Lagoon Squad

With the Disney Marathon 48 hours out, it was time for a little pipe-cleaning with an early a.m. run around the Seven Seas Lagoon, which the Polynesian, Grand Floridian, and Contemporary hotels all encircle.

As we always do whenever we travel, Andrew and I used the misty morning run as an excuse to explore the landscape and check out some hidden secrets around the lagoon.

Here's Bungalow Bill himself

We thought we would do a nice, three mile loop around the Seven Seas, but were thwarted at several turns, including the terminus of a sidewalk by the Contemporary.

No problem, we're accomplished trail runners.

So off road we go!

The road less travelled still leads to the Magic Kingdom

My fellow Lagoonie

It was a wet morning, so the crowds there to cheer us on were smaller than usual at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom

But the place still gets the thumbs up from Andrew

From there, we hatched our plan - to run beneath the monorail tracks on an isolated footpath that leads to the Grand Floridian hotel.

Alas, that also was not meant to be, as the path abruptly ended at a creek, and there was no way across to complete our loop, unless we wanted to pull a Captain Hook and swim with the crocodiles

So what to do?

Well unless we wanted our marathon warmdown to extend into a 10K, it was time for the ferry express!

Running on the dock of the bay

Nearly 24 years ago, my bride and I spent the second week of our honeymoon at the fabled Grand Floridian hotel.  We still remember it fondly.

The Creature from the Hack Lagoon

Andrew prefers his runs on the rocks

Inbound, we had time for a pitstop at the aforementioned wedding pavilion, just to scope out the scene.  Simply gorgeous.

Ladies, he's available!

Me, beating feet away from the wedding pavilion before I get charged for sneaking a peek.

This is considered trail running in Florida.

Finally, heading back to the hotel, we encounter the only mug out there uglier than mine.

And Andrew, for his part, decides to go full on running warrior and channel his inner haka.

Look it up, it's a thing.

Disney - It's All About the 'Ohana

Disney Marathon Weekend 2016, time for the Cook family to return to the Happiest Place on Earth, log some miles, both walking, and running, invest in the local economy, and escape from the cold of the Great White North for the Warmer Climes of the Florida Peninsula.

Okay, almost all of that was true.

Florida in January, 2016, was anything but tropical, but that's immaterial in the big picture.

Just being able to shed the sweatshirts and walk around in tee-shirts (proudly boasting Patriots gear, no less), was all Heather needed to give the weekend to come the thumbs up.

This year's marathon weekend featured a stay at the Polynesian Resort, where all were greeted with alohas and leis upon our arrival

Happily, we had the remnants of Christmas decorations scattered around some of the hotels, attractions, and parks, if only for a limited time.  Many of the holiday colors I captured were taken down within 24 hours, but we did our best to bask in the Christmas spirit in early January

The view from above is just as nice as it is up close 

Seeing the name of one of the Polynesian's eateries made the hotel choice feel like it was pre-destined

With some of the local fare under our belts, it was off to the Marathon Expo at the Wide World of Sports for our number pick-up and to drop a few more dollars into vendors' pockets.

Because it's not every day you get to pose with Miss Chiquita Banana.  She was quite appealing.

Yeah, that pretty much sums it up for Andrew.  They've got him to a tee.

The signs were there

Back to the hotel for a quick rest before Part 2 of the day

Heather stopped outside the Wedding Pavilion at the Grand Floridian.  Yeah, she's already getting ideas.

Over to Disney Springs, formerly known as Downtown Disney, and the Force was strong in every store you stepped into.

The locals were a bit boisterous.

And when you've got Star Wars as your backdrop.....

It always leads to the inevitable light saber duel

I AM YOUR FATHER

We've been taking pics of Woody and Buzz ever since our first trips here.

Now, we can add Kylo Ren to the mix.

And of course, BB8.

Day One done, it's back to the tiki lounge to call it a day.

More to come (obviously) in the blogs to follow.

And remember - 'Ohana means family.

The Course Awakens

One week to go before the Disney Marathon, so Sunday provided the opportunity for the last "long" run of this training cycle, a roving 10 mile loop through Tyngsboro and Dracut.

Thankfully, we didn't have to run Solo for this trip.  Instead, we were joined for the 10 miles by Carlos and this little droid, BB8.  He/she is surprisingly fast for a sphere.

First Order of business: we tried some new chomps courtesy of Gatorade on today's course.  Tasty, but a tad Chewie.

There were plenty of Reys of sunshine to be found on this glorious day, especially in the skies over Lake Mascuppic.  Seriously, we can't complain at all about our training weather for this marathon.   We were able to run in shorts and tees right up until about a week ago, and really only had to break out extra Leias of winter running gear three times during the season! 

Brand placement is key, as Carlos knows only too well.  You just have to Luke for it.

Along the course, Andrew literally ran into some of his old running mates from the Lowell High XC team, Nate McCarthy and Mike Kalenowski!  It's heartening to see how many members of that team are still out there logging the miles! 

We tried something different this time for the town line.  Bloodthirsty sprints and cutthroat positioning appears to be a thing of the past, as these three Jedi Knights took up an X-Wing formation and took the step over the town line together!  Maybe there's a New Hope for E Streeter showdowns! 

And finally, to the victors go the spoils, a pot of gold waiting for us at the Fin of this Ren!

 Carlos' hot tub is one of those things like chupacabra, the Loch Ness Monster, and pro-Patriots comments from Rex Ryan - you hear about them, you just never see them.

At least most people never get a chance to see.

Knowing Andrew and I are only a week away from the Disney Marathon, Carlos turned up the jets, cracked open the vintage Powerade, and peeled back the hot tub cover for his fellow Rogues.

It's every bit as exhilarating as the legends have built it up to be and quite the light saber for the legs after a long run!

So there you go.  As Coach Maia and Victoria Hatem are wont to say, the hay is in the barn, and the training is done.  Next up is a 26.2 mile jaunt through four kingdoms, encountering a cast of characters along the way that make even the E Streeters look tame!

Time for R2 sets of legs to Run Disney!

May the Force Be With Us!