast at the resort then take an hour nap before heading to Magic Kingdom for the day.

I headed up to the lobby and within 10 minutes my mother arrived. I was excited to see her (and also excited to see my phone). We headed straight to breakfast and got a table and took turns ordering at the counter. D and L were not far behind and we all sat down for a good breakfast before heading back to the room for nap time.
 
When we entered back into the backstage of Epcot we were in a construction zone and guys... they had the most creative "characters". They had two cast members dressed as superhero inspired construction workers (Thor and Hulk) making the snarkiest comments. "It's okay, keep walking, I'm not doing any work until you finish the race." was one I really liked.
These guys were a highlight for me too!! They were fantastic!!

try to run/pose in a way that they get a good photo of me.
And where is the photo proof of this?
 
Part 6: Magic Kingdom
So my goal of the day was to attend the HH Meetup. And I will tell you now I failed. With our fastpass set up (something I rarely pay attention to) there was no way to do both HH and Jingle Cruise and I'm sorry guys but I love Jungle Cruise and had to see the Christmas version. I figured I could arrive late but forgot that park transportation can be a pain. The saddest part is, when we got on it wasn't even Jingle Cruise. It had been changed back that day. :( There were some highlights of our trip to MK though.

D had insisted we see Country Bear Jamboree and the rest of us, L, my mother, and me all rolled our eyes. I'm sure I had seen it before as a child and I don't recall it being that impressive then. The rest of us all kind of agreed though we only had vague memories for it. Still we had time before our Mine Train fastpass after we had eaten our Dole Whips that we got in the hope of avoiding the inevitable so in we went. And wow guys. It was something. If you haven't gone in several years you should go. I'm not sure how exactly it's considered family friendly in these days but I assume that lines like "Momma, Don't Whip Little Buford", "There's blood on the saddle, there's blood all around, and there's a big ol'puddle of blood on the ground", and "All the guys that turn me on turn me down" were acceptable for children back in the 70s. We were apparently the only adults who found the show funny because I lost it during Big Al's song. Partially because I was in such disbelief at what was happening. It was a highlight of our trip. Also, Country Bear Jamboree exits into a restaurant instead of a gift shop so that should tell you how special it is.

After the Jamboree I grabbed a turkey leg. It was good if not a bit oversalted. I'm not sure what mutant turkeys have such large legs but they're delicious. We rode Mine Train and swung our car back and forth like proper adults. After that we walked through some of the shops before heading to dinner.

We ate at Be Our Guest because my mom had never been there and we were sat in the ballroom right near the Christmas tree. I had the French Onion Soup (pretty good but not outstanding) and the steak frites (good, but not that difficult to make), and of course the grey stuff for dessert. I really liked my grey stuff because it was on some kind of bland vanilla tart thing (or the plainest cheesecake ever but I don't think so) because I like vanilla and am not a big fan of chocolate cake or cake in general so many brownies (at least at Disney) end up being iffy. It was good and I was pleased.

We took pictures with the tree, took pictures with The Beast, and headed out. It was around 7:30 but we had to wake up early for day three so we headed back to the hotel and talked a bit before heading to bed.
 

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