GrandCalifornian
Can't Wait To Go Back
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2012
- Messages
- 3,889
We have been really busy this week. Starting with Allie getting a scratch on her cornea after playing with a boy at school. Luckily she's okay and her eye completely healed in a day and a half. So this started on Tuesday and I had to take her for a recheck at the doctor on Thursday morning. The race expo opened on Thursday so it make for a perfect excuse to take the entire day off. After the doctor declared Allie all healed we drove down to meet Daddy to head to Disneyland!
We had heard about insane crowds at the expo, so we figured going while most people were at work would be a good deal. I was up for a half day at Disney, no matter what the excuse. Fortunately the event was super well organized (which was a sign of things to come) and Melissa was able to pick up her bib and shirt in just a couple of minutes.
We headed upstairs and did some shopping. It was a 45 minute wait to get into the official merchandise area but it was worth the wait and we found plenty to spend money on.
I was slightly uncomfortable purchasing an I Did It! T-shirt before I actually had finished the race but I knew I would want one if I did so I bought it anyway.
I was also unsure about buying event merchandise, but they had a nice general event T Shirt, and despite not running the race the event has been a big part of our life for the last few months, and I wanted a souvenir. We also were super excited to find that our AP merchandise discount applied to the event merchandise, so we saved 20%!
Of course we were gonna get Paul a shirt! He went with me on pretty much ALL of my training runs. He was a huge part of my support to get me that far, he deserved it. Plus he paid for it all so I couldn't say no to much.
We were both pretty proud and excited. After the Expo we spent the rest of the afternoon at Disneyland and CA Adventure, and Allie rode the carousel and since the line was short enough we even rode Dumbo while Mommy watched.
Then we had dinner at the Grand Californian snack bar and headed back through the Expo one more time, where the crowd had died down.
I bought a new pair of ear buds, which turned out to be awesome, and we shut the Expo down.
Friday night Paul went to the RC track with his buddies from work ( a whole other obsession of his) and Allie went home with my Aunt for the weekend so I had the evening to myself. I was able to get some sewing done. Unfortunately I sewed the front side of a dress onto the back side and totally messed it up. So I'm behind on that one, I put that one aside for later for now.
Saturday I had some time to work on sewing uninterrupted with Project Runway on the TV and I got a ton done on the Elsa dress. The bodice is done, the zipper is in the cape is sewn together and finished. It won't be long until that one is done.
On Saturday I woke up stressed about the fact we hadn't decided how early to get up for the race on Sunday. Before Melissa got out of bed I made her decide when she wanted to get up the next day, so I could set the alarm and know we'd be good. The time we decided on was 2:30 AM, to give us time to get ready and make the hour drive to Disneyland before the 5:30 race start.
2:30 was very very early on Sunday morning but after dreaming about forgetting my running shoes I was okay to get out of bed and get things together. I made sure to have a good breakfast and we were out of the house early. I had to sneak my shoes out though so Shelby didn't feel left out. She also went on pretty much all of my training runs.
The trip to DL went well, and we got there before 4 AM. We saw that there were already a lot of runners in the parking structure, and buses were taking large groups of volunteers to their locations on the course. We checked out the stage area, where people were starting to gather and green army men were greeting runners. We got our picture taken together while we stood around and admired the outfits people wore. About 1/3 wore the event shirt, but 10-20% wore some form of costume that ranged from cute to extreme. We stood by a well done Elsa and Anna and saw a female Gaston, Pocahontas, some Tinkerbelles, and many others.
I didn't come up with a costume to wear but I wore a very special Run Disney tech shirt. Those who followed last years trip report will remember this one
It joined me on many training runs, including my long 10 mile run I did a couple weeks ago. So while not a “costume” I wore something special and Disney and I knew I'd be comfortable for the distance.
We hung out in the staging area for a little bit and I finished my bottle of water while trying to keep the butterflies down.
At 4:30 they started directing runners to the corrals, so we decided Melissa should go get a good spot.
I couldn't go any further, so after she headed to her corral I sat on the street corner and checked out the DIS. After replying to WDWKOOK, I decided to scope out a spot for the start of the race. The crowds of runners were really increasing, and there were as many people at Downtown Disney as I have ever seen, and it was only 5 in the morning. There was a stream of runners coming from all the resort hotels. Melissa and I exchanged photo texts, as she had a good spot in the last corral (since she had no prior race times to qualify for a better start). I found a spot in Downtown Disney on the bridge over the road where they would be running, and I took some more pictures. I was super impressed at the fireworks that went off right next to me during the national anthem. Once again, Disney did a first class job. Soon it was 5:30, and the first group of runners started. They left about 8 minutes between each group, and it turned out Melissa was in the 7th group, so she didn't start until 50 minutes after the race “started”. That was fine though, since her timing was based on her start time, and all sweeping was to be based on a 16 min pace after the last runner in the last group crossed the line.
It was a great strategy to just get into my corral early. There were a lot of people that came in behind me and it gave me plenty of time to relax and get my head in a good place for the start of the race. I met a really nice couple from Ft. Lauderdale that were earning their coast to coast medals and a group of ladies that were also doing this for the first time. We concluded that no matter what our finish time was it would be our Personal Best so we had that to look forward to at the finish as well. With so much time to wait until the race started I eventually just sat down. I didn't want to have stood for an hour in one place before having to run that long. It worked out well and I didn't get stepped on.
I had mixed emotions when I finally crossed the starting line. I was super excited but also scared and nervous. I also needed a potty break. That water that I finished earlier had caught up with me. Even though I went right before we got into our corrals it was nearly an hour and a half later by the time we crossed the start.
I played with the camera during each prior group so I figured I was set up pretty well for the last group and getting shots of Melissa. I was far enough away that I couldn't pick her out, but she saw me and waved for the camera.
Once they went by, I moved on to find a spot to see her again between the two parks. We didn't purchase a ChEar Squad ticket for me that lets you watch from Main Street for $100, so I was left with the open area between DL and CA Adventure. I found a nice spot outside of World of Disney and texted it to Melissa.
After the start we ran down Disneyland Drive and out onto Katella. There were already people lining the course cheering us on. We made a left onto Harbor and another left back onto Disney property where we went into a back stage area. There were porta potties set up here and I still had to go but the line was pretty long and I thought it would eat up too much time so I just kept going. We had our first water stop and they were out of Power Ade at the moment but I didn't need any of that yet so I just grabbed some water and kept going. There were more porta potties here too but again the line was really long. There was also a float from the Pixar Parade. I didn't stop nor take a picture here, I was on a roll. There were a couple of bands from local schools lining the course after that before we went “on stage” over by the Silly Symphony Swings. Here is where being a Disneyland vet comes in handy. All of the restrooms in the parks were open and ok for us to use. They were also the only real restrooms available on the course. I knew there were some tucked in the corner by the restaurant that's right there so I scooted off the course and was able to get in and out quick with no line at all. After that I was feeling much better. The course took us by the World of Color fountains which were on and playing music and we hit mile 2 there as well. Then we went down through Cars Land and made a left at the light like we were going to Bugs Land. I'm pretty sure Lightning McQueen and Mater were out for pictures but I was in a mob of people and didn't stop or see them. After making the left we went back of stage for a short bit and came back on right by the Tower of Terror. The difficult part of the course here was trying to stay out of the trolly tracks. I was running right in the middle and was trying to keep from tripping in the tracks. We made a left following the tracks to the hub where they had a trolley out and parked. Continuing straight we passed Soarin then made a right and came out right next to the World of Disney Store. As soon as I came out of the gates I saw Paul and went straight in for a kiss. It was really nice seeing him and it gave me motivation to keep up my good pace.
I was concentrating on getting good shots and was surprised when she popped out from behind another runner. The kiss was a great surprise, then she was on her way and I got a couple more shots. Then I had some time to try to figure out where else on the course I would meet her. I needed to get across the runners' path, which they allowed for by having a split path in the course where they let pedestrians go half way, then shifted the course to the other half and let us finish crossing. It worked pretty neat. I snapped some pics of Disneyland and then transferred them to my phone so I could send them to our family members who were still home but now tracking the race progress. I headed out of the park and worked my way East with plans to meet Melissa at the corner of Anaheim and Cerritos, which was quite a hike from where I was at. As I ran down the streets I came across the course at about mile 12, where lots of the earlier starters were running past. There was a high school band and drill team cheering them on at one corner, but I ran past to try to get to the earlier part of the course. I watched Melissa using Find My Friends, but it turned out she beat me there, so I was left playing catch up and chose another meet up spot further down the course.
After leaving Paul we headed into Disneyland through the big gates. I had to pause briefly for a picture here, it was after all one of the main reasons to run a Disney race.
Right before starting up Main Street they had a float from the Soundstional Parade along with some of the drummers making music. The race up main street was great. The ChEar Squad people that were still there cheering were awesome. One of my favorite signs of the race was here and said something like “You're a complete stranger but I'm still proud of you” I had heard it so many times from family and friends before I started the race but hearing it from somewhere I wasn't expecting was motivating. Thank you lady wherever you are. Once we hit the hub we veered left to Frontierland and here the Green Army Men were back out taking pictures with people. The 3rd Shift Disney Janitorial crew was also set up here and they were giving lots of high fives and you can do its. Mile three was also in this area and we hit the 5K mark shortly after that on our way back to Fantasy Land. It was here that one of the other runners mentioned that if we had signed up for the 5k we'd all be done by now. We still had lots more miles to go. Prince Charming was on the carousel with Lady Tremaine and the Tremaine sisters. It made for some amusing entertainment and I HAD to get a picture of Prince Charming for Allie.
We wrapped around the carousel and then it was time to go through the castle! I stopped briefly here for another picture because, well, I had to. Then I shuffled through. We were all walking at this point, there were just too many people to run through but I ran out the other end. We went left at the hub and through Tomorrowland where Darth Vader was available for pictures. His line was really long and the area around him was busy so I didn't get a picture I just kept going. I did stop for a selfie in front of the Matterhorn though. We continued on past Small World where Jafar and the Evil Queen were posing and opposite them Dr. Facilier and Cruella DeVille as well. We went under the Toon Town entrance through Toon Town and then back stage through big gates next to Mickeys house. This was the last of the run through the parks and I was a little sad that part was over. The back stage area was still fun, we had another water stop and the Janitorial staff was out there cheering us on. As we went by the barn area they had two horses out to take pictures with. It didn't take long before we were back out onto Disneyland Drive and making the right onto Ball. When we rounded the corner the sea of people on the Ball overpass over the 5 freeway was pretty overwhelming. I had been kind of in a mob of people the whole way through the parks but I didn't realize the mob was that big. My pacing told me it was time to run and I ran right up to the bottom of the bridge and walked to the top. I wasn't going to spend my energy up this early trying to race up the bridge. I texted Paul a picture of the top of the bridge letting him know I'd made it that far. I tried to keep up with my pacing from here on out. We had a couple more water stops and at one of them an Anaheim Police officer was helping mix Power Ade, it was pretty amazing how awesome all of the volunteers were. They all worked so hard and did a great job of cheering us on and keeping me motivated. Paul texted me about this point and told me that I had beaten him to the corner he was planning to meet me at. I was excited he was out on the course and I was going to see him again before the finish. I enjoyed the cheerleaders and marching bands, hula dancers, and Mexican Folk dancers and other entertainment and motivation along the course.
I was a little disappointed that I missed Melissa and couldn't quite catch her on Cerritos (although I was running) but I knew the course went up and back to Cerritos, so If I ran straight out Cerritos I should make up enough ground to meet her there. There was no traffic on the street, so I was able to run quickly while carrying the camera. When I got back to the course I found that they had a car show set up along the course with the runners passing right through the middle. I waited for Melissa just before the car show, and the phone said she was just a couple minutes away. I texted her where I was at, and soon I saw her running towards me.
It was great to meet her again and see that she was doing great. This was just over half way so after we separated I headed back toward Disneyland while she continued on towards Honda Center and Angels stadium.
It was refreshing to see Paul again and after assuring him I was taking water at every water stop and I was doing ok we ran through the car show. It was a great carshow, It'd be a fun one to go to without having to run straight through. We continued on Cerritos and went under the 57 freeway on our way to the Honda Center. I was trying to keep my pace up at this point but was really starting to feel the fatigue. I did a lot of walking through the Honda Center parking lot. Someone brought out a Bat Mobile and there were a lot of people taking pictures with it. From the parking lot we headed out onto the Santa Ana River Trail. The dirt of the trail was a nice break from the concrete and asphalt we had been running on. The trail is narrow though and it made it difficult to do much running.
I was also afraid of misstepping on a rock or something through here and twisting an ankle or worse falling into the river. The climb out from under the 57 was when I really started to feel like my legs were going to fall off but Angels Stadium was right there! Just after mile 9 Clif was there with gels right before a water stop. I took a Raspberry gel, ate half and took two cups of water to try and rinse it down. It didn't take long for the gel to kick in and I noticed my general fatigue fading but my legs were still in pain. The crowd in the stadium was great. The little girl scouts sitting on the dug outs were so cute and lots of people in the crowd had motivational signs.
The only issue was my shoes picked up sand and I ended up with quite a bit in my right shoe. There wasn't anywhere to stop to empty them and I was afraid if I stopped I wouldn't get going again. Once out of the stadium I did a couple more short run sets, my legs felt better if I was running. After another mile or so we were headed back under the 5 at Disney Way. Under the freeway I finally decided to sit on the curb and empty my shoe. I felt much better after getting the sand out and was able to hoist myself off the curb and get moving again. There was another sign along the course that I really appreciated. Paul had been here earlier and got a great picture of it.
This one brought tears to my eyes. I tried not to be emotional and just kept moving forward. Just after mile 12 I really hit a wall. My phone battery died and I lost my music and my instant pace feedback. Everything below my waist was on fire and I was certain my legs were going to fall off. I tried to do a couple more short run sets to keep my leg muscles from seizing up because I really wanted to run across the finish. The motivation from bystanders from here to the finish was amazing.
I had run along the course on my way back to the finish between miles 11 and 12 and was impressed by the crowd and signs. There were bands and cheerleaders and just regular people with neat signs. At the last water stop there were lots of volunteers making sure the runners had cold water and Power Ade, and there was also a medical station with Firefighters, and ambulance, and volunteers from Celebration health. Fortunately nobody needed anything at that point, but it sure is neat that they were there and ready if anyone needed help.
I then cut through Downtown Disney to get to the finish line ahead of Melissa. There was a bit of a hold up getting through security because since the parks were now open they weren't allowing signs through the checkpoints, and there wasn't even anywhere to throw them away. I made it through and then headed to the finish line area. I couldn't get a great spot, and since Melissa's phone was dead I didn't know exactly where she was, but I hoped she would be coming through soon.
Honestly Mile 13 was pretty much a blur. I remember lots of people cheering us on and lots of pain in my legs. Once I saw that Mile 13 sign I knew I had made it. I started getting emotional and started to plan how I'd cross the finish line. Once I had it in my sights I saw Mickey on my left and it was pretty wide open. I gave Daisy a high five and then gave Mickey a high five with tears in my eyes. I had my picture taken after I got that heavenly wet towel and my medal.
I followed the maze around and found Paul right outside the bag check area. It was so great to see him again at the very end. I had done it! I just kept moving until we got to a curb where I finally sat down for a minute. We arranged to meet my parents and grandparents once we got closer to home and I just rested my feet for a bit.
I was so proud of her. While I didn't see her crossing the line, I did get the text update showing her finishing time. I had been taking pictures and got some at about the right time, but nothing that you could see her in. That's ok though because the Marathon Foto people got the awesome Mickey shot. We are definitely buying all of their pictures, they did a great job.
I was actually less emotional at the finish than I expected, but that isn't saying much because my eyes were tearing up from the very beginning. The event was just so neat and well done, and I was so proud of Melissa for committing to do it. I had suggested that she sign up for the 5K or 10k as a first race, but she wanted to do the big one, and I am so glad that she did it. It was an amazing event, and I am glad she got to be part of it. I still am not sure I have the desire to run that far, but if I do ever do it, then it will be at a RunDisney race.
I am pretty darned proud of myself as well, it took 3 years for me to get this far, I've lost over 60lbs and had a knee surgery in the process.
I can see more Run Disney races in my future. I don't know which ones but the shorter races sure look like a lot of fun too and way less effort but there is something really cool about saying that I just ran a half marathon. Now that it's over though we are going into Disneyworld prep overdrive. Paul was putting stuff in a suitcase this morning. We'll be out at the lake next weekend so we don't have any more full days at home before we have to get on the airplane to Florida!
Now that the half Marathon is complete, what's next? We're going to Disney World! 11 days to go!
We had heard about insane crowds at the expo, so we figured going while most people were at work would be a good deal. I was up for a half day at Disney, no matter what the excuse. Fortunately the event was super well organized (which was a sign of things to come) and Melissa was able to pick up her bib and shirt in just a couple of minutes.
We headed upstairs and did some shopping. It was a 45 minute wait to get into the official merchandise area but it was worth the wait and we found plenty to spend money on.
I was slightly uncomfortable purchasing an I Did It! T-shirt before I actually had finished the race but I knew I would want one if I did so I bought it anyway.
I was also unsure about buying event merchandise, but they had a nice general event T Shirt, and despite not running the race the event has been a big part of our life for the last few months, and I wanted a souvenir. We also were super excited to find that our AP merchandise discount applied to the event merchandise, so we saved 20%!
Of course we were gonna get Paul a shirt! He went with me on pretty much ALL of my training runs. He was a huge part of my support to get me that far, he deserved it. Plus he paid for it all so I couldn't say no to much.
We were both pretty proud and excited. After the Expo we spent the rest of the afternoon at Disneyland and CA Adventure, and Allie rode the carousel and since the line was short enough we even rode Dumbo while Mommy watched.
Then we had dinner at the Grand Californian snack bar and headed back through the Expo one more time, where the crowd had died down.
I bought a new pair of ear buds, which turned out to be awesome, and we shut the Expo down.
Friday night Paul went to the RC track with his buddies from work ( a whole other obsession of his) and Allie went home with my Aunt for the weekend so I had the evening to myself. I was able to get some sewing done. Unfortunately I sewed the front side of a dress onto the back side and totally messed it up. So I'm behind on that one, I put that one aside for later for now.
Saturday I had some time to work on sewing uninterrupted with Project Runway on the TV and I got a ton done on the Elsa dress. The bodice is done, the zipper is in the cape is sewn together and finished. It won't be long until that one is done.
On Saturday I woke up stressed about the fact we hadn't decided how early to get up for the race on Sunday. Before Melissa got out of bed I made her decide when she wanted to get up the next day, so I could set the alarm and know we'd be good. The time we decided on was 2:30 AM, to give us time to get ready and make the hour drive to Disneyland before the 5:30 race start.
2:30 was very very early on Sunday morning but after dreaming about forgetting my running shoes I was okay to get out of bed and get things together. I made sure to have a good breakfast and we were out of the house early. I had to sneak my shoes out though so Shelby didn't feel left out. She also went on pretty much all of my training runs.
The trip to DL went well, and we got there before 4 AM. We saw that there were already a lot of runners in the parking structure, and buses were taking large groups of volunteers to their locations on the course. We checked out the stage area, where people were starting to gather and green army men were greeting runners. We got our picture taken together while we stood around and admired the outfits people wore. About 1/3 wore the event shirt, but 10-20% wore some form of costume that ranged from cute to extreme. We stood by a well done Elsa and Anna and saw a female Gaston, Pocahontas, some Tinkerbelles, and many others.
I didn't come up with a costume to wear but I wore a very special Run Disney tech shirt. Those who followed last years trip report will remember this one
It joined me on many training runs, including my long 10 mile run I did a couple weeks ago. So while not a “costume” I wore something special and Disney and I knew I'd be comfortable for the distance.
We hung out in the staging area for a little bit and I finished my bottle of water while trying to keep the butterflies down.
At 4:30 they started directing runners to the corrals, so we decided Melissa should go get a good spot.
I couldn't go any further, so after she headed to her corral I sat on the street corner and checked out the DIS. After replying to WDWKOOK, I decided to scope out a spot for the start of the race. The crowds of runners were really increasing, and there were as many people at Downtown Disney as I have ever seen, and it was only 5 in the morning. There was a stream of runners coming from all the resort hotels. Melissa and I exchanged photo texts, as she had a good spot in the last corral (since she had no prior race times to qualify for a better start). I found a spot in Downtown Disney on the bridge over the road where they would be running, and I took some more pictures. I was super impressed at the fireworks that went off right next to me during the national anthem. Once again, Disney did a first class job. Soon it was 5:30, and the first group of runners started. They left about 8 minutes between each group, and it turned out Melissa was in the 7th group, so she didn't start until 50 minutes after the race “started”. That was fine though, since her timing was based on her start time, and all sweeping was to be based on a 16 min pace after the last runner in the last group crossed the line.
It was a great strategy to just get into my corral early. There were a lot of people that came in behind me and it gave me plenty of time to relax and get my head in a good place for the start of the race. I met a really nice couple from Ft. Lauderdale that were earning their coast to coast medals and a group of ladies that were also doing this for the first time. We concluded that no matter what our finish time was it would be our Personal Best so we had that to look forward to at the finish as well. With so much time to wait until the race started I eventually just sat down. I didn't want to have stood for an hour in one place before having to run that long. It worked out well and I didn't get stepped on.
I had mixed emotions when I finally crossed the starting line. I was super excited but also scared and nervous. I also needed a potty break. That water that I finished earlier had caught up with me. Even though I went right before we got into our corrals it was nearly an hour and a half later by the time we crossed the start.
I played with the camera during each prior group so I figured I was set up pretty well for the last group and getting shots of Melissa. I was far enough away that I couldn't pick her out, but she saw me and waved for the camera.
Once they went by, I moved on to find a spot to see her again between the two parks. We didn't purchase a ChEar Squad ticket for me that lets you watch from Main Street for $100, so I was left with the open area between DL and CA Adventure. I found a nice spot outside of World of Disney and texted it to Melissa.
After the start we ran down Disneyland Drive and out onto Katella. There were already people lining the course cheering us on. We made a left onto Harbor and another left back onto Disney property where we went into a back stage area. There were porta potties set up here and I still had to go but the line was pretty long and I thought it would eat up too much time so I just kept going. We had our first water stop and they were out of Power Ade at the moment but I didn't need any of that yet so I just grabbed some water and kept going. There were more porta potties here too but again the line was really long. There was also a float from the Pixar Parade. I didn't stop nor take a picture here, I was on a roll. There were a couple of bands from local schools lining the course after that before we went “on stage” over by the Silly Symphony Swings. Here is where being a Disneyland vet comes in handy. All of the restrooms in the parks were open and ok for us to use. They were also the only real restrooms available on the course. I knew there were some tucked in the corner by the restaurant that's right there so I scooted off the course and was able to get in and out quick with no line at all. After that I was feeling much better. The course took us by the World of Color fountains which were on and playing music and we hit mile 2 there as well. Then we went down through Cars Land and made a left at the light like we were going to Bugs Land. I'm pretty sure Lightning McQueen and Mater were out for pictures but I was in a mob of people and didn't stop or see them. After making the left we went back of stage for a short bit and came back on right by the Tower of Terror. The difficult part of the course here was trying to stay out of the trolly tracks. I was running right in the middle and was trying to keep from tripping in the tracks. We made a left following the tracks to the hub where they had a trolley out and parked. Continuing straight we passed Soarin then made a right and came out right next to the World of Disney Store. As soon as I came out of the gates I saw Paul and went straight in for a kiss. It was really nice seeing him and it gave me motivation to keep up my good pace.
I was concentrating on getting good shots and was surprised when she popped out from behind another runner. The kiss was a great surprise, then she was on her way and I got a couple more shots. Then I had some time to try to figure out where else on the course I would meet her. I needed to get across the runners' path, which they allowed for by having a split path in the course where they let pedestrians go half way, then shifted the course to the other half and let us finish crossing. It worked pretty neat. I snapped some pics of Disneyland and then transferred them to my phone so I could send them to our family members who were still home but now tracking the race progress. I headed out of the park and worked my way East with plans to meet Melissa at the corner of Anaheim and Cerritos, which was quite a hike from where I was at. As I ran down the streets I came across the course at about mile 12, where lots of the earlier starters were running past. There was a high school band and drill team cheering them on at one corner, but I ran past to try to get to the earlier part of the course. I watched Melissa using Find My Friends, but it turned out she beat me there, so I was left playing catch up and chose another meet up spot further down the course.
After leaving Paul we headed into Disneyland through the big gates. I had to pause briefly for a picture here, it was after all one of the main reasons to run a Disney race.
Right before starting up Main Street they had a float from the Soundstional Parade along with some of the drummers making music. The race up main street was great. The ChEar Squad people that were still there cheering were awesome. One of my favorite signs of the race was here and said something like “You're a complete stranger but I'm still proud of you” I had heard it so many times from family and friends before I started the race but hearing it from somewhere I wasn't expecting was motivating. Thank you lady wherever you are. Once we hit the hub we veered left to Frontierland and here the Green Army Men were back out taking pictures with people. The 3rd Shift Disney Janitorial crew was also set up here and they were giving lots of high fives and you can do its. Mile three was also in this area and we hit the 5K mark shortly after that on our way back to Fantasy Land. It was here that one of the other runners mentioned that if we had signed up for the 5k we'd all be done by now. We still had lots more miles to go. Prince Charming was on the carousel with Lady Tremaine and the Tremaine sisters. It made for some amusing entertainment and I HAD to get a picture of Prince Charming for Allie.
We wrapped around the carousel and then it was time to go through the castle! I stopped briefly here for another picture because, well, I had to. Then I shuffled through. We were all walking at this point, there were just too many people to run through but I ran out the other end. We went left at the hub and through Tomorrowland where Darth Vader was available for pictures. His line was really long and the area around him was busy so I didn't get a picture I just kept going. I did stop for a selfie in front of the Matterhorn though. We continued on past Small World where Jafar and the Evil Queen were posing and opposite them Dr. Facilier and Cruella DeVille as well. We went under the Toon Town entrance through Toon Town and then back stage through big gates next to Mickeys house. This was the last of the run through the parks and I was a little sad that part was over. The back stage area was still fun, we had another water stop and the Janitorial staff was out there cheering us on. As we went by the barn area they had two horses out to take pictures with. It didn't take long before we were back out onto Disneyland Drive and making the right onto Ball. When we rounded the corner the sea of people on the Ball overpass over the 5 freeway was pretty overwhelming. I had been kind of in a mob of people the whole way through the parks but I didn't realize the mob was that big. My pacing told me it was time to run and I ran right up to the bottom of the bridge and walked to the top. I wasn't going to spend my energy up this early trying to race up the bridge. I texted Paul a picture of the top of the bridge letting him know I'd made it that far. I tried to keep up with my pacing from here on out. We had a couple more water stops and at one of them an Anaheim Police officer was helping mix Power Ade, it was pretty amazing how awesome all of the volunteers were. They all worked so hard and did a great job of cheering us on and keeping me motivated. Paul texted me about this point and told me that I had beaten him to the corner he was planning to meet me at. I was excited he was out on the course and I was going to see him again before the finish. I enjoyed the cheerleaders and marching bands, hula dancers, and Mexican Folk dancers and other entertainment and motivation along the course.
I was a little disappointed that I missed Melissa and couldn't quite catch her on Cerritos (although I was running) but I knew the course went up and back to Cerritos, so If I ran straight out Cerritos I should make up enough ground to meet her there. There was no traffic on the street, so I was able to run quickly while carrying the camera. When I got back to the course I found that they had a car show set up along the course with the runners passing right through the middle. I waited for Melissa just before the car show, and the phone said she was just a couple minutes away. I texted her where I was at, and soon I saw her running towards me.
It was great to meet her again and see that she was doing great. This was just over half way so after we separated I headed back toward Disneyland while she continued on towards Honda Center and Angels stadium.
It was refreshing to see Paul again and after assuring him I was taking water at every water stop and I was doing ok we ran through the car show. It was a great carshow, It'd be a fun one to go to without having to run straight through. We continued on Cerritos and went under the 57 freeway on our way to the Honda Center. I was trying to keep my pace up at this point but was really starting to feel the fatigue. I did a lot of walking through the Honda Center parking lot. Someone brought out a Bat Mobile and there were a lot of people taking pictures with it. From the parking lot we headed out onto the Santa Ana River Trail. The dirt of the trail was a nice break from the concrete and asphalt we had been running on. The trail is narrow though and it made it difficult to do much running.
I was also afraid of misstepping on a rock or something through here and twisting an ankle or worse falling into the river. The climb out from under the 57 was when I really started to feel like my legs were going to fall off but Angels Stadium was right there! Just after mile 9 Clif was there with gels right before a water stop. I took a Raspberry gel, ate half and took two cups of water to try and rinse it down. It didn't take long for the gel to kick in and I noticed my general fatigue fading but my legs were still in pain. The crowd in the stadium was great. The little girl scouts sitting on the dug outs were so cute and lots of people in the crowd had motivational signs.
The only issue was my shoes picked up sand and I ended up with quite a bit in my right shoe. There wasn't anywhere to stop to empty them and I was afraid if I stopped I wouldn't get going again. Once out of the stadium I did a couple more short run sets, my legs felt better if I was running. After another mile or so we were headed back under the 5 at Disney Way. Under the freeway I finally decided to sit on the curb and empty my shoe. I felt much better after getting the sand out and was able to hoist myself off the curb and get moving again. There was another sign along the course that I really appreciated. Paul had been here earlier and got a great picture of it.
This one brought tears to my eyes. I tried not to be emotional and just kept moving forward. Just after mile 12 I really hit a wall. My phone battery died and I lost my music and my instant pace feedback. Everything below my waist was on fire and I was certain my legs were going to fall off. I tried to do a couple more short run sets to keep my leg muscles from seizing up because I really wanted to run across the finish. The motivation from bystanders from here to the finish was amazing.
I had run along the course on my way back to the finish between miles 11 and 12 and was impressed by the crowd and signs. There were bands and cheerleaders and just regular people with neat signs. At the last water stop there were lots of volunteers making sure the runners had cold water and Power Ade, and there was also a medical station with Firefighters, and ambulance, and volunteers from Celebration health. Fortunately nobody needed anything at that point, but it sure is neat that they were there and ready if anyone needed help.
I then cut through Downtown Disney to get to the finish line ahead of Melissa. There was a bit of a hold up getting through security because since the parks were now open they weren't allowing signs through the checkpoints, and there wasn't even anywhere to throw them away. I made it through and then headed to the finish line area. I couldn't get a great spot, and since Melissa's phone was dead I didn't know exactly where she was, but I hoped she would be coming through soon.
Honestly Mile 13 was pretty much a blur. I remember lots of people cheering us on and lots of pain in my legs. Once I saw that Mile 13 sign I knew I had made it. I started getting emotional and started to plan how I'd cross the finish line. Once I had it in my sights I saw Mickey on my left and it was pretty wide open. I gave Daisy a high five and then gave Mickey a high five with tears in my eyes. I had my picture taken after I got that heavenly wet towel and my medal.
I followed the maze around and found Paul right outside the bag check area. It was so great to see him again at the very end. I had done it! I just kept moving until we got to a curb where I finally sat down for a minute. We arranged to meet my parents and grandparents once we got closer to home and I just rested my feet for a bit.
I was so proud of her. While I didn't see her crossing the line, I did get the text update showing her finishing time. I had been taking pictures and got some at about the right time, but nothing that you could see her in. That's ok though because the Marathon Foto people got the awesome Mickey shot. We are definitely buying all of their pictures, they did a great job.
I was actually less emotional at the finish than I expected, but that isn't saying much because my eyes were tearing up from the very beginning. The event was just so neat and well done, and I was so proud of Melissa for committing to do it. I had suggested that she sign up for the 5K or 10k as a first race, but she wanted to do the big one, and I am so glad that she did it. It was an amazing event, and I am glad she got to be part of it. I still am not sure I have the desire to run that far, but if I do ever do it, then it will be at a RunDisney race.
I am pretty darned proud of myself as well, it took 3 years for me to get this far, I've lost over 60lbs and had a knee surgery in the process.
I can see more Run Disney races in my future. I don't know which ones but the shorter races sure look like a lot of fun too and way less effort but there is something really cool about saying that I just ran a half marathon. Now that it's over though we are going into Disneyworld prep overdrive. Paul was putting stuff in a suitcase this morning. We'll be out at the lake next weekend so we don't have any more full days at home before we have to get on the airplane to Florida!
Now that the half Marathon is complete, what's next? We're going to Disney World! 11 days to go!
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it was just to painful afterward. 
I'm very glad that I was able to do the WDW half-marathon and still like to talk about it. 
I started running 5K and 10K races first, so I was used to things that are unique to races, like timing chips, race numbers, and the importance of keeping hydrated. I did one other half marathon and that was it. I joke about my ten-mile knee. I'm fine for ten miles and then those last three become a challenge. I could empathize with your dead legs those last couple of miles.
