Heading to Paris?

I can't believe the time is FINALLY here! Do you know how long runDisney nuts (like all of us) have been speculating about a Disneyland Paris Half Marathon? It's been years in the making, and the time has finally come to pack our bags and put the final touches on our preparation for this magical vacation.

The official race guide has been published. You can check it out HERE

Here are a few important reminders that we have added to our regular packing list. What's #1? Remember to pack your patience!!! I've seen quite a lot of complaining already on social media sites. This is an inaugural event, and remember it's NOT runDisney really running the show. This will be all new for everyone involved. Things will go wrong, but if you just enjoy it for all it's glory, you won't be disappointed.

Remember to print and pack your voucher (it was sent via email) and your waiver. You can find your adult waiver HERE and the kids waiver HERE. These waivers are not the same as your medical certificate for those running the half. On that note, don't forget to bring your original copy of your medical certificate as well.

Don't forget to alert your credit card company and bank that you will be traveling internationally. If you plan on using your cell phone, be sure to contact them and find the most economical way to be able to do so. I would also recommend getting some cash to work with when you get there. You don't want to land and be stuck finding places to exchange money (you can do this pretty easily at the airport, but let's get real, when you land you are going to want to start your vacation immediately!).

You may want to register with the state department. They keep track of everyone traveling abroad and if you need the embassy for any reason, you should be registered. No one wants to think of bad things happening, but I'd rather be prepared. You can do this really easily HERE. You will want to register your whole travel party together, so have everyone's passports ready to go!

Finally, don't forget some of those essentials for packing: outlet converters, passport holders, print outs of tickets and reservations (because we're going to try to not use our phones daily), a translator (or app), Also, don't forget to make sure you carry on any essentials You definitely don't want to be stuck in a different country without things like medication or special foods.

I hope to see some of my favorite runDisney faces in Paris! We can't wait to run this race, visit Disneyland, and make once in a lifetime memories.

Anything else we're forgetting? Drop it in comments below!

Race Report: 2016 Disneyland 5k

We're home from our California vacation (which started at the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend) and it's time to start reliving our favorite race weekend. In case you didn't know, this weekend is very special as it was our first runDisney race back in 2010. Our whole family has been at this race weekend in some form, and it's a non-negotiable on our race calendar annually. This year was the first year that Katie and Chris didn't join us, but it was for VERY good reason! We have TWO new members of Disney Runs in the Family!!! I'll let them introduce you to our tiniest DRITF bloggers, but for now, I'll just say that they were greatly missed. I cannot wait to head to Disney with all three little ones soon!

The face you make when you oversleep on race morning!

Now, back to that 5k thing. Well, I guess a digression is the perfect way to start this blog post because it's very telling of that race. Do you have nightmares before big races? I do! One that is recurring is that I oversleep and miss the start of the race. I then have to play catch up and it just goes on from there. Well...guess what? On Friday morning, my dreams came true! Wait...what? They say dreams come true at Disney, right? Well, after shutting off my alarm in a sleep-deprived haze (you know, the kind that comes along with traveling with an infant who can't quite get it together in a new place in a new time zone), I never reset the alarm. Come to wake up at 5:21, 9 minutes before the start of the race. Seeing that number on the clock wakes you up really fast! Luckily I was pretty organized and knew exactly where all my running stuff was. I threw on my clothes and went running out the door, leaving Bill, Robby, and my mom sleeping in the dark. No food, grabbed a water, and ran to the start. I missed the whole pre-show, the national anthem, and as I heard, "30 seconds to the start of the 5k" I thought I had made good time...until they continued with "corral B, are you ready?" OH! I had actually missed the start too! Thank God this was only the 5k!

I made it right in time to line up in the back of corral C. I wasn't planning on running fast, but I had wanted to stop for photos and really be able to document the race. Too bad I didn't have time to get any of that together. Believe it or not, this was my first DL 5k. Because of the expense of the races, I don't always register for the 5ks. I know the course changed a little from previous years, but I couldn't tell you exactly how. Actually, I was in such a daze that I can't tell you much about the course. One change that was great was you run through the castle. I know this had previously been a rarity in shorter races. I'm glad they made that change. It's one of the most magical moments of the race, and it's nice that all the participants get to experience this now.

Cars Land Selfie!

Another big change was the medal. It was a medal medal, not a rubber medallion like in years past. Of course, you heard people complaining about that too. You just can't make everyone happy! I do appreciate that they at least are putting a bit more noticeable changes into the race since the price tag is so steep.

And...done!

The course is mainly through the parks and backstage areas. They had the Country Bears out (it was the race theme) plus there was country music playing throughout the course. I'm sure someone else could tell you more about the music. Country music just isn't in my knowledge-base! It was a lot of fun, despite the rocky start. Disney always does it right, and next time, I'll be sure to set more than one alarm!

The new bling-ier bling

Did you run the 5k? Do you enjoy shorter or longer distances at Disney?