Zenaida Arroyo

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