I left work during lunch time to drive over to Disneyland to pick up my race packet. It was one big clustersmurf just to park your car or to find out that there were no parking spots available at the usual Downtown Disney parking lot. They eventually diverted us off to an offsite parking lot which I believe was for $10. I just turned around before entering that parking structure. Eventually I drove around and found a curb next to Denny's that did not have any tow-away signs. I even stopped inside to ask if I could park there. The employees actually didn't know. But I figured that there were no signs and that it was far away enough from Disneyland that I should be okay. It was also blazing hot, so I was pretty sweaty by the time I made my way over to the expo. Then there was a very long line for the expo. After snaking my way through the line and down the ramp into the bib pickup area, it was pretty easy from there. One thing I'll give Disney is that they're good at controlling crowds and lines. I picked up my bib and the commemorative pin that I had bought before heading back up to the exhibition floor to pick up my race shirts.
Pin and race bib
There was a line getting into the expo with the shirt pickup in the very back. They had separate lines for different sizes for each of the race categories. The line for medium happened to be the longest for those running the Dumbo Double Dare. The expo was pretty crowded and I needed to get back to work so I just stopped by Lasting Commemoratives to pick up a free Disney artwork that you had to preregister for with your email. I then walked back to my car hoping that it was still there and not towed away. Thank goodness it wasn't! I gave away the Alice in Wonderland 10k shirt to one of my coworkers who collected anything Alice. If you ever want any of my race shirts, just let me know. Chances are I'll give it to you. I donate quite a few to Goodwill or my younger brother.
10k shirt
Dumbo Double Dare shirt
Half Marathon shirt
After work, my coworker took me out for my birthday dinner at the Mastro's Ocean Club in Newport Beach. I think Mastro's has the best steaks that I've eaten, but it's probably not the best food to eat the night before a race. The steak was huge and I sure as heck was not going to put it away with a race the next day! We both thought that the snap peas were pretty darn good. I probably should have stopped drinking after the two bottles of wine. The next day I definitely regretted having that last martini. But heck we were celebrating my birthday. I normally don't eat anything sweet, but I make an exception when it's for my birthday and it's a dessert from Mastro's.
Justin Cabernet
Sautéed shrimp
Salmon Tartare
Jack London Cabernet
Tomahawk rib eye steak
Dirty martini
Birthday cake!
Saturday
I woke up feeling pretty crappy and dehydrated. I thought to myself, "glad it's only a 10k today instead of a half marathon!"
I got ready and made my way down to Disneyland and parked before 4am. For some reason they let me through with free parking. It looked like I got there early enough that they assumed that I was a volunteer.
Saturday free parking
The 10k race started at 6:15am, so I took a nap in my car for a little bit. After using the parking garage restroom, I went to the staging area to check out the place. They had the usual Disney entertainment and pre-race warm up. As it got closer to the starting time, I made my way over to the starting corrals.
Staging area
This way to the corrals
Alice in Wonderland 10k
In the starting corral, I bumped into my friend who had just completed the 5k. See, there are crazier people than me! After the usual Disney pomp and circumstance, we were off! The first mile felt okay. Then during the second mile, I was already starting to taste last night's dinner and especially the martini. By mile 4, I started to feel nauseated. So I slowed it down a bit and just cruised it in. The course was pretty nice, but there was a big gap between the second and third aid stations. Good thing it was only a 10k. It was a pretty warm day and I just wanted some water to dump on my head.
Running for turkey legs
1: 7:57
2: 8:21
3: 8:40
4: 8:51
5: 9:23
6: 9:16
6.2: 1:33
Finish: 54:01
I was sweating up a storm as I collected my medal and grabbed a box of post-race snacks. I guess it was a good thing to sweat out all of the alcohol. I bumped into my friend at the finish area. I always love bumping into a fellow Disney fan. We took a bunch of pictures before parting for our separate ways. Of course we would all see each other again the following day.
10k medal
Saturday
I showed up pretty early since the half marathon started at 5:30am. But I was unable to score free parking this time. Parking cost $16. Again after taking a brief nap and using the restroom, I headed over to the staging area. Then I got into my corral and just found a spot to sit down. Since I knew that I wouldn't have any zip in my legs, I didn't bother to make me way closer to the front of the corral. I just wanted to finish somewhere under 2:10.
Starting line
Disneyland Half Marathon
I love this race and it is the one race that I look forward to each year. Also since I'm a legacy runner, I pretty much know the course forwards and backwards. In the past 7 years, the course has not changed much. This year's course was pretty much the same with a few tweaks. This year Rudy, the awesome race announcer, gave shout outs to legacy runners and people with birthdays. I guess it makes you feel a bit special to be in both categories. Again with the usual Disney send off, we were off!
The first couple of miles were pretty fast, dark, and had us outside of the park. The fun part came when we enter the park. First we ran through California Adventure then through Disneyland. I pulled over near the It's a Small World to take a picture with Cinderella and Snow White.
Cinderella
Snow White
After leaving the park, we ran through the streets of Anaheim heading towards the Honda Center. It was getting hot and I was a bit tired, so I kept the miles slow. After Chicago, I wouldn't want to cramp up again in a half marathon. After running along the Santa Ana River Trail, I noticed that we took a slightly different route into the Angel Stadium parking lot. I was able to pick up the pace a bit during my favorite part of the course, running along the warning track through Angel Stadium. After exiting the stadium, we headed back towards Disneyland. I made an effort to try and increase the pace with each mile to ensure that I would reach my goal.
1: 8:52
2: 8:45
3: 9:06
4: 10:49
5: 9:08
6: 10:06
7: 10:44
8: 10:14
9: 11:14
10: 8:38
11: 11:13
12: 10:03
13: 9:34
13.1: 0:44
Finish: 2:09:10
Again I bumped into a bunch of my friends at the finish area. After taking a few pictures together, Marathon Mitch and I went to Earl of Sandwich to eat lunch. I had a Stella and a pretty pathetic looking ham and swiss cheese sandwich. It didn't taste too bad but I'm not sure that I would eat here post race again.
DDD medal and post race ham & swiss cheese sandwich
Previous years:
2012: 1:59:22
2011: 1:58:03
2010: 1:52:28
2009: 1:54:40
2008: 1:55:07
2007: 2:06:38
2006: 2:02:37
From looking at my results for each year, I've been slowing down the past three years. I'll have to work on staying healthy so I can start getting faster instead of slower. I'll definitely be back each year for the half marathon to maintain my legacy status, but I'm not sure that I will continue to run the Dumbo Double Dare. It's just too expensive and too much trouble for an extra 10k. The expo was pretty chaotic because you had to attend the expo on Friday in order to run the 10k on Saturday. The expo in the years past haven't been as crazy since people could go on Saturday instead. Oh well, we'll see. I'm known from time to time to go against what I've said. Just two more years until the big 10th year anniversary! Can't wait to see what Disney will do to celebrate!
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