That was utterly terrifying and I regret having joined you (comments welcome)

[NYC_MW]

PW23 Trip/Race Recap
Saturday (finally a race day!)
The plan was to be on the 1st bus at 3, so I think we had a 2:30 wake-up. Apparently I had neglected to tell L the races started at 5a (with an even earlier call time) until after she had already registered (oops), but she rallied. The line for Belle was already super long when we arrived ~3:30a, but since we were dressed as Mrs. Potts and Lumiere, that was where we headed. I think the CM took a break soon after we got in line, and it was a little dicey whether or not we would make it, as she had a hard stop of 4:30a (I guess to make sure we all got to the corrals in time?). Photopass stamp says 4:21 so we just made it, but sadly that meant missing the meetup . Had ~8oz of water and a HoneyStinger waffle while in line for Belle and stopped at the porta-potties before heading to the corrals. We ended up about the middle of C and started just before 5:30a; it wasn’t as crowded as I was afraid it’d be (both in the corral and on-course). Lots of fun seeing the different costumes–the couple (mom & son?) who were in full ball-gowns for each of the races while in line for Belle, and many other BatB characters (though more Chips than Mrs Potts). We decided that L would set the pace and decide which characters to stop for (unless I saw a must-do). I'd also snap pix of all the mile markers and then sprint to catch back up. I think we also ended up stopping at all the water stations? We got photos with Tiana, Mulan, Chip/Dale, and Anna; Strava has my elapsed time as 1:36:10 and moving time as 1:11:43, so ~6min/line, not too bad. And we got a great sunrise view from the Boardwalk in line for Anna.



L was planning to take it easy and had some work to do this day while I had a date with HS and MMRR, so we parted after getting our medals/snack boxes. Got back to AsMo, showered, and packed my stuff to leave with bell services (we were moving to Pop that night), and managed to just miss a HS bus. But another came quickly, and left with only ~5 ppl on board just after 8:30a. Got to HS ~8:50 and headed straight to Rise. It ended up being ~75min wait but not too bad as chatted a bit with the couple behind me in line. And the ride was just as exciting this 2nd time as in January, maybe even more so because I knew what to look out for. Wandered and explored more in GE then saw a Photopass CM in front of the Millenium Falcon. He was great! Spending a lot of time with each party, posing them, taking different magic shots, so fun. And I caught a full-on view of Rey and Chewie as they walked by as well!

SR’ed Smugglers Run; a family with 2 young kids were supposed to be the pilots/gunners, but the littlest freaked out at the last second and had to leave with his mom, so we ended up with two pilots and only the right gunner and right engineer (me). Apparently we did horribly (or so the CM said as we were walking off), but I couldn’t really tell the difference and still had fun, so . Finished off the outer galaxies with Star Tours (~20 min wait), refilled the popcorn bucket, then headed to what I’d been looking forward to since January: Runaway Railway. Thankfully it was only posting a ~60min wait (as opposed to 3 hrs when I tapped out in Jan), but it still felt very very long. The ride itself was great (especially the entrance through the screen) the graphic style was cute, and I had a lot of fun looking for Pluto throughout the storyline. I can see why people love it so much. I was getting a little tired by this point, but HAD to last until Fantasmic at 8pm (and it was only 1p). So headed over to watch Indiana Jones (which hadn’t really been on my radar at all). It was a fun watch, nice to sit down in the shade, and got to chat a little with the person sitting in front of me, who would be doing her first rD event (and first half ever) tomorrow.

Then saw that TOT was posting a short wait. After enjoying GotG: Mission Breakout at CA adventures, and @lookingforsunshine's comment that it was basically the same as ToT, I figured it was worth a try. And I did enjoy it! Was still very nervous while the car was moving towards the drop zone, but then it wasn’t that bad. I must have been building it up in my head way too much. Since I was in the area anyways, dropped in on Lightning McQueen (meh), then met Sorcerer Mickey and Glamorous Minnie (~45 min wait, which was much longer than posted, but I think a lot of people were coming in with LL?). Still had 4.5 hrs until Fantasmic…so sat (and napped) through Muppet 3D, and then went to Frozen Ever After. Which surprisingly hit all the feels; it was very cute to hear the little kids but also the adults all singing along. Also, the historians were pretty amusing, though I could see it getting old after a couple run-throughs. Contemplated going to Toy Story Land to ride Slinky, but the wait time was still very long and I was definitely lagging, so (surprisingly), ended up going for another ride on ToT (again a short wait) with some fun photopass shots along the way, then a repeat of Star Tours as well.

It was ~6p, and figured I needed more fuel than trail mix and popcorn, so mobile ordered gumbo from ABC Commissary. It was okay but super salty (and may have upset my stomach the next day during the half). Then finally headed over to stake out a spot for Fantasmic ~6:40p. Stood waiting for a bit, but they probably started letting us in around 7p. I ended up just right of center, but maybe 5th row from back (strategizing for getting out quicker and not getting wet). Nodded off a bit while waiting for the show to start, but then, it was AMAZING. I think it tops the fireworks in MK and really appreciate how they maximized set/stage usage. So so good and a great ending to the day. Slowly trooped out to the exit for the last ride of the day-Skyliner. I’d never taken it before and it was so smooth and fast! Also got to chat with two more people who’d be running the next morning as well. Arrived at Pop (first time staying here) a little after 9, had a bite of some Gideon’s cookies L had picked up at DS, prepped for the next day and conked out.

 

[NYC_MW]

PW23 Trip/Race Recap
Sunday
I think we got on the 2nd bus that left just before 2:30 with <10ppl on it and timestamp has us taking pictures with the big 19.3 just before 3am (appreciated that they had these out on the course as we had missed them at the expo). Also got to chat a little with one of the pacers as we were walking from the bus to the start, which was cool. We managed to get pictures with Rapunzel and Raya, but the Cinderella line was too long, so headed to the corrals around 3:45 with a stop at the gear check porta-potties. Had wanted to be at the meetup, but saw @Naomeri's post that everybody had already left by then as well . We again settled around the middle of corral C, sitting at the right fencepost. I had my minibagel+PB and ~8oz of water, we chatted with a woman who was perfect Princess, and chilled. Started ~5:13a with same strategy as yesterday: L would set pace, pick character (except I made us stop at Figment) and water stops, and I’d take mile marker pix. I did snap Rey as we went by, but it was too late to get in line. We HAD to stop for Mushu/Mulan/Shang (our second?), even though that line was long. Mushu was so excited to see L and went in for a big hug, haha (and Shang recognized that I was Cri-kee! Most people recognized L but not many knew me…). Other photo stops were based on line length and we got Jasmine, Woody/Jessie, Tink/Fawn (I think same Tink CM as for MW?), Pluto, and Abu. Villains line was also long so we just took a selfie from afar. Looks like just under 21 minutes for 8 stops, the majority of which was probably for Mushu & the gang. They were still out when we looped back around but I think L just wanted to keep moving at that point. I love our castle shot, and we got a great one coming in at the finish line. Also got to see the sunrise right around mile 8 (someone next to us started singing “The Circle of Life”). We hit most of the water stops (it was nice not carrying a bottle, but I did miss the flexibility), I took a Maurten around mile 7.5, and had to make a porta-potty stop around ~mile 10. I was struggling a bit at the end given 4 previous very long days (did not do as good a job of taking it easy as at MW), and that last cloverleaf was not welcome.


But we did it! L’s first rD weekend (and first half since the pandemic) was in the books. Do probably prefer MW over PW, but they were both a LOT of fun and will continue recommending rD events to everybody though it may be awhile before my next one. Got a finisher photo with the paddles, and saw that they had an official merch tent (yay! since we had bypassed it at the expo), so got to pick up a PW magnet before we headed to the buses for our day at Epcot.

Took our time after getting back to the room, but were back out on the Skyliner ~11a. It was nice coming through the International Gateway: less people and we got to meet Daisy and Minnie. Continued with the characters, popping in on Alice and Mary Poppins. Stopped in Canada to pick up Maple Popcorn (it is soooo good!!!! definitely recommend) and gawked at all the displays already up for the Garden Festival. They were gorgeous, so impressed. Had gotten G+ as figured we’d not be up for standing in long lines. First up was Soarin’, with just enough time before return to hit up LwtL. We both might have dozed off a bit during the dark parts before the greenhouses, oops. Soarin’ was great as usual (and we got the first row, yay), but the piped in scents at CA Adventure really do just bring it to the next level. And also managed to get us a VQ for GotG while in line. Then over to the Seas for Nemo and general aquaria nerding out, with some Photopass shots (it was eye-opening to chat with the CM who said he had walked from FiDi back to NJ on 9.11!).

Then more Photopass sessions: meeting Goofy and multiple medal shots with the ball, before riding SE itself. We had gotten LL for Test Track but then it went down. Didn’t realize until getting back home that we could then have had an anytime LL for anything? Nothing like that appeared in the app. We had a later LL for Ratatouille and kept trying to get something for Frozen but all the return times were gone and never opened back up despite frequent checking . I think we went to Club Cool at this point to check out the different flavors and just get some cold drinks; they were all pretty good. Our friend was the Mulan CM that day, so we booked it to China to get pictures before her shift was over. Then backtracked to meet Pluto across from Disney Traders, Donald in Mexico, and Anna & Elsa in Norway. Picked up more Dole Whip at the Refreshment Outpost (swirled Pineapple and Salted Caramel!), then fast-walked through the rest of World Showcase to make our Remy return (thank goodness we had G+, the line seemed quite long). Forget which seats we were in, but definitely got the mop water right in the face this time (I think L is just cursed with theme park water haha). After a magic shot photo with Remy at the fountain in front of the ride, decided to save our legs and take the ferry across the lagoon (didn’t even know this existed, thanks to L for spotting it) to make our Guardians VQ. We were ~5 min late, but got in with no worries. I tried to position us by the doors during the pre-show, but messed up where the doors were, oops. We got Disco Inferno, and again, just such a spectacular ride, could definitely ride it over and over. Got some photopass shots afterwards, including a magic shot with Groot (I still haven’t watched either GotG movie, but it was fun). Finished up World Discovery with a walkon to Mission Space: Green (the views of Earth on the green side are better than those of Mars on the orange, but I didn’t really feel a difference in ride intensity between the two) and then SR Test Track.

It was ~8:15p by this point and we had a 6:20a flight the next day. We were both tired and contemplating watching Harmonious (especially since I had missed it in January), but just weren’t up for it. Ended up mobile ordering something quick from Connections and leaving just as Harmonious was starting (got some nice views of the fireworks from the Skyliner). Booked an Uber Reserve for the next morning, packed, and conked out.


Epilogue (aka: Monday)
At 4:30a the next morning, no driver had picked up our Uber Reserve request. After a much panicked ~15 minutes and L frantically checking both Lyft and Uber, somebody luckily picked up an on-the-spot request and all was well, but that could have been a disastrous situation. I guess PSA is: if you’re catching an early morning flight, have confirmed transportation?

 

[striker1064]

Really enjoyed your recaps and picture collages! I ate at Artist Point on a whim last year and I was really impressed with it. Usually, with Disney, you get either characters or good food. AP is a winner!

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Love your trip and race report! Sad I didn’t get to see you but glad you had a great time. Proud of you for trying ToT— I tried it for the first time last fall and agree that I had definitely built the drop up way too much in my head.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

I really enjoyed your race recaps

 

[NYC_MW]

Bit the bullet and signed up for the Providence Half with L and J (@xjillianpaige: would be fun to try to meet up if you're up for it).
So now trying to figure out which race to prioritize (or maybe both?). Current training plan ends at Skyline and could just repeat last two weeks for Providence.
Pulled the strava reports from last year's winners and checked weather underground for historical data: Dallas seems flatter, but weather-wise, Providence might be more optimal.
To throw more wrenches in: would be staying with friends I haven't seen in 3+ years at Dallas and they'd be running the 5k the same morning with their 2.5yo, so possibly minimal sleep the night before. Conversely, we might be walking around Providence the day before to explore the city so possibly tired feet the day before. Decisions, decisions.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Providence is 31 ft/mile. How’s does that compare to your normal training routes? Based on the values I would expect the GAP to be around 3-5 seconds per mile from flat.

 

[striker1064]

I would always take better weather even if it comes with hills! Plus, you're used to running races with lots of time on your feet thanks to your runDisney experience.

Looking forward to your report on Providence no matter which one you decide to make your A race. I've never been and the half was on my list of possibilities, so I'm eyeing it next year.

 

[xjillianpaige]

Wahooo! Welcome to the Providence party! Yes - let's try for a pre-race meet up!

 

[NYC_MW]

Providence is 31 ft/mile. How’s does that compare to your normal training routes? Based on the values I would expect the GAP to be around 3-5 seconds per mile from flat.

You're right. Some of my regular routes do have comparable elevation. Don't necessarily like them, but it could be do-able. Thanks! Time to add more hills to planned routes.

I would always take better weather even if it comes with hills! Plus, you're used to running races with lots of time on your feet thanks to your runDisney experience.

Looking forward to your report on Providence no matter which one you decide to make your A race. I've never been and the half was on my list of possibilities, so I'm eyeing it next year.

Ha! Fair point, though rD races weren't run for time. But yes, will def post a race report for both.

Wahooo! Welcome to the Providence party! Yes - let's try for a pre-race meet up!

Yay! Will PM closer to race day.

Seems I'll aim for Providence as A race, though I don't think it'll change up training plan too much, just maybe not taper as much for week of Dallas. Though if weather gods seem to be smiling in Dallas, may make game time decision.

 

[NYC_MW]

Guess training continues to be good? I still don't really believe the speedwork paces, but we'll see how the races end up going. Although shiny, new (to me) toy may help with nailing that down. Finally got tired of carrying phone around all the time and caved for a refurbished Forerunner 245. Holy data overload, batman! So far 3 runs in and it's been nice having the mile buzzes, tomorrow will be the real test with a 10x400 intervals workout.



Also, just to show off, it's been gorgeous running in NYC these past couple weeks, with the cherry blossoms peaking at slightly different rates along the different running routes.

 

[NYC_MW]

Taper week? Saturday's weather is looking pretty good for Dallas from 7-9a: T52/D42, feels like 48, wind S12mph->56/42, FL42, wind S14mph. Best of the next 10 days with scattered thunderstorms the day before. Making me think I'm going to go for it as long as I make it in. Though been feeling sore/achy lately. Probably because I've been training for something since June 2022 and my body is just done. Or because I'm still running on shoes that are >500mi in? Race day will be in a pair @~100mi; new pair has been stuck in shipping purgatory. Or just because I'm overthinking things.

On the other side, am very much enjoying the new watch. It's definitely nice to get mile reminders and not having to bring my phone has been excellent. Interval workout was aces, not quite sure about distances as watch seemed to buzz earlier than when phone used to (on the same ~200m track), but who knows which one was actually off. The strength training tracking is well-meaning, but still leaves quite a bit to be desired, will probably just use a timer to track HR next time. But the swim tracking is amazing, being able to see actual moving vs rest and having HR alongside. Plus, it turns out I'm very consistent in swim paces, who knew. I'm guessing the other bells and whistles (sleep, stress, body battery etc) are going to take a couple more baseline data points before being very useful, but it's a lot of fun to see and track. Also gratifying that the watch says VO2 max is excellent and that training status is peaking, but taking all that with a huge grain of salt considering I've been wearing it for a week at high training load. Suspect that I'm eventually going to have to figure out how to actually test max HR and input that (think @WillRunForPizza mentioned how to do that somewhere) as I'm consistently in zones 4 & 5 when things shouldn't be that hard, but maybe that'll wait til after the two races.

ETA: battery life has not been quite as long as advertised, but that may be because it's refurbished. Have had to recharge maybe every 4th day; am using GPS+GLONASS for tracked runs, and do have tracking for most things (except sleep O2) on. Also am very impressed by how light and comfortable it is.

 

[striker1064]

Good luck this week and have a great race! You got this.

 

[nancipants]

Good luck on your race!

I got a Garmin too recently (a Forerunner 45) and it’s blowing me away, too, with even less features!

 

[NYC_MW]

Good luck on your race!

I got a Garmin too recently (a Forerunner 45) and it’s blowing me away, too, with even less features!

Haha, yes, I was lurking on your thread gleaning info as well, so thanks for posting it

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Good luck this weekend!

Suspect that I'm eventually going to have to figure out how to actually test max HR and input that (think @WillRunForPizza mentioned how to do that somewhere) as I'm consistently in zones 4 & 5 when things shouldn't be that hard, but maybe that'll wait til after the two races.

When you're ready to do that, you have a few options, but what they really all amount to is "push your heart rate up for a while and then run as fast as you can." Common methods include:

• Take your HR average from the last few minutes of a 5K where you're going all-out.
• Run at a pretty hard effort for 20 minutes or so and then a really hard effort for 3-5 minutes; as with the 5K, take the max from those last few minutes.
• Do a series of hill sprints and look at your HR on the last 1-2.

But like you said, you can just ignore the zones for now since you're going into a race. Hope you have a great time!

 

[GollyGadget]

enjoy your race!

 

[NYC_MW]

Good luck this weekend!


When you're ready to do that, you have a few options, but what they really all amount to is "push your heart rate up for a while and then run as fast as you can." Common methods include:

• Take your HR average from the last few minutes of a 5K where you're going all-out.
• Run at a pretty hard effort for 20 minutes or so and then a really hard effort for 3-5 minutes; as with the 5K, take the max from those last few minutes.
• Do a series of hill sprints and look at your HR on the last 1-2.

But like you said, you can just ignore the zones for now since you're going into a race. Hope you have a great time!

Thanks! Exactly what I was looking for. Will definitely be trying it out in a couple of weeks as this morning's super easy run said I was in zone 4...

 

[NYC_MW]

Good luck this week and have a great race! You got this.

enjoy your race!

Thanks!! Looking forward to it!

 

[nancipants]

Thanks! Exactly what I was looking for. Will definitely be trying it out in a couple of weeks as this morning's super easy run said I was in zone 4...

This was the issue I was having when I used the default zones. Easy runs were in Zone 3. When I switched to percent of HRR my zones shifted way higher so I'm now in low zone 2.