Tennessee Homecoming 2013! #500Strong

Party of the Southland is a group of friends who the majority met in the Pride of the Southland Marching Band at the University of Tennessee.  We have tailgated together for 10 years, and party, run, travel etc together whenever possible.

For the last few years, most of us have not marched homecoming.  For various reasons: live far away, cost, butthurt about days past etc.  After last year me and Ben decided we would march this year.  And we'd convince anyone we could to march with us.  We had no idea what that would turn into.

2 weeks before the deadline to register for homecoming Ben created a Facebook page along with the campaign slogan #500Strong.  He wanted to get 500 alumni to march homecoming.  In 2012, they had roughly 130.  This was going to be a huge task but with the help of basically everyone, I don't know many people who didn't convince at least 1 person to march they almost hit their mark.

469 people.

Yes.  FOUR HUNDRED AND SIXTY NINE!

In 2 weeks!  They used recruiting videos, old rivalries, and training daze to convince people along with just plain peer pressure.

Ben realized that if people had more to come for rather than just a few hours on Saturday they were more likely to come.  So he started planning.  He had a run for those people who wanted to come on Friday morning, a private party Friday night at Saw Works Brewery, and an after game rally point at Central Flats and Taps   Everything went off without a hitch.  To my knowledge everyone had an awesome time, while the game didn't turn out as we had hoped, hopefully that's not what people are remembering from this weekend.

An appearance from the Banditos was of course necessary!

SawWorks Brewery

The FG's at Central Flats and Taps

That Mustache is Working Hard

469 alumni, plus roughly 350 band members = 396 obviously

Party of the Southland Alumni Band

Neyland Thunder

Alumni Flags and Current Flags

Father and Son

The Alumni Band at the March Down to the Stadium

Neyland Thunder

Sterl the Pearl and Ben

Disneyland Half Marathon 2013! Part II

Race Day:

3:00am.  Our alarm went off.  That's a RIDICULOUS time to get up for a race.  The things we do for runDisney.  We put on our costumes.  I found an awesome tuxedo t-shirt for Ben in the print of the blue jacket the Beast wears and I wore a yellow tank top and skirt and a red rose for Belle.

Roughly 4:00am on Race Morning

I highly HIGHLY recommend costumes for runDisney races.  Do you have to wear them?  No. Are you going to be looked at funny if you do/don't wear one?  No.  But it's alot of fun.  There are TONS of ideas out there, just make sure to Keep It Simple, Stupid.  It is still 13.1 miles, you don't want to be uncomfortable at mile .1.

Ben trained quiet a bit harder than I did so we split up for this race.  He took off like a speeding bullet and I chugged along.

Jenn and Jan at sunrise at Paradise Pier

We made it to Disneyland

Fixing to run through the Castle!

BOOM!

 As we went to Disneyland we couldn't help but compare it to our beloved Disney World.  This race, you are completely done with the Disney parts of the race by mile 4.  Sure you go through Angels Stadium and

by the Honda Center, but it's lacking in the Disney Magic if you ask me.   The cool part about it is the entire community of Anaheim comes out to support you.  There were local marching bands, classic cars, dance teams, people on their front porches all out to cheer you on so that was awesome.

Welcome to Mile 4

Mile 9 is by, and through, Angles Stadium.

And of course you know I did the Angles in the Outfield move.  I also chanted "Quack, Quack, Quack" when running by the Honda Center.  

Now we were in the home stretch.  We were a bit slower that anticipated based on the heat and the (at the time) secret pregnancy (YAY JAN!) so now it was a race against the dreaded balloon ladies.  If you don't keep a 16 minute/mile pace they will sweep you.  We've heard horror stories of them blocking the course with a bus and requiring everyone to get on the bus instead of completing the race.  We've also heard that if you get back to Disney property they won't sweep you.  So it was a race against the balloons.

We Did IT!

Jenn and Ben with their DL and C2C medals!

The whole gang with their medals!

As I promised in the last post the blue banana vomit story.  So as me and Jan were finishing up, we called Ben and Tim to see where they were so we could meet up (and to let them know we are almost finished to get a picture).  They said they were in ESPN Zone.  If you know Ben and Tim that obviously means they are hydrating...with beer.  Come to find out, after the race, Tim chugged a blue powerade and ate a banana.  One of the two, or perhaps a combination of both, upset his stomach and that's where Ben found him...crouched over vomiting behind a kiosk.  Blue Banana Vomit.  Then this picture happened.

Don't you....forget about me....

After the race we could either wait for the shuttle back to the off-property hotel or walk the 1 mile.  We've already gone 13.1, what's another mile?  Turns out, 1 mile after a half marathon is a 51 minute mile. 

We got back to the hotel where I walked immediately into an ice bath.  I LOVE ice baths after a long run.  We originally tried this after the Royal Family 5K in February the day before the Princess Half Marathon.  We knew our legs were exhausted after 2 days in the parks, plus a 5K so we thought we had nothing to lose.  Our legs felt great after it and completely ready for the half marathon the next day.

Ice Bath Celebration

 After cleaning up the boys went to In and Out Burger.  This is the stuff of legends for Southerners.  I've never been to one.  Let me tell you, this is straight from the gods after a run.  We devoured our animal fries and animal burgers in silence.

Headed back out to the parks after the race to celebrate!

Of course you cannot celebrate without a Dole Whip Float!

Introducing Jan to the nectar of the tiki gods.

 

It was delicious

What a beautiful view.

Jenn and Ben...Enjoying the parks

I completely DESTROYED Ben on this game.  

CarsLand!  It was so cool!

One more day in LA so we toured Paramount Studios.  We saw Mychal Rivera's sister! Go Vols!

We went to see the Space Shuttle Endeavour which was simply amazing.

One more stop then we headed back to God's Country.

We had an absolute awesome time.  The parks were great, the race was finished, the Southern California TN Alumni Association chapter was so friendly and welcoming.  Even with the weather being unseasonably hot and the queue lines, restaurants, everything, not having adequate air conditioning for this Southern girl we had an absolute amazing trip.  

We got to the airport where they searched my hair!  I felt more violated than I did when I walked through the naked scanner.  Then we were of course pulled aside where the guy already knew what he was looking at through the scanner on my carry on.  He had see the mass quantity of medal and made me empty out my bag only to find 4 giant hunks of runDisney medals.  #runDisneyproblems

After planes, trains and automobiles we arrived safely back to Tennessee, only for me to realize we no longer have a Disney trip on the books.  Time to start planning.  Here's to Wine and Dine 2014!