The Official 2013 Wine and Dine Half Marathon Thread

[Figment1990]

I just wanna chime in on this. I know EXACTLY how you feel. I had my worst race ever in Disneyland this Sept. I hated every minute of it I was convinced before it I would PR since I'd done my first half in 2:55 with a broken toe. Turns out everything worked against me and I finished in 3:32. I was so depressed and angry with myself. Filled with self doubt. Then I was more determined than ever to train harder and PR at wine and dine. Well 8 weeks ago that changed. I had a really bad back injury/spasm. It was so bad I couldn't sit or stand up. When it finally healed I only had 4 weeks to get back into shape. I was able to run 7 miles of this race before I hit the wall. I finished in 3:21 and I am sooooo proud of that time despite it not being a PR. I feel like I earned this one a bit more. So keep your head up. You finished!! From what I've heard a lot did not. You have 10 weeks between now and Tink and you will be great! You may even PR with more favorable weather!

Thank you so much for this. It is still amazing to me that a bunch of total strangers can be the ones I needed to "talk" to most after this race.

I'm feeling a little better about everything now- and am eager to try again in January and February. Anyone from this thread doing either princess or tink? I know a couple are doing WDW marathon weekend.

To find pictures that haven't been assigned to anyone, click the tiny words"un identified photos" (not sure te word photo is there now that I think of it) in the upper right of the marathonfoto page (that u got to from clicking the link on runDisney or the email). Then u should be able to search.

Finish line video- they had small video clips for each finisher last year with a different company. I was disappointed too about the absence of it this year. I wish they would put a montage together too- I'd add that to my purchase!

I am also disappointed they didn't have wide angle finish line shots that got the finish line banner in them. That told a better story, if u ask me.

As it is my character pics finally appeared and they turned out quite well! U can't even tell I'm about to well... You know.... Lol! Glad I stopped for them tho I'm not sure ill be stopping in the future. Don't think my body can handle the stop-start of standing in a 3-5 min line.

 

[longhorns2]

Here's my full race recap. As time goes by I don't hate it as much. It was me- undertrained and over parked- more than the race itself. Though I still don't love the course.

But pre-event and post event rate as the best of the runDisney races for me!

http://margaritasmilesandmouse.blogspot.com/2013/11/wine-and-dine-half-marathon-re-cap.html

 

[Figment1990]

Ok, I realized how negative I had been sounding about my race experience. I just wanted to give a shout out of love for the wine and dine, despite my own personal struggles I truly LOVE this race. I love the course, I thought the runDisney people did a really great job of amping up the entertainment this year. And yes, it's at night, so it's dark and its late, but that's what makes it a different type of experience. I think that rundisney should use full strength power are (or at least advertise that it's not) and I'm not thrilled with marathonfoto, but honestly I would do this race again and again if I had the funds. I like running at night (personally I'm a night owl) and I like that there is a party at the finish (call me crazy) and I dance my heart out at the starting area too. My DH also appreciates the party while I'm running around for 2+ hours... I think the volunteers did a fantastic job and props to the spectators this year too- way more than last year along the course. So THANK YOU!

Hmmmm sounds like I'm talking myself not figuring out a way to run this again next November!

 

[dlbwright]

What a great weekend! Still having a hard time coming off this high!

I am usually in bed by 8:30P and was very nervous about the time of this race. Nothing to worry about since the adrenaline pushed me through, along with a nap from 4p - 6p!

This was my first RunDisney race and did not have much to compare it to, but I loved it. I dressed up as Vanellope from Wreck It Ralph. Not sure if no one knew who I was, but it was so fun when one cast member in DHS yelled to me go Vanellope! I was so giddy, espeically when I got my picture with Ralph!!!!

I was not worried about time at all, although know it bugs me just a tad. My best PR was 2:24. The clock time was 3:17 and my official time was 3:04. But I took over 100 pictures. The only character I stopped for was Ralph. Had to actually stop twice because the first time the picture on my camera was not so good. But that was all I really wanted.

Afterwards I was tired, but ok. I had planned on using my $10 for some cheddar cheese soup. Then I got to the crosswalk and the claustrophobia and effects of the powerade set in. I was not feeling so good and had to kneel down in the crowd a few times. That crosswalk was just a mess. After that all I wanted to do was just walk back to Boardwalk and go to bed. All the smells were getting to me. I have been more nauseous after other races, I did not throw up, but was just enough to make me feel uncomfortable.

But will I do it again............Heck yeah!!!!!!!!

Now looking forward to marathon weekend and princess weekend.

 

[ls1jt]

Back home after the super fast weekend trip to WDW. I was def not fully trained, skipping days on my routine didn't help me, as around mile 9 I was hurting! Felt pretty awful after grabbing my medal, had to sit down, then we went back into EPCOT for an hour or so. My wife wanted some wine and dine treats, we rode Soarin' and Spaceship Earth, then called it a night.

This was my first running event of any kind and when I look back I did enjoy it. I know if I did a more consistent training plan the next time would be easier. The cost of the entire thing though from flight, hotel, race fees, etc was pretty high. It was a birthday gift for my wife and I think she really liked it.

I can't decide if doing another one is worth it for me or not... They are all during the school year and I work in education, so it really will always be just a weekend trip for me. Hope everyone had a good weekend, I don't know about you but it went by super fast for us.

 

[peachygreen]

I just finished writing a 12 page weekend recap in word while it was all still fresh. I need to figure out where and how much I want to post.

 

[dlbwright]

I just finished writing a 12 page weekend recap in word while it was all still fresh. I need to figure out where and how much I want to post.

Good idea. I need to work on one of those. look forward to reading it if you find a place to post. Make a running blog!

 

[binab]

Back to the real world today, but still feeling great after Sat night. I got lucky and was moved from corral L to I. It was a much bigger jump than I’d hoped for and I was very thankful for the cushion. I had only done about 10 weeks of dedicated training and had only a 10k max distance in prior to this event. In spite of this, the miles just seemed to fly by. I knew once I hit that 10k banner and was still feeling strong, that I was going to finish.

Although I was more of a lurker here than a contributor, I was taking notes and soaking in as much information as I could. I focused on my hydration and fueling beforehand and it made all the difference. So thank you and congratulations to everyone!!!

 

[cimrk01]

Does anyone know if RunDisney does full Finish Line video? I've seen this done with other races and it is fun to see...I wanted to show dd.

They just added the video feature. Click on a random image in your gallery. On the new page next to Memory CD with Video click on the video preview link and the clips of the finish line should show up.

 

[Nole95]

They really need to figure out something with that crosswalk. I ran the race last year and it was mess as well.

 

[DEA]

Congratulations to everyone who ran on Saturday night, and, if you're like me, on into Sunday morning. I enjoyed the course better than I did last year's Tower of Terror 10 Miler, and especially enjoyed running through AK (well, after getting past the initial smell on the way in). I was able to get through in 2:06:25, which is about 10 minutes faster than my Half-Marathon at WDW in January. I do regret, a bit, not stopping for a photo with Darth Vader and Boba Fett, as the line was short and I could have still had a PR, but I still enjoyed the Disney touches.

Now I'm back home and facing a run tonight in freezing temperatures. I miss Florida...

 

[JimB.]

They really need to figure out something with that crosswalk. I ran the race last year and it was mess as well.

My wife & I saw the herd of people at the crosswalk. We said "No frickin way we are diving in there".......... Walked about 30 yards to the right over to the base of SE (where there were no crowd police nearby) and just scooted across between a couple of groups of runners. No sweat. Just gotta' be creative sometimes................

 

[Fletch]

What a great weekend! Still having a hard time coming off this high!

I am usually in bed by 8:30P and was very nervous about the time of this race. Nothing to worry about since the adrenaline pushed me through, along with a nap from 4p - 6p!

This was my first RunDisney race and did not have much to compare it to, but I loved it. I dressed up as Vanellope from Wreck It Ralph. Not sure if no one knew who I was, but it was so fun when one cast member in DHS yelled to me go Vanellope! I was so giddy, espeically when I got my picture with Ralph!!!!

I was not worried about time at all, although know it bugs me just a tad. My best PR was 2:24. The clock time was 3:17 and my official time was 3:04. But I took over 100 pictures. The only character I stopped for was Ralph. Had to actually stop twice because the first time the picture on my camera was not so good. But that was all I really wanted.

Afterwards I was tired, but ok. I had planned on using my $10 for some cheddar cheese soup. Then I got to the crosswalk and the claustrophobia and effects of the powerade set in. I was not feeling so good and had to kneel down in the crowd a few times. That crosswalk was just a mess. After that all I wanted to do was just walk back to Boardwalk and go to bed. All the smells were getting to me. I have been more nauseous after other races, I did not throw up, but was just enough to make me feel uncomfortable.

But will I do it again............Heck yeah!!!!!!!!

Now looking forward to marathon weekend and princess weekend.

Your experience sounds very similar to mine! This was my first ever half, and I came in at 2:53, which was about 30 minutes later than I had anticipated.

Afterward, I got stuck in the crowd near the crosswalk as well and then the nausea started, I think due to a combination of clausterphobia and powerade, and then I threw up. Bleh.

However, the run itself was amazing! Even my aching knee didn't wipe the smile from my face. My best friend of 25+ years ran with me and it was an experience I'll never ever forget. The last few miles were painful... my knee was killing me, my legs were starting to cramp, my lungs wanted to burst. When I spotted my wife and kids cheering me on near Spaceship Earth, it was all I could do to fight back the tears of joy, and suddenly all of the pain was gone... and before I even knew it I was across the finish line!

The combination of Disney magic and personal accomplishment was simply overwhelming... I loved every minute of it.

Congrats to all of the other runners!

 

[Steve's Girl]

Anyone know how to look at the unknown photos for a race? I only have like 5 photos from this weekend. None of the finish line

Same here. And the ones I did have were pretty bad.

 

[btk2333]

congrats to everyone who finished!

I finished in 2:02- about 10 minutes off my PR but it was still a great experience! Stopped for a picture with Vader and Boba Fett- just couldn't pass it up!

I was lucky enough to be in Coral B and that would be my recommendation- try to get in an early coral if at all possible. The course is much more wide open (after comparing experiences with my friends further back) and finishing early means the after party is wide open (after that horrible crossing fiasco anyway)!

The night race was harder than I expected, I was much more tired and sore than the half marathon I ran in September- but live and learn . Next time I"ll know to pace myself a little better!

Stayed at the after party until 4 AM and then spent all day Sunday at F&W before returning to the cold midwest Monday

Had such a great trip that DW and I are planning to return for a "babymoon" in January or February (twins!)

 

[peachygreen]

Well I decided to start a blog as it is a much easier way to do a trip report than doing it here on the DIS. (I've been trying to do one for my cruise for months and I just did this weekend in about 30 minutes)

Here is a link to the actual race recap. If you are interested in the rest of the crazy weekend it is there as well.

http://runpeachy.blogspot.com/2013/11/wine-dine-half-marathon-weekend-race-day.html

 

[cjhinch]

Well, we finally made it home from a WONDERFUL weekend in Disney! We arrived Friday, late afternoon, and after a quick stop at the Expo (where we were able to move up to corral I from L, DH could have moved up further, but he was gonna run with me anyway so no point! LOL), we headed to Downtown Disney for dinner.

We couldn't pass up the parks on Saturday morning, so we headed to Hollywood Studios! With our pre-reserved Fastpass+, the morning was nice and relaxing! Lunch at Pizza Planet, then back to the room for a nice 2 hour nap.

DH and I shared a burger at Pepper Market before we gathered up my sister and headed over to Epcot! This was the only confusing part of our night. We got of our resort bus and had no clue where to go from there. We weren't the only ones, we ran into quite a few people who looked just as lost as we did. We found a CM and they pointed us in the right direction!

Thankfully, my sister has a few half marathons under her belt, so she knew exactly what to do! DH and I would have been lost! LOL My sis was a trooper as well, she was supposed to be in corral G, but she stuck back with us in I as well! Waiting on the race to start was so much fun, I loved seeing all the costumes, and the atmosphere was just FESTIVE!

I loved running through Animal Kingdom so much! I got teary eyed when we went thru the park gates! And even though it was a long run out of the park, I was still enjoying every minute! Miles 6, 7 and 8 seemed to just fly by. By the time we entered Hollywood Studios, I was really starting to feel the pain. Running thru the park totally perked me up, I couldn't wait to get to the lights! We just stopped and took it all in. It was beautiful!

Those last few miles were tough. I couldn't train as much as I wanted, I was balancing keeping my leg healthy with getting enough good runs in. I wish I could have prepared better! But heading to the finish line, I got emotional again, and as soon as we crossed the finish line, my DD and my BIL and neice were there holding signs and cheering for us! It was absolutely incredible!! We finished in 2:53, much longer than I had hoped, but I think the crowds had a lot to do with it! The BLING was totally worth it!

We fought the crowds and headed into Epcot. We made our way around to all the countries, but I just couldn't really make myself have any alcohol or rich foods. We didn't make it back to the room until about 3:30!


Already planning on coming again next year!!!

 

[SultanPprShkr]

Hi All. Chiming in here. Coast to Coast at W&D. Not my favorite runDisney course. The AK Parking lot was a joke and that lake path was way too narrow. Followed later by an equally narrow or even smaller path along the Boardwalk. Really? I did my worst race time ever this year at Wine & Dine. Process of elimination can't give me much to blame other than humidity and perhaps not enough sleep. Humidity didn't feel that bad, and I was hydrated before and during the course.. I'm used to training at night, and coming from california, i had an advantage of running at "7pm" instead of 10pm starting.. and finishing at 3:35 was blah but that was a lot of walking. and a lot of pit stops to take pictures with WDW exclusive characters, or characters that are rarely seen at DLR races/parks.

I was sick after mile 5 though, something didn't sit right with me, and it stuck around until I touched down back home on Sunday morning.. maybe my body really did not like Florida? LOL. Cuz I was fine when I left LA and I was fine when I landed in LA again.. but the 26 hours I was in WDW I was not feeling too great.

That being said, I would not do this race again, UNLESS it was a specific year. For example, next year is anniversary and I want the 5th anniversary medal.. so I shall do it.. But after that, I'll pass on it.

 

[PlutoBaby]

Great race last night. I will say that running a night race has some unique challenges to it. I missed on prerace fuel big time and payed for it with a post race trip to the medical tent with naseau and dizziness. It would have been nice to have portapotties that were accessible from the finish line without having to leave the runners area. I had a one track mind of getting to the bathroom skipping food, bag check and pictures on the way and almost couldn't make it back to bag check. A nice medical staff person convinced me to go to the medical tent as I was very pail and barely able to sit up. Fortunately once I emptied the contents of my stomach I felt much better almost instantly.

I really struggled from the 15k mark on and finished with a 2:51:37 - 14 minutes off my PR from 2 weeks ago.

Oh Peach! I'm so sorry about your "issues"! Glad to hear you eventually felt better!

If you were still in the med tent a half hour later, I may have seen you there.

I truly hope that everyone had a great race last night. I thought Disney did a great job of improving some of the things we didn't like last year, the entrance into animal kingdom, tho narrow was definitely wider (no posts!), there was at least triple the entertainment and characters on course and the corrals seemed to work beautifully. I know I felt much better pace wise and crowd wise starting the race yesterday than I did last year.

But for me, that's where the fun ended. I finished, in 3:22- a half hour off my time last year, and nearly an hour off my expected time. Nearly everything that could go wrong, went wrong for me. From side stitches, to knee pain, too much humidity i wasnt use to, to nausea at the 11 mile mark - even a darn mosquito attacked my right ankle and I hop/scratched for like 5 minutes!. I was incredulous once again this year, but this time not in a good way. I couldnt believe all this stuff happened! I actually made it to about mile 11.75 or so when I finally let myself say to a medic: I'm done. They asked if I was sure, since I was so close, so I asked to sit down. So I sat for two seconds and then I stood up and vomited. It was awful. And then I felt a lot better and they said i could finish the race if i wanted. I did and from there i did ok but basically I walked 95% of the way from the 15k to the finish. Which is fine, if you are walking like you are intending to walk a race. This walk was more of a omg, get me out of my misery walk.

Silver lining: I ended up getting a coveted photo with jack sparrow and with darth vader. I probably look like I'm about to puke but I got it!

Also, I hate the half strength powerade- I'm 99% that's what did me in. It was EXTREMELY weak. As soon as DH showed up at the med tent and I had some of the salty tortilla chips, I instantly felt better. And i do know this about myself- i need salt. I trained with full strength powerade and never experienced this on any of my long runs. I learned that I definitely need to either bring my own, or some other sodium.

I'm just so disappointed today. I haven't even put on my medal yet. My "support team" says they are proud of me and its not all about the race but I can't shake the feeling that I am somehow not cut out for this and have no business doing Tink and Princess next spring.

So sorry to be a downer today. I know how awesome it does feel to finish the race and be really happy about it (last year was AWESOME for me, even tho the same sickness hit but not until much later in the night after the race). Congratulations to all who ran/walked last night! Watching some of your costumes and just watching the determination of everyone may have been the only thing getting me through!

Susan- you're KIDDING me??!! I am SO sorry you had such an awful race! But please don't give up on yourself. As painful as it was, you still finished, and like Coach said, there's no too many people who can say they've even tried to go the distance.

PR here! It was my first Half.

Had a great time all around. The only frustration was the crosswalk situation getting back into Epcot. We waited 30 minutes to cross the course. There was rebellion in the air.

Wish I could've had more to eat at the party but post-race tummies can only handle so much.

It's all good and I look forward to wearing my medal today and hobbling around MK!

I hear you! The DH was ready to start a riot. I think a simple thing like maybe changing the route in Epcot a little bit would go a long way. Let's hope the runDisney people keep listening to the runners and work on it for next year.

I did not start out too fast. Most of my miles were even paced. I even stopped for 3 photos--jack sparrow, balloo & toy story.

1:53:27. Hearing my name/city/state as I crossed the finish line to high five Mickey was AWESOME! This being my first half--I had no clue they do that!

And my BEST FRIEND surprised me at the finish line! (She lived across the street from me as a child but is now a local)

I, too, have been up since early this AM.
We skipped the after party, though.

Congrats, all!
Figment - I'm so sorry you had a tough race. (((Hugs)))

Wow, did you ever totally rock it!!


First off, let me send out a big CONGRATS to everyone who even attempted the race this year. Even with being a south Florida girl, I found a few spots that were pretty warm. Once we came out of AK and hit that breeze, I thought I was in heaven! All felt pretty great until mile 11 and BAM! Those IT's said "no way lady!" I really shortened up my stride, stopped to stretch, and made it to the finish. And what a difference being able to start in Corral E! There was a lot less traffic to deal with even with all the runners who were still in front. RunDisney has my time as 2:26 and my GPS had me at 2:21 (I stopped it for a bathroom stop and pics). Not quite the 2:15 I was hoping for, but maybe in January for the Donald.

After last year's race, I said never again. Then, after coming back to read the thread until it was closed, I changed my mind and was so glad I did! This was a great experience thanks to all of you and my support crew. Don't let one bad experience turn you off from doing it again. This is a great race to run and I truly believe you learn something new from each experience. I know I did and plan on running this race again, at least through the five year anniversary.


Here's the WISH'ers before all the sweat and tears.

 

[CamColt]

It's so nice to check in here, POST race! Congratulations everyone!!! Whether you think you had a good time or bad, you did it and that's a win!

What an experience it was! My ankle held up enough. I got that sharp pain a few times during the run but I really tried to be aware while running and manage how I landed on it. DH and I both finished in 2:26:13, which was just about 10 minutes more than I was hoping for so even going a bit slower than I planned it wasn't too bad. I'm happy.

The run itself didn't seem too bad. I felt mile 7-8 flew, but 11-12 felt like 10 miles, LOL! I seriously thought they didn't have a marker for 12 or I missed it...until I finally saw it. Looking back I feel the waiting around part was worse than the run.

And I'm another whose biggest complain was the crosswalk issue in Epcot after. I started getting dizzy after standing there at least 15 minutes. Then I don't know if it was a mental thing or what but I got the buzzing sound in my ears that I usually get before I pass out (I'm a fainter anytime I have blood drawn, among other times). I had to sit down and sort of bend my head over and of course as soon as I did we moved to the middle. I made it over and once I got some air and sat down I was fine, but I got a bit scared there for a while. There has got to be a better way for that.

I'm already thinking of how we can work in another trip for next year.