Zenaida Arroyo

This past weekend I escaped the cold weather in Chicago for a warm weekend in FL.  I went back to Walt Disney World for the Glass Slipper Challenge–10K on Saturday and half marathon on Sunday. After completing the Goofy Challenge last month, I was convinced that I could accomplish anything. Well, I already knew I could but the challenge “sealed the deal” for me.

Travel plans began on Friday morning.  After last month’s travel fiasco to CA for Tinker Bell Half Marathon, I told myself that for future trips I would get on the first available flight.  My flight was supposed to leave at 6am but due to weather conditions and other technical difficulties, it left 2 hours later.

AR and I arrived in Orlando about 11:30 or so, picked up her luggage, and then headed to Terminal B for the Disney’s Magical Express Bus.  Our wait time was about 15 minutes and then we were on our way to the hotel.  The bus ride was about 45 minutes but it sure went by fast.

Check-in at the hotel was fast and easy!  We each got a personalized MagicBand to unlock our hotel room, enter the parks, and buy food and merchandise.

We stayed at the All-Star Movies Resort and this was on the way to our room.

We had a quick lunch and then off to the expo.  It was pretty much the same as the WDW Weekend last month.  This time I bought two tops from Running Skirts.  I was tempted to buy a long sleeve shirt too but realize that I have too many of them.

After walking around for a couple of hours, it was time for a drink.  Check out the cool bib!

The next morning I was up at 3:10am for the 10K.  I got ready and then headed to the lobby to get on the bus.  I did not wait long and was at Epcot about 4:15.  Then it was just to wait for the 5:30 start time.  I didn’t want to put together another costume so I wore the same one from the WDW Half Marathon.

It was a humid morning.  Finally it was time to run.  The first 3 miles were B-O-R-I-N-G.  Oh dear!  It was dark and we were running on roads so pretty much there was nothing to see.  The next half was the best part.  The best part was running along the Boardwalk.  Oh, and I ran again with Jeff Galloway. He is such a cool guy!

I only took one picture along the course.  Love it!  I think this was about mile 5 or so.

Finish time is 1:10:38.  Definitely not my best time but I was not expecting to PR or anything like that.

I felt OK throughout the race.  The humidity did not help at all.  I was disappointed with the course. This was the first year of the 10K so hopefully they’ll change it for next year.

I liked the convenience of staying at a Disney property.  There was an airport pick up, transportation to/from the expo, and transportation to/from Epcot for the race.  Oh, and I loved the MagicBand.  My only complaint is that there was no coffee maker in the room.  In every hotel I’ve stayed in, there’s always been a coffee maker.  The cafeteria was not open on race morning nor was there any coffee in the lobby.  I am a big fan of coffee and MUST have it every single morning.

This past weekend I made my way to CA  to run the Tinker Bell Half Marathon.  I had a blast running that race!  However, I almost did not run the race.

My flight was supposed to leave at 10:10 am on Saturday morning with a connecting flight in Denver and then on to Orange County/Santa Ana.  The Chicago flight was delayed so I was not going to make it to the Denver flight.  After searching for a few minutes, the agent found a flight that would get me into CA at 3:30pm.  The catch?  I had to fly to Des Moines, IA, wait on the plane, head on to Las Vegas, and then get on another flight.

Once in CA almost everything went smoothly except that we didn’t get off the plan till almost 4. I ran out of the plane and airport to catch a shuttle to the hotel (thinking that I could check-in and then walk to the expo).  Well, after talking to the shuttle agent he told me to just get to the Disneyland Hotel for the expo and then catch a cab to my hotel.  Good idea!  Except the driver was still waiting for other passengers.  Boo. After about 10 minutes later we were off.  Oh, and the driver had an attitude with me because I told him I had to be at the Disneyland Hotel by 5pm.  And because now this post will be longer than I intended to be, the driver dropped me off at 5:10.  Yes, I was late and could not get my bib.  Luckily, I found out that I could pick it up on race day.  That made me so happy because I was almost in tears when I found out the expo was closed.

On race day I was up at 3:00am.  I made coffee, got ready, and ate two pancakes.  I then walked to the shuttle bus stop and saw the bus coming along and I was at Downtown Disney in about 5 minutes. So convenient.  I must have walked over a mile to the Information Booth to pick up my bib.  Then I just wanted for the race to start.  It was 48 degrees which is ideal running weather.  Eventually I got cold so I ducked inside one of the hotels and stayed there till almost 5 and then made my way to the start line.

If you’ve ran a Disney Race you know that it is always fun and exciting right before the start of the race.  I was in corral B so it took me about 10 minutes to cross the start line.

I ran, walked, and took pictures for about 3 miles.  It was fun running through Disneyland and California Adventure.  It was still dark and I enjoyed all of the lights.

I ran the last 10 miles with Jeff Galloway.  I actually enjoyed the run/walk method.  I’ve ran and walked during a race but never followed any specific time frame.  With this method I was able to run at a decent pace and take quick/short breaks.  This made the miles go by faster and before I knew it I was crossing the finish line.

I enjoyed this race much more than the WDW Half Marathon.  It wasn’t as hot and there was more to see.  Plus, I enjoyed the convenience of shuttle buses to and from the race.  I stayed at the Best Western Plus Raffles Inn & Suites and there was a shuttle bus stop just a short walk from the hotel. My favorite part was running by “It’s a Small World”.  I stopped for a minute or two to admire the lights.

Things did not start well for me on my way to CA but it sure ended well.  My finish time was 2:28:17.   My next Disney race will  be next month in Disney World for the Glass Slipper Challenge.