2015 Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend Recap

It's been a week and we're just now coming down from the high that was the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend. This will not be a full-on run of the mill race recap in the traditional sense since you can read about great ones HERE and HERE.

We met so many social media friends IRL (in real life) and we had a blast talking about Disney, running, kids, etc. which reminded us why we love this community so much.

Think of this as a photo recap of the fun times our family had this past weekend. Let's get to it!

Asher and Elias at the runDisney Kids Races. 

If you've ever wanted to know what it's like running the Disneyland Half Marathon, check the video out. Warning, spoiler alert!

What a start to 2015

Going Goofy

All the coffee in the world couldn't keep us up after the past two weeks of runDisney racing we've completed. We started our race calendar out in cold, rainy Orlando, Florida. Wait what? Yes, the weather during the Walt Disney World Marathon weekend was not ideal and it was challenging but we sucked it up and raced the 10 Year Anniversary Goofy Challenge. This consisted of a Half Marathon on Saturday and a Full Marathon on Sunday. 

Running my 1st Marathon at Walt Disney World! The Expo was manageable and packet pick up was a breeze. 

Running my 1st Marathon at Walt Disney World! The Expo was manageable and packet pick up was a breeze. 

Because we were running the GoofyChallenge, I just had to. 

Because we were running the GoofyChallenge, I just had to. 

The Half was so much fun. We agreed to take it easy, save our energy for the Full and snap a few pictures along the way. The course was fun running through two Walt Disney World parks. While it was tempting to run fast to escape the chilly weather we stopped at most of the character stops along the course to preserve memories. We couldn't have asked for a better race. We talked, took pics and even ran with new friends along the way. So far, a great way to start off the new race calendar.

Yeah, it was as cold as it looks. Brrrrrr!

Yeah, it was as cold as it looks. Brrrrrr!

The way @runDisney themes their picture spots was so fun. There was even a fog machine working.

The way @runDisney themes their picture spots was so fun. There was even a fog machine working.

Obligatory Cinderella Castle pic right after running down the entire Main Street, U.S.A. 

Obligatory Cinderella Castle pic right after running down the entire Main Street, U.S.A. 

The following day, after another early wake up call we made our way to the start line of the marathon. This is the Super Bowl race of Marathon Weekend and the fact that it was Paula's very first marathon made it even more exciting. I couldn't help but feel proud of what she's been able to accomplish. Registering and training for your first marathon is daunting on it's own but doing it as part of the Goofy Challenge is borderline crazy.

Mary and Bert picture spot along the Half Marathon course. 

Mary and Bert picture spot along the Half Marathon course. 

The sun started to peek out and lit up our Donald medals. Better late than never i guess. 

The sun started to peek out and lit up our Donald medals. Better late than never i guess. 

Since we used the Half Marathon to take pictures the previous day, we focused on the run at hand and kept the phones tucked away. This race holds a special place in my heart since it was my very first marathon as well and running through the four Walt Disney World parks is really something special. The course is amazing. Running around the Walt Disney World Speedway was insane. We felt good running together and could feel the challenge that was Goofy around the later miles of the race. 

It's nice that rare characters get to come out for the runners along the Marathon course. 

It's nice that rare characters get to come out for the runners along the Marathon course. 

A special thing happened at around mile 19 of the race when Paula's sister surprised her by showing up with our four sons to cheer us on. Her sister and I worked together to complete the surprise which was a perfect boost at the perfect time. We finished the race with smiles on our faces, and even jumped over the the finish line holding hands. (At least we attempted to jump. I don't think either of us got that high). We recovered from the race by exploring some of the resorts on the Disney property and walking the junk out of our legs. 

This is why we signed up for WDW Marathon Weekend. The 10 Year Anniversary Goofy Challenge Medal. Goofy spins inside the zero! Coast to Coast challenge, here we come!

This is why we signed up for WDW Marathon Weekend. The 10 Year Anniversary Goofy Challenge Medal. Goofy spins inside the zero! Coast to Coast challenge, here we come!

 

May The Course Be With You

Immediately after returning home from WDW Marathon Weekend we did laundry, packed up the suitcase and headed down to Disneyland for the Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend. Since it was an inaugural race, we just had to sign up for it. Coming off of the Goofy Challenge, paula's first marathon, Walt Disney World park touring, and traveling, we vowed to have a fun race and soak up the fun of an inaugural race. 

#shutyourface! It's @carleemcdot. Meeting friends at race Expos is so much fun. 

#shutyourface! It's @carleemcdot. Meeting friends at race Expos is so much fun. 

Since we didn't have anyone to watch the young ones on Saturday, I did the Star Wars 10k solo. It's part of the Rebel Challenge which consists of a 10k on Saturday and the Half Marathon on Sunday. So let's stop and recap a bit: two @runDisney challenges in two weekends, two different states, 4 races and 58.6 miles of racing. It sounded like a good idea last year when registering for these darn things. The race was fun. Again, I brought my phone and took pics along the course with the cool characters throughout the parks. The course was awesome. We ran inside the parks (some backstage) for the most part and the support was excellent.

I made sure to catch a picture with Chewie! I was in the front pack so the line wasn't long at all.

I made sure to catch a picture with Chewie! I was in the front pack so the line wasn't long at all.

A little Kids Race action on Saturday after the Star Wars 10k. 

A little Kids Race action on Saturday after the Star Wars 10k. 

The Half Marathon on Sunday was exciting. The course was brand new, and we enjoyed it tremendously. Beware fasties, it's a very fast course and you could easily get carried away and throw down a Disney PR if you tried. I'm a big Star Wars fan and seeing all of the cool creative costumes put a smile on my face. The best part of these races is running them together with @prvilladelgado. When we run together, we finish together. It was an amazing race and one we will continue to do in the future. 

It's already been a fast start to 2015 and it's a good sign of things to come. We are tired. So very tired and will rest up in the mean time while planning the rest of our calendar. Was it stressful flying cross-country, and racing at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland two weekends back-to-back? Of course but we wouldn't trade it for anything. Earning a Coast to Coast medal (running at least a half marathon in WDW and Disneyland in the same calendar year) in two weeks is pretty darn cool IMHO. I'm proud of what we just accomplished and even more proud that Paula ran her first marathon. Most importantly we had fun doing it.

Meet @jilliankmf. She's a runner and she's awesome. Oh and she PR'd her 10k this weekend. Boom!

Meet @jilliankmf. She's a runner and she's awesome. Oh and she PR'd her 10k this weekend. Boom!

I'm not gonna lie. This is a big reason why we run these races.

I'm not gonna lie. This is a big reason why we run these races.

Some people take their medal pic in front of the castle. We take ours here. 

Some people take their medal pic in front of the castle. We take ours here. 

2013 in Review

5 medals each: WDW Marathon Weekend, Dumbo Double Dare, Disneyland 10k, Disneyland Half and Coast to Coast.

We started our year off with a bang right from the start. The races at the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend were our first of the year and we even created our own hashtag: #oneraceamonth2013 to boot. I ran the Marathon, Paula the Half Marathon, our two oldest boys the Mickey Mile and our youngest (at the time) the Kids Dash. Did I mention that Paula was 4 months pregnant at the time of her Half?

Next up in February was the Super Bowl Sunday Run back here in our hometown of Sacramento, CA. This was a 10k race in which we ran a relay. In March we ran a fun race named the Veggie Chase 5k where runners tried to beat the pacers dressed up as vegetables. The two older boys' first 5k of the year was the Elk Grove Running of the Elk in April. We ran this race together as a family and had a blast. 

Another 5k family race came around in May which was the Cinco de Kilometros de Mayo (5k of May). We love running locally and especially supporting our local running store. At the end of June, my oldest son and I ran the Run for Independence 5k in very hot weather. I must say, i was very proud that day. A month later and about 6 weeks postpartum, Paula and I ran the Fab 40s 5k in which we ran sub 30 min. Again, she never ceases to amaze me with the things she is able to accomplish. 

August's race was the inaugural Disneyland 10k which was the first half of the new Dumbo Double Dare challenge that runDisney has created for Disneyland Resort's main race weekend. The very next day, September 1st, was the second race of the challenge, the Disneyland Half Marathon. We squeaked in two month's races in two days, see what we did there? That entire weekend deserves a recap of it's own. Can we say Coast to Coast?

Paula ran another half marathon, a Rock'n'Roll event, in early October. I was amazed at how organized this race was and it has lead me to sign up for more races with them.  More on that later on. I ran a cool race in Davis, CA called the Oktobrewfest 5k where the medals given out had a bottle opener integrated in the design. How cool is that?! In November, Paula and I ran a Turkey Trot Half Marathon where she achieved a PR in that distance. Last but not least, I ran another 5k this month in December, and achieved a PR myself. The following week Paula and friends ran a neat Santa run where everyone dressed up as Santa, beards and all, for a good cause. 

Whew! That was a lot of racing this year and it feels like we could have done even more. We figured that signing up for races is the hardest part next to getting that first step out the door. Once you commit by registering or signing up for the race, you feel a bit more obligated to train. It was a great year of running, especially getting our kids involved in the sport. They see and feel the benefit of staying active. We set goals, finish races and earn medals. All while having a good time. Together, as a family.