Well Done

What person in their right mind wakes up at 4am to go run 13.1 miles?!  Well, I did!  And so did about 17,000 other people at the Disneyland Half Marathon last weekend.  But, wait.  Let me back up and start at 4am the previous day.  That's when the adventure started.

Breakfast!

Kevin and I rolled out of bed, gathered up our things, and headed out the door in order to park, catch a shuttle and get to our plane which was scheduled to leave at 7am.  My mom arrived promptly at 4:45 (she stayed with the girls), and we were off.  Everything was smooth, and as soon as we arrived in Long Beach we found this great little cafe - Eggs, Etc. (I highly recommend it!) and gorged ourselves.  I was in heaven - the chicken, eggs, potatoes, and pico de gallo were fabulous.  But even more fabulous was sitting through a meal conversing uninterruptedly with my husband.  A scenario such as this is hard to come by for us.

After breakfast we headed to Disneyland where we renewed our annual passes and moseyed over to the health expo.  We picked up our bibs and a few other essential items (new shirts, stickers for the car, posters, etc).  Kevin met and talked with Jeff Galloway, who among many other noteworthy accomplishments, has competed in the Olympics.  After that, we were ready to hit the park.

It has been over three years since Kevin and I have been at Disneyland together without kids.  While I certainly love taking the girls to Disneyland, it was so nice to re-experience it without them.  Perks: not having to navigate and park a double stroller, going on grownup rides, not waiting in line for rides (single riders, woohoo!), being able to go-go-go as long as we want without having to stop for a diaper change or snack, and not having to adhere to anyone's schedule but our own.

My favorite - Indiana Jones

After a few hours, we were ready for dinner, and lucky for us we had reservations at the Napa Rose, inside the Grand Californian.  We had a great dinner, again enjoying sitting through our meal and chatting with no interruptions.  Next up, we were on a mission to find our pre-race breakfast.  For most people, this is quite easy.  Kevin always eats a bagel with almond butter, honey, and a banana.  For me, well, this was slightly more difficult.  Having to avoid gluten puts a wrench in things, and my allergen-free pancakes I had packed were sitting in a suitcase in the trunk of a car in 95 degree heat.  I wasn't feeling so good about them....and trying to find an alternative was proving to be tricky.  Eventually I settled on white rice from a Chinese restaurant, and we headed to the hotel.

Everything was laid out, we were all set to get a good night's sleep as we had to wake up by 4 in order to eat and get to our corrals by 5:15.....and then the disco dance party started.  Some sort of wild bash was happening in the reception hall at our hotel, which was just across the courtyard from our room.  So, I think I finally was able to fall asleep when the party broke up around midnight.  After about four hours of sleep, we were up and at 'em, prepping for the race.  It was terrible.  I am not a morning person.  I was so tired.  I was not hungry, but I knew I needed to eat.  I neglected to grab a spoon from the restaurant, so I had to use a credit card to scoop cold rice topped with almond butter and banana into my mouth.  It was disgusting.

I gave up on eating after I was only a few bites in.  We headed out into the cool, dark morning with all the other half-marathoners.  It took us about 10 minutes to get to Downtown Disney.  We said our goodbyes and Kevin headed off to Corral A, while I ventured off to Corral E.  There were so many people.  The speakers were loud with upbeat music and cheers from various speakers and mc's.  I was starting to wake up and get excited.  I made a quick trip to the honey bucket (those that know me well know this is not something I am comfortable with to say the least, I have a major aversion to public restrooms, I won't even get into my feelings on port a potties...and little did I know this would be the first of many honey buckets for the day).   When the gun went off and the first wave of runners started, I felt a slight hunger pang.  I did my best it ignore it, but the closer it got to my start time, the stronger it felt.  I started to get worried, as I know that when I am hungry while running I get intense side aches, but tried my best to chalk the feeling up to nerves.  Well, it was finally my turn and I crossed the start line and headed off toward California Adventure with a major stitch in my side.  We ran through the new Cars Land, which just opened in June.  I was feeling a little crowded, and very hungry, but I pushed on.  By Mile 3, we were making our way through behind the scenes areas in Disneyland.  I was miserable.  I was pretty sure I was going to have to either walk to finish or just throw in the towel.  I was enjoying the scenery - stables and horses, extra ride cars, trains and conductors, princesses, and all sorts of cast members cheering me on.  But, I was starving.  I finally decided to eat one of my gels that I was saving for much later in the run.  I started to feel a little better, and after a quick powerade stop, felt even better.  I started to pick up the pace and by Mile 7, I was feeling pretty good.  By this time we were out of the park and into an industrial area.  While the scenery was boring, there were several entertainment stations along the way including high school bands and cheer squads, Mexican dancers, and plenty of spectators cheering us on.  Powerade was my friend at this point, and I kept feeling better and better the more I drank.  I was, however, killing a lot of time standing in line for and using the honey buckets.  This was frustrating.  I ate my second gel at Mile 8, and felt amazing.  Until that point I had been averaging about a 12.5 minute mile (keeping in mind the pit stops), and was feeling so frustrated with myself.  Even on my worst day training I did far better than that!  But now I was averaging about a 10 minute mile, and felt much more confident.

Between Mile 9 and 10 came one of the most exciting parts of the race - Angel Stadium.  As I entered the stadium and saw fans sitting in the stands cheering for us, I felt incredible.  I heard people yelling my name, and was so glad I had opted to keep my bib on the front of my shirt instead of the back.  I was so energized and felt like I could go for miles.  I was almost disappointed there were just a short few left.  Fortunately there had been a Clif station where I was able to grab a replacement gel for the ones I already consumed.  I'm picky about my gels - Honey Stinger is what I love.  Clif is my backup, so I was happy to have been handed my second choice :)

At Mile 12 something amazing happened.  I had been listening to a contemporary Christian station on Pandora, and all of a sudden this song came on that I had never heard called Well Done by Moriah Peters.  Here is my favorite verse from the song:

So when my life’s a leap of faith I can hear You say Well done, well done I’m gonna chase You, Lord I’m gonna show the world Your love, woah I’ll run, I’ll run I’m gonna run this race To hear You say well done

What a fun coincidence!  So, that put a little more pep in my step and I felt like I finished pretty strong. Kevin was waiting just beyond the finish line for me.  I had a stiff/sore hip, but did a little stretching and felt fine after a few minutes.  We made our way through the finishers to get our picture taken and have a snack of bananas, peanut butter (forbidden unless we're far away from Grace, so this was a real treat!), and gluten free crackers - yes, the ones that Disney provided were gluten free.  I was stoked!

It's amazing how hungry I was though, even after my fabulous snack.  So, we made our way to Downtown Disney, over to the Uva Bar for an omelette and potatoes along with some much needed coffee.  I forgot to mention that I was still so tired from lack of sleep, at one point during the race I actually closed my eyes and felt like I could drift off while running.  After quick showers back and checking back at our hotel (where we will NEVER stay again for many more reasons other than the noise factor, but I won't get into that), we took off toward Laguna Beach for the last day of the Sawdust Festival.

Laguna Beach is another favorite spot that we haven't visited in years without kids.  I got my first toe rings at the Sawdust Festival several years ago (real ones, not the wrap-around fakies, but the ones that are actually fitted for your toe).  And of course I got a new set this time around, picked out a gift for my mom, observed some glass being blown, and took a relaxing stroll through many art and handmade-goods stands.  It was great!  Then we headed to Newport Beach to eat lunch and eventually went to the airport.  

By the time we boarded our plane, I could not believe I was still standing upright.  I was beat and so ready to get home to my Tempurpedic bed.  I love flying at sunset - we caught a great view as we left, and I loved looking out at all the lights in the darkening sky.  And what better welcome to Seattle than Soundgarden playing in the airport, love that!  We laughed after we got the car and jumped on the freeway toward our house. That was the longest date we have had since having kids.  We accomplished a lot in less than 48 hours, and boy did we have fun!  I am happy to have my first half marathon under my belt.  It was definitely a great learning experience.  Now I know what to expect and what I should do differently next time, mainly nutrition-wise.  So, I'll be set for the Seattle (half) Marathon in November.  Can't wait! :)

Before & After