It’s no secret that the only way the two of us will commit to going on a run is to have that run located in a Disney Park. Although this year’s races have all moved to a virtual experience, there was still enough magic surrounding the race to get us to commit to the Wine and Dine Virtual 10K. Here’s a break down of our virtual runDisney 10K.

Deciding the Outfits

Allison: For every other Disney race, I have dressed as either Belle (twice) or Minnie Mouse. However with the theme for Wine and Dine revolving around the villains, I knew I had to stick with the theme! I ran through my list of favorite villains and considered going with Hades, since I had always wanted to do a run themed around Hercules. However at the end of the day I was inspired by the glamour of Cruella de Vil. Megan gave me the idea of getting a black and white ear band (that actually ended up being a two bands that I hot glued together), and it gave me the perfect excuse to buy a sherpa jacket!

Megan: As with most Disney races, I spent almost as much energy planning my outfit as I did training. Ursula was the first villain who came to mind and not just because she was featured on the event logo! It was easy to find purple leggings from Fabletics and a long sleeve purple shirt from Amazon. I pinned this black tube top over my shirt and finished it off with a tutu because I feel like I run better in a tutu. You can find a quick tutu-orial on our Instagram highlights!

Training

Allison: I started off this training strong! I bought new running shoes, and committed to a training program. Then school started back up, and things got a little more challenging. Although I continued to exercise, I definitely didn’t train to the extent I needed to. That being said I was confident in my ability to at least move forward for 6.2 miles, though I’m sure my body isn’t pleased with that decision.

Megan: We followed the Jeff Galloway training program, and like Allison said, we started out so strong! I definitely needed to train because my body was busier growing a human than it was exercising in the past year. Then life got hectic, and I got a little off track. I still got a few good run-walks in, and I felt like my body could handle it coming into the race!

Running the Race

Allison: When planning to run a race in November, I figured it was going to be freezing cold, maybe even snowing! However I woke up to a beautiful day with 60 degree weather and sunshine. I clearly couldn’t run in my full Cruella look I had planned for a wintery race, so I had to be content with my race bib to make me feel like I was living the Disney race life. My boyfriend was also in town and became an unofficial participant (and official photographer) for the race itself, which made the experience a lot easier. My goal was to finish in less than an hour and a half, and I met that goal (even if toward the end I was ready to just give up and walk).

Megan: I definitely was planning on it being freezing in Wisconsin in early November…but it was warm and beautiful. Ursula was called to the water so I ran alongside Lake Monona in Madison. If I couldn’t run by the Castle, these views were still nice! As part of the Virtual runDisney experience, we were able to print fun mile marker signs and access an exclusive running playlist on Spotify!

Celebrating our Success

Allison: I felt so happy to have finished the race! After a quick shower I knew there was only one way to celebrate a race that would have normally ended in Epcot: a margarita. Throw in some chips and queso and I was living my best Mexican pavilion life. The rest of the day featured Greek food from my church’s curbside festival (Disney, please create a Greece pavilion…think of the Hercules tie-ins!) and then a bottle of champagne to mimic my favorite pavilion in Epcot: France.

Megan: Mimosas are a very important part of my running recovery so we started there. Then I planned a special Food and Wine Festival themed dinner for my husband and I! Our menu included: Kalua pork sliders from Hawai’i, poutine from Canada, potstickers from China, wine from Italy (duh), Guinness and Bailey’s milkshakes from Ireland and my festival fave, Pao de quejio from Brazil. You can see all the details from our delicious dinner around the world here. It was the perfect way to toast to a great race!