My first trip (and PTR ever) west to earn the C2C medal. 9/2-9/7

[BACON]

Hi!

Thanks for checking out the thread. I'm Steven and I'm going to California for the first time ever. I finally booked my flight on Thursday, booked a few nights at the HOJO and quietly counting down the days to my departure. I'm incredibly excited to do this for many reasons, and given the circumstances I've encountered this year, I consider myself incredibly lucky to be able to commit to this trip.

Like many other DISers, I am chasing the Coast-to-Coast medal. I was introduced to this event when I took up running in the fall of 2009. I had just finished Couch-to-5K and learned about runDisney through a similar run report. Once I checked out the calendar of events, I figured out my training program and committed to it as best as possible. I trained for the majority of 2010, running a half marathon (2:41:xx), a 10-miler (1:45:xx), and a handful of 5k's (PB ~25:38). I haven't focused on my time too much as I feel I should savour the moment than stress out over my timed performance.

Fortunately for me, I live in an absurd part of Canada that lets me run in +30C weather and -30C weather. I prefer the latter; my gatorade freezes after being outside for an hour.

This past January, I went solo to run the WDW 2011 5K and half. The 5K was so much fun and I took a lot of pictures with characters throughout the Epcot course. The half was just as impressive and I managed to run it in 2:32:06. I'm pretty sure I had a smile on my face 99% of the time I was running. It's certainly not the fastest time amongst my local running crew, but once I returned home I ended up motivating a lot of non-running friends to start running. Mission accomplished. Just don't tell them that this was my plan all along.

After the WDW half, I started training for my first full marathon held every June. Unfortunately, I injured myself. I developed a metatarsal stress fracture in my right foot. I wore a walking boot for five weeks and received doctor's clearance to train again mid-June. He voiced his concerns that I shouldn't run this half-marathon with ten weeks worth of training, so he gave me stern warnings about getting back into training with injury prevention. Training could be better for this run, but it has been a trying time to make sure I don't reaggravate the injury. I don't expect to break any personal records two weeks from now. On the bright side, I weigh 15 lbs less now than I did in January.

That being said, I'm getting really excited to do this. My bib #'s are 4175 for the 5K and 3593 for the half-marathon.

I have a few must-do things on this trip, including:
-eating at the Cheesecake Factory and maybe In 'n Out (I need to fuel up on bacon before a race. It's become my pre-race ritual)
-hitting up a mall or two on Saturday (what's the best way to get there from the HOJO?)
-attend a taping of the Price is Right (Drew Carey will be running the half!)

I hope the last one pans out. I only have one day available to attend and it would certainly make the non-Disney portion of this trip incredibly worthwhile.

As always, I love meeting new people, so if anyone wants to hang out with me I'll be around on the forums until the day of my departure. I don't think I'll bring my laptop with me, but I'll have my iPhone available to keep in contact.

Thanks for reading! I'm calling it an early night tonight so I can get an easy 16k run tomorrow morning. A local store is nice enough to hold free yoga classes afterwards which is so nice after a long run.

 

[BACON]

It's really hard to not count down the days until I leave. It's really hard to keep the excitement level to a minimum.

I'm passing the time by watching a ton of DL marathon videos. I'm sure I added 50 views to this guy alone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCYXzPf2atc&feature=fvsr

 

[skiingfast]

It's great you are race ready again.

Price is right taping should be excellent.

For shopping I'd suggest taking the OCTA bus north, to the Character Warehouse. It's in a little shopping center but near a In and Out. I did a little review of what you can find in the store.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2749313

For a real mall you may want to take ART to The Block at Orange.

 

[BACON]

Thanks for the quick tips. I checked the block at orange store directory and it sounds like a good place to hit up. I'll check out this warehouse as well if time permits.

I reserved a ticket to watch Price is Right for Sep 6 - what's the best way of getting there? I'm staying at the HOJO and the studio is by the grove shopping center. I imagine renting car would be easiest, unless someone says otherwise.

 

[skiingfast]

You probably want to take a rental car to the Price is Right Taping. Near the Hojo is, a Alamo at the far end of DTD and down near the Katella and Harbor intersection. In the hotels along Harbor an Avis and Dollar. You can find Enterprise and Hertz by the convention center.

 

[kim3339]

You're going to have so much fun next weekend!!! I love these 2 races, they're by far my faves.

Tip for Price is Right. I went in college, and if it's the same process as it was then, they kind of do short interviews before you go in for the taping. The more witty and funny you and your answers are, the better you chances are for being a contestant.

Good luck next weekend! Hopefully we'll have great weather.

 

[BACON]

Does anyone feel like critiquing my travel itinerary?

Friday
12:00 - arrive in Anaheim
afternoon - Check into hotel, go to the expo
evening - baseball game, retro night and fireworks

Saturday
early morning - 5K
nap
afternoon - a combination of the mall and hotel pool
evening - I'm not sure, but I could watch another game, and ne-yo is performing. I could get some good value for my money

Sunday
early morning - 1/2 marathon
free reign at the parks until close

Monday
Parks

Tuesday
Price is Right taping

Wednesday
departure home

 

[skiingfast]

It feels to me like you need more DL time. Have you been before?

Both Ball games offer a little extra. Is it a double header or two different opponents.

 

[BACON]

It feels to me like you need more DL time. Have you been before?

Both Ball games offer a little extra. Is it a double header or two different opponents.

Haven't been, but I'd rather keep Saturday low-key so I feel energized for running the half on Saturday.

The Angels play Minnesota both nights. I'm a Blue Jays fan, so the goal for me is to catch Vernon Wells playing.

 

[skiingfast]

Maybe you should do Friday night in the parks and see Fireworks there?

 

[BACON]

I was under the impression a 2-day pass needed to be used up in consecutive days. I might be wrong. I also arrive at noon, so unless there's some half-way deal to get in the parks then I don't see going to parks on Friday being worth it.

 

[skiingfast]

All DLR ticket sare good for a 14 days period, or the remaining days good for the next 13 days after your first use.

So if you are think a day and a half, either arrival day or after the 1/2 would work. But you still may want a day and two half days.

I guess it really depends if you want to see the parks, and I would suggest 3 whole days is a minimum to have a full park visit.

 

[BACON]

I'm super tired right now with so much to do between now and Friday morning, so thanks again for taking the time to read the thread. I'll do my best to be really thorough with everything once I return, including a video montage of the half marathon. I heavily relied on last year's marathon youtube videos to keep me motivated and planned out my running strategy for the course (light jog for the first four miles, take pictures, cruise control for the next five, take pictures at angels stadium, go on race pace for the last four.)

My ever so patient travel agent hooked me up with my paperwork today. I didn't realize I didn't book a room for the day I leave, so I found a moderately priced hotel within walking distance to the 5k start line. I will then move to the HOJO for two nights, then the motel 6 for two additional nights. It's ridiculous to stay in three different hotels in five nights, but everything was booked last minute so I'm taking what I could get. I just need to book a car for a day and I'm good to go.

 

[BACON]

It's been a few days since I come back home and my memory about everything is slowly fading. I want to stress that I had a great time in California and the friendliness blew my expectations away. The weather, as hot as it was, made the trip even better. I love the parks more than WDW and commuting was a non-issue. I hope to come back soon!

September 2, 2011

I arrived at SNA just before noon. Upon claiming my luggage, I randomly walked to the Disney Resort bus to get directions to my hotel, Abby's Anaheimer. It was a few blocks away from the bus's regular stop at the Ana Bella. They let me check in early and I grabbed lunch at a nearby Italian restaurant.

The hotel itself was as simple as you can get. The pool is a lot smaller than the website insists, but was still close enough to the parks to walk to. Sleeping at night was also interesting; the walls are fairly thin so I heard the neighbouring room snoring and the traffic on Katella really easy.

I later headed to the expo on foot (walking around Anaheim was so convenient and I relied on it 95% of the time) to pick up my bibs for the 5k and the half marathon. The room is easily smaller than the WDW marathon expo but manageable for the crowds. I picked up a souvenir t-shirt, a hat and vinyl decal for my luggage from the merchandise side and a bunch of samples and gel packs on the booth side.

This is Jeff Galloway speaking.

I must have spent the rest of the night going to the block at orange on ART so I could get my shopping done. I shared a bus with a couple from New Zealand and we were talking about the marathon and what they did/plan on doing while they were here. I didn't buy a lot, and I ended up going back there to return two things I bought because they fit differently after I ran the half .

I must have slept early as I was awake since 5am local time. I also had the 5k early morning. As my race tradition goes, I laid out my race outfit and set a few alarms up so I could get ready early morning. Fortunately, the time zone shift made waking up easier than normal.

I'll work on Saturday's report later.

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

Subscribing!!

 

[Nayrb]

cool! looking forward to reading more

 

[BACON]

September 3, Star Tours 5k

Good morning! I managed to wake up fresh and early to hit up the 5k. I got dressed, grabbed a bottle of Powerade (I stuffed 10 of them into my check-in luggage to fill it with some sort of weight) and headed to the start line. I had no idea where to it started so I just started following people with bibs on.

The 5k corrals were simply packed. Having only consumed Powerade prior to the race, I had to go back and forth between the start line and the portables toilets a lot. I should have known better to not drink it. I could not get an ideal spot in the corral, having to start somewhere in the 10+minute/mile marker. I wanted to go to the front, but they didn't allow me to go up any further. Once I settled in, a jedi, Darth Vader and two Stormtroopers had a skit going at the start line.

From here, I just followed the traffic out onto the course. Hopefully next year the corrals will be a little more accommodating and have some fireworks. I love fireworks.

I would caution anyone who wants to run a family fun 5k to be wary of a few things:
-watch out for kids. They're small and you might trip over them.
-pylons are everywhere. They're smaller than kids and you might trip over them.
-surfaces are uneven, so watch your step. Unfortunately, I passed an older woman who seemed to have really hurt herself on the course. I hope she's doing better now.
-if you want to run the course, make sure you're at the very front of the starting corrals. Otherwise, you'll be stuck behind a bunch of walkers who will block your path.
-always thank the volunteers who woke up just as early as you to participate in a fun event.
-most of all, enjoy yourself. It's Disneyland, and you can't not have fun here.

The lineups to the first characters already had a long lineup. It didn't stop me from joining them.

Shameless plug: Many thanks to Canadian clothing line lululemon for sponsoring me a running shirt for the weekend. They held a bunch of running/yoga at the park days locally and I attended all of them. To show their appreciation, I was given this shirt and I had to tell them what I liked/didn't like about it. I bought the shorts on my own will. I like bright running clothes.

This is my pirate face. Go me

It was really cool seeing the four by the finish line.

All said and done, I spent almost an hour on the course, hopping around lines, pylons, running on rocks, yelled "GOOD MORNING!" at the cast members, hi-fived a bunch of spectators, and savoured the run as best as possible. It makes me wish I dressed up for these events. Maybe one day.

I think the only improvement should be in the corral area. Allow more space for the late folks (or in my case, the small-bladdered) to get in the front of the pack so we can enjoy ourselves better. I would also space out the start times as well. By the time I stood in line for Tiana, the strollers were already out. Not only did I have to duck a bunch of walkers, but strollers as well. It's too much of a safety hazard for everyone involved.

I still wish there were fireworks. Am I asking too much? haha

It took a long time to get those photos uploaded. I'll briefly touch on the parks, how awesome a hotel the HOJO is, and the 1/2 marathon.

 

[BACON]

Well it took a while for me to get back to this. I had some withdrawal issues going on. I went through my photos numerous times, searched youtube for various disneyland half marathon videos (there weren't a lot of them and I'm upset at myself for not committing to making one), the Aladdin musical (genie jokes and whatnot) and wishing I could go back. On the other hand, I started classes a week after returning home and I'm taking a break from studying. This update gives me a chance to look at my photos again :

Post 5K

The time zone change was extremely beneficial. I remember at WDW I had to take a nap before continuing my day. I returned to my hotel, grabbed some continental breakfast and checked out. I almost called for a cab to go to the HOJO, but I checked the map and decided the walk wouldn't be too much of an issue. I definitely put my Heys luggage to the test, pushing it along the sidewalks and carrying it up and down a small flight of stairs.

Walking around the area, including the ART system, was one of the best parts of the trip. I used to work in municipal politics, so I have a small interest in city development and planning. I enjoyed reading into and observing the development of how the ART system came in effect, as well as the little things, including a maps of the area on city sidewalks, wide sidewalks, and the green areas. My city stinks and needs more grass and trees in urban areas.

11:30am - Once I found the HOJO, it was way early to check in, but I decided to try to get in a room anyway. Their front desk was extremely accommodating to me, even with the amount of guests checking out and inquiring about other things. I ended up in the main floor building 2. My room included a view of the pool, which was a nice setting. The room also had one of the most comfortable and softest beds I ever had in a hotel. That was easily one of the best feelings ever.

In an effort to perform well for the half marathon, I decided to replicate the same activities as the WDW half marathon. That included eating at my favourite restaurant:

I ordered the chicken carbonara because not only is there a lot of pasta, but a lot of bacon. I love eating bacon before a big race (and in general. I guess that's how I decided on this username.) I also ordered an amazing key lime cheesecake for dessert. Fortunately for me, I sat beside two lovely ladies who were also running the half marathon so we chatted about training and expectations for the race.

After the Cheesecake Factory, I returned to the HOJO to pick up a 3-day hopper to the parks. The prices between the 3 and 2-day passes weren't terribly bad, especially considering my plan was to meet some WISHERs and catch the Aladdin musical show. On top of that, there were really short lines for several rides and attractions, including Mr. Incredible.

I also spent a grand total of 10 minutes in the Tower of Terror line. What an amazing ride! I haven't been on the one in WDW so it was really thrilling for me.

5:00 pm - The unofficial meeting time for WISHERS to meet up at La Brea bakery. I couldn't tell if it happened until one member wore the neon green shirt. We chatted for roughly 45 minutes before everyone parted ways. I spent the rest of the night catching the Aladdin show with a fellow DIS-er. The show was incredible and it was absolutely enjoyable throughout. I rewatched it a few times on youtube since! After it was over, we grabbed more pasta at DCA, and tried out the Toy Story mania ride. I don't know how good of a score this is, but I was entertained by the ride.

After Toy Story Mania, I parted ways with them and tried to catch any glimpse of World of Color. My view was blocked by a bunch of tall people and a tree, so my pictures didn't turn out very well. However, it looked amazing from where I was standing and it was a great way to end the night.

One of the biggest differences between preparing for this half and the WDW half was the amount of walking I did the day before. In January, I ended up hanging out at the outlet and Millenia malls in Orlando so I could conserve my energy. I did the complete opposite for this race. I spent more time walking around DCA and the Anaheim streets I was pretty sure I would bonk out halfway through the run. I was definitely nervous when I went to sleep that night.

As far as race strategy goes, I laid out my outfit and gear the night before and went to bed. I regret buying that hat, and I wish I had worn Mickey ears instead. It's as stupid as it looks.

 

[BACON]

Race Day

4:00 AM - I haven't woken up this early in a long time. I got myself ready, but really slowly. I made arrangements with some WISHERS staying at the HOJO to walk with them to the starting corrals, but they were ready to go by the time I was still preparing myself. I didn't want to keep them, so I let them take off as I tossed some contact lenses into my eyes.

For some reason, I was extremely dependent on Powerade drinks for this race. I bought 10 bottles and tossed it into my check-in luggage to give it weight, and the night before the race, I drank 1 1/2 bottles, and brought another bottle with me in the morning to walk and drink to the corral. Yes, this was way too excessive and I hope for future races I don't overdo pre-race hydration again.

I headed into corral C at 5:45 am, which was already packed to the brim. Some post race reports suggest the volunteers weren't keeping a keen eye on corral placement, and runners with other corrals easily jumped ahead. I didn't let it bother me; all I wanted was to finish injury free. To kill time, I took some pictures:

The very end of corral C

Self-explanatory

Part of the reason why I wear running Canada gear abroad: finding other Canadians. She used to live in my city and worked within 10 blocks of my house.

Going into the race, my plan was to take it easy and maximize a bunch of time in the parks. As I mentioned in the WISH sub-forum, I injured myself (metatarsal stress fracture) earlier this year, and I got doctor's clearance to train again mid-June. I had to start from the very beginning, doing two-minute intervals (run two, walk two.) I needed a lot of patience in my training to get through today.

I loved that the sun was coming out as I approached the start line. The sky looks beautiful out here.

I'm excited at the idea of creating this outfit from running apparel and fixing up lights and reflective tape in the future.

Phineas & Ferb

I wish this photo was more clearer. They weren't on course during the WDW half so I was really excited to see them here. I think I'm going to bring an actual camera on my next Disney race.

Running down Main Street.

The man and the mouse. And me, who doesn't know how to pose.

I spent a lot of time in line to take pictures of the princesses, and it was totally worth it.

There was a huge line for Darth Vader and it upset me that he decided to leave when I was waiting for him

I need to brush up (no pun intended) on the Mary Poppins film. The sweepers were fun to speak to.

Also a long line for the Snow White witch, so I snapped a photo of the castle.

I forgot what she scolded me about, but I couldn't hold my laughter in. She needs to be hugged.

Probably my favourite photo from the entire trip.

And then we spilled onto the streets. My race splits tell me I spent 57:03 on the first 5k. Totally worth it. I spent almost as much time on the next 10k.

Admittedly, this is when the race became a bit boring. The support was really stagnant between here and Angels stadium. When they were present, it gave me that extra motivation to get moving.

Part of the on-course entertainment. I ended up chatting to one family in this group while waiting in line for Star Tours. They hope to run in it next year.

I wish I had a better shot of this outfit.

We are now 8 miles into the course; I hope Teemu Selanne has a good year with the Ducks. That being said - Go Jets Go.

This was a nice change to run through. Running past a bunch of furniture stores got really boring.

More on-course entertainment.

I reached my 25 image per post limit, continuing into the next post.

 

[BACON]

One more on-course entertainment photo

I hate looking at mile markers and times because the numbers mess with my performance. I would rather not know how I'm doing until I start training for Boston, then I can worry about my time. The time is about 12 minutes ahead of my start time.

Running through Angels stadium was neat, and I'm glad they let us do it, especially when there was a game scheduled in the afternoon.

And done. I was hoping for at least one or two more characters to show up on course before I finished. I was a little disappointed I didn't see one. At the same time, I was amazed at how great I felt. I had no soreness in my legs, and I felt like I could keep going. I wasn't relieved the course was over. I definitely had the energy to continue for a longer distance.

I wanted to keep the coast-to-coast bracelet for my running scrapbook. I don't know why they made us return them :

Not going to lie, when the medals hit each other, it sounded like victory.

I'm definitely inspired to run in costume on my next Disney race. I haven't decided on which character.

My current training program is to run the Goofy challenge and it's going great so far.

Some casual observations between the WDW half and the DL half:
-characters were more spread out in WDW, but I imagine it's easier for them to do that.
-fireworks were set off for each corral at the start line in WDW, and only for corral A at DL. Fireworks rule.
-cast members/photographers for ASI/brightroom (the company who takes photos on the race course for purchase) were at each character in WDW and it was much more limited in DL. I often had to pass my phone to another runner and have them take it for me (and vice versa.)
-further to the above, my photos taken by brightroom look awful. I had some great shots of me in the WDW half.
-the DL medal is way heavier than I had expected. Probably the heaviest race medal I earned so far. The coast-to-coast medal is boss.
-the pool at the HOJO, plus a few beers in my hand, was a better way to relax post-race than an ice cold bathtub in Orlando.

I imagine some of the differences between the two races were the logistical aspects and other forms of inconveniences that made each experience so widespread. For a registration price of $135, I would have hoped for similar benefits that I had in the WDW half, but they fell really short here. It lacked excitement once we were off Disney property and I hope the organizers can look into offering a greater experience to future runners.

The Parks, which I'll write about later on, and the city of Anaheim, was a much more enjoyable experience, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself here. I love visiting Disney property, but there was a certain charm in Anaheim that blew my expectations away. I'm definitely making a return trip in the future.

Overall, I'm happy to have gotten my coast-to-coast medal. I'm not injured; and I was able to walk around the parks later that day without any pain. I suppose I'm just more informed about injury prevention, not just with the stress fracture, but also plantar fasciitis. That's an awful pain which I can't bear talking about. PF bothered me a lot after I finished the WDW half.

I bought a shadowbox at Michael's for my race bibs and medals so I can display it in my house. I'm looking forward to the DIY project.

I'll do one more post about the parks, and this report will be done.