Disneyland ½ Marathon Weekend~2012 Check-in!

[JDBlair]

You're not the only insane one! I've got the DL 5k/½ , Goofy at WDW and then Tink 5k/½ the following week. I get to come home from WDW in time to do laundry, a massage, repack and then it's down to DL for Tink.

I'm also thinking we need to come up w/ a Goofy type name for the 5k/½ runners like Goofy. It's just easier.

If you're flying down that weekend, recheck Southwest. I got an email today from them and they have cities on sale. From SJ, I could do LAX and back from SNA for $129. So tempting, easier and cheaper than driving, but I'm stopping at the Reagan Museum on the way back, so it's a no go.

You'll like Princess~ did it the 1st year and had a blast. The parts on the in b/w parks part was kinda bland b/c there's nothing there, but it was a ton of fun! It was the same type of environment as Tink.

Have to ask ~ I was just on Miceage (hopefully I can say that) looking at weekly updates. Aside from getting to run through Cars Land, are any previous runners looking forward to finally being able to run through DCA w/o construction walls? It will be so nice to have that open area to be able to move around and look at, not to mention the lack of rise in humidity/microclimate in the part in Hollywood Land and near Carthay Circle. It will be such a great change/surprise to the course. I cannot wait!

Thanks for that tip! I was able to change our flights to CA to an earlier time out and saved $31 per person!!! That will help when it's time for us to fly to Florida!!!

We are also running the Disneyland 5k - all 3 of us. I'm excited!!!

I am excited to not only run through DCA with no construction walls but to actually attend the park with no walls!!!!

 

[kim3339]

Thanks for that tip! I was able to change our flights to CA to an earlier time out and saved money. But it seems I have a "credit" and I have no idea how to claim that credit for later?

I am excited to not only run through DCA with no construction walls but to actually attend the park with no walls!!!!

ME TOO!!!! I think this is the 1st time since my 1st DL race that I am excited about something other than the race. (1st yr it was seeing all the backstage stuff)

As for your credit... hold on to your confirmation # and when you book another flight, it will have an option somewhere about applying credit funds and you enter your #. There is a time period though, I think it's 1 year from the date of purchse.

 

[JDBlair]

ME TOO!!!! I think this is the 1st time since my 1st DL race that I am excited about something other than the race. (1st yr it was seeing all the backstage stuff)

As for your credit... hold on to your confirmation # and when you book another flight, it will have an option somewhere about applying credit funds and you enter your #. There is a time period though, I think it's 1 year from the date of purchse.

I am super excited about my daughter running the 5k and taking tons of pictures!!!! Maybe this year I will actually make it to the DIS meet up! Since we're getting in super early Friday morning, I don't see any conflicts. We aren't going to the park until after the half marathon on Sunday!

Thank you!!! It's not a lot, per person, but it certainly adds up! I'll have to set reminders to keep checking fares for FL so we can get those flights booked before the credit expires!!!

 

[MotoXPrincess99]

My friend and I stayed at Best Western Stovall's for Tinker Bell. And because the finish area ran through that corner at West (aka Disneyland Drive) and Katella, we were told we had to circle the block to get back to the hotel. So that's what we did. But I refuse to do that next time. For those that ran Tink...and stayed at a hotel there near the finish line..how did you get back to your room?? Did you circle the block??? (We did, it was awful!)

First we walked to Katella on the west side of Disneyland Drive and got turned around and told to go back around to Walnut. We walked back to the light (at the entrance to the family reunion area) and crossed to the east side of Disneyland Drive and then we were able to cross the runners and then continue down and across Katella.

I wasn't taking no for an answer. Lol.

 

[JDBlair]

First we walked to Katella on the west side of Disneyland Drive and got turned around and told to go back around to Walnut. We walked back to the light (at the entrance to the family reunion area) and crossed to the east side of Disneyland Drive and then we were able to cross the runners and then continue down and across Katella.

I wasn't taking no for an answer. Lol.

They told us to walk all the way down Disneyland Drive, turn left on to Magic Way, left on to Walnut, and then up to Katella. According to Map My Run, it seems that was a full 3 mile walk! I was so incredibly angry and don't want to end up doing that again! When we finally made it back to Katella, we could see runners walking out by where we ran in to the finisher's chute and crossed the street (jay walking) right there in the middle of Katella.

After a race, you're kinda disoriented and it was just me and my friend (both ran the race) so we couldn't really figure it out. That was the longest walk of my life!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I'm officially signed up for the Coast to Coast Challenge this year and had a quick question about evening races.

The Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon starts at 10:00pm. It will be my 3rd race ever and first one at night. I'm trying to figure out how to handle dining that day and have a few questions.

1. What time and what kind of breakfast should I eat that day? I have reservations that morning at Kona Cafe at the Polynesian.

2. What time should I eat dinner that night and how do I handle any cravings that may or may not come between dinner and the race?

Thanks.

 

[OctoberDisney]

SEVEN WEEKS!!!

Seven!

Speaking of 7, that's how many miles I ran last night. It felt pretty good! How is everyone's training going?

So, we ended up going to Disneyland last weekend. We were there late Friday, all day Saturday, and part of Sunday. I have say, for a weekend in July and with all the hype, it didn't feel crazy busy. We managed to do and see quite a bit in that time. Knowing we would be back soon, we purposely skipped a lot and focused on our favorites. We never waited more than 15 minutes for anything.

We were going to save Carsland for our big trip but then went ahead walked through. I cried. It is unbelievable. Amazing. Beautiful. The wait for Mater's ride was 15 minutes so we jumped on. It's a total crack up. We loved it. We saved the rest for the September trip.

Anyway, all this is to say that I think the crowds will be manageable during race weekend and after. I hope I'm right!

 

[cobbler]

I'm officially signed up for the Coast to Coast Challenge this year and had a quick question about evening races.

The Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon starts at 10:00pm. It will be my 3rd race ever and first one at night. I'm trying to figure out how to handle dining that day and have a few questions.

1. What time and what kind of breakfast should I eat that day? I have reservations that morning at Kona Cafe at the Polynesian.

2. What time should I eat dinner that night and how do I handle any cravings that may or may not come between dinner and the race?

Thanks.

That is something you really need to play with on your own because everyone is different. I personally can eat a full meal of almost any kind about 2 hours before running at night (except tacos, I don't know why but they don't work for me).

Others can't eat that much. During your training I think you'll need to play with different kinds of foods and maybe do a few evening runs (if you aren't already) to see how your body handles it.

I did Wine & Dine as my first half in 2010 and ate a decent meal at OKW about 7ish and was fine. I didn't want to eat any of the clif shot things they hand out so I just carried it the rest of the way. I also didn't feel like eating when I was done and forced myself to have something. With a few halfs under my belt I now eat a bit differently. What used to bother me before doesn't so much now and vise versa.

 

[kim3339]

1. What time and what kind of breakfast should I eat that day? I have reservations that morning at Kona Cafe at the Polynesian.

2. What time should I eat dinner that night and how do I handle any cravings that may or may not come between dinner and the race?

I agree w/ the OP that you have to play around w/ it to see how you feel eating at different times. For me, I would do breakfast as the big meal of the day and then sample the rest of the day. In Jan, the 5k for Tink was at night (10pm) and I had pasta for lunch around 2 and a pretzle around 7, but I still felt heavy during the run. It all just depends on you and you feel.

SEVEN WEEKS!!!

Seven!

Speaking of 7, that's how many miles I ran last night. It felt pretty good! How is everyone's training going?

So, we ended up going to Disneyland last weekend. We were there late Friday, all day Saturday, and part of Sunday. I have say, for a weekend in July and with all the hype, it didn't feel crazy busy. We managed to do and see quite a bit in that time. Knowing we would be back soon, we purposely skipped a lot and focused on our favorites. We never waited more than 15 minutes for anything.

We were going to save Carsland for our big trip but then went ahead walked through. I cried. It is unbelievable. Amazing. Beautiful. The wait for Mater's ride was 15 minutes so we jumped on. It's a total crack up. We loved it. We saved the rest for the September trip.

Anyway, all this is to say that I think the crowds will be manageable during race weekend and after. I hope I'm right!

Glad to hear that CL lives up to everything. So excited for it! I have 7 too this week~ I did the Color Run yesterday, by the way so much fun, and long run tomorrow morning. I have a small tear in my MCL so I'm running every other day, but biked at the gym this morning.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Thanks for the insight. Most of my practice runs are after work, but the big runs are Saturday morning. I'm still trying to learn how my body reacts after a race. While I got hungry after the 1/2 last year, every meal was a wait and see what I feel like. Stuff that I normally love didn't appeal to me the day of the race. And WDW is more complicated because you have to make your reservation so far in advance. At least I have reservations I'm happy with and can always cancel them after the Disneyland 1/2 if I decide they're not going to agree with me.

 

[PrincessIM]

Ran 6.9 miles this morning.....my longest run ever and half way there! I'm a little nervous about running in the heat. We've had some warm morning runs but nowhere near as hot as it gets in Anaheim and I've found it tough. I'm hoping for a cool morning the day of the race! For those of you that have run this race before, did you find there were enough water stations or did you find you needed a hydration belt?

 

[JDBlair]

Ran 6.9 miles this morning.....my longest run ever and half way there! I'm a little nervous about running in the heat. We've had some warm morning runs but nowhere near as hot as it gets in Anaheim and I've found it tough. I'm hoping for a cool morning the day of the race! For those of you that have run this race before, did you find there were enough water stations or did you find you needed a hydration belt?

I live in Phoenix so I always run with a hydration belt.
That said, the Disney races are absolutely incredible for setting up hydration stations. I have run quite a few races and Disney is the best at hydrating.

When I ran Disneyland last year, it was cool weather but I had trained all summer in Phoenix so anything is cooler than here!

Personally, if it were me, and you're worried about the heat, I would run with your own hydration. You don't want to find yourself between stations and in desperate need of water. When I run the Disney races, I always drink from the stations and keep my hydration belt water for in-between (just in case)! I go through a lot of water when I run long distances.

 

[monte]

I'm in for my C2C medal this year too! First up is the DL half, then in Nov., I head to WDW for the W&D! Due to the madness in my life for the last year, or so, I haven't been doing much and have lost 4+ minutes in my pace. Iam currently at a 18 min. pace and pray that I can shave 2 more mins. off by race day.

 

[kim3339]

For those of you that have run this race before, did you find there were enough water stations or did you find you needed a hydration belt?

I use my belt. Personally, I drink a lot, I even bring a little bottle on a shirt 3miler. But I like having it just in case.

I'm in for my C2C medal this year too! First up is the DL half, then in Nov., I head to WDW for the W&D! Due to the madness in my life for the last year, or so, I haven't been doing much and have lost 4+ minutes in my pace. Iam currently at a 18 min. pace and pray that I can shave 2 more mins. off by race day.

You'll do great! We still have 7 more weeks. It'll come back.

 

[noga]

What is the twilight ticket that some are talking about?
Thanks.

 

[MotoXPrincess99]

What is the twilight ticket that some are talking about?
Thanks.

It's $62 from gettravel.com.

Twilight Theme Park Ticket – Valid after 4:00 pm or 6 hours before park closes, whichever is EARLIER. Disneyland® Resort Sports Twilight Ticket (ages 3 and older) includes one admission to either Disneyland® Park or Disney California Adventure® Park, but not both.

 

[canadadisney]

I'm off to DL tonight for a week stay. It's hard to believe that I will be back again in just over a month for the half. I'm going to do my 11 mile training run tonight and do the shorter runs this week in DL.

 

[hvivona]

My first time doing the Disneyland Half and my first time to Disneyland and a solo trip!! So spill it! what are the MUST do's in the area? For those that have done the Princess half in WDW (me 2 times) how does the course compare? best of dining? hot spots outside of Disneyland? I should also add I'm a Georgia girl and this will be my first time in California!

 

[kim3339]

My first time doing the Disneyland Half and my first time to Disneyland and a solo trip!! So spill it! what are the MUST do's in the area? For those that have done the Princess half in WDW (me 2 times) how does the course compare? best of dining? hot spots outside of Disneyland? I should also add I'm a Georgia girl and this will be my first time in California!

Course ~ we have a little less time in the parks than at Princess. It's flat like WDW, the only hills are under/overpasses. Tip though ~ we start at the top of an underpass. The big difference is outside the parks, b/c we're on city streets, no characters. There are entertainment stops and we have Angel Stadium though! One nice thing is that there are more chances to run on a side of the street to have some shade. I remember that long stretch heading out to MK and there was no shade. Here, you have some shade. Also, You don't run into the sun that much. It's a lot of parallel to the sun and once you hit Angel Stadium, your back is to the sun the rest of the course.

As for the rest of everything, it all depends on how long you're here and what you want to do?

Blue Bayou is a really cool place to celebrate after the race. It's in New Orleans Square and inside POC. It's a Cajun/Creole menu. Also, there's the new Carthay Circle in DCA that just opened. Both should have reservations though. Rancho Zocalo is good if you like Mexican, it's near BTMRR and no reservations. If you're into it, DCA serves alcohol and has really good margarita's at Rita's. There's also DTD, which has a lot of restaurants. The steakhouse in DLH is really good as well as Napa Rose in GC.

With the parks, you have to hit up the rides that aren't in WDW like Matterhorn. And the rides that are in both parks have different aspects to them. There are a few more rides in Fantasyland and Cars Land is all new in DCA. You have to see World of Color one night. It's awesome. Aladdin is a good show, and a nice place to cool down and get off your feet for a little bit. I've heard Fantasmic is a little better here, but haven't seen it at HS so can't help you there. The nice thing also is that they're across from each other so it's easy to park hop.

Outside the parks, w/in walking distance is Garden Walk. There are restaurants and some shops as well. Outside DL, if you have a car, there's LA, Santa Monica and Huntington Beach. Depending on how far you want to venture, you could hit up San Diego. HB is the closest of all of them and has a really nice beach. LA is about 30-45 min and SM is 45-1 hour. SD can be 1 1/2-2 hours depending on how fast you drive. When I lived in SD, it also seemed like the traffic was so much faster going down that way.

 

[kim3339]

If anybody is flying in w/ more than you and using Super Shuttle, I got an email today where add-ons are only $5. It works w/ LAX, SNA and LGB. The deal ends 8/31 so it'll work if you come in Fri or earlier but not coming back. But it could still save you some money. If it's not on the website, PM me and I can forward you on the email.