Last Place!

Well, we are becoming famous! Run Disney and Disney Blogs loves us! I guess it isn't so bad being LAST at Disney's half marathons!
The below article is our interview after crossing the finish line. Disney made a big hoop-la for the last place finishers, which just happened to be us! We had no idea this was going to happen. It was so magical and made crossing that finish line even sweeter. It was pretty embarrassing being last, but at least we felt like first place winners!
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/02/everyones-a-winner-in-the-tinker-bell-half-marathon-at-the-disneyland-resort/

Now, here's the story of our running adventure!
As you know from my previous posts, I was recovering from a sprain. I was cleared my the doctor to participate in the half marathon, but to walk more than run. So I made sure I could keep the required minimum time doing a run/walk routine. Christine and I started in the very last corral, corral D about half way in the middle. As soon as we crossed the start line, I started my runkeeper app to make sure we were keeping the required pace. We were ahead of our time entering in to Disneyland, which was about two miles in or so. We took pictures as we ran/walked and didn't stop for character pictures. No bathroom stops either for fear we would fall behind. As we passed the 5K mark, I realized I had never ran a 5K before and it was pretty exciting seeing that sign! After exciting Disneyland, I decided to try one of the energy candies I had stored in my pocket. The biggest problem here was that I had never had one before. That's a big running no-no that I didn't know. A mile later, it was making me feel nauseous, which slowed me down. I even thought about quitting because I wanted nothing more than to throw up in a port-a-john. Christine kept me going and suggested I get some water and Gatorade at our next mile mark. The liquids definitely helped and I was able to continue. We lost our "gain" during those frantic miles. Soon we were seeing the warning bikes and sweepers that indicated we were behind the allotted time. It was very confusing because we thought we were right on track. It made us fearful and stressed! We had come so far and we didn't want to get swept or picked up, we wanted to finish the race!
As we passed each mile, we were encouraged to pick up our pace because as soon as we entered DCA (Disney's California Adventure), we would be safe. Nothing was more rewarding than making it into the Disney park! I knew in that moment that we would be crossing the finish line! I was so relieved and even emotional at first.... and then just SO HAPPY that we had done it!
We slowed down our pace and tried to enjoy the moment. My ankle had been hurting since mile 4 or 5 but I didn't want to take the time to take off my ankle brace and check it out for fear of falling behind. Now that we were safe, I thought about taking it off but was worried it might effect my remaining miles. We decided to start running somewhere near Bugsland and it was then that I ended up hurting my ankle. I felt a pop and thought for sure my race was over. I'm so glad I left the brace on because I might have permanently damaged my ankle had it not been on. The firstaid carts and bicyclists followed us as I limped along and I took comfort knowing they were there if it got too bad. But I managed to limp the last mile and cross the finish line! The adrenaline of the race kept me going!  And that is why we were last! Christine could have easily finished way before me, but she stuck with me until the end, even in the threat of being picked up and not finishing. True friend!!! As soon as we crossed the finish line, we were interview, photographed, and given our medals. I immediately went over to first aid and got some ice. It's then that I realized everything was packed up- my husband ran over and grabbed us some Gatorade and water before those were gone too!
But we had reservations at Goofy's Kitchen to get to, so I wasn't sad about missing the after-race festivities. We must have been really really far behind! I took my iced ankle and hobbled across the parking lot to the Disneyland Hotel with the help of my husband to enjoy a victory meal with fantastic friends!!!!!!!!!!
The race itself was hard. I know now how important it is to train and practice with smaller races first (5K, 10K, etc). I had no idea how far 13.1 miles really was. I'm pretty sure at some point during the run, I told Christine in a surprised voice "This is really hard!". It also helps if  you don't get injured weeks before a race =p
The miles were definitely not boring! We were entertained at each mile! From secret backstage running areas, to parade floats on display... characters, the castle, cheerleaders dancing, high-fiving onlookers..... It was fantastic! There were even runners who were like coaches that would motivate you as they ran by!
I'm so glad Christine and I made it! We are a good team! Maybe someday when my ankle is stronger, we will run in another Disney race together! Until then, I'm enjoying showing of my Tinker Bell medal =)

Pictures and Videos of the Tinker Bell Half Marathon!

Before I go in to detail about how the half marathon went, I thought I'd share all our pictures!

Video of us at the finish line:

http://youtu.be/c4hPwTRD_ls

Pictures!

More pictures here:
Tinker Bell Half PICS

Fitness EXPO for Tinker Bell Half Marathon

The Tinker Bell Half Marathon Expo is this weekend. I decided to go on Friday so that I wouldn't do a lot of walking the day before the race. I picked up my bib- I'm #9600. Not sure if that's good or bad yet! I'm hoping that I'm not in one of the last corrals. The further back you are, the less time you have to do the race. I also got a pin. It's mostly just a keepsake. I can't imagine anyone wearing it on race day... I also got my race shirt. You don't have to wear them, it's just included in your price. I was hoping it would be short sleeve because I already purchased a long sleeve running shirt. It wasn't. It's long sleeve, this weird mesh fabric, and white- so extra see through. Not my style. SO I purchased a different shirt to wear. They had an "official Tinker Bell Half Marathon" store operated by RunDisney. I purchased one of theirs. Jan-Michael helped me pick it out (he's my husband for those who don't know!). The long sleeve shirt I bought to wear under is black, so I didn't want to get anything white- even though they had exact replicas of the "free" ones, only they were short sleeved. I really liked this blue shirt that had a big picture of Tinker Bell on it. The only catch is, it says "I DID IT! 13.1!". I guess it should be worn AFTER you do the race... but I really wanted it to wear DURING. Presumptuous? I'm going with motivational. I've been told that positive thinking is half the battle =p I also bought a few things for my Mom (she is the biggest Tinker Bell fan!) and a magnet for my fridge. They had these keychains that were exact replicas of the medal. For one moment I thought, hmmm, maybe I should buy one just incase! But Jan-Michael said "Well then you might as well throw in the towel now!" He's right, of course. Anyway, I also bought a headband from a vendor booth. It's a special runner headband that supposedly won't slip off. It's sparkly green! I love it. They had TONS of stuff any runner would love to buy, but I tried to just pick up the things I needed. I went in knowing I needed a shirt and headband. I came out with a shirt and headband (ok and a magnet LOL). There were free samples of Craisins, yogurt, power drinks and power bars. I think most of that stuff is nasty, so I stuck to the Craisins and yogurt. Luckily the expo floor wasn't very big. It was in a ballroom of the Disneyland Hotel. So, we were in and out in an hour. I absolutely loved that Tinker Bell was everywhere. It made me wish my Mom was here though.
Last night, I added the finishing touches to my shirt- Autism logos. I had purchased a crystal iron on decal a long time ago, but I wasn't sure how it was going to work out. So we also bought some puff paint and my husband was going to draw on their logo. Luckily, the crystal decal worked, I just had to cut it apart. I put the puzzle logo on the sleeve of my arm and "Autism Speaks" on the back of my shirt. I think it looks awesome and matches well with the colors of the shirt. It's very sparkly so I'm sure everyone will see it!
I've been getting up at 5am every day this week to prepare my body to be awake at 5am since the race starts at 5:45am. One of my really good friends told me to sleep in the day before because I probably won't sleep the night of. SO today I slept in... until 8am haha! Not much of a sleep-in but I don't normally sleep in very late anyway. I've already been tossing and turning and dreaming of the race for a couple nights now, so I'm still going to try and go to bed pretty early tonight. I think I am going to wake up around 3am. I should probably get up earlier than that, but we will see how it goes. Sometimes when I go Black Friday shopping, I end up waking up before my alarm anyway. That might be the case here too. I don't normally eat or drink until I've been awake for at least an hour, but I'll need to eat and drink right away so that my body has time to digest before the run. I don't want to use time standing in line at the bathrooms. I need all the time I can get!
I did a practice dress rehearsal last night. The skirt is a little tricky because the "Tinker Bells" at the ends of the ribbons stick to my pants LOL! My iPhone holder doesn't work as well as I anticipated. It's a little big for my arm. And if you have a cover on your phone, it's hard to slid in and out. I might have to go cover-less and pin it in place. I just hope I don't accidentally drop if since it won't have any protection! My phone is being used as a music player, camera and race tracker!
Well, that's all that's on my mind for today! Thanks for listening =)
Now for some photos......

Tinker Bell Half Marathon

Only 6 more days until the half marathon!!!!!!!!!

(For more information about the half marathon, read this blog post Tinker Bell Half Marathon )

All I can think about is the upcoming event. Infact, it is all I have thought about since January 1st. I'm sure my coworkers and friends are tired of hearing about it!

As most of you know, this is my FIRST half marathon. Heck, it's my first run of any type! So I have spent a lot of time trying to purchase and gather things I will need. I made a conscious decision to get things that will last and be used in other half marathons as well. With that said, I am now the proud owner of a real pair of running pants! The kind with cool wicking fabric and tiny hidden zippers! They were pricey but I think they will last a long time. I just hope they keep me warm! I bought plain old black. You can't go wrong with black, right? I also bought a couple long sleeve wicking fabric shirts. Old Navy is having a great deal if anyone is interested! By the way, wicking fabric is supposed to draw moisture away from your body. I don't *think* I'll get very sweaty since it's January and we will be racing before the sun comes up......... BUT this is my first run, so I have no idea- better be prepared! We will be given Tinker Bell Half Marathon shirts at the expo on Friday, so I'll wear that over my long sleeved shirt. Hopefully that's enough layers.

Now on to the fun stuff!

I purchased this skirt:

It's kind of like a tutu but made with ribbon. AS  you can see there are tiny Tinker Bells on the bottom of each ribbon. I may or may not add some tulle to make it a little more "poofy"... But yay, fun! There will be a ton of women in costumes and dressed up, so I'm going to participate! It's not much, but I didn't want to get too carried away in my first run! I also have a knitted flower ear warmer =) I probably won't have it on for the entire race, but ears will be warm and cute in the beginning at least LOL
The best news of all is that I won't be doing this race alone! Yay! My good friend Christine will be right along side me. We used to work at the Disney Store together 10 years ago! She has already done a half marathon with Disney before, so I'm glad I'll be with someone who is experienced. Another friend joining is Dianna! She is my old roommate, Domonique's Mom. She has done quite a few races, so I'm sure she will beat us to the finish line =)
After the race we will be celebrating at Goofy's Kitchen! It's located at the Disneyland Hotel and is character dining. Hopefully we will have our awesome medals to show off!

This week I will continue to strengthen my ankle with longer and longer walks. I am also going to start getting up earlier and earlier to prepare for the early morning call time!

Wahooooooo it's almost here!

Nervous Runner

Correction, nervous walker!!
It's almost time for the Tinker Bell Half Marathon.... and I am nervous! My training was so/so for a person who hates running LOL I got my breathing down and had a pretty good technique. My endurance was.... average? I definitely knew I couldn't run the whole thing. But at the beginning of January, I was confident going in to it.
Then I sprained my ankle.
Unfortunately this is my 3rd sprain on the same ankle. I thought that would make it easier to recover from... turns out, it made it harder. I actually have ordered physical therapy from my doctor! Sigh.
My confidence level is now pretty low. Even though I've been given great advise to stay away from the half marathon, I can't just let it go. SO I will be walking it. Hopefully. I'll walk as far as I think is safe. If and when it gets a little rocky, I'll stop I promise (that sentence was especially for my sister who just had ankle surgery after ignoring her sprain).
I hear from runners, ankle sprains are fine- you can still run. I've just finally been able to walk on mine, so we'll see if I can get enough strengthening in this week to try and walk for... oh... 13 miles next week.
I'm running, excuse me, walking this half marathon for Autism Awareness. My little brother CJ is autistic, so I'm walking for him! See, I just have to get across that finish line! Besides, Tinker Bell is my Mom's favorite Disney character and I promised her I'd get that medal =)
All you need is faith and trust, right? That's what Peter Pan says!
When January 29th comes around, you can pray and track me here: http://www.xacte.com/templates/disney/tinkerbell/
Thank you to everyone for your encourage and support!!!!!!!!!!!! I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!