{05/12/2016} Two Half Marathons In Two States In Two Days Road Trip...Day 2

Find out the first day of our journey here: Crazy Road Trip...Day 1


{The Events of this Blog Entry Happened on 05/05/2016 - Happy Cinco De Mayo}
Okay so here we are day two of the crazy ass idea I had to drive all over the place so I could run two half marathons and we are waking up in Simi Valley...zombie-like and with 4 hours of sleeping am waking up to head down to the Disneyland Hotel to get the packet pick up for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon underway as the next day I would be heading over to the Grand Canyon to run the half marathon through the Grand Canyon itself!

I was not looking forward to this packet pickup because the Wine & Dine Packet Pickup/Expo was a total flop and lord it took me forever to just get my Bib...and I didn't even attempt to go shopping for some RunDisney gear so I was dreading the idea of showing up for chaos again, but I was SHOCKED that it wasn't anything like the dreaded event I made it out to be in my head {and yes now that you are getting to know me better I would agree with you that it is entirely possible that I make things worse in my head than they actually are...but hey it is at least highly comical!}.

2016 Tinkerbell Half Marathon!!

10k Starting Line on Disneyland Dr

It was exciting driving up to the Disneyland Hotel because the starting line for the 10k was up and getting ready for the day before...and that is a site that I love to see.  Starting lines...those means that there are finish lines to be had, bling and new goals to crush. {If you look at them any other way then they become dreaded and they lose their excitement...so no matter what you have to do to love the look of a starting line then do it - I personally dance and sing and jump in place...kinda looking like an idiot but I own looking like a smiling idiot who can't wait to get her BLING!}

Probably the hardest part about the expo was that there were lack of clear signs on where to park...we knew that we were going to the Disneyland Hotel but lord I hadn't been to Disney since they redid the streets and built a parking garage...so I got lost a few times! {And I'm not going to point any fingers but a certain Apple GPS talking lady *cough* Siri *cough* didn't help me much either}  However, once we parked we started walking towards the Disneyland Hotel my excitement started growing more and more and more!!!  OMG I WAS GOING TO RUN TWO HALF MARATHONS IN TWO DAYS AND I WASN'T GOING TO DIE!!! {...Or so I kept telling myself}

There is one thing that you can't deny when you head to any event at Disney and that is the fact that

At The Disneyland Hotel

The Green Carpet

everything will be over the top and magical...and this Expo thing was no different.  So after we passed under the Mickey Mouse house of Magic it was a slight jaunt to find the exact place that we were supposed to be...which we heard was not a red carpet nooooo it was a pixie green carpet!! {You know being the Tinkerbell half and all...}

Now, here is where everything changed and got super exciting for me because my mind was blown...THERE WAS NO ONE AT THE EXPO! Apparently going on a Thursday morning at 1000AM on the dot was the best idea that I've had in many many years...because we waited in line for oh I don't know 1 minute to get my bib! Now, while it only took me one minute to get my bib and another one minute to get my shirt it was when I turned the corner that I found out where everyone was...they were in line to get their Dooney & Burke hand bags and other Tinkerbell Merch!!! {Call me crazy but fighting through thousands of women to get a Tinkerbell Wine Glass is not my thing...but I'm not saying if you bought an extra one that I don't want it! HAHA}

The Empty Expo!! #AlwaysGoOnThursdayMornings

I think the other part of the expo that I liked the best and hope Disneyland half marathons continue with it...and maybe Disney World could pick it up as well...was that the green carpet took you down to a basement to get your prepaid merch, bibs and etc and then you followed the green carpet up stairs to go shopping.  By separating it you didn't have the HUGE crowds trying to get official merch getting in the way of packet pickup folks and creating mad confusions! It really was one of the best packet pick ups I've ever been to yet!

Official 2016 Ariel New Balance's

The other aspect of the expo that blew my mind was the New Balance booth area was crazy but I had signed up to get on the Virtual Signup/Appointment List the night before to get my Tinkerbell Half Marathon 2016 Limited Edition shoes...and the appointment time that I was given was Noon!  Well here was my issue...it was 1030AM and I was not in the mood to wait around for an hour and a half because I was hungry so I thought "Go ask if you can sneak in earlier...and if not, screw it let's get foooood" and as much as my stomach didn't want New Balance to work with me I was so happy and completely surprised when they let me come on in at 1030AM to get my shoes!!!  Now...call me snooty or pickey {because I am in some ways} but when the New Balance lady helping me, Megan, brought out the shoes that I wanted to get...the Tinkerbell editions...I tried them on and had to put them back because they said "2015" on them and not "2016".  I didn't want to buy a show that was the official shoe of the half marathon and have it have a different year on it than what I actually ran...so I landed on Ariel! I love them to pieces and don't worry I did not in anyway attempt to wear them to the race {because I like my feet and don't enjoy blisters}.

Okay, so now we were done at the expo...grabbed some new race shirts, shoes and random samples and we could go eat breakfast!  So, if you know me at all you know how I travel and for those who don't know me yet will get to realize that I travel differently than most people.  I am always looking for amazing new places to eat, places the locals go and places you just don't hear about unless you start talking to people from the area...and California Donut was the food quest of the day.  It was located in the heart of LA and no matter what people say I love LA...I mean look at this skyline!!

I did apparently bring the clouds to Cali with me because it was overcast AF the entire time that we were down there...and windy! But I mean come on there isn't anything more beautiful when you look at the city other than their skyline...the history, the growth and the story that it tells {Now don't get me wrong I love the Seattle and PDX skyline more than anything but this one is amazingly beautiful as well...and somewhere in there CELEBRITIES are hanging out...I've just got to find them (Kidding)}

This Place Is AMAZING!

One of the nice things about trying new places if you sometimes get to see neighborhoods you would have never gone through before which gives you a different level of understanding and appreciation of the city that you are in.  California Donut was in a part of the town that I've never been in before and it wasn't exactly what I expected but if you are ever in LA you need to GO GO GO GO GO GO GO eat here!!!!!!  Everything that we got was amazing, fresh and left me wanting to eat their entire store front as if Hansel and Gretel were at the house made of candy and HANGRY!!

I mean Nom Nom Nom!

As a PNW girl I can appreciate a good doughnut and have been known to drive 4 hours each way to pick up a VooDoo Donut or 30 {I mean OMG right...8 hours for doughnuts...this chick is cra
cra!} but I was completely blown away by what I saw! Everything was clean, colorful and looked like just came out of the fryer and were needing to get in my mouth!  We got a few different donuts to take home to our family because you can't get fancy donuts and not share...{and yes, I understand you wanted some but I just couldn't bring them home I'm sorry}...but you sure can test the waters and have one on the car ride home, HEHEHE!!!

No, we are going to get serious for a moment and just tell you that I learned my lesson the hard way regarding something...When you are in the Hispanic District of LA and you see what looks like an amazing sausage wrapped in a croissant and it has the word "HOT" after it that doesn't mean warmed up...NOOOOOOO that means so hot with spices directly from the devil that make you drool on yourself and curse the food you keep eating in misery because it is so good despite it burning your mouth off!!   I am not kidding you when I say that it was one of the best breakfast croissants that I have ever had and there was the perfect balance between bread, meet and cheese and if you have to ability to withstand the heat GO GET ONE!!! {It doesn't hurt that I was eating spicy AF food on Cinco De Mayo!}

After the drive back up to Simi Valley was completed that was the end of the adventure that day!  The hubs, kiddo mom and law and I hung out with our amazing friends and watched movies and just lounged!  I didn't want to do anything too big as the next day I would be getting up at the earliest sight of dawn to drive East to the Grand Canyon because I had to make it by 400PM for packet pickup...so being rested and just NOT being in a car anymore for at least one afternoon/night sounded amazing!!!  

...let's just say that the rest was needed because the next few days were comically tragic, amazing and any other action word you want to dub it but it was one thing for sure - an adventure that would change me, challenge me and have me laughing for hours a day with my Mother In Law!!  Stay turned for the next blog post for {05/06/2016}: Day Three of my crazy adventure!!!

Meg

aka Nutmegz

#HF12033

Half Twisted Runner

{05/11/2016} Two Half Marathons In Two States In Two Days Road Trip...Day 1

{The Events of this Blog Entry Happened on 05/03-05/04/2016}
Okay so not to long ago I won an entry in to the Grand Canyon Half Marathon from Vacation Races so the idea of taking a road trip to the Grand Canyon and back with a stop in Log Angeles/Simi Valley to hang out with friends started taking form.  We were so excited because we haven't put together a road trip as a family in a long time but then something CRAZY happened!!   ...I got this brilliant idea that since I was going to be in the Los Angeles that I would challenge myself and run the Tinkerbell Half Marathon the day after the Grand Canyon Half Marathon! {...Remember what I was saying about me and my good ideas?!  Yeah...this is another bright idea that should have been a cautionary tale of Meg's BAD IDEAS!!!} 

Of course the journey started multiple days before hand because of the packing and prep that goes in to packing for two half marathons in two days in two different states...in fact just saying that almost hurts my head.  I was excited because the day before we left I got the opportunity to run up to Tacoma and not only get my new Half Fanatics shirts {Been waiting a year for those!!!} and get fitted for new trail running shoes because I thought I might want to be better prepared for the Grand Canyon Half Marathon and lord I had nothing that resembled trail running shoes...or anything that I should be running trails on for that matter.  I was sad that I didn't love the Brooks trail shoe options..it was the first time that I put on a Brooks shoe and through to myself "What the fuck are wrong
with these magical shoes I love so much they huuuuuuurt..." but then Craig from Fleet Feet in Tacoma shocked me and put a Saucony on my foot and I was in LOOOOVE!  {Not going to lie I feel like I am cheating my road running shoes with the new pretty pink and yellow trail running shoes...but I don't care!}

Everything A Runner Might Need!

So back to the packing dilemma...how much stuff is too much stuff?!  I have a small or rather teeny tiny habit of over packing...more so when I know that I am going to be driving to me destination and I have the room to spare and don't have to pay by the bag for luggage {However after this trip my husband my change his luggage policies for the next road trip that we take} and that is exactly what I did for this trip as well.  I ran around the house after checking the weather for both of the races and ended up packing all the running clothes I own...all the gel packets, all the socks, my Evergreen Turtles Hat, all the running clothes in my drawer and the kitchen sink too of course.  It took me about 4 hours, three times of losing my mind and multiple forgotten things that I would have been lost without I was finally packed and ready to get the car all loaded up.  My husband was working the overnight shift so I was left to get everything ready and that isn't always easy...because I am not as picky as him but 'meh' I did it and no on needs to say a damn word about it!

We rolled out at 0630AM on 05/04 and started our roadtrip south to Simi Valley because I had to be at

Mak Is Ready To Go!

How Long?!!?

Disneyland 05/05 by 1000AM to pick up my Tinkerbell Half Marathon packet...and take what I knew would be a much needed break from being in the car after driving for almost 24 hours straight.  Because it was Mother's Day weekend we were planning on making this a family event but my 11 year old son practically begged me not to get in to the car with his sister for a week straight and asked if he could stay with his Mimi & Papa...we caved and let him. {Not because I didn't want him there because I already miss him so so much but because if he wanted to stay home to go to school and baseball then I was proud of him for making that decision...that and there would be less fighting in the car between the two of them - something I haven't missed} There were a few stops and one more person that we needed to pick up on our way out of town, but then we would be on our way...but lord that was going to be a long drive!

Since we are a family who enjoys long road trips {You have to be saying...WHO ARE THESE CRAZY PEOPLE by  now!} we have a few traditions that we live by.  They have almost become supersiticions at this point because we've never had bad luck on road trips...well maybe minus one that involved a lot of birds attacking us and flying in to our car while we were driving down the free way...but other than that, nada!  The two things that we always do is stop in Belfair, WA and get Starbucks and in Portland, OR get Voodoo Doughnuts!  The key thing about going to Voodoo Doughnuts is that we do not go to the original one downtown PDX because of the fact that there is ALWAYS a huge line and no matter how much I love me some doughnuts...I will not wait in a long a$$ line for them.  We go to the VooDOo on Davis Street...there is never a line, the doughnuts are way more fresh because they are not mass made like the one with the line and they a tad cheaper.  Now once we got our doughnuts and the tradition was completed we were off really heading south...it was going to be a long day of driving but we knew we had to make it no matter what time we arrived.

My Little Lady...And Smelly Feet!

My favorite part of road trips are the random ass shit that you will see along the way.  You can never count on anything being what you expected it to be...nor what you wanted it to be.  There are weird people, strange AF places and some of the most beautiful visions of nature that your eyes can ever and will ever see.  That is why I am such a fan of the Left Coast in general...never get tired of it.  

GOOOOO DUCKS! #SorryNotSorry

It was about the point where we were six or seven hours into the drive where being tried set in and we all started to get a little loopy...which wasn't a good sign of things coming for the rest of the day...and night, considering that we had at least another 10 hours of driving to go and hadn't even hit the Oregon-California border yet.  I was a bad kid packer and didn't bring anything other than her tablet beause at home I don't think that she plays with anything else...but when that is your ONLY option of entertainment it just isn't good enough.  So...what is a Mama to do when her little is bored and needs something to do

Snap Chat For The Win

until we can get somewhere that might sell coloring books and crayons?!  That's right, you guessed it!  Snap Chat filters for the win!!  There was at least an hour of fun that was had messing around with Snap Chat and everyone in the car tht wasn't driving but the little lady couldn't get over how silly she looked...I've never quite heard her laugh that hard in a long time but it was a blast.  I mean look at them...I can't even without laughing hysterically.

Keeps Me Going!!!

I took over driving for a while because let's face it I am not a fan of at night...nor should I be allowed to because I tend to fall asleep!  So, we pulled over somewhere in Oregon and I made our lunches {Which were amazing} and took over driving South.  I have to say that while I was driving I was having a hard time staying awake and it was Nuun energy flavors that keeps me going...while I love the lemon lime it was the Strawberry Lemonade that made me say "OOOOOH".  My favorite meal on the road {and you will see a theme throughout the road trip of how I eat while I'm on the road} is a chicken finger salad!

Mmmm....Salad!

So there was one thing that I didn't account for in todays age...that a child would need more than a tablet to keep herself occupied for a 24 hour drive...but sure enough when we were stuck in a damn traffic accident.  So after we took a moment to enjoy the view that we were given we decided to stop and get the girl some colors and paper to draw pictures on...apparently that wasn't good enough either because she was bored 10 minutes after.

I almost lost it when we stopped in Yreka, CA and Mak said that her coloring stuff would come in handy because of the fact that the people in the town look weird and she could draw the town with all of the "martians" that live here...she said that because she saw someone reading a book to a statue and she thought it was the best thing ever...when she is older we can teach her a little more about why some people do that and possibly help people out that need it if that is the case but she is five so I smiled and kissed the top of her head...and we continued on down the road again because LORD we were still far away from where we were going!

You can either listen to you kid complain...or look out the window! 

My view from the back seat...nice and comfy

So at this point we are already to get out of the car but we had a LONG WAYS TO GO! {It was my idea to load up the car and drive right...ugh I've got to learn about these "good" ideas that I have}

Mt. Shasta 

Since it was getting dark we decided to find dinner and just power it out.  The next morning I had to be up for the RunDisney Tinkerbell Half Marathon Expo and it was projected that we would only be getting about 4 hours asleep at this point...but being exhausted and sleep walking to your race bib is the way to go to a race expo right?!

MMMMMMMM!!!

We stopped in Redding, CA for dinner and gas...each person in this car were craving In-And-Out Burger but when we got there the line to get a burger was about 40 cars deep and none of us could stand the idea of waiting that long {Don't get me wrong you fellow in and out burger fans it killed me to give up the fight of my favorite Cali burger....but rest assured it would happen soon} so we headed over to 5 Guys burger and ordered what can only be described as way to much fucking food!  I did feel like I made a decent decision by getting a lettuce burger however that turned out to be a horrid idea in the back seat of a car! That thing exploded in my hand and went everywhere as if I was in a bad comedy...but it was damn good!

Mak Ready to Sleep

After dinner I was ready to sleep, Mak was passing out and well frankly the husband and mother in law started in on the power drive mode so that we could make it to our destination tonight. There was one point that we had to stop to get gas and all the adults in the car looked back and busted up laughing because daymn kids have this uncanny ability to do sleep yoga in positions that would leave me with the biggest neck pain in the world...so Nana to the rescue with the unicorn neck pillow from a gas station in the middle of no where.

Puppy Naps

All in all by the end of the night we were all so tired the only way that we could be described as is Zombies of Bremerton Visiting Cali and I don't think that any of us actually remember hitting the pillow at 0430 the next morning but we had did it...we had driven from Seattle, WA to Simi Valley, CA and we did it without killing each other... and with that victory noted it was time for a nap, a little recovery and even a few prayers because when I wake up the next morning it was going to be the start of the biggest challenge I had put myself through yet since I started running!




Meg
aka Nutmegz
#HF12033