....and one more thing, just a little bit of pixie dust!
When I heard the announcement for the Tinkerbell 1/2 I knew I had to do it! I've always loved Tink! I'd already done California in my quest to complete the 50 states, but I didn't care...it'd still count towards my 100 1/2s anywhere challenge! - Oh...did I forget to mention that I'm working on that.... ;) But after Maui and having already run both Disneyland and Disneyworld & Disneyworld being the Princess 1/2, I wasn't so fired up about Tink once we were there. My knee was bothering me a bit (didn't realize how many miles were on my shoes & orthotics until 1/2 way thru Maui when they started feeling flat and I put a bit of a pounding on my joints as a result) and it appeared as though the field was mostly first timers - & they were seriously into the Disney hype.
I couldn't quite figure out how my number was only 509 and I was in the A corral...I'm not that fast! I'm certainly not a front of the pack runner...but at packet pick up Friday morning, that's exactly where I landed. We literally buzzed through pick up and the expo...it was just a small scale version of the Princess expo...nice, but nothing new after as many expos as I've hit - mainly just all of the big names. We then immediately headed on the Hard Rock Cafe tour mentioned in the last post. We wound up back in Anaheim just in time for a quick dinner and to crash Saturday night. Race morning was another "drag your butt out of bed" morning, but I wanted my wings so no worries. I stay at the Courtyard Disneyland (it's a short walk from the startline wo the Disneyland Resort prices), so a quick walk through the crowds headed to the start and I found the well policed corrals. As folks were being turned back for trying to jump corrals I kept plugging along, conscious of the "bouncers" eyeing the letter on my bib to ensure I was legit. I couldn't blame them for doubting it, I didn't feel like I belonged up there! I ended up literally on the start line, front row, with the elites. I wasn't terribly impressed with the startline festivities, which included "releasing" Tinkerbell...
But I did notice Sean Astin standing just a few yards away. It was still terribly dark out, but I knew Jackie Tripp (a friend from back home) would die to be that close to him so I pulled out the iPhone and snapped a few pix for her (the biggest Goonies fan ever!).
Of course there was a lot of hype surrounding him running the race and he plugged his #run3rd campaign - which is a neat concept...he runs 1st for himself, 2nd for his family, and 3rd for "you". Anyone can go to his Twitter and post someone they would like him to run for and he runs for them 3rd.
Continuing with the celebrity hype of the morning there was much hoopla surrounding the fact that Megyn Price was running. She did a quick interview before joining us in the corrals...
This was her first 1/2. And I suppose I shouldn't admit that I had NO clue who she was. She literally was elbow to elbow with me in the corral and knowing it was her first and having run Disneyland before I leaned over and gave her a few tips about the course narrowing, etc prior to the starting gun. She was really nice and seemed to be a genuine person, not just Hollywood hype, but even after Googling her and finding the sitcoms she has starred in...I'm not much of a TV person, so still clueless. I know both she and Sean ran solid races, him finishing just before me and her just after (yes, I looked up their times out of curiosity afterwards), but otherwise they were just other runners on the course in my mind.
When the gun went off I experienced my first true starting line start (I'm usually at least a wave or two or seven back...depending on the size of the field), but toeing the line scores you some killer elbows as the serious competitors go out and fight for position! I don't care to be that close to the front ever again! (My start was a mere 11 seconds after the clock start.)
Unlike Disney World courses which have the benefit of huge parks, Disneyland takes you through the park and onto the streets of Anaheim in a hurry! We headed through Downtown Disney while it was still pitch black out
And unlike my other Disney races were I have pictures of myself running through the castle (the selling point for most Disney races), it was still so dark at that point that you cannot tell WHERE I'm running!
And I found the castle uneventful having done it before.
I was having a strong race though and was quite surprised by that fact given the active week prior, the lack of training, and the dead shoes. But I was feeling great. I did enjoy the Anaheim portion of this race as it was completely different than the Disneyland course. I don't know if I could truly say I prefer one over the other as they both had their pluses and minuses. I did make mental note of the lack of "Disney" entertain through the Anaheim portions of the course, but the crowds were out in force providing support. As always I noticed a few posters along the course that I found amusing including the typical "You feet hurt because you're kicking so much a**" and "Chuck Norris never ran a 1/2 marathon", but also a new one..."Why do all the cute ones always run away?" Entertainment was fairly scarce on the Anaheim portion of the course, but Disneyland portion there were characters and photographers everywhere. I didn't stop as I was running strong and while I knew I wouldn't set a PR I wanted to see if I could beat my Disney PR (2:13).
We eventually wound our way back into the park and I plugged through Disney's California Adventure, remembering running the Fantastic Five 5K here a little more than a year ago.
I'd just started feeling the energy levels drop when I realized I was doing quite well and was nearing the line. I kept at it and crossed the line in 2:08:48...5 mins slower than my PR but 5 mins faster than my Disney PR.
I felt great all things considered and I'd earned my wings...
While others enjoyed a day at the park (something I've done several times), I scored a shower and a nap before heading to the airport to catch a flight home! The verdict...if you truly enjoy the Disney race experience and can't get enough, then sure, run it. If you've never run Disney, run it at least once (perferrable once in each park to score your Coast to Coast). If you've run Disney and enjoyed it but aren't mad about the mouse...spend your money on another race. I've enjoyed all three of my Disney races, but personally, I'm done with Disney races...I'd rather see the sites of other cities and towns and experience less commercial locales.
No comments:
Post a Comment