Sunday was the half marathon and last race of the Dumbo Double Dare.  It will be my last Disneyland race because I have decided not to run any more races there.  Definitely too expensive.

Another 4am wake up call.  I did not want to drink another cup of terrible coffee so I made a stop at Starbucks.  The line was LONG.  I then had to use the bathroom and was glad to use one in Downtown Disney instead of a port-a-potty.  Jaime and I were in our corral by 5:10.

I was feeling really good in the beginning but then struggled for the next 12 miles.  It was very humid and I was sweating a lot before mile 1. It could have been that I had just finished my coffee.  A mistake I don’t plan to repeat.  My plan was to run with Jaime but yeah that did not happen.

I took it easy and ran slow the rest of the race.  I took pictures and drank water at every water station.

The folkloric dancers were finishing their dance but I could hear the mariachi music as I was running.

It was hot and these sponges came in handy.  I remember someone was handing out oranges which were really good but can’t remember if it was at this stop.

Had a blast watching these dancers and the little girl was adorable.

Pretty neat running through Angel Stadium.  This was maybe mile 9 or 10.  I did not know how much longer it was going to take me to run the rest of the race so I sent a text to Jaime telling her not to wait for me at the end and to instead head over to the hotel.  She is a good person and told me that she would wait for me.

Finally done!

Jaime and I with our medals.  She got an extra one because of the Coast to Coast Challenge (running a race in both FL and CA in the same calendar year).

My three medals from this weekend.  My favorite is the one for completing the Dumbo Double Dare.

Overall it was a great race and I had fun running through the parks.  Many people had wonderful costumes and for one second I was jealous of not wearing one too.  I can’t remember which characters were at the parks.  I saw Jeff Galloway at the expo but not during my races.  I ran really slow.  I wore shoes with more cushion (Brooks Ravenna 5) but my toes still hurt.  I am worried because I don’t know how they will feel for the rest of my long runs for marathon training.

Next race: Chicago Marathon

On Saturday I ran the Disneyland 10k as part of the Dumbo Double Dare.  It is a 10k on Saturday and a half marathon on Sunday.

If you’ve ran a Disney race before then you know that it means a very early wake up call.  The race started at 5:30am and I was up at 4.  I got dressed, drank coffee (terrible coffee from the hotel), and made my way over to the race with Jaime.  It took us about 20 minutes from the hotel to the start line. I like running at Disneyland because it is an easy walk to the race.

Great weather for running.  There were so many people and I enjoyed looking at everyone’s costume.

I was in Corral B and couldn’t get a good view of the announcers nor Stitch.  This race was all about Stitch.  Time to run!  My only goal was to have fun and finish.

The first 2 miles were outside of the parks.  Then it was back to the parks which I actually enjoyed.

Every mile marker had a picture of Stitch.

Jaime and I with our medals.

I am not crazy about the meal.  It looks like a very scary Stitch.  Or a lobster.

Great race!  I love running through both parks.  Plus, it was beautiful seeing them while it was still dark.  I don’t remember seeing many Disney characters but I don’t usually stop for a photo with them.  It was well organized and well coordinated even while trying to exit the park while walking through Downtown Disney (the runners were still passing through there).

At the finish line I got a snack box, bottle of water, bottle of Powerade, and a banana.  Not much but it is the same thing from my other Disney races.

Next race: Disneyland Half Marathon

AR and I had pizza on Saturday evening.  It was good and hit the spot.

My alarm went off at 3am on Sunday morning.  Dang, why do these races have to start so early?  It felt like I had just gone to bed and closed my eyes and next thing I knew my alarm was going off.  I stayed in bed for a few more minutes then got up and got ready.  I was done in about 15 minutes but knew I had to do one more important thing but couldn’t do it because I hadn’t yet had any coffee.

I went to the lobby to get in line for the shuttle bus.  The line was moving quicker than I thought it would be.  About 2 minutes later AR was in the lobby and then we got on the bus.  The bus ride was about 15 minutes and once we arrived AR and I looked for coffee.  Well, I wanted coffee and she wanted water.  We found it!  What we did not know is that once we passed through the “Runners Only” area, there was free water for the runners.  Boo.  We had paid for the water and coffee.  The things Disney does to squeeze more money from people.

AR and I walked to the start line.  I got in line to use the bathroom twice (just to make sure) and then went to my corral to wait.  I did not wait too long and off we went to run 13.1 miles.  I was hoping to see Jeff Galloway but did not see him at all.

This race is the same course as the one from Walt Disney World Half Marathon.  Oh and it was humid too.

So pretty!  Can you see how foggy it was that morning?

This race went so much better for me.  Maybe because I knew it my last race that weekend and was not worried about another race the next day like I did in January?  It could have been that I knew what to expect and that the killer overpass would not bother me as much.

There were quite a few characters along the way but I did not stop for anyone except Sofia the First.

This flag too.

Finish time is 2:32:13.  I did it!  I completed the Glass Slipper Challenge and got 3 medals.  And because I also completed the Coast to Coast Challenge, I got an additional pink medal.

I had a great time in Florida but was looking forward to coming sweet home Chicago.

This past weekend I escaped the cold weather in Chicago for a warm weekend in FL.  I went back to Walt Disney World for the Glass Slipper Challenge–10K on Saturday and half marathon on Sunday. After completing the Goofy Challenge last month, I was convinced that I could accomplish anything. Well, I already knew I could but the challenge “sealed the deal” for me.

Travel plans began on Friday morning.  After last month’s travel fiasco to CA for Tinker Bell Half Marathon, I told myself that for future trips I would get on the first available flight.  My flight was supposed to leave at 6am but due to weather conditions and other technical difficulties, it left 2 hours later.

AR and I arrived in Orlando about 11:30 or so, picked up her luggage, and then headed to Terminal B for the Disney’s Magical Express Bus.  Our wait time was about 15 minutes and then we were on our way to the hotel.  The bus ride was about 45 minutes but it sure went by fast.

Check-in at the hotel was fast and easy!  We each got a personalized MagicBand to unlock our hotel room, enter the parks, and buy food and merchandise.

We stayed at the All-Star Movies Resort and this was on the way to our room.

We had a quick lunch and then off to the expo.  It was pretty much the same as the WDW Weekend last month.  This time I bought two tops from Running Skirts.  I was tempted to buy a long sleeve shirt too but realize that I have too many of them.

After walking around for a couple of hours, it was time for a drink.  Check out the cool bib!

The next morning I was up at 3:10am for the 10K.  I got ready and then headed to the lobby to get on the bus.  I did not wait long and was at Epcot about 4:15.  Then it was just to wait for the 5:30 start time.  I didn’t want to put together another costume so I wore the same one from the WDW Half Marathon.

It was a humid morning.  Finally it was time to run.  The first 3 miles were B-O-R-I-N-G.  Oh dear!  It was dark and we were running on roads so pretty much there was nothing to see.  The next half was the best part.  The best part was running along the Boardwalk.  Oh, and I ran again with Jeff Galloway. He is such a cool guy!

I only took one picture along the course.  Love it!  I think this was about mile 5 or so.

Finish time is 1:10:38.  Definitely not my best time but I was not expecting to PR or anything like that.

I felt OK throughout the race.  The humidity did not help at all.  I was disappointed with the course. This was the first year of the 10K so hopefully they’ll change it for next year.

I liked the convenience of staying at a Disney property.  There was an airport pick up, transportation to/from the expo, and transportation to/from Epcot for the race.  Oh, and I loved the MagicBand.  My only complaint is that there was no coffee maker in the room.  In every hotel I’ve stayed in, there’s always been a coffee maker.  The cafeteria was not open on race morning nor was there any coffee in the lobby.  I am a big fan of coffee and MUST have it every single morning.