It finally came! The twenty-first celebration of the day I was born! More importantly: The Disneyland Half Marathon! And, let me tell you, it is A Whole New World (wink, wink). I started off the day waking up at 3:40 and getting ready in the dark so I wouldn't wake up the rest of my family. Donned my Ariel the Mermaid running costume and filled up the water bottles on my fuel belt. I taped up my foot the way I had been practicing in hopes that it would hold up for the entire race. After attempting to make some instant oatmeal in a mug (way too watery for my liking) I hopped in the rental car and Daddy drove me down the street to get me as close as possible to the start of the race. What a nice guy.
I followed the crowd to the starting corrals and filed in with the rest of my heat. The race officially began at 5:30am and my corral was released across the starting line at 5:55am. We ran the first mile which took us "behind the scenes" at the park until we finally entered California Adventure. The sky was still dark enough out that we were able to see the Colors Of Our World light and water show as we passed by. Many runners stopped here to take pictures but I had my other priorities; namely, being photographed with as many characters as possible! I got my first chance shortly after when I came upon a couple of the Army Men from Toy Story. Next I hopped in line for photos with Mike and Sully from Monsters Inc. and some of the cheerleaders from Monsters University. As I was leaving that photo-op one of the Disneyland Cast Members yelled "Common Ariel, you've got this!" and gave me a high five with the Mickey Mouse glove he was wearing. I smiled back and kept on moving forward. I was having a fantastic time and getting to watch the sunrise while running through Disney was an extra special treat! Cast Members were all over the parks cheering on the runners and the encouragement was a huge factor towards the giant smile I was sporting during the run. I stopped for more pictures with Aladdin, Jasmine, and Genie on Main Street USA which gave me a great view of the castle. In Fantasyland I stopped for Hook and Smee. Peter Pan and Wendy Darling were riding the carousel in the background and talking with the people in line as they waited. I was thrilled to see him because Peter is my absolute favorite (I, also, do not want to grown up) and while I was disapointed I wouldn't have my picture taken with him getting to see him interact with everyone was totally worth it. I then ran though the castle (so exciting!) and immediately pulled over to get in line for Sleeping Beauty and Prince Phillip. Arura was thrilled to see Ariel had grown legs in time for the race. All the cast members were totally into the costumes the runners were wearing and it added yet another element of specialization to the event. I hightailed it over to Tomorrowland where I stopped for Darth Vader and his storm troopers who arrived just moments before it was my turn for a picture! I look like a hobbit (mixing fandoms, I know) next to the almost 7'0" Vader and I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the photo after. The last two photos I managed to get were with Cinderella and Snow White who were practically right next to each other. I stepped out of the line for Cinderella and directly into the next one for Snow. As expected, the princesses were a highlight for my inner child. Merida was in the same area but almost directly across from them and while I wanted a photo with her, too, I knew better than to dash out in front of that many other runners determined to move forward!
With the pictures out of the way I followed the crowd out of the parks and into the streets of Anaheim. The opportunity to stop and take breaks while I stood in line for the characters was a great chance for me to rest my foot at the beginning of the race. My injury had prevented me from being able to finish my training for the race and the breaks and tons of hydration stations early on helped me to ready myself for the second half of the race. There were hills, stretches of blinding sun, cheerleaders and dance teams before I took my first walk break around mile six. And while I knew I was not running for a time I also had a serious fear of the sweepers who were used to clear the course of runners unable to keep up with the minimum pace. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and reminded myself that all I could do was my best.
Around mile 8 my right knee began to hurt and that pain lasted until the end of the race but I was too determined to not let the tendinitis in my opposite foot ruin my day to stop and look after my knee.
The crowds kept everyone's spirits up, there was a classic cars show that lined the path for miles before we reached Angel's Stadium. Inside were Girl and Boy Scouts of America troops from all across Southern California cheering us on. The camera for the big screen was also pointed at the runners and we had the opportunity to see ourselves running around the field before we headed out of the stadium and back towards Disneyland!
The sun was totally up and shining by the time I reentered the park and there was still a mile left before crossing the finish line but I finally made it! My Disneyland Half Marathon Medal is the biggest one I now own and I actually had a sore neck (along with everything else) after wearing all over the park for the rest of the day.
This was the first major race I had run without my father and I was so happy to finish but it was also a race I would love the chance to do as many times as possible. The Disney Parks make it such a special occasion that it feels like the best race I could have possibly chosen for my 21st birthday celebration.
Sports bra: Champion
Skirt:
Running Couture
Shorts:
Nike Pro
Sneakers: Nike
Watch: Garmin (Mine's old, I've had it for years, but you can find current versions
Here )
Belt:
Fuel Belt
Armband:
Belkin
Socks:
Thorlo
Athletic Tape:
KT Tape Pro
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