Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend 2014 Day 1- The Expo!

When we arrived in Walt Disney World last Wednesday, we checked into Art of Animation (AoA) and headed straight to the Walt Disney World Marathon expo. Matthew wanted to get a pair of the limited edition New Balance shoes (Goofy) and I wanted to check out the official Dopey Challenge and marathon merchandise.

Just as we were boarding the bus (when you stay at WDW Resort, you get free race weekend transportation to all events), runDisney tweeted that all the New Balance shoe appointments were given for the day and no more would be given out. This was 11am. New for this year, you had to wait in line to get an appointment time to then come back and try on the shoes. RunDisney and New Balance rolled out this new process in an effort to allow all runners a chance to get the shoes without selling out. Needless to say, since this was the only day we were visiting the expo, Matthew was pretty bummed.

2014 New Balance runDisney shoes

One of the advantages of staying at AoA is that you are just a few miles from ESPN's Wide World of Sports, where the expo is located. This year runDisney used several buildings to distribute packets, race shirts, and vendors. Because Matthew and I were doing the Dopey Challenge, we headed into HP Field House to pick up our race packets and all but one of our race shirts. Kid's races and the individual races had packet pick up in different areas. We picked up our packets including our two bibs (one for the 5k/10k and one for the half/full) and headed to the Josten Center to get our 5k shirt.



The Josten Center at approximately 12 pm on Wednesday, 1/8/14

 

We barely had to wait in line for the packets or the race shirts. I needed to exchange my 5k shirt for a different size and it was very easy. Then we went to check out all the official race merchandise. I bought an "I did it!" marathon shirt and a 2014 WDW Marathon Sweaty Band. Matthew bought a 2014 WDW Marathon Bondi Band and a coffee mug. I also picked up a few things for a friend who couldn't get to the expo until later. Overall, I wasn't that impressed with the Dopey merchandise. The "I did it!" shirts had a very busy design and I wasn't too crazy about the color. However, there were hardly any lines and it seemed like they had a great deal of merchandise in all different sizes. I think runDisney has fixed the majority of the issues that happened at the Disneyland Half Marathon Expo in 2013.

Back of Dopey "I did it!" shirt

Not a fan of this busy design on the front of the shirt.

After we checked out our favorite vendors and made our purchases, we headed back to the hotel. I ended up buying a Sparkle Athletic visor, a pair of Minnie-inspired "shwings" for my 10k costume, a Flip Belt, a few Sweaty Bands, and a 26.2 magnet for my car.

Not a bad expo haul :-)

Overall, the expo seemed to be much more organized and enjoyable than we expected, especially after some very long lines as the past few expos. Once we got home from the expo, we laid out each outfit for each race and were in bed super early - 7pm- because we had a 3am wake-up call the next morning for the Family Fun Run 5k!

Lots of #teamsparkle!

What I Can't Run Without Part II: "These are a few of my favorite things"

A few months ago, I wrote a post detailing all the things I couldn't run without. After logging over 400 miles of Dopey Challenge training, I've found some new favorite things.

Here's my updated "must-have" running list:

• Hoka One One's- These shoes have changed my life! They are the opposite of a minimalist shoe: lots of cushioning and support. I've been running in the Bondi B's and the Stinson Tarmac's. The best part about these shoes is how they make my recovery from long runs amazingly short. While expensive ($160- 175 per pair), they are absolutely worth it.

  

  Also, they look like moon shoes. But they are the most comfortable running shoe I've found.
   

• Under Armour Compression Shorts- These fit perfectly and have just enough compression to make my hip flexors feel secure. And they are super affordable at just $28 a pair.

• 2XU Compression socks- Usually, I use these after a long run to aid in recovery. I'll also wear them on the plane or sometimes I'll sleep in them the night before or after a long run. They help tremendously with muscle soreness. Sometimes, I'll wear them on a cold run. They are pretty warm so I won't wear these if it's above 30 degrees. 

They're also incredibly fashionable :-)
 

• Map My Run voice feedback- It's no secret that I love this app for tracking my runs and progress on my phone. What I have been using recently is the voice feedback feature. I can set it up for one minute intervals and she'll (it's a female voice) update me every minute with pace, total time, and total distance. It's a great help when I'm running with friends- I don't have to check my watch every minute to know when to run or walk. It's also great for keeping track of my pace mid-run so I know if I need to speed up or slow down.

• Weight Watchers 3 point bars- When my long run is over 15 miles, I've found that I need more substantial food to stay energized, not just gels. These bars do just the trick. I buy them at any Weight Watcher's location- you don't need to be a member, anyone can purchase them.  My favorites are "Berry-licious Cashew Chew" and "Aloha Almond Bar."

• Sparkle Athletic skirts- I may be addicted to these; I have six skirts and there are several more on my wish list. But, they come in amazing colors and make me feel pretty when I run. So there.

#teamsparkle
 

• Raw Threads shirts- Made from bamboo, these shirts are super soft and super comfortable to run and workout in. And they have amazing designs- I'm a fan of their "Good Girls" and "Princess/Castle" collections.

This is from the "Villains" collection. It glows in the dark :-)

• I still love Enell bras, Balega socks, Sweaty Bands, Body Glide, and Shot Bloks :-)

What are your favorite running-related things?

Happy running!