Half Marathon weekend!

I DID IT! Thanks to all who supported me, without you I would have never made it. It was an amazing adventure and I hope I get to do it again next year.

We arrived on Friday at our hotel at 9am. Luckily they had a room available and we were checked right in (a happy surprise!). We unpacked and then headed over to California Adventure to ride on Savannah's favorite ride- Little Mermaid. We rode it twice and then headed over to another favorite, Monsters, Inc. After that we picked up lunch at Flo's Cafe- BBQ pork plates for us and mac n cheese with apple slices for Savannah.

 

We then headed over to the health expo to pick up all my race goodies and to see the vendors. It was crazy crowded but Disney did a pretty good job with crowd control... until it came to buying race merchandise. All the dumbo race stuff was already sold out. So I grabbed an "I did it" half marathon shirt and a 13.1 magnet for my car. Then it was time to wait again. My hubby waited in the line to buy my 2 items for almost an hour and half!!!  A short time later it was time to meet some friends that I was running with at Jazz Kitchen for dinner and then off to bed to prepare for the 10k at 6:15am.

Playing with the new cool towels!

Soon it was time to run the 10k which fortunately passed right in front of our hotel. So hubby packed up Savannah in the hiking backpack and waited for us to run by. After we ran by the hotel we headed into the parks to run the next 4 miles of our race that morning. Hubby had then made it to the finish line so Savannah could watch us run by again. It was very hot and humid but it was also a lot of fun! We then headed for breakfast reservations at Rainforest Cafe. After a great breakfast we headed back to the hotel for a VERY needed shower and a nap... I should have known everything was going far too easy at this point of the trip! We walked into our room and the toilets had backed up into the showers. There was lots of nasty stuff floating in the tub. (no other details needed trust me!) After some wrangling we were moved into a new room with a nice clean shower. 

Later in the afternoon we wandered around Downtown Disney and then met with friends again at Tortilla Jo's for dinner. After dinner we stopped by the chocolate shop for some desserts and then back to the hotel room so I could go to bed for my 3am wake up time in the morning!

Yummy cake pop... It was delish!

After about 2 hours of sleep, it was time to get up and get ready. I put on my best red pixie duds and headed out the door. I met up with the rest of my pixie friends and we headed to the corrals. It was less humid but still hot. We got started on the course at about 5:30am. It was hot enough that my goal of running a fast half marathon was thrown right out of the window at about mile 2! I decided that I would rather focus on having fun and not getting heat stroke. So we stopped and used the bathrooms and took some pictures inside the parks. After that we headed out to the streets of Anaheim for the next 9 miles. The course took us past high school marching bands, hoards of cheerleaders, luau dancers and miles of classic cars. They did a good job of trying to keep us entertained. The only problem was that the sun was relentless. It was right in our eyes most of the time and it was hot. At about mile 9 we headed into Angels' stadium. It was really cool and we were all shown running on the jumbo-tron.

Worth the wait for the pic. The storm troopers had just came out too!

If I could have smuggled the baby cow home I would have!

Running on the field at Angel stadium.

A little over three hours later and we were heading into the final stretch. We had finished!!! It was an awesome feeling that brought me briefly to tears. I am so happy I did it. If you would have told me I was going to run a half marathon a year ago, I would have told you that you were out of your mind. (let alone doing a 10k the day before!)

We did it!

We had breakfast at Steakhouse55 at Disneyland hotel after the race and then wished friends good bye as they were headed home after the race. Hubby, Sav and I all headed back to the hotel for a shower and another nap. After that we headed back into Downtown Disney for dinner at Earl of Sandwich and to wander around the grounds at the hotels. We found a nice lawn area at Disneyland hotel and sat down while Savannah ran laps for a while. After that we headed over to Grand Californian. In Savannah's usual happy style she was saying "hi!" to everyone she saw. At one point in one of the more private areas an employee was sitting on a bench. She said hi to him too as we passed. On the way back he approached us. He wanted to reward Savannah for a being such a polite and friendly little girl. He showed her a panel of pins and let her pick one. She of course picked the Cheshire cat (one of her favorites). It was definitely a magical Disney moment. Savannah then watched cartoons for a little while in the lobby while we enjoyed the air conditioning.

Lady bug balloon during Earl of Sandwich dinner

Then next morning we got up early and packed up our room and headed into Disneyland right at opening. Surprisingly I wasn't even that sore from the two previous days of running. We rode Dumbo, Small World, and Pirates. We then headed to Blue Bayou for surprise lunch reservations.

Blue Bayou!

 It was hubby's birthday and I wanted to thank him for sacrificing his weekend to come support me. We were immediately sat at a waterside table. I loved the ambiance. Lunch was wonderful and hubby got a bonus chocolate cake for his birthday. That little chocolate cake was the best dessert of the trip! After that we headed to one last ride on Winnie the Pooh and then out of the park to head home. Which was good since it was starting to get REALLY crowded at that point. It was Labor day after all. So with the small exception of the hotel room problem it was a perfect weekend and couldn't have asked for anything more! Thanks again to all of my family and friends for supporting me so I could make my first half marathon goal a reality!

In front of the castle with all my race bling.

Posing with Dumbo and my Dumbo Double Dare medal.

A friend inspired me to do this as my goal this year and I hope I can inspire others with my journey. I am proof positive that if you really want something, there is nothing that you cannot do! Just get out there and put one foot in front of the other!!! It really is easier than it seems at first.