Race Recap: Neverland 5K 2015

Neverland 5K
May 8, 2015

Better late then never, right? Even those these Tink recaps are so overdue, I still want to share them!  Maybe more so for myself then others, but whatever.  It's not going to be as detailed as it would be if I had written it closer to the race, but oh well.

This was the first time I had done this 5K.  One of the main reasons I wanted to do it was because it starts on Main Street in Disneyland park.  How cool is that?

Even though it was a 5K, it still started at 5:30am.  Fortunately, I had been to bed early - thanks jet lag!  I didn't need to get too early since I wasn't going to eat a full breakfast, only a snack to get me through it.

If you remember, I was going to be Smee for this race!  I had laid all my clothing out so it was easy to get ready and out the door.  It was bit humid out, not horrible (although the wool hat probably wasn't the smartest idea).  They were calling for rain, but fortunately it waited until I was done (I did get rained on on the walk back to the hotel, #ohwell).

#FlatSarah ready to go

After I was all dressed and ready to go, I made the (short) walk to Disneyland for the race.  It was not very crowded and easy to get.

It was really cool to be there so early.  Main Street was all lit up and it looked great!  I couldn't resist getting a pre-race picture on Main Street.

Love Main Street!

What was a little different then the 5Ks I've done in WDW was that there were no corrals.  They did have different waves for the start, but they were done on a first come, first serve basis.  They did 4 waves, so I'm not sure why they don't do a corral.  Luckily, I was early enough to get into the second wave.

The announcers were keeping everyone entertained until the start.  Since it was Peter Pan themed, they had a London-style double deck bus out in front of the castle for the announcers.  Looked really cool!

And then, it was time for the first wave to go off.  But - before that could happen, they had a great firework display.

Fireworks!

After the fireworks, the first wave started.  I can't remember how long it was in between waves, but it was definitely a bit.  But eventually, it was time for us (wave 2) to go.  I was lucky to be in the front of the corral, so I was able to start right as the wave went off.

It was still pretty dark out and parks of the course were not well lit, so I needed to be careful to pay attention to the course (just a note for those who might do it another year).

Here is where the non-seeded waves became a little annoying.  Since the corrals were on a first come, first serve, when I started, I had to spend the first 5-7 minutes weaving around slower runners and walkers who had been in the first wave.  Please know, I have no problem with slower runners/walkers (I think it's great that people of all speeds do the races), it just involved a lot of weaving since the waves were unseeded.

There were only a couple of characters out on the course - all from Peter Pan.  My only true goal for the race was to get a picture with Smee!  I was hoping he'd be out and I was in luck!  He was the first set of characters out on the course (with Captain Hook) right by Pirates of the Caribbean.  The line wasn't long, but honestly, I would have waited if it was.

Captain Hook couldn't believe there were TWO Smee's!

From there, the course continued through Disneyland and got a bit of backstage as well.  After Disneyland, we headed across to California Adventure.  We came in through the backstage before heading to Paradise Pier.  Right before heading into Paradise Pier, the Lost Boys were out!

Since I was the "bad" guy, I got some razzing from the Lost Boys before they would take the picture.  Even so, we managed to all escape unscathed!

We played nice for a photo

After the Lost Boys, I headed into Paradise Pier towards the finish line!  All the lights on the pier were on - I have to admit, that is one of my favorite views of Paradise Pier.  It just looks pretty all outlined.

Right before the finish line, they had Peter and Wendy out.  Even though the finish line was so close, I wanted a picture to round out the Neverland 5K characters!

Second star to the right!

After Peter and Wendy, I headed to the finish line.  Since the race is small and I was on the faster side of finishers, I actually got to finish by myself!  The announcers called out my name and everything.  It was pretty cool to finish alone - don't think that's ever happened before!

After finishing, I grabbed a water and a snack box and headed back to the hotel (it was starting to sprinkle at this point).  But before I headed back, I grabbed a photo with my medal in front of Mickey's Fun Wheel.  It turned out pretty good - the sky looks pretty awesome behind me.

5K Finisher!

Overall, I had a good time at this race!  It's a bit expensive for a 5K, but it was an enjoyable time!  I liked the course (it was almost entirely in the Parks!) and only crowded at the beginning.  If you like Disneyland and 5K's, I think you'd enjoy this race.

Results
Garmin: 3.12 miles, 27:02, 8:40 pace
(it's an untimed "fun" run, so no official time)

Such a fun medal!

 Anyone else run the Neverland 5K?  What did you think?

Tinker Bell 2015 Expo Goodies!

This post is so overdue, but I really liked my goodies from the Tink expo so I wanted to share what I got.  I definitely didn't exercise as much self control as I had originally hoped to be, but since I ended up not purchasing any of the Dooney bags, I had a little extra in my budget.

Heading into the expo!

We decided to head straight to merchandise and then go pick up our numbers.  It was a good thing, because even though the expo had only been open a couple of hours, things were already on the road to selling out.  The Sweaty Bands were almost completely gone - I managed to find a Glass Slipper Challenge one, but it was literally the last one left.

Other than that, I was able to get everything I had hoped too.  But I know people who couldn't go until Friday, did not have such luck.  I've talked about it before, but I don't understand why they don't make more merchandise.  runDisney fans love their merch, so it would sell.  I just find it ridiculous that they don't have more.  It's really not far to those who can't get there on Day 1.  Okay, rant over.

So, let's get to the purchases!

I was really excited to get one of the Pixie Dust Challenge Jackets.  I loved the logo and the color!  I also picked up on of the challenge 'I Did It' shirts.  Same color as the jacket which made me happy.

I also added to my (ever-growing) drink wear collection.  I needed none of these, but I loved them so much, I had to have them.  They make me happy every time I drink from them.

And lastly, I picked up some magnets (my fridge is overflowing with them, I should probably stop buying more...), a Sweaty Band for both the Half and the Challenge (which, as I said above, I just barely got - they were already so picked over) and my traditional mini medal pin.  

That's it!  It actually seems like a lot less when I group it like that =)

From there, we headed into number pick up and then to get our shirts.  I really liked race shirts this year.  The color scheme was awesome and I liked all the designs this year.

5K and 10K shirts

Half and Challenge shirts

And you know I can't resist a photo opp!

What did you get at the expo this year?

Jazz Fest 2015

You might not remember (because it was a really long time ago!), but I got to go to Jazz Fest this year.  I've been once before and it was a blast.  This year was no different.

We got to see some great acts and I got to check a concert of my bucket list - Elton John.  That's right - Elton John!  It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience and I loved every minute of it. 

Rather then do a deep dive into it, I thought I'd just give you a glance at the weekend through photo's.  Enjoy!

Day 1...

Starting the weekend with Bloody Mary's at the hotel (the pickled green beans are the best!).

Some fun artwork heading into Jazz Fest.

Yummy shrimp po'boy at Jazz Fest (seriously, they are the amazing).

 

The gang waiting patiently for No Doubt to come on!

No Doubt!

Fun marionettes spotted just outside the fairground on the way home.

Bourbon St at night

 Day 2...

Of course I went for a run Saturday AM!

We found this awesome street performers out on Bourbon

And beignets are a must (tried Cafe Beignet this time - so good!)

Elton John! Bucket list!

And the best photo opp of the weekend :)

 Anyone else go to Jazz Fest?  What was your favorite part?

2 on Tuesday

 I finally saw Jurassic World this weekend.  I loved the first one (from way back when) and would (basically) watch anything with Chris Pratt in it.  Seriously, anything.  Love him.  Anna Faris is a lucky lady.  Anyway... I really enjoyed the movie!  It was definitely slightly campy - which made me happy because it's a movie about a dinosaur theme park; serious is not an option.   And yes, there were some plot holes (like  Claire's shoes; if you've seen the movie you know what I mean).  But, I enjoyed the overall plot, the casting was great, it made me laugh and had some great throwbacks to the original movie.  Anyone else see it?  Thoughts?

I've been using the summer to catch up on some TV and I just watched Empire.  It's been on my list for a while and everyone has been talking about it, so I spent the last weekend watching the entire first season.  It is SO good!  It's well written, acted and directed.  However, whenever I watch it and they say 'Empire', all I can think of is Empire Records - 'Damn the man, save the Empire'.  I love that movie (and now, need to watch it again).  I just kept saying it in my head everytime.  I am excited for season 2 to come back!

Training recap week of 7/13

Back to training recap as I get ready to start marathon training!  This was my last week before training starts.  I got my schedule yesterday and I'm excited to get going.  It's going to be tough, but if I want to PR, it's what I have to do.  I am working with a fellow Oiselle Flock member who also does coaching for my training planning.

This week was pretty light - I'm wanted to keep it low key before the hard training starts.  I also took it easy on the cross training because I was feeling tired from the PiYo (but it was great, I've noticed some definite changes - I have triceps!).  I wanted to be as fresh as possible before training started.

Monday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest

Tuesday
Scheduled: 3(ish) miles easy
Actual: 3.25 mi, 34:29, 10:37 pace

Wednesday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest

Thursday
Scheduled: 3(ish) miles easy
Actual: 3.01 mi, 29:02, 9:40 pace

Friday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest

Saturday
Scheduled: 7 mile long run
Actual: 7.02 mi, 1:07:32, 9:41 pace

Sunday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest
Cross Training: Refine

Total miles: 13.28

Total June miles: 41.55

Miles until goal (1,250): 666.85
Cross Training: 1/4

Eating in... Raleigh: Beasley's Chicken + Honey

OMG, this post is soooo delayed!  It's been sitting in my drafts for-ever and I finally realized I never published it.  Oops!  Enjoy!

After the half in Raleigh, Michelle and I did brunch in the downtown area.  We had walked past this restaurant (Beasley's Chicken + Honey) the day before and it had been packed.  After checking out the menu online, we decided to see if we could get in for brunch.

There was wait (about 30 minutes), but fortunately for us, two seats opened up at the bar and we decided to eat there.  You could order the full menu at the bar, so that worked for us!

They had a lunch/dinner menu and a brunch menu.  To keep things simple, the menu is on a giant chalkboard on the wall.  The menu was extensive, but everything on it looked delicious.  And the prices were reasonable as well.

I started brunch with a Bloody Mary.  This one was pretty good.  It was nice and spicy, which I like. And it was pretty strong, which I also like.

Picture with medal is a must!

For my meal, I went with fried chicken.  I mean, chicken is in the name of the restaurant, so I had to try it!  I did the fried chicken breakfast sandwich, which came on a biscuit with cheese and an egg on top.  The whole thing was topped with hot sauce. I also ordered a side of coleslaw, because, I love coleslaw.

The fried chicken was amazing.  It was perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.  The batter was seasoned perfectly and was the right level of thickness.  The biscuit was also delicious.  I love a good southern biscuit and this one did not disappoint.  It didn't fall apart, but it also wasn't so hard you couldn't bite into it.  The egg and cheese paired nicely with everything and rounded out the sandwich.

The coleslaw was also unbelievably good.  It was not mayo based which was nice (I don't mind a mayo based slaw but sometimes it's too much mayo).  It also had a hint of sriracha in it, which was a nice complement to the crispness of the veggies.

Overall, I really enjoyed my meal at Beasley's.  If you are in the Raleigh area, I recommend trying it out!

Beasley's Chicken + Honey
237 Wilmington St
Raleigh, NC 27601
http://ac-restaurants.com/beasleys/

runDisney Princess Half Marathon Weekend 2016

via @runDisney on Twitter

Registration for the Princess 2016 races opened yesterday and (unsurprisingly) sold out quickly.  As of now, only the 5K and Kids Races are left.  Even though it's 1 day later and the main races are sold, it didn't seem to sell out as quickly as usual (or was that just me?).  The Glass Slipper Challenge and the Enchanted 10K went first, followed by the Half a couple of hours later.

Was it just me who thought it took longer [to sell out] than last year?  Have they finally reached the limit of races people can/want to do (note, Avengers Half is still not sold out completely)?  Not that I am complaining, I remember when you used to be able to register for months from when registration opened.  I would really love it if it went back to that and took some of the stress out of registering.

Personally, I am an annual passholder so I get to register early.  Which is also stressful since they only release a handful of registrations to AP's to keep it fair (which I totally get).  But it was less stressful then today.  runDisney.com and Active were both down at noon from the crush of people trying to register.  I am glad I didn't have to deal with that!

On another note, it's looking like the race weekend will have a Little Mermaid theme.  You can see in the above graphic that it is underwater and has seashells and the like in it.  I love the Little Mermaid, so I am excited for this!

Anyone else out there doing any of the Princess weekend races?

2 on Tuesday

Still being MIA, I guess.  I'm trying to post semi-constantly moving forward.  I've got lots to share!

Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth, ME

This past weekend was spend in Maine, checking another state off the list.  The race was hot, but fun.  I think it would be even better in the fall.  The course is beautiful and I can imagine how awesome it would look in fall colors.  I'll be sharing a full recap (eventually...) but it was definitely a good time!

If you follow me on Instagram (and if you don't... do it!), you'll know I had an interesting day on Friday.  I had to film a video for work... in Times Square.  It was a new experience for me (to say the least) and took some getting used too.  I swear some of the tourists that I was a) a celebrity or b) a tourist attraction the way they were stopping and staring at me (and taking pictures).  Once I got used to that part, the shoot was easy!  I definitely have a new respect for people who do that all the time.  It's tough!