Disneyland Half Marathon 2013: Race Recap!

I've been planning for the Disneyland Half Marathon pretty much since last year's race. This year was a bit different from the previous two times we've run since we were participating in the Dumbo Double Dare- running both the 10k and half marathon on back-to-back days to earn a special 3rd Dumbo medal. And yes, I was feeling like a dumbo afterwards for doing both races, mainly because I was dehydrated and exhausted.

The weather was very similar to the previous day when we ran the Disneyland 10k. Temps were already in the high 70s and hit the low 80s by the time we finished. Humidity still through the roof. The nice difference was that there was some cloud cover as the sun was rising! 

A before picture! My husband, 3 cousins, and one of my cousin's friends ran the half. 

Joining the masses in the back of Corral C.

Blurry start line

They kept the World of Color lights and fountains on! 

Tower of Terror in the distance.

Running down Route 66 towards the mountain range (the opposite direction than the 10k). 

Super blurry photo from running down Main Street in Disneyland. I have to admit, this is pretty much what life looks like without my contacts or glasses. Lol :)

Through the castle! 

Out onto the streets of Anaheim. On a clear day, this is when the rising sun blinds you. We were lucky to have some cloud cover.

Around Mile 5, the clouds disappeared and the sun kicked my butt. I was really struggling. It was a a battle between my stomach hurting from drinking so much water, yet still feeling super parched.

Mile 9 heading into the Angel's Stadium. Seeing 2 hrs on the clock (we crossed the start line ~15-20 mins in), I knew I wasn't going to make my time goal. I'd be lucky to come close to last year's time.

This year we ran under the big A. Pretty cool!

After Angel's Stadium I was starting to not feel well. My fingers and face were starting to get tingly and I knew I was super dehydrated. We took a lot of walk breaks and my goal was to just finish as still be okay to enjoy the parks for the next two days.

The finish line! Finally! I don't think I have ever been happier to cross that finish line.

Post race group photo! :)

Now for the race stats... No, I did not PR. I didn't even come close to what I was hoping for (2:10), but I'm still pleased with my time. I finished in 2:27, about 4 minutes slower than last year's time. The heat and humidity really took a toll. I've heard from locals that the humidity we experienced wasn't normal for Disneyland, but was typical for Disney World... Definitely makes me nervous about running in Florida. :/ 

All in all, I still had a fantastic time! I love that this race brings my family together and more and more of us are running. Next year we might even get more of the family to do the 5k fun run. :) 

The Disneyland Half will always hold a special place in my heart since it was my first half/first race/first runDisney race. :)