Race Review: Disney's Tower of Terror 10 Miler

Saturday night, I ran the Inaugural Tower of Terror 10 miler and it was a really great race. This is coming from someone who hates most things Disney. (I know. First strawberries and now this? I’m un-American.) A couple years ago, I ran the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon and I didn’t love it, so I guess my expectations were low.

Anyway, the night started off when my friend, Sheila, and I drove down to ESPN Wide World of Sports. There was a ton of traffic and a 10 minute hair-pulling wait for the turn signal into ESPN, but we made it there around 8:15pm and immediately boarded the shuttle to Hollywood Studios. (I still call it MGM Studios. That name change has not worked for me). The shuttles were more like gigantic, super-fly buses with comfy seats. Loved it.

Once Sheila and I sat down, we realized that we were sitting right across from Danielle.

Danielle and I met at the Savannah RNR Marathon last year and I saw her again at Central Florida Blogger Convention a few weeks ago. Out of thousands of people, I ran into her within the first five minutes of arriving. Small world, right? It was around this time that I realized I left my Garmin at home. Blah.

Once we reached Hollywood Studios, Danielle, Shelia, and I spent our time hanging out in the port-o-potty lines chatting before the race. It was then that Shelia spotted the rarely seen mythical creature, Sasquatch, and I captured it on film.

Then Danielle wanted to get in on that picture action too.

WHY are my friends so small?!

We parted ways with Danielle once it was time to get into our corrals. Shelia and I were in Corral A. Isn’t that corral for fast people? I swear being in the first corral made me feel secretly awesome. We walked a few blocks from the corral to the start line and waited a good 30 minutes for the race to start at 10:00pm.

Shelia stretched and then handed out free high-fives. (First one’s free, then you have to pay for them. They’re that good.)

I took awkward pictures. What’s up with that dude? All I see is his nipple.

The race finally started and it was a cool 84 degrees and one million percent humidity. The first couple miles were along the highway – not the most scenic but it allowed the runners to spread out, which was nice.  I didn’t have to dodge runners for the first few miles like I did in the Wine and Dine half but I think that’s because I was in Corral A instead of D. The race looked way more crowded behind me at the turnarounds.

There was spooky Tower of Terror music along the way and characters dressed up in cool costumes to take pictures with. The line for pictures with some of the characters were 20 people long (wtf?). There was a lot less roadside entertainment than I expected but there were so many people running in costume that you always had something to look at. (To the two muscly guys dressed in towels and shower caps, my camera battery died but I will forever have a picture of you IN MY MIND.)

After the first few miles, we took a turn and ran on a “trail” which was basically a wooded,  gravel, back road from the highway into ESPN Wide World of Sports. There were cricket and owl sound effects playing so you felt like you were running in the woods, which was fun.

The next couple miles though Wide World of Sports was awesome. It was well-lit and pretty. Part of the run was through the complex on the sidewalk.

The other part was around the track at the track and field complex. (That’s the best picture I could come up with.)

After we left ESPN, we were back on the highway heading toward Hollywood Studios. Around mile 6, Sheila’s calf was giving her problems and my lower back was hurting, so we walked for a bit. Around mile 7, Sheila insisted that I go on without her for about 10 minutes until I finally did. I ran the last three miles on my own and felt surprisingly great.

The last two miles were a winding path through different areas in Hollywood Studios ending with the finish line behind the Tower of Terror. It was really cool to see the tower (and hear the screams from the ride) as you’re running toward the finish. Loved that.

I finished in 1:45:52. I think that’s a 10:35 overall pace.

I loooove the medal. So bad ass. It glows in the dark and the elevator part moves up and down.

Honestly, I was disappointed with my time because I really felt like I was running faster. I was passing people through the entire race (that never happens) and I was in Corral A (that’s for fast people, right?). Maybe they grouped us by when we registered instead of finish time? I thought I might be part Kenyan until I saw the finish clock. Nope. Just slow German.

After the race, I waited by the medals for Sheila to cross the finish.

We tried to find Danielle but had no luck. So, we went to the ice tent, grabbed some Tylenol (for both of us) and ice (for Shelia’s bum ankle) and sat on the ground for 10 minutes to rest.

Disney provided the runners with a box filled with an odd assortment of food afterwards – Clif protein bar, a piece of chocolate, gummies, trail mix, crackers, cheese, and a wet nap.

The food was kinda meh, but it was way better than Wine and Dine’s weird, un-packaged, individually Saran-wrapped muffins. I had most of my banana, half of the protein bar, and pitched the rest since it was basically all junk food.

Hollywood Studios stayed open until 4:00am for the runners, so after our short rest, Sheila and I rode the Tower of Terror. Enclosed spaces with lots of sweaty runners is a treat.

How awesome is it to run the Tower of Terror and then ride the Tower of Terror? SO awesome. Didn’t even need to barf. So let’s add that to my list of talents: “Can run 10 miles and then ride the Tower of Terror without barfing.” That’s resume material right there.

Since we did so good not barfing on ToT, we ran right over to the Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster.

I haven’t been on Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster in over 10 years. Let’s just say I forgot it started out at 60 mph and forgot the whole ride is in the dark. Still didn’t barf, so it was a win. Plus, both rides had waits of less than 10 minutes which I’ve never seen. After the rides, we walked back to the shuttle and headed home.

Honestly, I’m not sure I’ve had more fun at a race. The course was great, the race was extremely well managed, we never waited more than five minutes for a shuttle, the finish line was planned well, and being able to enjoy the park afterwards was awesome. Disney also has the only races I’ve found where the volunteers actually put the medal around your neck at the end. Not a big deal, but I think it’s a nice touch.

Usually I think Disney races are too expensive (I paid $90 for this one), but this was well worth the price.

Ready to Run

I have a busy weekend ahead of me so I thought I’d pop in and say hi since someone reminded me that I haven’t posted in three days. 😉

Speaking of the blog, I only post about four times a week if I’m lucky, so if any of you miss me (ok, just Leigh and my mom), feel free to chat me up on Twitter, the blog Facebook page, Daily Mile, or Instagram.  I’m kidding. My mom doesn’t miss me. Oh, and I have no idea how to link to Instagram, but I’m on there at @eatwatchrun. Basically, I need to be entertained at work so I’m not lonely. Otherwise, I just sit there and refresh my screen until someone talks to me. So sad.

Today I picked up my race packet for the Tower of Terror 10-miler tomorrow night. It was held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports.

If you’ve seen one Disney expo, you’ve seen them all.

It’s easy to park, easy to pick up my bib, and there are tons of people around to answer questions and point you in the right direction. It was just like the Wine and Dine Expo two years ago. I just picked up my packet and left so I could make it to Crossfit on time, so I missed out on all the freebies they were giving away at the different booths.

The bibs are cute. The t-shirt is meh.

I got the women’s size medium and it’s too big. Plus, I hate t-shirts with undefined shoulders. Can you see what I’m talking about? It’s like it was made for someone who only has a neck and arms. Perhaps this would fit a T-Rex.

I look terrible enough when I’m working out, I do not need this shirt getting the terrible started early for me. So this is probably one of those shirts that will sit in my drawer for a year until I decide to use it to dust the house.

Anyway, I’m off to Sports Authority to try and find a few things to wear for the race. If you’re running the race tomorrow, I will be  the one in the back with my butt a shining beacon in hot pink shorts.

Dressing Up

My Netflix queue if finally full of TV shows I don’t need to watch thanks to all of your suggestions. I will remember who suggested what so if I hate a show and then you find a flaming bag of poo on your doorstep, you will know it’s from me.

I’m starting with The Wire. Since it isn’t on Netflix streaming and I’m far too cheap to buy or rent it, my friend, Chris, graciously let me borrow his box set.

Note to Chris: no box sets were harmed in the taking of that photo.

Four of you suggested that I watch The Wire, so I have four bags of poo on standby. I’m six episodes in and while it has gotten better the last two episodes, I can’t say I love it. I’m still trying to give it a chance but I’m not sure I’ll make it to season 2 at this point. Pant’s agrees.

In a little over a week, I’ll be running the Disney Tower of Terror 10-miler. I’m running it with my friend, Sheila, and if we can ever get our schedules to mesh, we are going to dress alike and be those annoying, excited girls that other girls glare at. We’re hoping to dress in costume if we can find something that’s running friendly at the last minute.

A couple months ago, Sheila hurt her ankle and was benched from running by her doctor. She hasn’t run more than three miles in a few months, so she’s worried about keeping up with me during the race. (<— ha!)

My plan is to run with her the whole time and go at whatever pace is comfortable for her. Disney has a lot of photo opportunities on their courses, so we will probably take advantage of those. I’ll run a more serious race for the Space Coast half, hopefully. Although, Shelia is one of those people that says she can’t do something and then she does double what she said she couldn’t do and makes you look like a fool.

So tonight is all about getting ideas of what to wear for the race (any suggestions?) and then do a little shopping for hubs. His birthday is Saturday and I am seriously running out of time to get him something. Is it wrong to give your husband cash? Or maybe I can just promise not to wear yoga pants and dirty t-shirts for a week. That’s a good gift.

 

The Good Stuff

I spent so much time whining in the last post that I forgot to tell you the cool stuff about the weekend. Stuff that didn’t make me cry in a grocery store. So, let’s do that now. 🙂

1.  Friday, I got my hair done. Yes, again. It’s a sickness. I haven’t had my hair cut in over 6 months, so I had it trimmed and had my layers shaped up. And I went back to red. My goal is to eventually look like Emma Stone and take over her career of being adorable.

You’ve already seen that picture if you like the blog Facebook page. Sorry I’m too lazy to take a new picture. Or smile. I am however, not too lazy to spend 10 minutes finding an Instagram filter that covers up all my wrinkles.

2.  My stylist told me that if you want to keep your color longer, use a sulfate-free shampoo and wash your hair in cold water. I bought this stuff at the salon.

It was really expensive ($18) but it smells like angels. Plus I like to say the name of the shampoo really loud in the shower every time I use it.

3. After I bought my $18 shampoo, I found a whole line of sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners from L’Oreal at the grocery store for less than half the price. So I bought some of that too.

I’m not really a “rosemary mint” type of girl, but this stuff smells really fresh. And it’s one of the few conditioners that allows me to actually brush through my hair without little pieces breaking off and covering the counter top with hair balls.

4. I’m not sure if it’s because I just had my hair trimmed and it’s looking more healthy because of that or if it’s my new hair products, but HOT DAMN my hair isn’t frizzy and dry anymore. It’s so soft that I want to take the day off so I can go home and touch it all day.

That’s me today. Blow dried only and no hair products. But, it doesn’t look red or highlighted there. What gives?

I feel like I should apologize to my 5 male readers for talking about my hair so much but I doubt they made it this far. At least I’m not talking about pooping this time.

5.  Friday night, hubs and I went to see Orlando Jones at the Improv. It was a last minute thing since we scored free tickets a couple days earlier. Orlando Jones has been in a ton of movies and guested on a lot of TV shows, but he’s probably most famous for being the 7-Up guy. (Remember “make 7-Up yours?”) Anyway, neither of us thought his stand-up was that funny but we thought it was super cool how appreciative he is of all his fans. He thanked everyone for being at the show and even stayed afterwards for pictures and autographs. Oh looky! A new picture for my Celebrities page.

Anyway, he was seriously one of the nicest, most sincere celebrities I’ve met. He wanted to talk to everyone and shake everyone’s hand. He just seemed like a really good guy.

6. This girl posted the Tower of Terror 10-miler medal on her Facebook page, which just happens to be the next race I’m registered for. It glows in the dark and has a freakin’ working elevator.

I think I just peed my pants a little.

Future Lazy

So, it’s happening.

I’m getting total burn out from working out so much. Not just from running, but from everything. Though, running is a big part of it. Yesterday after hubs and I finished our Crossfit workout, I was pretty sure I never wanted to work out again. I mean, I was done. A few hours and a gigantic Sweet Tomatoes salad later, I was feeling a little better. But I still need a break.

March is back to back to back…to back races. (Yep, I’m racing 4 weekends in March.) Is it ok to plan future lazy? Because I’m pretty sure that’s happening in April. And by April, I mean the entire month.

I won’t be completely inactive because then I’ll just go crazy from that. (I know. I’m never happy.) But I do think I’ll be cutting all long runs in April and I’m still undecided what else. And with that, I give you 3 things that are not part of my lazy plan. (I feel like this post is very bi-polar.)

1.  My new pair of running shoes that have been Pants inspected and bunny approved.

I took my Nike Lunarglides back to the running store (third time’s the charm?) and the girl I talked to this time told me that based on my gait, she wouldn’t have put me in stability shoes at all. So that’s 3 different people, 3 different opinions if you’re keeping track. So I’m back in Mizunos and back in neutral running shoes. I had to get the men’s version because they didn’t have my size in the women’s. Nor did they have either of the styles that are actually cool.

Nope. Just fug man-shoes for Paula.

2.  I bought these videos on Sunday. (Half eaten Almond Joy not included)

I’ve never done a Jillian DVD before but I thought I’d give it a shot for something different when I want to work out but don’t feel like leaving the house. I’m also terrible about stretching, so I went for the yoga DVD. The “meltdown” part has me a little worried. Has anyone tried these DVDs yet? Shouldn’t yoga be relaxing? Why are things melting down?

3. Just when I said I’d never do another Disney race, I registered for the Tower of Terror 10 Miler. The race is at night (therefore, I will poop during it) and says:

10-mile course through the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, running on various terrains including pavement, grass and sand. We double-dare you to brave dark and ghostly streets haunted by Disney villains.

Sounds like a fun course and it’s not till September, so it will give me something to look forward to later this year, as well as fullfil my dream of running into an elevator shaft.

Do you ever take a break from working out? (I get burned out about twice a year, take a short break, and then I’m ready to get back to my regular schedule.)

Did you enter my giveaway? (If you answer the giveaway question, you’re automatically entered (unless you stated otherwise)).