When we heard new that runDisney would eventually be leaving Disneyland we were a bit sad because because we wouldn’t get to run around our favorite Disney parks with close friends any longer. Luckily we were able to sign up our oldest son for his very first half marathon at the last Disneyland race.

You see, it’s become sort of tradition that all of our first half marathons be runDisney races. Paula and I told each other that if Jacob were still into running and would want to run a half himself, that it would have to be a Walt Disney World race since that’s where most of the other runDisney races are held now.

Fast forward to Jacobs birthday this past summer. I surprised him by registering him for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon. He was confused at first but once he realized that he would be taking a cross country trip to WDW with his Dad to run a race and galavant around the parks, he quickly got his jaw up off the floor and became super stoked. 😂

He trained all summer long, mostly with Paula and complained a lot less than we had expected. She did so well prepping him for this race that all I had to do was get him to the starting line. But not before talking him into running in costume with me. When Gabriel and I ran the Disneyland half we Disney bounded as retro Mr. Incredible and retro Incrediboy.

This was Wine and Dine and Paula had a great idea for us to go as Goofy and Max wearing chef hats. We didn’t go all out with pants, gloves and vests but wore the characters identifying colors. You get it.

Expo

It had been so long since we’ve been to a runDisney expo, especially at WDW, and I almost forgot what an excursion it was to get bibs, shirts etc. all the way out at ESPN Wide World of Sports.

After walking around for a bit we shuttled over to take a Skyliner ride to Epcot and back. The attraction was fairly new and we wanted to check it out. Fun!

Disney Springs

We got recommendations from a friend about Chef Art Smith’s HomeComin’ restaurant at Disney Springs. Let’s just say that they were spot on. Jacob and I absolutely loved what we had which were the thigh high chicken biscuits. Google it. With images. You’re welcome.

We shopped around Disney Springs for a bit - so much has changed since we were last here a few years ago for Marathon Weekend.

We went back to the hotel for a light dinner and to get ready for the race. What I didn’t forget about were the early wake up calls for runDisney races. Now try telling a teenager who’s playing hooky from school, running his first half marathon and is at WDW to go to bed early!

We woke up, got ready and set out to catch the shuttle to the start. Signage all over stated that runners should be on the bus at 330am which made it seem like that was the last bus to leave. Not wanting to be “that guy” who missed the race because we missed the bus, we were on the bus at 330am. Of course there plenty of shuttles AFTER that time but I’m glad that we were on the early bus.

This allowed us time to stand in line for a pre-race character pic with none other than Chef Goofy! Because there is so much space at WDW, they have plenty of character photo opportunities PRE-Race. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, etc. Nice.

Race

We knew going in that we would be taking ALL the photos with this being his first half. We didn’t want to run for any sort of time but wanted to savor every moment.

He did extremely well running. And because there were so many picture spots, there weren’t too many long running stretches in between so we were good.

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The course was amazing and running through the parks was a blast. The sun was up and we finished with huge smiles on our faces with fuel left in the tank to boot.

Post Race Party

We cleaned up, got some food and rested before going back to Epcot for the post race party. Included with your registration is a ticket to a runners-only party in Epcot where they close the park for regular guests and keep it open for runners and anyone else who purchased a post race party ticket. We also received a $15 gift card to use for anything we wanted, including merchandise at the parks outside of the party. Score!

While walking around Epcot, we utilized those gift cards to partake in the International Food & Wine Festival. So many good eats. And drinks. Cheers! Once the official post race party got underway, we spent a good amount of time waiting in line for a picture with the 3 Caballeros. It was extra long this year because they were on the challenge medal for the race. We hung with friends @blingwhore and @ironbeastjacky and made the best of it.

We rode a couple of attractions that were open and took more pics with characters. Jacob was living it up, reveling in the evening, staying up waaaay too late.

Click on the pictures to scroll through the carousel

I can’t be more proud of him. He enjoyed his first half marathon experience, feeling good throughout. We discussed our favorite parts of the race and he even said he wants to run another half marathon (non rundisney) soon.

We spent the rest of the trip wearing our race medals proudly and the cherry on top of everything was a WDW VIP Tour the day after the race. That could be an entire post on its own but for now just enjoy some pics from that crazy whirlwind adventure.

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Jacobs first half marathon. Mission accomplished.

I’m not a gambler by any means but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything else to do in Las Vegas. There’s good food, lot’s of beer, shows and of course running. Las Vegas is by far one of the best places to run especially when the Strip is shut down for one night of the year just for the annual @runrocknroll #RnRLasVegas half marathon.

This last weekend, a bunch of friends and I decided we’d do something outrageous and take on a self-imposed #Dirt2Strip challenge. You see, running the RnRLV has been a tradition for quite a while now. This would be my 5th year running it in a row. But before I get too deep into Las Vegas, let’s start from the beginning of this #Dirt2Strip challenge.

The weekend started off with a flight down to Ontario to meet up with Brian and Richard. While Richard was busy working, we strolled around locally and met up with beloved friends Andrea, Michael, Linzie and Laurie. Chilling with coffee and Cranberry Bliss Bars was delightful. I wish we could do this weekly. We would then spend Friday evening just hanging, playing video games, eating pizza, drinking beer (Carb loading FTW!), you know, the usual Friday night stuff.

On a more serious tip, if you all didn’t know, the entire State has been on fire. Seriously, from Nor Cal to So Cal, it seems like everywhere you turn, there’s a wildfire burning and causing damage. Be safe out there, people!

There was a fire in Griffith Park which caused a direct effect on the trail race. We weren’t sure if our race was going to be cancelled or not. We got an email from the race director that the race was still on and we were all relieved that we didn’t have to run 13.1 miles out on the streets of Ontario, Burbank or wherever we were going to be.

Flatrunner #1. @lululemon, @garminfitness, @procompression, @brooksrunning

We had a very early wake up call on Saturday morning to toe the line of our first race of the weekend - The Griffith Park Trail Half Marathon. We caught an early Lyft ride and set out to the park. With ample parking and real bathrooms (yasss), we met up with other’s who were also taking on this #Dirt2Strip challenge.

Jane, Carlee, her husband Ryan and our friend Almi were all geared up and ready to roll. After the tremendously sweet and caring race director, Keira, made announcements, and after taking a few pre-race photos (duh!) we were off.

If you know me, you’ve likely not seen many running pics of us out on any gnarly trails so I admit that I was a bit out of my element on this one. I was prepared, don’t get me wrong, but maybe not prepared for all of the hiking we had to do. You see, this course is a beast with what felt like a million feet of elevation. There were huge hills (I’m calling them mountains) to climb and we would hike up those and run the flats and downhills. I had my trusty gopro to capture the views we were seeing from the tops of those mountains. They were stunning.

We anticipated taking 3 hours to complete this race which allowed us ample time to get to he airport and not have to rush. Although the course was fairly short (there were fires all over the place which caused havoc for the race director / organization) it was still a freakin’ blast and didn’t detract from the race experience at all. We retreated back to our vehicles and cleaned up just a bit and then headed to the Burbank Airport to catch a flight to Vegas. We said our goodbye’s to Carlee’s husband Ryan and I was truly sad that he wasn’t going to Las Vegas with us.

Look at those smiles. Very proud of tackling those ⛰!

You know the flight to LV was short when 5 minutes after the flight attendants gave you your drinks, they tell you to “chug, chug, chug!” We landed and made the smart choice to head straight to the Race Expo. We’ve gotten so accustomed to picking up our race packets that we were in and out of the expo in no time. After stopping at the PRO Compression booth, we got a ride back to our hotels to clean up and post our #FlatRunner photos for Race #2 of the Day: The #RnRLasVegas 5k.

Oh and before I move on, be sure to check your shirt sizes prior to leaving the expo. I received a women’s small instead of a men’s shirt. I guess when you’ve been up since 3 in the morning and are crunched for time for another race in a couple hours, you forget things like that.

There was a #werunsocial meetup prior to the 5k that evening and it’s always fun to see BRF (Best Running Friends) that you haven’t seen in about a year. Catching up and snapping all the photos is so much fun.

We jumped into our corral and started the 5k. This isn’t the most scenic 5k you’ll run but it’s part of a weekend of races so you just kinda “do it.” We run as a group (which is a major theme of the weekend) and converse about what we’re going to eat / drink after the race. #priorities

Race #2 of 3 done. Notice the custom bibs…..DOH!

Wait til you see our Half Marathon shorts. 🔦🌟

We made our way back down to the Linq Promenade and sat down for Mexican food and beer. Since it was a long day, we called it a somewhat early night and crashed knowing that tomorrow’s race would be long.

Food, beer and SLEEP! It was such a loooong day!

After waking up ridiculously early when you know the race isn’t until 430pm that day, it’s all worth it when your breakfast from Hash House A Go Go comes to your table. #thisishowwedo We then hit up the outlet mall for a shopping distraction when we knew darn well we should be off of our feet. Again, #priorities.

Since the Race started earlier than the 5k the night before, the meetup began early as well at 215pm at the Bellagio Fountains. Because a bunch of PRO Compression ambassadors and enthusiasts love running Vegas, you know that the turnout for the meetup and the wearing of the unofficial race sock would be epic. This year, the awesome choice of sock was the pink and black stripe which stood out beautifully.

Team #RocknBlog 2018

#Dirt2Strip crew in LV!

So much happens in such little time during these weekends and time flies by so fast. You hardly get to take pics with people you follow on social because there are just so many people there. We made our way over to the start area after checking our bags and then we were let out to the corrals by color / wave. We were in the first wave and had to walk quite a ways (which was puzzling how things were laid out logistically) to get to the start line. Anyway, we committed to run at a party pace because that’s what we do when we run Vegas. This race is never about time. You’ll see why in a minute.

PC: @blingwhore. With @funnerrunner, @barbchung, @nomadrunner, @cherrychowfun209, @runningnocnurse, @ejag777, @matmilesmedals

EPIC Welcome to LV sign photo op. If you don’t stop here, you’re doing it ALL WRONG!!

Our group was double digits strong at the start and we nearly managed to keep it that way for the entire race. We only lost a few of our peeps along the way. The course was changed up a bit from last year, which was a good change btw, and it wouldn’t be the same if you didn’t run past the Welcome to Las Vegas Sign. What I did notice though was the lack of port-o-potties along the course. Now, normally I’m pretty good about not having to go while I’m out not the race course but somehow having to pee just came outta nowhere. Since there are a million and one people running this race and only 1 port-o-potty sprinkled on the course at a time, you can imagine how long the line was for that 1 stall.

We finally found a bunch of them lined up in a row after almost 6 miles of running. Whew! I’d say that made for a very uncomfortable 4 miles or so. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll always say it - running on the Las Vegas is a very unique and exciting experience. The energy is unmatched. They only close the Strip down a couple times a year and this is one of them. I am very lucky to get to do this. After turning around near Downtown Las Vegas, we made our way back down the strip and we still had a core group intact. This is actually pretty tough to do.

Our Traditional Beer / Shot Stop along the course. I told you. PARTY PACE!

We, of course, hit up our now traditional beer / liquor stop at around mile 12. We stopped, not our Garmin’s of course, to buy corona’s while a few strong crew members took shots of Fireball. Hot! As we were exiting the bar, we ran into Brianne and Steve, a couple of the original starting line crew. We ran / walked / jogged the last mile of the race with beers in our hands and crossed the finish line feeling very fine. Cheers!

There’s nothing like standing in the middle of the Las Vegas Strip. Told you about those @lululemon shorts (SW 2018).

And with that, the 3rd and final race of our EPIC #Dirt2Strip adventure was complete. We absolutely love getting together to do this and mixing it up with additional races prior to coming to Las Vegas has always made the weekend something to look forward to all year long. Until the next one. Peace.

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JV’s First Half: 2019 WDW Wine and Dine Half Marathon

#Dirt2Strip Race Weekend Recap

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