Inaugural Disneyland 10k: Race Recap!

So much to say about the Inaugural Disneyland 10k! It is such a great race with awesome bling and a fun course! 

We ran this as Part 1 of the Dumbo Double Dare Challenge and we planned to take the 10k nice and easy, stopping for pictures, etc. 

*Please pardon the blurry photos. ;)*

C3PO & R2D2: pre-race photo

The weather was definitely the most difficult thing for me. Where I live, 80 degrees is considered hot and the average temps stay in the mid 60s- mid 70s. When I run, it's usually foggy and 60 degrees. That said, when we woke up at 4:45am, it was already 80 degrees and HUMID! I have no experience in that kind of humidity and it really showed. 

We laid out all of our clothes the night before. Silly me put my hubby's ear phones with mine in a little pouch, thinking it would be the smart thing to do. But... I forgot and we spent a good 30 minutes ripping apart the hotel room looking for them before I said "hey, maybe I should check here!" I'm just glad we found them before the race!

 Enjoying our pre-race breakfast of coffee, raisin english muffins w/ peanut butter, and bananas.

My cousin, my husband and I ran the Dumbo Challenge and my brother ran the 10k.

The start line! When we arrived, the 5k corrals were just finishing crossing the start line.

 The big screen as we started the 10k.

 The runDisney hosts dressed as Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum.

The course started out running along the streets of Anaheim on our way to the convention center.

A quick pause outside the Anaheim Convention Center so Dearest could tie his shoe laces again.

Running into California Adventure via a backstage entrance.

Cars Land!

Running down Route 66. I have to admit, it's not quite as exciting running this direction, as opposed to running towards the mountain range.

Heading towards Paradise Pier

One of my favorite pictures of us running.

Photo op with Walt and Mickey in California Adventure. I love the detail on this statue.

We went through a tunnel that runs under the shuttle pick up/drop off area.

Disneyland Main Street!

it's a small world

In front of the fountain in Toon Town

In Fantasy Land before running through the castle. This is where the Alice & the Mad Hatter photo op was. No joke- the line was at least 50 people long. We decided to skip it.

After running through the castle.

Splash Mountain! I cannot tell you how badly I wanted to ride it at that moment.

I made Dearest take this picture outside Walt Disney Imagineering since it's a possible job path for him. You know I'd be excited! :)

Look who I met! Heather from Through Heather's Looking Glass! She was so kind to let me take a picture with her. :) 

I attempted to take a picture with Mickey at the finish line, but they we're too keen on people backing up there. Oh well! 

All in all, I had such a great time! I have to admit I was super disappointed that Darth Vader and the Storm Troopers were not out on the course! :( 
Our official time came in at 1:20:46. Not anywhere close to my training runs, but it was perfect for an easy run before the half. This was my first official 10k race, so I guess it's still a PR, right? ;) 

Disneyland Half Marathon 2013: Photo Preview

Well, the Disneyland Half Marathon 2013 is in the books! I'll have a full race recap post once I get back from my trip. Did I PR? You'll just have to wait and see. :)

Disneyland Bound!

Bon Voyage! 

I'll try my best to post on the blog while I'm at Disneyland, but be sure to follow me on twitter as well (@kimberriva) for *hopefully* more consistent updates. :) 

Running Tip Jar: The Final Count

Thank you to Lena at The Beginners Runner for passing along this great idea! A running tip jar is a great way to motivate and reward you for getting those training miles in. For every mile I ran, I put a dollar in the jar. It's not a ton at a time (so you won't break the bank), but it does add up at the end. I started my jar at about 14 weeks before the Disneyland Half Marathon and it's time to open it and count it out!

(There are 20s in there, but I didn't run 20 miles in one shot. At different points, I had to swap out the singles- kinda hard to explain to people why you want 50 bucks in ones on a regular basis without getting the side eye.)

My final count came out to $207!

Can't wait for the expo!!! :) 

Disneyland Half Marathon Official Merchandise!

Here's the link to the official Disney Parks Blog post previewing the official merchandise that will be available at the expo. Anyone catch the brief mention of Dooney & Bourke? :) 

I'm be looking for the runner Mickey Vinylmation and his mini medals as well as a headband (leaning towards the blue one) and tumbler. 

What's on your shopping list? Anything catch your eye? 

Training Tuesday

Today is my last day of work before vacation! Yay! I am so ready for a break and to be able to just relax, at least mentally. Physically I hear there's going to be some running. ;) 
I've been busying packing and preparing for our trip. Our park tickets finally arrived, so I have one less thing to worry about. Now it's just picking up some last minute items (can't forget the sunscreen) and making sure it all fits in my bag. We're going with just carry-ons, at least that's the plan.

Weekly Recap
Tues: rest
Wed: 2 miles
Thurs: rest
Fri: 1.5 miles
Sat: rest
Sun: 10 miles
Mon: rest

If I thought I was a wimp when it comes to running up hills, I am an absolute sucker when it comes to the heat. And for this California coastal girl, my "hot" is probably what you would call a chilly evening. This Sunday I did my last long run before Disneyland. We started running at ~8:30am (normally 7am) on a clear sunny morning with the temps 68-70. Yup, that's heat training for me. And boy did that sun kick my butt. 

Truthfully, I have not been taking very good care of myself. I'm terrible at remembering to drink water, so I was definitely dehydrated. Not to mention that glass of wine the night before... After training in overcast 60 degree temps, I am apparently very sensitive to the sun- my first Disneyland half I got dizzy towards the end of the race and had to sit down for a while for fear of heat stroke. On Sunday, I didn't want to push myself, so I did a nice leisurely 10 miles. My plan, although very late in the game, is to run maybe a mile every day after work, just to get used to the heat. Fingers crossed that it's enough. 

These past few months, I've been so caught up in my training and trying to improve my pace, that I've kind of lost sight of why I'm running. For me, it's that feeling you get when you cross the finish line. That overwhelming sense of joy and happiness, and that ear-to-ear grin plastered across your face. I'm sure some of you are grinning right now just thinking about it. ;) So I really need to keep that in the forefront of my mind. Enjoy the race, take in the Disney magic, and just go with it. 

How was your week? How do you prepare for races that have very different weather than you're used to? Do you ever lose sight of why you're putting in all these training miles?

Costume Reveal for Disneyland 10k!

I am super excited about our costumes for the Inaugural Disneyland 10k! Since registering for Dumbo back in January, Dearest and I have gone over numerous costume ideas. We finally decided upon R2D2 and C3PO a few months ago and I'm happy to say that I've finished making the costume(s). I really only "made" Dearest's costume (took a regular tech shirt and gave it the C3PO details) cause I ended buying all my R2D2 components. But hey, I think they came together pretty well!

If you see us, please say hi! :)