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?

Raleigh Half Marathon Expo

We headed to the expo on Saturday before lunch.  Luckily, our hotel was directly across from the convention center, so it was super easy!

They had live music playing outside all day and the expo was very organized.  Our first stop upon arriving was number and shirt pickup.  There was no line for either and we moved through quickly. I am a big fan of the shirt - both the color and the design.  In the words of Dug (from Up) - SQUIRREL!

And the squirrel is playing the banjo!

Apparently Raleigh is the 'City of Oaks' as oak leaves and acorns were also a theme for the weekend.  Either way, I was a big fan!

From the shirt pick up, we headed to official merchandise.  I hadn't planned on getting anything except my customary pin and guitar bottle opener (it's a RnR race tradition for me), but the merchandise for this event was just too cute too pass up!

After looking around, I ended up picking up a cute racerback.  It has an oak leave and a small outline of North Carolina on it.  Perfect souvenir for a 50 State race!  The material is very soft and comfy.  I am already thinking it'll be a great shirt to bring to Disney to wear in the parks (in addition to running it it!).  It's wicking material, but doesn't look like a normal tech shirt.  It'll be great on really hot days!

I also picked up a baseball cap.  It's not technical or wicking, but I just thought it was so cute.  During the summer I like to wear baseball caps running errands or when on the beach.  It's probably one of my less practical purchases, but I just thought it was so cute!

There's that oak leaf again

And of course, I picked up my standard pin and guitar bottle opener.

After official merchandise, we made a loop of the rest of the expo.  It was pretty standard expo vendors and we picked up some postcards for other 50 State races we could do.

After making a loop and checking everything out, we headed to lunch!  We ate lunch at a very yummy barbecue restaurant in Raleigh.  More to come on that!

Princess Half 2015 - Expo Goodies!

As with all runDisney races, our weekend started with a trip to the expo!  After checking in at the hotel and leaving our bags with storage, we headed to ESPN's WWOS.  Luckily, we didn't have to wait long for a bus and off we went!

Upon arrival at the expo, they had large signs out front for all the races.  I stopped to take a picture in front of the Glass Slipper Challenge one!

And of course, upon arrival, Mary (my sister-in-law) and I stopped for (my) traditional beer.  They had really cute pink cups this year.  I swear I took a photo of the cup at WWOS, but I can't find it for the life of me.

We headed into the HP Field House first to get our numbers.  We did my number first since the Glass Slipper Challenge was separate from the 10K and Half numbers.  After picking my number up, we made our way around to the GSC pictures.  New this year we had to stop for a photo with our number at pick up (and then they reviewed the picture after the half to get your GSC medal).  There was no line and I was in and out in a few minutes!

I also always pre-order the pins (they are a must for me, so it's worth it to pre-order so I don't have to stress about them).  I have to say, I really loved the pins this year! 

From there we headed back down to the first level to get Mary and my mom's numbers for the 10K and my shirts.  But before we headed down, we stopped at the runDisney instagram booth.  All you had to do was show you follow runDisney and you could take a cute photo in front of their green screen.

Is it me or does my head look oddly larger then my body?

From there we headed to the ground floor.  This was Mary's first 10K, so had to document her first number pickup!

After they picked up their numbers, I picked up my race shirts.  I really like the designs this year!  So cute - particularly the 10K one!

 

The merchandise on this side was pretty picked over.  All the good stuff had already been moved to the Jostens Center.  But they did have some characters out for photo's which was nice!  We stopped for a photo with Queen Minnie.  The line was only about 10 minutes which was good, because she was out during the 10K and the line was easily 30 minutes!  Glad we stopped at the expo!

My mom bought us tiara's to wear; I think I was made to wear tiara's

After our picture with Minnie, we headed to the Jostens Center.  They had the red carpet rolled out again and we stopped for a photo with the Footmen!  I love how do up this race, it's just so fun!

The Field House wasn't too crowded.  We made our way to the 10K shirt pickup and into official merchandise.  Already, the gear was pretty picked over.  From the preview, I wasn't in love with much, so this wasn't an issue for me!  And even in person, I wasn't in love with the designs, so really not an issue.  I didn't see the tumbler cups which I had liked, so saved some money there.

I was pretty good and only picked up a couple of items.  First, I did pick up a 19.3 Mickey magnet - not because I needed another magnet, but because I loved the color!  Looks great on my fridge!

I also got my new standard - the mini medal pin.  I don't know why I started collecting these, but these are apparently my new thing.  I have a {small} craft project idea to do with them (don't get impressed, it's nothing big or hard) so I'll share once I do.

And lastly, my always traditional Sweaty Bands!  Abby actually picked these up for me the day before when she was at the expo which was good since they had sold out before I got there (at least these ones had).

 

My mom picked up 'I Did It' shirts for the 10K for herself and Mary and then we headed out to the rest of the expo.  Back in January they had regular runDisney Mickey magnets that said the distances on them (6.2, 13.1, 19.3, etc).  I had picked up a 6.2 one to give to Mary after her race and I was glad I did because they were all sold out at this expo!  You're first race ever desires proper documentation :)

We didn't spend a ton of time in the rest of the expo.  Stopped by the runDisney booth to look at the newly released Tinker Bell medals (I'll share those photo's in a separate post with my thoughts on them) and stopped by Sparkle Athletic to pick up my skirt for Saturday.  But then we headed out - we were itching to get to the park (plus we were hungry!). 


What did anyone else get at the expo?

WDW Marathon Weekend: Expo Goodies!

Now that I'm finished with my 2014 recaps, I can get to 2015 things - and less then 2 weeks after it happened!

I am going to keep this post pretty short, as I honestly didn't spend a ton of time at the expo, but did want to share what I picked up... since we know I love my race merchandise.

In what has become a new tradition, I started my expo out with a beer in a runDisney cup.  I can't remember the exact name (it was one I hadn't had before), but I really liked it.  It was a nice and light wheat beer.

First, we headed in to get our numbers.  It wasn't too crowded and I was able to pick up my number with no wait time.  They did have a merchandise area set up in there, but it was completely empty and closed.  Even though I didn't want/need anything, I was curious to see what was left.

From there we headed into the main expo floor.  Again, since we really didn't need anything, we didn't really walk around much.  Just a quick stop at the Sweaty Bands booth to check out their stuff and then on to the race tee.  The Half race tee this year was red, which is nice, because I don't have ton of red tech shirts.  After trying it on to make sure it fit, we headed into the official race merchandise.

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by how much stuff was still available.  The most picked over sections were Dopey and Goofy.  No surprise with Dopey since those folks had to go on Wednesday to get there numbers.  I feel like most people for Goofy come on Friday so also not surprised it was more sold out (but there was still stuff left).  Still lots of stuff left for the Half and Full.  I'm really glad Disney has started ordering more stuff!

Half Merchandise

As I mentioned, I was really trying to be good.  I need more running clothing like I need a whole in my head (seriously, I did some cleaning over Christmas and the amount of running clothing I have is at a ridiculous level!).  I was good and didn't buy much.  Abby had gone to the expo on Wednesday (the perks of having a friend who lives locally!) and picked up the runDisney Sweaty Bands I wanted.  I also picked up a replica medal pin (apparently this is my new thing - last year it was magnets, now mini medal pins!).

I also picked up a Coast to Coast shirt as the Disneyland expo's tend to be a disaster.  I won't wear it until after Tinker Bell though!

There was no line to check out, so we managed to make it in and out of the merchandise area pretty quickly.  From there, it was a quick stop at the runDisney booth to look at the Frozen medals and then to the Sparkle Athletic booth as I needed to pick up my visor for my costume.  From there, we headed back to the hotel.  The rest of the expo was all stuff we've seen before and we had FastPasses for the Mine Train to make!

What did anyone else pick up at the expo?  Share your goodies with me so I can live vicariously through you!

Wine and Dine Half Marathon Expo

Wine and Dine is one of my favorite runDisney races and this year did not disappoint!

Race weekend started with a visit to the expo.  The expo was on par with most runDisney expo's.  They had some fun race weekend decorations out, which of course required a photo!

And because this weekend is all about the food and drink, we started the day off with a beer at the expo!  I don't know if they've done this at previous years, but they had colored cups for the beer.  I've gotten them at all the other races (except Everest) so had to get one this time.  Plus, beer!

After getting our beer, we went to packet pick-up.  The lines weren't bad and we got in and out pretty quickly.  The merchandise section at packet pick-up was already gone.  Like completely empty of all things.

We made our way into the main pavilion and got our race shirts.  They were maroon this year and I really liked the design.  

After that we made a quick trip through the merchandise.  Fortunately, Abby had already picked me up my Sweaty Bands, so I didn't have to worry about getting those!  She also got my mini medal pin.

Even so, I still couldn't resist myself.  I ended up with a new mug, a new magnet and the 'I Did It' shirt.  I seem to always get the 'I Did It' shirt from this race.  Can't let the tradition slide!

After the merchandise area, we made our way through the rest of the expo, mostly doing window shopping.  I was strong and didn't buy anything else!

Up next, my Wine and Dine recap (finally!).

Tower of Terror 10M - Expo Goodies!

 

The best part of a runDisney race is the expo.  Okay, let's be real, I love expo's at all races - I just can't help my self with running goodies! 

This expo made me really happy!  It had great vendors - less then Marathon or Princess weekends, but still great booths.  It was also managable!  Since the race is smaller, it wasn't as packed.  I was a big fan of being able to move around while at the expo.

After picking up our numbers in the HP Field House (which took all of 5 minutes), we headed over to the Jostens Center for shirt pickup and official merchandise.  I really liked the shirt this year - it's a little different, but I like it. 

From shirt pickup, we headed to the merch.  I knew I wanted a couple of things (mini medal pin, magnet), but wanted to not buy much.  I got my TOT Mini Medal Pin and also picked up the mini Coast to Coast pin.  I didn't get one at Disneyland and wanted to pick one up this time.

I was able to get my Tower of Terror magnet and I also picked up a mini 48.6 magnet to keep at my desk at work.  I hadn't seen these before.

 

Even though I hadn't planned on it, I picked up a Tower of Terror 'I did it' shirt.  I really liked the design and couldn't resist.  I did resist from getting a jacket - so that's good (although I do have a tinge of regret for not getting it, but I really don't need it...).

Front (L), Back (R)

The only thing I really wanted was a Tower of Terror 10M Sweaty Band, but they didn't make any for this race.  We checked with the Sweaty Band booth and they didn't order any.  They will be back for Wine and Dine though!

Following our purchases at the expo, we made our way through the rest of the booths.  Sparkle Athletic did have black with them, so I picked that up (yay!).  I even managed to resist buying any Sweaty Bands (although I do want to get one that matches my Oiselle Flock singlet).  We checked out all the gear and races and then headed out. 

Nothing too surprising or special about the expo, but I really enjoyed it.  I liked how un-crowded it was and they had a good sampling of booths.  Overall the WDW races always do a good job at their expo's.
  
Stay tuned for my race recap! 

Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend - Expo Goodies

 
Last year's expo was a disaster - sheer insanity.  I'd been keeping my fingers crossed that this year it would be better, but I wasn't sure if it would.  Forntunately, this year it was much smoother!

The expo opened at noon on Thursday and since we were already there, Pam and I decided to go on the early side.  First stop, merchandise!  There were a couple of things I really wanted, so it made sense to do it first.

The merchandise was in the same area, but this year it was sectioned off better.  There was a line to get in and they were monitoring how many people were inside at once.  The line wasn't too bad when I arrived and it moved quickly - probably only waited 20-25 minutes.

Once inside, there was plenty of room and there was none of the mad grabbing to get merchandise as there was last year.  And there was also plenty of merchandise to go around (and from what it sounds like, plenty all weekend).  Looks like runDisney actually listened and made some positive changes!  Thanks runDisney!

They didn't preview a ton of the merchandise online (just a couple of t-shirt designs), so I wasn't sure what they'd have.  I knew a couple of items I hoped they had (and they did!) and assumed I would find a couple of other things to buy.  I can't resist race merchandise!

I started with the three items I knew I would want: Sweaty Bands (I love them and wasn't able to get them last year), a magnet (which I have gotten from all my recent runDisney races lately) and a mini Dumbo Double Dare medal pin (I got the mini medal from both Dopey and Glass Slipper and wanted to complete my collection).

Lucky me - they had all 3!  I actually got 2 Sweaty Bands - one for the Half and one for Dumbo.  The designs were really cute!  I was also able to get my magnet (I got the Dumbo one only, they did have 2 for the Half) and the mini medal pin.  Off to a good start!

I also thought I might get a wine glass... I don't need one, but I have one from all my other runDisney races so I thought I had a feeling I would get one for this race too.  And it was really cute this year!  I love the tag line - 'Running the Dream!'.  Perfect for this race!

They also had a really cute waterbottle (I have an obsession with them) so I picked up one of those.  The pack of the waterbottle says 'Running for Peanuts'.  I also picked a Dumbo Double Dare keychain.  So cute and something I can use everyday!

Lastly, I ended up getting a Dumbo Double Dare hoodie.  I loved the blue color and the back had a great design.  I didn't really need it... but I couldn't resist.

The back, the front says 'Running for Peanuts' on the right side

After making our decisions, we headed to the registers.  They had them located in a side room and it was a very smooth process.  So easy!

Once we had paid for everything, we headed back to get our numbers.  My line to pick up was pretty short, so it went quickly.  I also got my race pins with no line as well.  Pam's line was a little longer, but not too bad!

After that, it was upstairs to get the race shirts.  They had it set up so you went directly up from the number pick up into the back of the expo for shirt pickup.  The shirts were well organized and no lines.  I really like the shirts this year!  The color of the half shirt isn't my favorite, but I don't hate it (I know some people really didn't like it).  And they were women sized, yay!

Did some quick walking around the expo, but honestly didn't look around too much.  I don't need much of anything so just made it quick.

Overall, I think this expo was a 100% better than last year.  They made some important (and needed) changes to the expo so it went smoother.  They organized the official merchandise better and had plenty of it.  I'm not sure how much they had left over (I hope not a lot so they don't order less) and that they continue to order a lot of merchandise.  It's not fair to the people who can't go on the first day not to be able to get stuff.

If you went to the expo, what did you think of it?

Eugene Half Marathon: Expo

At the end of July, I headed west to do the Eugene Half and check another state off the list.  But before you can run the half, you must head to the expo!  The expo was held at University of Oregon's arena.

We went to the expo early and wanted to get it done first thing, arriving about 5 minutes before it opened.  Unfortunately, they were a bit delayed (the shirts hadn't arrived yet), so we got to spend some extra time waiting. 

Eventually, we did head in.  It was well organized with number pick-up right at the front.  A quick check of number assignments and I picked up my number and gear check bag.  Time to head to the main floor! 

The vendors were housed on the floor of the arena.  There weren't a ton of vendors, but a good variety.  You had your standard races and gear (gu's, body glide, etc).  The race shirts and official merchandise was all the way at the end, so we walked all the way through to get that first.  When we got there, we realized the shirts hadn't arrived yet (which was the hold up to open the expo). 

Since we were there, we figured we should look at the official merchandise now and then head back into the full expo.  I liked a couple of pieces of official merchandise but it all said "Eugene Marathon" and since I was only doing the half, decided not to get anything.  While we were looking, the race shirts arrived!  Perfect timing!

I really like the race shirt - it's a soft Nike drifit shirt with a really cute design!

Once we got our shirts, we headed back to the expo starting at the beginning.  Our first stop was the Oregon Track Club booth.  Even though I'm not a member, I still wanted a shirt.  I figured it was a perfect souvenir of a running trip to Oregon.  They also had a $1 bin which some old race shirts (which I picked one up for as a throwaway) and some awesome 80s styled bags.  I have no need for it, but it was only a $1!  I couldn't resist!

Most amazing bag ever.

Next, we made a stop at the Picky Bars booth.  I've been wanting to try them since they are gluten free (and that makes my stomach feel better).  They were really good!  But the best part was my total fangirl moment when I met pro runner Lauren Fleshman.  She and her husband created Picky Bars and she runs for Oiselle (I love their clothing!).  She was super nice and even posed for a photo with me.  You know what made me like her even more?  I tagged her in the photo on Instagram and she even commented!  Love that she took the time to do that. 

After that we wondered through the rest of the booths, checking out races and seeing what freebie's there were.  I also picked up a cute (non-running) shirt from Run Pretty Far.  They had a bunch of cute sayings and I got one perfect for Wine and Dine weekend.

 

Despite our best effort to not stay too long, we ended up being there for close to 1.5 hours so it was time to head back to the hotel. 

Up next, the race!

Grandma's Marathon - Expo Recap

Now that work has calmed down and life has returned to normal, time to get back to some race recaps!  Starting with the expo for Grandma's Marathon.

The expo was held in the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center.  It was located about a 10 minute walk from my hotel via the Sky Bridge, which was so nice because it was a lot colder then I expected - only in the high 50's (and it felt cold!).

The way to the expo was well marked and easy enough to find.

Lots of signs marking the way

The space the expo was in wasn't huge, so it did get pretty crowded. 

Lots of people... not a lot of space

The number pickup was at the back (so you had to walk through the expo to get to it).  I decided to go and get my number first and then work my way back.

Number pickup was pretty simple, they had the half and full broken out and then broken out by men and women.  T-shirts were given at the finish line, so it was just a number pick up.  There was no line when I went so it was really easy!

No line!

After number pickup, I made my way through the rest of the expo.  Since the weather was cooler than I expected, I stopped and picked up a throw away long sleeve shirt and some gloves.  I was definitely glad to have them the next day!

After picking up my throw away gear, I headed for the official merchandise.  Something I love about small races - they have a great selection of gear and at reasonable prices!  This race didn't have an official clothing provider, the gear sponsor was an embroidery company so they use pieces from other retailers and added the race logo to it. 

I really don't need running gear but I can't resist race clothing, so I picked up a rain coat instead.  It is a lightweight maroon Eddie Bauer rain jacket with a hood with the logo on it.

This will definitely be put to good use and I love that it is Eddie Bauer so I know it's a quality item (and it was only $45 which I LOVE). 

I also picked up a pin and a mug.  I love getting the pins to add to my medals and the mug is so adorable.  I've been drinking my coffee out of it almost every morning.  It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

The lighthouse is my favorite part

After the official merchandise, I wandered a bit through the rest of the expo.  Did some sampling and window shopping, but managed to resist buying anything else. 

I didn't stay too long at the expo as I really didn't want to be on my feet a long time.  I headed back to the hotel to rest, but not before stopping for one last photo!

I look pretty calm for someone about to run a marathon

Up next - the race!