Disneyland Half (Dumbo Day 2!)

 (credit: Jaime)

The second morning was a little harder to wake up for, and not as exciting. There was definitely a more serious vibe, or people were still tired from the 10k. I also didn't run into anyone until I was in the corrals because people were either already in their corrals or still on their way. I found a second row of portapotties that had no line, then headed to the corrals myself. I stayed in the back, because after Princess, I've learned I love the back of the corrals.

A for Abby! or the Anaheim Convention Center.

Hey Pam!

Pam found me and we ran the first 8 miles of the race together. She had hurt her ankle the day before and was taking it easy. I didn't really have any goals but to have fun. I made sure to stay in the back of the corral and it was a nice way to start out the race. We ran a condensed version of the loop from yesterday and were in the parks super fast! 

The Petting Zoo!

World of Color fountains

Dumbo photo for the Dumbo Race!

Which way to the finish line?

We made our own character stops, because I didn't want to risk standing in a long line and losing my cushion in case I needed it. It was super hot and I had no idea what was in store for me after the park.

But we did stop for Snow White, Pam was the Evil Queen after all!

and I finally met Merida!

Once we got out of the park, onto the streets of Anaheim, I started to get a hot spot on my foot. Pam advised I should put more vaseline on it (we still had a long way to go) so I stopped at the med tent, took my shoe off. The entire situation struck me as hilarious, I had never stopped to take my shoe off during a race before, much less apply the most obscene amount of vaseline ever- it felt so weird and it totally worked! But it didn't stop me from laughing like a crazy person for about a quarter of a mile, sorry Pam! 

Then it got really hot and miserable. There was nothing to look forward to and no shade what-so-ever. Pam and I parted ways because the extremely hot blacktop with no shade was making it miserable to walk and I needed to be done with the race ASAP. I tried to keep it together as much as I could, but there were many touch and go spots, especially when the course narrowed and I was forced to walk. 

But we got to Angel's Stadium and I felt better. 

Wide World of Sports has nothing on this!

Then it was hot again. The only shade was taken by walkers, and I wasn't ready to give up yet. I heard someone say it's almost over, enjoy it while it lasts. That really resonated with me and stopped letting outside forces upset me and I started to focus on enjoying it. This was the race I had been looking forward to for the past 6 months and trained for; even if I had wasted the majority of the race being miserable, I still had time to enjoy it. I let the heat in January get to me, I was not going to let that happen again!

Then I saw a familiar Mario, Luigi and Super Woman ahead and I ran to catch up with them! 

Hi guys! 

I slowed long enough to tell them they can keep this Disneyland race in not so many words and continued on to finish strong because at that moment, I needed to. Surprisingly, I finished the race and felt amazing. I was a little sad that I didn't leave it all on the course (even though I was sure I had around mile 11), but it's a Disney race and I still had a lot of park walking to do! 

No worries, we all met up at the finish line again! 

And I finally got all my medals!

Dumbo for running the 10k and the Half

Coast to Coast for running at least a half marathon at both Disneyworld (the WDW Marathon and the Princess Half) and Disneyland (The Disneyland Half) in one calendar year.

So, I've had a few days to think about it and I haven't written Disneyland off completely (how could I?! We PR'D in FUN at the 10k!) but I'd like to try out the Tinkerbell course if/when I go back. I've heard people enjoyed that one better. 

Last weekend of Summer Streets 2013

Like the previous week, I only had 5 miles to do, so this time I decided to run from 14th street uptown and then back. 

The route was definitely less crowded going downtown. The higher I went, the less people there seemed to be. It was awesome! The only time I really experienced any kind of congestion was on the bridge at Grand Central Station and completely understandable. How many times can you walk up Park Avenue Viaduct and through the Helmsley Building?! 

The uptown rest stop even had a mini-golf course! 

Since I was doing a "short" long run, I decided to stop by the helmet rest stop to see how long the line was (I have been talking about wanting one for the past 2 years after all!), but they moved it this year to 24th street. Boo! When I got there, the line was as far as I could see- at least an Avenue long. I don't know how long the wait was, but I really needed to get home. Another Boo. I guess it's not meant to happen. 

I love the water fountains, but my only complaint is there are no bathrooms!

Every year the streets seem to have more and more fun stuff to do. If you're in the area, I highly suggest waking up early one Saturday to experience it- especially if you want to do any of the activities! 

Summer Streets 2013: 2nd weekend

Read about 2012 summer streets here:

weekend 1 
weekend 2 
weekend 3

I'm pretty sure the best part of summer training is the 3 Saturdays in August where they shut down Park Ave. from 72nd st to the Brooklyn Bridge for a massive running route; also known as NYC Summer Streets! 

Since I only had 5 miles on the schedule, I started my route at Union Square and went downtown. As I was waiting for my Garmin to find satellites, I was noticing more and more runners coming from uptown. It was only 7:30 and it was already getting crowded. Last year I did find myself more on the uptown end of the streets, and that part was usually quiet for a bit. But I guess that's what you get when it's a beautiful day. 

In previous years, I hadn't gone lower than the REI rest stop. For this run, I was excited to go half way across the Brooklyn Bridge- I hadn't done that in awhile. Once I was on it, I remembered why. The path is super narrow (only about 4 people wide) that bikers, runners and pedestrians going in both directions have to share. I noticed the cyclists and the runners were very good about single file and passing, but it was the pedestrians that were making things difficult. There were a few times I didn't feel very safe and I was really glad to be done with it. 

Training for Dumbo Double Dare photo stops!

I decided not to stop at any of the rest stops until I was on my way back up. I noticed many of them were just setting up, until I got closer to downtown. Waiting might've been a mistake. It was insane the amount of people awake that early- and not- running/biking! The REI stop was jam-packed with lines at every booth. There was a cute backdrop photo area I totally would've loved, but I didn't have time to wait. I signed up for a raffle and got a keychain flashlight for B (They were also giving out water bottles, but she would've killed me if I brought home another one) got a kind bar and was on my way out. 

On my way back uptown, I saw the aftermath of a kid who fell off his bike. I'm 99% sure neither he nor anyone of his family members were wearing a helmet. Biking in the city already petrifies me. Seeing obnoxious amounts of people without helmets, especially on citibikes, drives me insane! I have no idea how anyone could think that's a good plan. Wear your helmets, people! I'm pretty sure they still give them out for free at one of the uptown rest stops- which reminds me I still want one! 

Since next week is the last Saturday, I'll probably check out the uptown route. I wish my longer runs were scheduled for Saturdays so I could experience more of the summer streets but there is always next year.

Does your city do something fun for outdoor activities in the summer?