Bib, t-shirt and medal!
So, after a really fun meetup (details to follow, of course!) I decided to head back to Pop and get some sleep. It wasn’t the mileage the next morning, it was the first of 3 early morning wake-ups that would be the challenge!
I made plans to meet Jackie (a fellow Team McGraw-er) at the bus in the morning and so I laid out my clothes and went to bed to wait for the alarm! Bright and early – before no time had passed it seemed! – various devices started beeping and it was time to rise and shine!
Me and Jackie…pre-race happiness!
Somehow, no matter how early I set the alarm it’s a big rush to get out the door! So I threw on my shoes and grabbed my things and headed to the bus! Saw Jackie…er…Tinkerbell…waiting in line and hopped in with her to get on, hopefully, the next bus!! Things went quite smoothly and we made it through bag check and out into the corral areas. Which can only mean one thing — DISNEY DANCE PARTY!!! Absolutely, hands down, one of my favorite things about runDisney is the pre-race festivities!!! And this time, I was finally going to meet up with some of my invisible internet friends!
Jackie and I found my peeps and there was much picture taking and meeting, seriously, some of my new best friends! Eventually we headed in to the corrals and my goal was to be able to hang with Jacks the whole time. The only flaw in this plan is that this was my first run since…oh…Wine and Dine back in November…but we would see!
As usual, it was pretty crowded at the front and after awhile Jackie got a little bit ahead of me – though we did catch up for the run through the World Showcase, and were able to grab a few pictures! Lines for the characters were massive so we didn’t make any stops there but WS in the wee morning hours is an amazing spot and there are tons of photo ops that don’t necessarily involved characters!!
American Experience – at sunrise-ish
EPCOT gearing up for the Flower Festival!
The Ball. Always a sign that the end is near!!
Once we headed towards Future World, Jackie booked and I dawdled… but when I crossed the finish line she was waiting for me and we got a shot of our brand new ‘bling’!
First of several medals to be earned this weekend….
I had made a breakfast reservation over at Animal Kingdom Lodge so hopped on that bus while Jackie was going back to Pop. Breakfast at Boma was really great! As most of them are, it was a buffet and since I was in Animal Kingdom Lodge, there were some African influenced choices on the line. Since I love the buffet at Tusker House I knew I would enjoy this. And…sticky bun. Yeah, I splurged (and would pay for it down the road that’s for sure!)
Boma!
Sticky bun! Great with coffee…bad bad Anne!
After breakfast I headed back to Pop and planned to spend my afternoon just hanging out around the pool
Pool Time!!
before going for Afternoon Tea at the Grand Floridian with some of my running gals! Definitely something I would do again – it’s a nice relaxing way to spend a couple of hours if you have the time to do it!
Tea Sandwiches — My favorite was the curry-y chicken salad…
Cozy tea pots!
Scone, cream, jam, and a tart!
What could possibly be under this beautiful whipped cream…?
Strawberries! Lots of strawberries!!
Post-Tea, we all walked next door to the Polynesian Resort for another meetup. This time it was #runnerslove, set up by Kristy and Meg (who we met in the last recap!) and was VERY fun! We met out on the beach behind the pool, where there is construction going on (Poly is becoming a home to some DVC units) Lots of giveaways and everyone left a winner! Rain threatened the entire time and eventually showed up but really didn’t dampen anyone’s enthusiasm!
On the beach! At Disney! Does it get better??
Eventually it was time to head out and find some dinner – tomorrow is 10K and this girl needs her fuel!! Pop Quick Service to the rescue – Mediterranean Flat Bread yes ma’am! Another early rising day ahead so got my clothes ready and hit the sack!
10K outfit, ready to rise and shine!!
outrunningthefork 