Zenaida Arroyo

This past weekend I made my way to CA  to run the Tinker Bell Half Marathon.  I had a blast running that race!  However, I almost did not run the race.

My flight was supposed to leave at 10:10 am on Saturday morning with a connecting flight in Denver and then on to Orange County/Santa Ana.  The Chicago flight was delayed so I was not going to make it to the Denver flight.  After searching for a few minutes, the agent found a flight that would get me into CA at 3:30pm.  The catch?  I had to fly to Des Moines, IA, wait on the plane, head on to Las Vegas, and then get on another flight.

Once in CA almost everything went smoothly except that we didn’t get off the plan till almost 4. I ran out of the plane and airport to catch a shuttle to the hotel (thinking that I could check-in and then walk to the expo).  Well, after talking to the shuttle agent he told me to just get to the Disneyland Hotel for the expo and then catch a cab to my hotel.  Good idea!  Except the driver was still waiting for other passengers.  Boo. After about 10 minutes later we were off.  Oh, and the driver had an attitude with me because I told him I had to be at the Disneyland Hotel by 5pm.  And because now this post will be longer than I intended to be, the driver dropped me off at 5:10.  Yes, I was late and could not get my bib.  Luckily, I found out that I could pick it up on race day.  That made me so happy because I was almost in tears when I found out the expo was closed.

On race day I was up at 3:00am.  I made coffee, got ready, and ate two pancakes.  I then walked to the shuttle bus stop and saw the bus coming along and I was at Downtown Disney in about 5 minutes. So convenient.  I must have walked over a mile to the Information Booth to pick up my bib.  Then I just wanted for the race to start.  It was 48 degrees which is ideal running weather.  Eventually I got cold so I ducked inside one of the hotels and stayed there till almost 5 and then made my way to the start line.

If you’ve ran a Disney Race you know that it is always fun and exciting right before the start of the race.  I was in corral B so it took me about 10 minutes to cross the start line.

I ran, walked, and took pictures for about 3 miles.  It was fun running through Disneyland and California Adventure.  It was still dark and I enjoyed all of the lights.

I ran the last 10 miles with Jeff Galloway.  I actually enjoyed the run/walk method.  I’ve ran and walked during a race but never followed any specific time frame.  With this method I was able to run at a decent pace and take quick/short breaks.  This made the miles go by faster and before I knew it I was crossing the finish line.

I enjoyed this race much more than the WDW Half Marathon.  It wasn’t as hot and there was more to see.  Plus, I enjoyed the convenience of shuttle buses to and from the race.  I stayed at the Best Western Plus Raffles Inn & Suites and there was a shuttle bus stop just a short walk from the hotel. My favorite part was running by “It’s a Small World”.  I stopped for a minute or two to admire the lights.

Things did not start well for me on my way to CA but it sure ended well.  My finish time was 2:28:17.   My next Disney race will  be next month in Disney World for the Glass Slipper Challenge.