runDisney Tinkerbell Half Marathon

This past Sunday, I did the Tinkerbell Half Marathon.  It was my fourth runDisney event and my eight half marathon.  This race was the earliest one I have ever done with a start time of 5 am!  Good thing I was staying at the Disneyland Hotel--I just work up, got dresses and went outside to the start line.  Everywhere I look, I all I could see was a sea of wings.  It was so much fun!  I brought five pairs of wings with me--from the after Halloween clearance.  I made my friends/roommates all wear a pair.  It was so much fun! 

It was a chilly morning, but that did not keep the excitement level down.  When we got out to the start, the crowd was already pumped!  They played good music and kept doing a count down every 5 minutes until the start.  As usual for me, I started in corral C.  In true runDisney fashion, each corral got their own "ready, set, go", complete with fireworks!  

What made this race special is that we spent about four-five miles inside the parks.  This is alot compared to the other Disney races I have done.  We started out with a quick lap around the outside of Disneyland and then into California Adventure.  They had the "World of Colors" show playing for the runners.  This is an amazing water and light show that is a daily sell out.  I have had the chance to see it a few times and it always takes my breathe away.  After seeing all the sights in California Adventure, we ran across to Disneyland.  Running through the castle is always the highlight of a Disney race for me.  It was even more beautiful at Tink because the sun was just coming up as I ran through it.  

After Disneyland, runners ran through Downtown Disney.  This was a huge spectator area!  There were people cheering us on the entire length of Downtown Disney.  I always love seeing little kids cheering on their running mommas.  My kids are usually not at my races, so its nice to see other kids and think about my own.  At the top of Downtown Disney was a group of ladies from the Red Hat Society.  It felt like they went on and on--for at least a quarter mile.  It was so nice of them to come out and support us.  

After Downtown Disney, we headed off Disney property to run through the town of Anaheim.  This part was a bit of a downer for me. We were just hitting mile six.  I knew my park time was over and that I had seven more miles to go.  Running through the town, of course, was not as entertaining as running in the parks.  I started to feel cold from the wind.  I woke up with a cold that morning and I started to not feel so well.  I know this was the time when I need to let my training kick in.  It was all mind over body at this point.  I had no doubt I could do it, but it was not going to be easy.  

As the sun rose, it began to get warmer.  I took a few DayQuil from my pocket and started to feel better.  I was going to conquer this race!  I keep doing my intervals as we ran though the town.  The city came out to support runners.  We had local high school bands and cheerleaders, locals sitting on their porches waving--I loved how the town got into the race.  It's always a huge upper for me to hit mile 10.  Once I hit mile 10, I knew I was in the home stretch.  I could see the Tower of Terror in the distance--I was getting close.  In no time I was in behind California Adventure park.  

Runners crossed Disneyland Drive and we could see the finish line.  Darn you runDisney, before we could cross the finish line, we had to take a lap around the parking lot--talk about huge let down.  By this time, spectators were everywhere.  This really pumps me up, so I started to run hard.  I was ready to finish!  After giving Goofy a high five, I crossed the finish.  Just pasted the finish line, everyone slows down, so there is always a bottleneck.  I could not wait to get my hands on that beautiful medal!  I got my medal from a volunteer and stared at it--it is so beautiful--instantly one of my favorites.  I got some water and a snack box and walk over to my hotel, feeling proud of finishing yet another runDisney Half Marathon. 

A dream is a wish...

--Amy