The 2022 Big Sur Marathon Relay

Disclaimer: I received a Marathon Relay entry as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

If you’ve ever read a “top ten marathon destination” list, you’ve probably heard of the Big Sur marathon - at least that was what first introduced me to this race, which runs along the west coast, up pacific highway 1. It’s full of scenic views, and rolling hills, and when bibrave offered up an opportunity to run the race, Mike and I decided to team up and take on the marathon relay together. 

My planned trip was short - fly to CA Friday night after work, and then a red eye going home on Sunday. I packed my suitcase, including all my race supplies on Thursday, and on Friday after work Dennis gave me a ride to the airport. I had just enough time to grab some dinner before I hopped on the plane, and when I landed in San Francisco Mike and Jude picked me up from the airport - they had headed out earlier in the week, so they would have more time to explore California. It was late when I landed, so we just headed to the hotel and went to bed. 

The plan for Saturday was to grab breakfast and then take a two hour drive down the coast to Monterey, where the Big Sur Marathon ends. We left the hotel around 9 am, and picked a restaurant in Palo Alto called “sweet maple,” where they had a yummy looking brunch menu. We each got a different brunch entree, and split an order of “millionaire’s bacon,” which was the restaurants signature dish. 

Once we were all fueled up we got on the road, and it was an easy ride to Monterey. Once we got there we checked into our hotel, and then headed over to the expo to pick up our race bibs. We had good timing with our expo arrival - a bunch of our bibrave team mates were out front, and we were able  to grab a photo with them before heading inside. 

It was an easy pickup process at the expo - there was a dedicated table for relay runners, and a volunteer pulled our race bibs out. Usually a relay team consists of 4 runners, but Mike and I opted to take on the race as a team of two. The volunteer let us know that only one person needed to be there to pick up the teams bibs, so keep that in mind if you’re ever running the relay. 

Once we had our bibs we could go get our shirts. The shirts ran small, but they had limited sizes available for exchange. Overall the expo was pretty big, with 4 aisles of vendors. Mike and I both opted to buy some swag from the official race store - I went for a hot pink Big Sur hat. 

The last stop before leaving the expo was picking up the tickets for the pasta party - we attended the 4:30 seating. 

We had decided to buy tickets for the pasta party so that we didn’t have to worry about finding a place to eat the night before, and the event did not disappoint! We waited in a short queue at the hotel across the street from where we picked up our bibs to get into the banquet hall, and there were tables all over the room. On each side of the room there were buffets with pasta, salad, vegetables, sauces, and even desert. Mike, Jude and I loaded up our plates, and found a mostly empty table. As we ate we chatted with other runners, and it was neat to connect with other runners. There was even a beverage table in the middle of the room, that had wine and beer - including athletic brewing’s non-alcoholic beer. I thought it was a great touch for all of the runners!

After dinner we headed back to our hotel, and got ready for an early bedtime. Mike and I laid out our outfits and packed all the fuel we would need for the next day - we had an early wakeup the next morning - even though the race didn’t start until 6 am, I had to board the bus at 3:45 a.m. - Since the race is a one way course, all of the runners had to be bussed 26.2 miles to the start.

On race morning Mike and I rolled out of out beds and into the car, leaving Jude behind at the hotel. We were half asleep, but it was a short drive to the race busses. Mike and I had to get on at different times, since I was starting at leg 1 with the marathon runners, and he was starting at leg 2. As I was about to get on to the bus i ran into Sylvia, a fellow BibRave pro, and we wound up sitting together on the bus and chatting as we made our way to the start area.

It took a long time for the bus to get to the start, and when we arrived it was crowded, and a little chilly. From the time that we left the start, I lost cell service, and would not wind up getting any connection until around mile 7 of the race - where a blip of service allowed some texts from Mike to come through. I milled around the start, stopped at the porter potties, checked my bag, and ate a pb&j sandwich, and waited for the sun to come up.

As it got closer to start time, I made my way over to the start line. I though about visiting the porter potties one more time, but the lines were insane. I made my way into my corral, and watched the sun come up over the mountains as I waited for the race to start. 

The race wound up beginning a few minutes late, but as soon as the start horn went off the corrals started to collapse, and everyone moved forward. I was so excited to take in the scenery for the next 8 miles as I got moving, and happily clicked on my Garmin as I crossed the start line of the race. Since Mike and I were running the relay in legs, I was doing leg one, then he would meet me at leg 2 and finish the rest of the race. 

From the start line we headed onto the highway, where both sides of the road were surrounded by trees - it was beautiful. I got swept up with the start of the race and took off a little too fast, but found by pace and settled in. The course started with a downhill. While the Big Sur marathon is known for its hills, the leg I was running was mostly downhill, ending with an uphill right as the forest opened up and we got our first views of the ocean.

We ran by campgrounds and roadside hotels, many of which had patrons out and cheering as the runners went by. The aid stations were well stocked, with volunteers handing out water and Gatorade. The miles went by quickly, as I was surrounded by runners who had so much energy - with most of them in the beginning miles of a full marathon! 

As I approached mile 7 the scenery transitioned from wooded to beachy - the highway opened up and revealed mountains and beach views - it was beautiful, and made up for the gradual uphill that I was climbing, and the wind that had started gusting as soon as the road opened up.

Before I knew it, I was approaching mile 8, and saw the school busses lined up for relay runners, and spotted Mike, who looked just as excited as I was! We took a selfie and ran together for a second, before he took off on his leg of the race. 

There were some snacks out for runners that were finishing the first leg of the relay - there had been bagels, but by the time I got there only oranges were left, so I happily filled a cup with orange slices as I boarded the bus. 

One regret that I had - a lot of relay runners had given their leg 2 runners a bag of clothes, so that they could change out of sweaty running clothes before climbing onto the bus. Mike and I had not thought of this, and it was a long ride to the finish - so if you ever run this relay, I definitely recommend giving your partner a change of clothes to pass off to you when you finish your leg of the race.

It was a bit of a wait before the bus took off - we did not leave until all of the runners had past by, to ensure that no relay runners would be left behind without a ride to the finish. One side of the highway was still open, so as we made our way to the finish, we caught up to the runners and watched them go - I even spotted Mike on the course as we went! While I was bummed that I did not get to run the more scenic sections of the course, I was glad that I got to watch the views roll by the bus window.

When I got to the finish area, I decided to wait for Mike at the finish line. There was a Starbucks near by, so after grabbing my checked bag I went and got a snack, plus a tea for me and a coffee for Mike, and then found a seat on the stands at the finish line. My only complaint about the finish area is that there was no easy way for relay runners to get post race food (like the boxes that the other finishers got at the finish line) - because I was hungry after the run plus long bus ride. But at least there was something available for me to purchase. 

Eventually I spotted Mike nearing the finish line, and cheered my lungs out for him as he finished the race - then I made my way to the exit point for the finishers chute, and found Mike - where he slung a medal around my neck - Marathon relay complete!

From there we headed back to the hotel and packed up, then stopped for food on the way to the airport. Our quick California trip had come to a close, and we had a great time taking on the Big Sur Marathon Relay!

Make sure to check out Mike's blog post about his leg of the relay by clicking here!

If you have any questions, drop them in the comments below!

The 2021 Chicago Marathon: Race Recap

Wow, after almost two years am I really getting to write about a marathon again!? This whole trip feels a little surreal, but I’m so happy to be returning to racing again - and I’m especially glad that it’s for the Chicago marathon, since I’ve been waiting to run it since 2019. Those of you that have been around for a while May remember that while training in 2019 I took a bad side step on a treadmill, and wound up with patellar tracking disorder in my left knee, which pulled the plug on my marathon plans. 

But this time I made it through training, even if there were a few small hiccups. I had to slow down a bit about two months ago, when I just couldn’t hit the paces on my quality runs anymore, after weeks of them going well. Combine that and some dizziness when standing, and I headed to my doctors office. After some blood work, I found out that I was borderline anemic, which explained the fatigue and dizziness. I started taking an iron supplement, and started feeling better just in time to taper. So while it may not be my fastest race, I’m excited that I at least made it to the starting line. 

We flew to Chicago on Saturday morning, so of course I ran around a bit Friday night. When I got out of work Sophie and I went for one last shakeout run, ending at my parents house. Sophie picked up supplies for a pasta dinner send off, and dad prepped the meal while we were running. We had pasta, meatballs, garlic bread, and some caprese salad.  I took a page out of Becs gentry’s book, and treated myself to a glass of wine with the meal. 

After dinner dennis and I had to make a quick pit stop at BJ’s, and then headed home so I could get all of my marathon supplies together. While I had gathered everything I needed into one room (for the most part), I still needed to physically put it into a bag. The biggest decision was designating a “race day” outfit - I had three all laid out as I tried to make a choice. 

By the time I was done packing my bags were stuffed to the brim, but I managed to keep it to carryons. I really did not want to check a bag for a two day trip, even if said trip did include a marathon. I had taken the time earlier in the week to embroider a few “Chicago 26.2” masks, and took a little time to sew them together before getting into bed - nothing like leaving a project until the last minute, right?

Our alarms went off too early on Saturday morning, and our cats were a little annoyed as we got out of bed. We crammed all of our chargers into our luggage, and waited for our Uber driver to pick us up and take us to the airport. 

We were flying out of LaGuardia, much to Dennis’s grumbles about it. That airport is in a constant state of construction, which can make driving around it a bit difficult. But lucky for us, we had a ride. 

It was our first time at LGA since the new security area opened, and we got through it seamlessly. We headed to our gate to wait for the flight to board. I knew that I am not great at eating enough on travel days, so ordered a smoothie while we were at the airport, since I knew it was important to be well fueled the day before a marathon. The joke was on me though - I am so used to making my own dairy-free smoothies at home that it did not even occur to me to make sure the one I ordered had no dairy - but I found out rather quickly once I started drinking it. I was able to sort myself out well enough before getting on the plane, but it was a less than ideal start to the day.

When we landed in Chicago we ordered a lyft to get a ride to our hotel. There were options for public transit, but since we had all of our luggage we decided it would just be easier in a car. As we made our way through the city my excitement for the race grew, as I got glimpses of landmarks I knew we would spot during the marathon.

By the time we got to the hotel I was dizzy with motion sickness. Between the plane and the car I felt like I was spinning. I usually take Dramamine on flights, but had opted not to this time - which was apparently a mistake. I took one at the hotel, hoping it would help a little at least. 

We were too early to check into our room, but were able to leave our luggage there while we headed to the expo. I needed to get some food in me ASAP, so we went to the McDonalds right across the street- not the best thing to eat the day before the marathon, but I knew that their breakfast sandwiches usually sit fine with me. By the time we were done eating the meds had kicked in, and I felt much better. 

The next plan was to head to the expo. Den really wanted to walk, but I couldn’t justify that long of a walk the day before a marathon. So we took the subway, which was surprisingly easy to navigate. I didn’t even go a station in the wrong direction, like I pretty much do every time I take the subway in NYC. 

It was a quick ride and then a short walk to the expo. Approaching the building it didn’t seem too crowded - and then we got inside and saw the winding line of runners. There was even a whole giant room just of winding lines! It took us about 45 minutes from when we got on line to get into the expo. When we finally got to the entrance they checked our covid vaccine cards and gave us bracelets, which we were told to keep on for the duration of the weekend. 
Once we got inside the expo if didn’t feel too crowded, and there were a few rows of vendors to go through. First things first, we headed for the bib pickup. They checked my ID and scanned my QR code, and directed me to a table. It was a quick and easy process. From there we were able to go and get my race shirt, and then walked through the many tables. 

I didn’t buy much - I was surprised at  the lack of marathon specific merch. Nike didn’t even have the finisher gear available to buy - you had to go to their store or order it online! I did pick up some throwaway jackets for NYC that were only $5 (I didn’t plan to bring throwaway layers to Chicago, as temps would start in the 70s that morning), a saucony marathon shirt, a pair of oofos, and some assorted freebies. The Bank of America was handing out posters with the course map on them, which were really nice! 

Once we left the expo we headed back towards the hotel, and chose a ramen restaurant near by to eat lunch at. Dennis really like to try a ramen place at any city we visit (his running favorite is still San Francisco), so it was on our list of places to eat. Had I eaten ramen the day before my longest training run to see how it would sit? YUP. This may be the most prepared my stomach had ever been. 

By the time we were done eating our hotel room was ready, and we were planning to have a chill night in so I could stay off my feet as much as possible. We watched Jurassic park and the beginning of hocus pocus, and I ate a dinner consisting of crackers, tuna, and mac and cheese - I know, not the best pre-marathon meal, but I was too nervous about unknown food at that point to try to order takeout from somewhere. Before bed I took my time setting up all my gear for the following mornings race. 

We were both pooped from the long day of travel, and were very happy with an early bedtime. 

On race morning Den and I left the hotel a little after 5:30, since the race documentation recommended that wave two runners get to the start area by 6 am. We opted to walk to the start - it was less than a mile and we were sure plenty of runners would be heading in the same direction. 

As we left the hotel and other runner joined us, who happened to be from Long Island too! We chatted with her as we made our way to the start, and parted ways when we passed a Dunkin doughnuts and she popped in for coffee. 

Dennis and I said goodbye at the edge of grant park, since at that point the street was full of runners. He headed back to the hotel, and I headed into the start area. Not gonna lie, at this point I was already ready to cry! I was just so happy to be at a race like this again. It felt like coming home after a crazy two years. 

The Chicago marathon doesn’t allow any open bottles to come into the start area, so I had to dump the nuun I was drinking - I had prepared for this though, and had the powder to make another drink and a closed bottle to mix it with. I usually carry my clear gear bag within a drawstring backpack, and today was no exception. When it’s time for security I just dump the contents from the drawstring to the clear bag, and throw the drawstring into my checked bag - but they actually made me dispose of the drawstring at security, which surprised me. 

Chicago is a “world marathon major,” just like NYC, so leading up to race day I anticipated that getting to the start area and the start area itself would be just as intense as NYC. I had even googled “Chicago marathon start village” at least a dozen times, and was shocked that I could not find more details about it. Well runners, if that is the info that you came here looking for, I must report that the start is much more laid back than NYC. Sure, there are a lot of people. But at no point did it feel chaotic. I walked into the start, and easily navigated my way through everything.

The corrals were right after security, but I kept following the stream of runners that were going further into grant park, since I needed to find a bathroom and gear check. I found a row of porter potties quickly, that somehow had no line!? It felt like a race morning miracle. 

But imagine my surprise as the unit rocked as I stepped into it - and promptly stepped out. I didn’t need to fall into that “WHAT IF IT TIPS” thought spiral. I found another, more stable unit to take care of business in. 

It felt too early to get into the corrals, so I kept following the flow of runners and headed further into the park. I kept walking and eventually found my bag check area, and plopped down near the fountain to hang out for a while before the race. I didn’t have to been in my corral until 7:45, and I had more than an hour to kill. 

I watched as the sun slowly came up, but thanks to an overcast sky, there was no grand sunrise on race morning. I hoped that the cloud coverage would last through the race, because they were projecting temps in the high 70s. More runners rolled into the start area as I sat and waited. 

Eventually I decided to try to hit the bathroom one more time, and was greeted by the very long porter potty lines that I had expected the first time around. It was a little after 7 am when I got in line, and I still had to check my bag and make it to my corral before 7:45, so I watched the clock as I waited in line. 

After I finally made it to the bathroom, right around 7:40, I loaded my pockets with race day supplies - manly fuel and body glide - as I jogged to check my bag, which was really just a charger for post race, in-case my phone died while I was running, since it’s four years old and has less than stellar battery life. 

I made it into my corral just before 7:45, and soon after we started moving forward as the 8:00 start time for wave 2 got closer. It was surreal to be in a corral with so many people! 

I was half crying with happiness as we approached the start line, and I had to collect myself before it was time to get moving. I tried to take in the moment, and really appreciate being there. 

I went over the start line, and was just so happy. I told myself to not get caught up in the crowd, and run my pace. There were already crowds lining the street, and we went right into a tunnel. I had set my garmin to manual laps, since I had heard that the GPS has issues in Chicago, and at mile marker one my garmin had accumulated an extra 0.25 miles - confirming the GPS issue. 
At the start of the event the status was “yellow” because of the weather. The temps were in the low 70s and it was humid, but at least there was cloud coverage as we made our way through the streets of Chicago. I snapped a few photos as we went through the early miles, doing my best to take up every moment. I kept yo-yoing with a guy dressed as a banana, and it was fun to hear the crowd call out to him. 

Things went well for the first few miles, and I really enjoyed the crowds as I headed through Chicago. I spotted dennis at mile 3, when we ran by our hotel. He headed to mile 13, where I would spot him again. By mile 5 I could feel the impact of the weather, and started taking two waters at the aid station, to try to stay on top of my hydration. 

I kept moving forward, and by the time I hit mile 10 I knew I wasn’t getting enough fluids. I texted Dennis, and asked him to pass me a bottle of water when I ran by. He was under a bridge, and I spotted him before he saw me. He handed me a water, and it took all my willpower not to immediately chug it. The weather didn’t feel that bad - most of the time it was breezy, but when we hit stagnant air it was suffocating. 

We crossed the River for a second time around the half way point, and I almost fell on my face - the had covered the grating on the bridge with a carpet, that I learned was not totally taught. I didn’t lift my foot enough with one step, and found myself stumbling and almost falling. I breathed a sigh of relief when I regained my balance, glad that I hadn’t taken a tumble.

I usually try to wait until after mile 20 of a marathon to take in Gatorade, but by mile 14 I knew I needed to start drinking electrolytes too. I tried to drink half a cup of Gatorade in addition to water at each aid station from there out, and when they gave us sponges around mile 15 it was so nice.  I also made a mid race decision to take an extra gel. 

The crowd support really kept me going - I was able to run non-stop until mile 17, but my hip was starting to hurt. Luckily I was able to stop and stretch it out and then keep running forward. But as the race progressed, I needed to stop to stretch more often. First at mile 17, then again at 19, and by mile 21 I wanted to walk so bad, but settled for a stretch. I somehow missed mile marker 22, and as I made my way to mile 23, my garmin distance read over 24 miles - I had started to hype myself up that there were only 2 miles left, and when I spotted 23 and realized there were actually 3 miles left, it was almost crushing. Mike 23 to 24 was a struggle, and felt longer than the whole race leading up to that point. 

At the aid station at mile 23 I made the decision to take a quick walk break - and learned that my hip felt even worst walking. I wanted to cry. I wanted to puke from the pain and exhaustion. But with the help of texts from my Dad and Sophie, encouraging me to keep going, to just put one foot in front of another. I ran, I walked, I stretched. It was the slowest mile of the race. But when I finally saw mile marker 25, I knew I could get to the end. 

I pushed myself to keep running. It was one mile more. I could run one more mile, especially since walking felt worst. Around 25.5 “who are you” shuffled onto my headphones, and I thought about everything I had gone through in the last year - I am a resilient person, not willing to let losses define me - and I was going to make it to the finish line. 

I turned the second to last corner and saw the 800m to go sign, at the top of a tiny hill. Suddenly Chicago didn’t feel like the “flat” race that everyone had told me it would be. But 800m is only two laps at the track. I could do 800m. 

I got over the hill, crossed the last corner, and a “fuck yes” slipped out of my mouth when I spotted the finish line. The end was in sight. I could do this. 400 m to go. I started to get choked up, and just focused on getting my breathing back to normal. 

At long last, I crossed the finish line. Every emotion flooded over me. The race that I was supposed to run in 2019 before I hurt my knee, the race I was supposed to run in 2020 before covid cancelled it, I had finally crossed that finish line I had been chasing for so long. 

A volunteer placed a medal around my neck, and I truly shuffled through the “extra mile” that they make you walk to get out of the finisher chute. I collected my drinks and snacks, including a beer that I wouldn’t drink, but would use as makeshift ice on my hip. 

Eventually I got out of the chute and back into grant park, and headed for the gear check. As I limped along a stranger offered me their lightly used bag of ice, and with much gratitude I accepted. I retrieved my bag from the gear check, and texted Dennis to let him know I needed to sit down and stretch for a few minutes before making my way out to him. 

I laid out my heat sheet and started stretching, and acquired another bag of lightly used ice from a passerby. Eventually I could hobble along without wanting to cry, and I got up and started making my way to the family reunion area. I found Den, and we sat for a few more minutes. I switched shoes, and he offer me his arm as we made our way back to the hotel. 

I felt defeated, but in the hours after the race that would shift to happiness. I had done it. I had crossed another marathon finish line. Something that really felt impossible to me at times in the year leading up to that race. 

After the walk back to the hotel I showered and used the massage gun on my hip, which helped it feel better. By the time we headed out for celebratory drinks at three dots and a dash, my hip felt tight, but didn’t hurt anymore. 

After dinner it was time for bed, and I was so fully of happiness. I had somehow already forgotten the anguish of mile 24. 

We were flying home on Monday, but before we headed out we made three stops - one at “the bean,” one at the Nike store for some finisher gear, and one for some “authentic” Chicago pizza. 

I can believe I get to do this all over again in NYC in a month!

Video Recap: The Napa Valley Marathon Expo

Hi Guys!

Today I am sharing a video recap of my experience at the Napa Valley Marathon Expo. This was one of the most fun expos I have been too, with a laid back feel and plenty of space for runners to relax before race day.

Which race expo has been your favorite? Leave a comment to let me know which ones I need to check out in the future!

Chicago marathon: week 13

Ok guys, ready for the blog post with the least amount of running content of this training cycle? Well, welcome to the training recap for week 13, where I spent the week on vacation, cruising to Alaska from Vancouver with my husband Dennis. 

We had left New York on Friday, and spent the weekend in Vancouver. While we were there I got to run the Seawheeze half marathon, we went to the Vancouver aquarium, ate lots of yummy food, explored Stanley park, and checked out the Capilano suspension bridge, which was amazing. Come Monday, we checked out of our hotel and headed towards the cruise terminal, where we would set sail from.

It was my 5th Disney Cruise, but my first time aboard the Wonder, which is one of the fleets original ships. It is significantly smaller than the ships I had been on previously, the Fantasy and the Dream, and throughout the week I found myself comparing the experiences. Even though it here were less passengers on this ship, it felt much more crowded. 

We boarded the ship on Monday, after a fun weekend in Vancouver that included the Seawheeze half marathon, the capilano suspension bridge, and exploring Stanley Park. We were both so excited to get on the ship, and headed for the terminal around the 10:30 am. We had the hotel we were staying at, the Ramada by Wyndham in downtown Vancouver call us a taxi, since there is no Uber or lyft in Vancouver, and we had a ton of luggage. This may have been the best choice I made all week, as it only cost us $8, and was so much easier than taking the train with all our stuff, as we had done when we first got to Vancouver. The train system was simple, but it was hard to not be in the way of other passengers with all of our luggage. When the taxi dropped us off at the cruise terminal, Disney had people collecting our bags, so we handed the bulk of our luggage over at this point. 

The port officially started accepting passengers at 11 am that morning, so we were pleased when we got there at 10:50 and they were already allowing people to start the check in process. 

Disney has a loyalty program called the “castaway club” on their cruise ships, and the more cruises you have been on the higher your level. My 5 cruises puts me in the “Gold” category, but my husbands 12 or so cruises lands him in “Platinum,” the highest section at present. The big perk of this? We get a free meal at palos, the premium dining on the ship, and dedicated lines at check in - which meant no line at all on this particular morning. The cruise staff were all so welcoming, and quickly got us through the terminal. We had to bring our carry on bags through security, and clear customs since we were heading from Canada back into America, on our journey to Alaska. 

Once we had our “key to the world” cards, the cards that you use for rooms and any purchases that you make on the ship, we waited in the terminal for the ship to be ready for passengers. The schedule told us that the ship would start boarding at 1:30 pm, so we hopped on line to snag a photo with Minnie Mouse while we waited. We settled into the lobby after, trying to catch a glimpse of the boat as we waited. 

Lucky for us, they were ready for passengers a little earlier than planned, and started letting us on board around noon. We were in boarding group one, so we were among the first group of passengers to load onto the ship. We spent some time wandering around the decks while they were still empty, and checking out the kids club and teen areas, which are open to the public on the first day, so that we could see what they looked like while we had the chance - they always have fun Disney touches, and they vary from ship to ship, so I was excited to get a look at them. 

After we had toured around the ship for a while, we headed to Cabanas, the buffet, for lunch. We relaxed in there until our room was ready, and then headed down to deck two to drop off the bags that we had opted to carry on to the ship, which we had been lugging around since boarding. 

The ship was slated to leave at 4 pm, so around then we headed to a top deck, to get a view of Vancouver as we left. As we explored Vancouver we noticed a big pile of sulfur that was visible at an industrial park across from the port, and Dennis kept joking that he was super excited to see the pile of sulfur up close at last as we sailed away. 

Through the course of our weeklong cruise we headed to Dawes Glacier, Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagaway. 

Since we were spending the first day of our cruise at sea, and my body was still running on NY time (three hours ahead of our actual time zone at that point), I headed to the gym for a yoga class they were offering, and to get in some treadmill miles while I had the time. 

The yoga class was more guided stretching, but it was nice to get moving. The views were pretty from the top deck of the ship, where we could spot some islands to both sides of the boat as we sailed along. Having previously only done tropical cruises, it was strange to be able to see land throughout most of the cruise. When the yoga class ended I spent another 15 minutes stretching out my hamstrings and hips before heading inside to hop on the treadmill. 

The treadmill had a TV attached to it, and a handful of channels that played various Disney movies. I settled on the end of Big Hero 6, and eventually swapped over to Tarzan when it ended. I got in 6 miles before my stomach was really shouting for breakfast, and I headed back down to the room to see if Den was awake, and ready for food - my breakfast of choice for day one? Mickey waffles, of course.

The second day of our trip was largely spent sightseeing, as we sailed down the Tracy arm passage towards the Dawes glacier. Den and I attended a talk given by a former park ranger about the nature and history of Alaska, and then bundled up to head our for our first excursion - we were boarding a smaller boat, which would be able to sail up to the glacier, while the Disney wonder had to keep its distance, as it was too large to make a close approach. 

Leading up to the cruise Den and I went back and fourth a lot, trying to decide if this excursion was worth the cost, but ultimately felt like we didn’t know how long glaciers would be around, and I wanted to see one up close while I had the chance. I have to say- if you ever get this opportunity, take it. This was by far my favorite experience of the cruise, from sailing along outside in the crisp Alaskan air, taking in waterfalls and mountains as we got closer to the glacier. When we finally approached the glacier, the boat spent about an hour going in circles, and Dennis and I stayed on deck the whole time. I wanted to take in the sights as much as possible, regardless of the temperature. 

Eventually our time at the glacier came to a close, and I was happy to get back into the heated ship, and to find some hot chocolate. 

We were supposed to go on a bike tour when we stopped in Ketchikan the next day, but it was unfortunately cancelled, as not enough people had signed up for it. We considered trying to hike on out own, but were warned of bears, and didn’t have access to bear spray. The other option was a bus tour or the white pass rail road, which looked beautiful, but I was concerned about sitting for such a long period of time, as my hip flexor has been causing issues for me any time I sit for more than an hour or two. Ultimately we decided to just explore the port area at Ketchikan, which was tiny and unlike any other port I have been to before. 

The town was tiny, and had multiple national park sites scattered through it. We could see mountains in every direction  as we wandered through town. We went into little shops, and even found a yarn store with Alaskan yarn. I was excited to pick out some vacation yarn that was hand dyed in the state, and am planning to knit up some socks with it. We went to each of the national park sites, and found two museums in town that we enjoyed checking out. Eventually we headed into a brewery, where Dennis tried some local beer and I wrote out postcards to mail home. 

As people finished their excursions the town got more crowded, but by that time Dennis and I had wandered through most of the shops. So, we decided to get back on the ship and grab a bite to eat. We sat so that we had a view of the town from above as we ate lunch. 

Once we were finished eating, we went back to the room to relax for a bit. Once I was digested I decided to head to the gym to get a few miles in before dinner. Since we had excursions planned for the next two days, I wasn’t sure I would have the time or energy to get out after either, so I wanted to get in a few miles while I could. 

So, I headed to the gym and hopped on a treadmill again, which gave me a view of the town. This time I watched ratatouille as I ran. I wanted to get in at least 6 miles again, but my knee started to feel off around two miles into the run. I had to stop and stretch it a few times, and after each stretch it would feel ok for a few minutes, and then start hurting again. It was unusual, but I figured I had just overdone it at seawheeze or my shoes needed to be replaced. So I called the run after 5 miles, knowing that I had a hike planned for the next day. 

When the ship docked in Juneau the next day, we were lead off of the boat and to a an that was waiting for us in the port. It was rainy that day, but I was prepared with a baseball cap and my hydrophobic running jacket. There were two other families on the excursion with us, during which a tour guide would lead us through a 4 mile hike through the rainforest that surrounds the mendenhall glacier. We drove up “the road” as our tour guide called it, as it is the only highway in Juneau. He told us about the town as we headed towards the glacier, and handed out snacks to bring along when we got to the parking area. He offered hiking sticks as well, but I wanted to be able to have my  hands free for photos, so I passed. Dennis grabbed one though, and was happy to have it during the hike. 

We headed into the forest, and the tour guide, Matt, told us facts and pointed out sights as we made our way through the forest. We chatted with him and the other families as we followed the path, getting higher up the mountain as we got deeper into the woods. 

 It was overcast, but the rain let up a bit as we kept hiking. The final uphill bit of the trek was up about 100 stairs that had been built in the woods, and we all stopped at the top to catch our breath and remove some layers when we got there. At the peak of the hike we noticed that there was some abandoned industrial equiptment, and our guide told us it was from when there was mining happening on the mountain.

On the way down we had a few scenic stops, one for a water fall and two that gave us peaks at the glacier. My knee was bothering me by the end of the hike, so I was happy when we were finished with the four miles. It had been a nice journey through nature, and I was ready for lunch as we headed back to the ship. That day we opted to not head back into the town to explore, since my knee was sore and it was still raining on and off. Instead we took it easy on the boat until dinner time, and then headed to a pin trading event before going to the show of the night - the Frozen musical. The theater was totally full by the time the show started, so I was glad we got there early to make sure we had seats. The show was great, with some amazing puppetry, costumes, and sets.

The next day was our final port of the trip - Skagway. We had another excursion, this time kayaking. Luckily, it seemed like the weather was going to be nicer, and when we got off of the ship things were looking good. We had about a half hour ride to get to the boat that would take us to the Tatooish islands, where we would board Kayaks and go on a guided tour. The dock that we left from was a part of a tour company, and there was a friendly dog running around, who I was very excited to say hello to - after a week on a boat I was so happy to see an animal.

To get to the area we would be kayaking in we boarded zodiak boat a with the tour guides and other people who were participating in the excursion. After a quick safety briefing we were allowed to climb into kayaks, and the guides pushed us into the water. About 60 seconds into the tour someone managed to flip their Kayak, something I would not call an easy thing to do, and I spent the rest of the time slightly paranoid that I was going to wind up in some very cold water. We paddled around the island formation, as the guides told us about the area. We even spotted some bald eagles, seals, and deers. It was a really nice ride, and a beautiful day out. When our time was up, we got to have cookies on the beach as we waited for the Zodiak to pick us up.

When we got back to the port we walked around the town, exploring and picking out a few souvenirs. It was a good last port visit, before we boarded the boat. out next stop would be Vancouver, but we would have one more day at sea before our vacation came to a close. Since we knew we could sleep in on our last day at sea, we hung out at one of the bars on the ship on our last night, and even played the Disney version of the newly wed game - match your mate. We didn’t win, but they did give us a free drink and a voucher for a free photo print from the shop on the ship.

On our final day of vacation we mostly relaxed, watching movies and eating lots of food. I tried to go for a run, but was forced to stop after about a mile and a half, as my knee gave out on me, and it made me feel like it wasn’t a safe running conditions for me. I was bummed, but hopeful that I just needed new shoes or a break from the treadmill. We packed our bags so they could be picked up that night, and then would be waiting for us on the other side of customs.

On Monday morning we disembarked the ship, and headed right to the airport via a Disney bus. It was bittersweet that a vacation that we had looked forward to for so long was over, but we had such an amazing time, and made so many memories.

If you are ever on the fence about a Disney cruise, this is me telling you to go for it - you won’t regret it. Even though it was an amazing trip, I was looking forward to getting home to our cats, and back into my regular routine.