Costumes: Tuesdays on the Run Link-up

This is my first time with the Tuesdays on the Run link-up. Let's hope I did it right!
A big shout out to the hosts of this link-up: Patty at My No-Guilt Life, April at Run the Great Wide Somewhere, and Erika at MCM Mama Runs.

This week's topic is Racing in Costume!

When I started my running journey in 2011, I didn't even consider running in costume- I was more focused on finishing! It wasn't until my 3rd runDisney event that I wore a costume, but since then, I've been hooked!

C3PO & R2D2

Disneyland 10k, 2013

As my first costume attempt, I wanted something easy. My husband didn't want to be a prince, though he did suggest we go as Jasmine and Jafar. Haha.

I purchased my R2D2 tank top and hat. I decorated my husband's gold C3PO shirt with a sharpie, some black tech fabric, and some colored elastic cording.

We definitely have the height difference down!

Hipster Disney Princesses Jasmine & Snow White
Neverland 5k, 2014
My friend and I planned to walk the 5k, so we didn't have to worry about it being runner-friendly. She came up with the idea to go as Hipster Disney princesses, complete with signs. Everything was regular clothing, which was helpful in the cold morning!

Tinker Bell
Tinker Bell 10k, 2014
The Tinker Bell 10k was the first race I've run alone. I was a little nervous, so I figured a costume was in order! I went with a super easy version of Tink, mostly because I already had a green running tank. Plus it fit the race theme! I made a skirt from green confetti dot material (same stuff as the Sparkle Athletic skirts) and wore the official white and green runDisney Tink Sweaty Band.

Simple Snow White

Tinker Bell Half Marathon, 2014

Being my 3rd race of the weekend, I kept it simple with a nod to Snow White. I wore a red Sweaty Band, my Team#runDisney shirt, and a yellow Sparkle Athletic skirt.

I don't think I'll ever go back to non-costume running, at least for runDisney events. Even if it's something simple, like my nod to Snow White, it definitely adds to the fun! 

I've got some fun costumes coming up.

 I love me some wine, but I went with a "dine" theme for Wine & Dine.

At the request of my 5k friend (same one who did with Neverland 5k with me),

I'm tackling my most adventurous sewing project for the Avengers 5k! I'm super excited to reveal them in November! :)

I'm still debating what to do for the Avengers Half. Any suggestions?

Do you run in costumes?

Tinker Bell Half Marathon : Recap

The Tinker Bell Half Marathon

Sunday, January 20th, 2013

I ran the Tinker Bell half in January as my 3rd race of the weekend. Check out my Neverland 5k and Tinker Bell 10k recaps!

I'd been looking forward to this race weekend for over a year- I was so excited about earning my wings! I ran the race with 2 friends- both who were running their first runDisney race, one who was running her first half ever.

The race started nice and early at 5am. Waking up at 3am for the 3rd day in a row was starting to take it's toll, but the excitement of the race got me out that door.

View from my start in Corral E.

Channeling Snow White with my Sparkle Athletic skirt, Team #runDisney shirt, and Sweaty Band (it's sparkly and red). You can even see a bit of my Raw Threads skirt underneath. I seriously think the race expos are the only time I shop for running clothes. ;)

Down Route 66! Love running towards the mountains instead of the other direction.

World of Color! So beautiful!

This was about the time that I got separated from my friends. I told them I was going to run ahead and stop for a photo of the World of Color lights. Our plan was to just stick to the right and I'd find them again. Apparently they also got distracted by the fountains, so I waited on Buena Vista Street for them. 

People did give me odd looks since I was just standing on the side.

Carthay Circle!

I found my friends and we headed off to Disneyland!

Main Street, Disneyland! You can see my friends in the background in the pink and green. :)

Castle photo

We saw Rapunzel and Cinderella, but we opted to just wait for Cinderella.

One of my favorites from the race. Even as the sun was coming up, the lights were still so pretty.

From there we headed backstage and then out into Downtown Disney. Even though it's outside the parks, I feel like Downtown Disney still has that special feeling to it.

We got to the end of Downtown Disney and were greeted by the Red Hat Ladies. These ladies really know how to motivate people! They really amped up the excitement.

The streets of Anaheim were pretty uneventful, but still had a lot to see. It reminded me a lot of running back at home through the residential areas.

Walk break to fuel.

Downtown Anaheim is pretty cute with all the palm trees!

Mile 9 Clif Shot stop. Loved that volunteers were yelling "this one has caffeine!" You can bet people were heading for those.

Around this point, mile 10, I was getting tired. My feet were feeling the 5k and 10k I had done the days before. Don't the clouds look cool?

There was a little Luna stop- lots of signs with fun inspirational quotes.

Soon we were back to Disneyland and heading to the finish! I love that the ladies in front of us finished hand in hand!

(My phones HDR setting made this picture come out super weird!)

Earned our wings!

I'd been looking forward to this race for over a year (I really wanted that coveted Tink medal) and the race did not disappoint! The course was great- I loved that we were practically half way done by the time we left the parks. As much as I love running through Angels Stadium for the Disneyland half, I prefer the Tink course overall.

Will I be running Tink next year? Probably not. I'm hoping to run the other Disney races (hopefully some of the WDW ones) and with the announcement of the Avengers race weekend, doing Tink again has dropped on the priority list. But if you've you've never run it, add it to your bucket list! :)

Tinker Bell 10k : Race Recap

The Tinker Bell 10k holds a special place in my heart. This was the first runDisney race, actually first race, that I've ever run alone. I was super nervous about running by myself... but I really enjoyed it! No worries about keeping a certain pace and I could hop to the side to take a picture without having to keep track of my running buddy. Without further ado, here's my recap!

Tinker Bell 10k Race Recap

The Tinker Bell 10k started early on Saturday morning. I made my way over to the start line from my hotel on Harbor Blvd. I had to cross the esplanade (between the two parks) and go through Downtown Disney, but it was really easy and straight forward. 

Once at the end of Downtown Disney, I took a left and headed to the corrals. 

I didn't go into the runner pre-race area and just headed to my corral instead.

The area where the pre-race area feeds into the corrals was right between corrals D and E. I turned to the left and headed towards corral A. It was a long walk, but I was so excited- this was also my first time being in corral A! 

A pre-race photo. I figured I had to be Tink at some point during the weekend! I started towards the end of corral A. 

While waiting for the race to begin, I happened to meet Tracy (@ATurtlesPace) and her daughter, Dawnley (@Hipster_Runner). Tracy was so kind and gave me a #run3rd bracelet. Congrats to both on the race! :)

The race start and soon we were into Toon Town in Disneyland.

I love all the details, even in the backstage areas.

My first ever character photo during a race!!! So cool!

More Disneyland sunrise photos. When else can you experience this?

Chip & Dale! Sadly I don't know who is who.

Buzz! This one was for my hubby who's favorite character is Buzz. :)

No race is complete without a castle photo.

Heading down Main Street on our way to CA Adventure!

Running past The Little Mermaid ride in California Adventure.

Something to note- fellow racers are awesome! Every time I went to take a selfie, I had at least one other runner ask if they could take the picture for me. It was a mutual thing, everyone was helping each other out. So great!

Paradise Pier!

We exited the Disney property around mile 4 at Harbor Blvd and Disney Way. I've stayed at almost all the hotels on Harbor, so the course was very familiar to me- I think it helped to pass the time.

I also took the time to place a quick phone call to my husband! He was off on an adventure of his own (apartment hunting in Texas) and hearing his encouragement kept me going. :)

On Disney Way with about a mile to go!

The finisher's chute funnels into the Simba parking lot.

Finish line!!!

Tinker Bell 10k complete! 

I really enjoyed this race. The 10k distance was perfect and could even be my race distance of choice if I wasn't already hooked on half marathons. Most of the race was through the parks and the last couple miles were still on familiar roads. I truly took it easy and just went at my own pace with no time goals in mind. 

If you're a new runner considering a runDisney event, the Tinker Bell 10k is perfect for you. The distance is great- not too long, but still a challenge- and the course is so fun. Lots of photo ops and great theming. 

The next Tinker Bell 10k will be over Mother's Day in 2015!