When we left off, Sara and I had just finished running 13.1 miles with our favorite Star Wars characters and thousands of our newest best friends at the Run Disney Star Wars The Dark Side Half Marathon! Now back to the hotel to shower and get ready for our day: Recovering at Epcot!

A little RunDisney post race life hack for you: transportation on race days is a nightmare. Between closed roads and getting thousands of runners and their posses back to where they belong, the bus system is completely overloaded. So use my favorite tip that’s not really that expensive when you consider what your time is worth:

Take a cab.

Sara and I did just this from POFQ and were at Epcot in no time, dropped off right up front. Very nice. And cheap. Even the longest journey on Disney property isn’t more than $20 and that in exchange for an hour or more in line or on a bus is WELL worth it! Especially when splitting with a friend. Oh, and all the cabs now take credit cards (yes, even for the tip).

First stop? Let’s ride SpaceShip Earth! The picture taking part wasn’t working  for some reason  so Sara only had a partial head and I was completely headless. We don’t know why but this sent us into fits of crying laughter. I guess you had to be there?

We then headed to Mexico! We knew we wanted the margaritas at La Cava deTequila. Trust me,do this. We both had the Cucumber and it was just delicious. Note: although the rest of the pavilion opens at 11, this doesn’t open until 11:30. So you’ll have to go ride the 3 Caballeros ride first. And then, once you have your margarita, go raise a glass to Grete Waitz and say thank you. Here’s why.

Next stop? We strolled around World Showcase and headed to our favorite! Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar! This is when I’m glad not many people read this blog because this is a hidden gem. We’ve never had to wait for a table and it’s cool and lovely and charming. The service is amazing and the food and wine are TO DIE FOR.

When we walked in, Sara said, “oh, remember, this is the place where I did the Heimlich on that kid last time!” Never a dull moment when you travel with a physician . . . .

The cheese plate and “Taste of Italy” wine flight were amazing and totally hit the spot! We ate a lot of cheese.

We then did all the things we love that our families don’t necessarily want to do: shopping, the movies in France and America (where, btw, Sara was serenaded by Voices of Liberty). We heard the British Invasion performance in the UK, ate something amazing at the bakery in France . . .ya know, the usual things one does after running a half marathon.

We then met our friends (same ones from this morning except for Kathy and Ali who had to go home too soon) at Chefs De France! I’d never eaten there but it was lovely! Good food, good wine, excellent service (to make up for Morimoto) and great, if somewhat tired, company. It was 6pm by now and we’d all been up since 2am so we were fading just a tad.

After dinner, we were ready for bed! Or at least ready to be laying down in the room on our devices off our feet.

The next morning, Sara had to leave very early and I had some time to walk the grounds of Port Orleans by myself which was delightful. And truly, again, was struck by how pretty this resort is. And then it was back home to see my puppies, kids and husband and get back to real life!

One of my kids is begging to run this race with me next year and I am absolutely on board with that. It’s a fun race, a great course (although you’re not in the parks much), and a wonderful time of year for me. To be honest, it HASN’T received many glowing reviews, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself.. Thanks for reading! and May The Course Be With You! Oh, and if you were there I’d love to hear your thoughts! Comment love always appreciated:).