Running with the Mouse

When I started running a few years ago, I made a bucket list of runs that I would like to do and a Run Disney event was on the top. I had a bunch of friends do them throughout the years and getting to see their pictures inspired me to add the race to my list. It always looked so fun! When you first start training, the concept of a "fun run"seems ridiculous. Running for fun? That's insane.

But I kept this one in the back of my mind as one I would do someday. These races tend to be quite expensive and you have to sign up months in advance as they seem to sell out incredibly quickly. So when the 10th Anniversary of the Disneyland Half opened up, I figured that there was no time like the present, forked over the high registration fee and started training (ish).

I flew down to Anaheim early Saturday morning and headed to the Expo Hall. It wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be, but it was filled with loads of people. Disney does a number of running challenges throughout the weekend and many end up doing more then one race. I'm guessing most had already picked up their packets. I grabbed mine, did a bit of expo perusing and headed on my way.

Race morning is always a little hectic, but thankfully, I feel like Disney was pretty organized. Parking always seems to be the most stressful, but I easily found some street parking less than a half a mile away (score!) and headed to the start line. Somehow I managed to make it into Corral B (there were like 10 or so corrals behind) so I got to start pretty early on. The first runners headed out at 5:30am.

It was so fun waiting for our turn to run. Micky and Minnie Mouse were out there and the announcers were trying to rile the crowd up. Before I knew it, it was my time to go. It was still dark out for the first few miles of the race, but we started out running through California Adventure and they had the Colors light show going, so it was all lit up. I loved seeing all of the rides, sans riders, but still running and all pretty in the early morning light. We ran all over Disney, behind the scenes and through the park. By the time we reached Disneyland, the sun was just rising and it was so magical (just as you'd imagine a Disney race to be). There were characters and photo ops set up around the park all ready to take fast photos. I got some fun shots!

Once we hit mile 4, we were outside of the Disney and on the streets of Anaheim. I thought this portion of the race would be boring, but it was anything but. There were tons of performers dancing and bands playing throughout the race. There was even a massive car show that we all ran through---their owners cheering us on a we ran. I was having so much fun people watching that the miles seemed to fly by. I loved the spirit of the race.

One of the best moments of the race came after we left the park. As we ran up a slight hill, the sun began to rise in the distance. It was absolutely beautiful. I love the feeling of waking up with the sun...I wish I did it more often! 

(Too bad I also really, really love sleeping.)

At about mile 10, we made it to Angels stadium and ran through it. I'm not an Angels fan, but it was really cool to do that. The bottom half of the bleachers was filled with people.

After that, we headed back towards Disneyland to finish the race. I couldn't believe how quickly it ended. I definitely didn't get any sort of Personal Record, but I sure did have a lot of fun!

I realized a number of things after this race:

1. Cross-Training is your friend. I always knew that, but never quite lived it. This past summer, I took a bit of a break from running. I ended up getting a bike and that seemed more enjoyable (and less stressful on my body) than running did. I also took up more strength training (thanks, Jillian Michaels). I hadn't run a ton before the race, but I felt stronger than I usually do. I'm guessing it was because I diversified my workout regimes.

2. A good sports bra is key. Running with a bad sports bra (as I learned this weekend) is incredibly unfortunate.

3. It's okay to just enjoy a run without thinking about your finish time. Who knows when the next time I'll be running through Anaheim, so I'm glad I stopped to take a few pics, soak in the sunrise and enjoy the crowds.  

4. After a run is finished, I get a little sad. All that work and the moment is over---maybe that's why we all sign up for races as soon as the last one finishes! 

After a few flight delays, (I'm going to try to no longer fly out the afternoon after a race) I finally got back to my little island...just in time to see one of the most stunning sunsets:

Being awake for sunrise and sunset makes for a long day...but a truly beautiful one.