FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2008 PART 1
So here I am again, on an airplane writing my first entry as I notate my journeys through life. It is labor day weekend and once again, I am flying to the West Coast to run in the Disneyland Half Marathon. The story is a heck of a lot different this year versus last year. I now have a Half Marathon and a Full Marathon under my belt so my confidence level is way up from last year. Since I am not as intimidated by the distance (notice that I said "not as"), I am also running the 5K this year.
On a bad note, my knees have been aching for the past two weeks, so I am not as sure what to expect when it comes to pain. But I packed my knee brace just in case. This airplane seat is not helping either - darn you American Airlines! Of course I am seated behind two gentlemen who couldn't even wait for the plane to take off before they reclined back. Really I do think the airlines should get rid of reclining chairs if they are not going to give ample space. I am having a hard time typing because the space is so small.
Anyway I am getting ahead of myself. In a manner very much unlike me, I was able to get to bed by midnight last night. I started packing on Wednesday and wrapped up last night. So no going to bed at 2 am as I usually do before I take a trip (although since I am only going to be away for three nights, there wasn't much to pack). I woke up early as usual. My alarm was set for 7:01am. and I woke up at 6a.m. I stayed in bed until 6:30 then decided to get up and double check my bag and watch the morning news. I was out of the house by 7:32 (two minutes late) and had some great luck as I did not have to wait for a bus or the subway. I was at Penn Station by 8:07 and the next train to Jamaica was at 8:14. My longest wait was about five minutes as I waited for the Airtrain when I got to Jamaica.
I was at Kennedy airport by a little after 9am. Since my flight to LAX was at 11am, I had plenty of time to walk around American's new terminal. To sum up this new terminal - hmmph. Nothing extremely special or state of the art in my opinion. It could have been built this year or three years ago. Just another collection of shops and restaurants. Nothing ultra impressive I must say (though I was very tempted to finally replace my old Oakley sunglasses when I saw an Oakley store in the terminal). No drama getting on board the flight like my trip in June not much else to say about the flight so far (we just passed Chicago).
So let's chat about my plans for today. My flight is supposed to get in at 1:45 PT (though we are currently 15 minutes ahead of schedule). Since I have no checked luggage I will hustle my way to Super Shuttle for transport to Anaheim. Though that may be hard since I am in row 36 of 40. Nonetheless, rush I will. As soon as I check in to my hotel (Del Sol Inn of Anaheim) I will make my way to the Half Marathon Expo to get my tshirts, bibs, program, and other stuff. Then I will race back to the hotel, drop off the running gear, grab my camera gear and head to Disneyland. Today will be all about photography. Since tomorrow is just a 5K, I will stay at the park late in hopes of getting some great shots of the fireworks with my new wide angle lens (okay it is not so new since I purchased it back in June). Somewhere in there I have to get some food - I wanted to buy some food in the airport but the selection was less than enticing - mostly $7 ham or
tuna sandwiches. Nothing that made my mouth water. So I figured that if I was going to spend $7 I would do it on the plane and not have to worry about carrying a sandwich around. My mistake - American charges $10 for a sliced chicken sandwich. I am sorry, knowing how poor most airline food is and with the nickle and diming that the airlines now do, I decided to pass. I will hold my hunger until I get to Anaheim and then have a nice hot meal.
Well that is all I have for now. See you on the blogoshpere later dahling (that is me channeling Tracy Ulman channeling Arianna Huffington).
FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2008 PART 2
So things started to take a bad turn half way through the flight. The plane was FREEZING COLD. I started to sneeze which is the last thing that I wanted on a race weekend. It had started earlier in the week at work with me sneezing three times, but when I woke up on Friday my throat was feeling a little sore, the plane just totally exasperated things. I used the blanket to try and keep warm, but it was too late, I had a full blown cold.
The plane did land early as promised but we ended up waiting on the ground for quite a while. First we waited for a chance to cross an active runway to get to the terminal (we waited as four planes took off). Then when we got to the terminal, we had to wait for a tow to bring us to the gate. When we finally got in I made my way to the ground transport area. I checked in with the guy at Super Shuttle and then the wait started. By the time that the van finally came, it was after 2:15. But no, we did not leave right away. the van made another circuit of the airport, wasting more time. It was almost 2:45 by the time we left the airport. we stopped at Cerritos, CA to drop one passenger before making our way to Anaheim. The van was also cold, I had goosebumps up and down my arm. This was not shaping up to be a good weekend health-wise.
I finally got to the Del Sol Inn and checked in. It was a quick process so I was in my room before I knew it. I grabbed my waiver for the half marathon, my Champion Chip and then headed to the Expo. Once again, the Disneyland Expo is a little less impressive than the one at Walt Disney World. But, I got my bib for the Half Marathon, then I got my wristband for the Coast to Coast challenge (they put it on your wrist, so you are required to wear it all weekend in order to get your Coast to Coast medal). I then went and got my bib for the 5K, goody bags and finally got my discounted park tickets that I purchased. I purchased a marathon baseball cap and a shot glass (I still think that the marketing geniuses at Disney could do a little better with the marathon merch - the writing on the hat is pretty small and almost indecipherable) before leaving the expo. I then headed back to the hotel with a stop at the World of Disney to see what was new and interesting. I ended up picking up a pair of Disneyland shorts which I liked.
I got back to the hotel and dropped off my stuff and then picked up my tripod and camera gear. I went to CA Adventure where the Pixar Play Parade was going on. I wanted to get to the Cove Bar in Paradise Pier but they were detouring everyone to the Hollywood backlot. The final showing of Aladdin The Musical Spectacular was about to begin so I decided to stay and watch the show (seeing how much I love it). It was a pretty good show. The Genie killed as usual - my only gripe is that the Genie had a weird voice as opposed to the others that I have previously seen who sounded a little more like Robin Williams.
After the show, I made my way to Paradise Pier and the Cove Bar where I sat by the water and had a Barbecue Chicken Pizza with a Blue Glowtini (which has become my must have at least once during a Disney trip during the Year(s) of a Million Dreams - except for Disneyland Paris which is not participating in the Year of a Million Dreams - I am starting to think that I am some type of creature of habit). The service at the Cove Bar was spotty, not what I expect from Disney so I was cheap with the tip. It wasn't crowded but the servers did not follow up with their customers (glasses were left empty, customers remained parched and everything seemed to take forever). Nonetheless the Cover Bar is a nice spot to be at during sunset - very relaxing and picturesque. When I finished my meal it was almost 8pm so I decided to make my way to Disneyland for the fireworks.
I saw one of the sweetest things while at Disneyland this evening, there was a handicapped child who was literally about two feet tall and had to use a walker to get around. Mickey Mouse literally got down on his hands and knees to interact with the child. He even layed down on the ground to play with the kid. It was very touching and everyone was affected by the moment. Mickey spent a lot of time with the kid which was heart warming. I had to take some pictures to remember the moment.
I took some pics on Main Street and Adventureland and then tried to find a spot to watch the fireworks. I decided that I would shoot by the Partners statue as that is an angle that I have not shot from as yet (plus I guess it makes sense since the Coast to Coast Challenge medal has the Partners statue in its design). It was crowded which is not a problem but after standing in a spot for more than a half hour the guy in front of me decides just as the show is starting that he is going to pick up his child and put him on his shoulders. Effectively blocking my view and the view of many others. He was right at the front of the statue so there was no moving ahead of him. I tried to shoot around him, but he kept shifting left and right. It was quite annoying because if I knew he was going to do that, I would have gone somewhere else. I don't know how well my pics came out because I also could not use my tripod because he was blocking my view. I tried
to make lemonade out of those lemons by taking some pics of the kid's reaction to the fireworks. It may make for some great images.
When the fireworks concluded, I decided to make my way back to the hotel. It was about 10:15pm which is late considering that I was still on East Coast time plus it was going to be an early morning. It was time for bed.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 30, 2008
That was one of the worst nights of sleep that I have ever had. I kept waking up congested, unable to breath and with a runny nose. I probably woke up about five or more times during the night. It was not good. To make matters worse, the family next door must have stayed at the park until closing because they woke me up around 1:20am with a bunch of noise (well the noise was coming mostly from the kids who incredibly had a lot of energy for 1:20am). So I kept tossing and turning. Well mostly waking up suddenly because I could not breathe and needed to clear my nose.
I finally got out of bed for good around 5:20am. I debated whether or not to wear my knee brace and went as far as leaving the hotel with it on. After walking 10 feet from the door I decided that I would run without it and if there was any pain during the run, I would wear the brace for the half marathon. I was out of the hotel by 6:05am (the second time) and made my way to the start line of the 5K. The starting line was designed to look like Al's Toy Barn from Toy Story. I guess that I was early because I was able to make my way to the very front of the starting area. The DJ and announcer/host tried to keep the crowd pumped up with music, some comedy and encouraging some dancing. Towards the end of our waiting time, the host Rudy put on a chicken suit (a la Al in Toy Story). Then it was time for everyone to do the chicken dance. I admit - I did not participate in the chicken dance - that is a dance that I will only do at weddings when I am well "hydrated". It did not stop with the chicken dance, he then had us do the wave from the front all the way to the back (the start area was now teeming with people).
They announced that there were 4,000 runners participating including 1,000 kids and that all 50 states and some foreign countries were represented this weekend. A young lady sang the national anthem and then it was time to take off. We ran straight into CA Adventure and then into Disneyland finally back into the parking lot behind CA Adventure. It was a good run for me. Maybe I was just more aware but there seemed to be a lot more characters out this year. I decided to take picks with characters that I have not been able to take pics with (with one big exception)- Remy & Emile from Ratatouille, Flik & Atta from A Bug's Life and of course Mickey & Minnie in their runner's outfits (this was almost a hard decision because they were in Town Square just when you got to Disneyland and five feet away from them was Donald and Daisy in their track suits - but I had to go with the Mouse that made this house). It was a fun run and such a difference from the last time that I took a 5K so seriously (two years ago). It is amazing that just two years ago, I felt taxed, exhausted and unable to run 3.1 miles without stopping. Anyway, even with the three photo stops I was able to finish in 24 minutes and 50 seconds (a new race PR for me). I was a little concerned about some cramping at mile 2.5 and fatigue but the knee was fine and I think that with a good night of sleep, I should be fine for the half marathon.
After the race, I went back to the hotel for a shower and a rest. I slept for a little while but got up to leave around 9:30. California Adventure was supposed to open at 10am and I wanted to be there at opening so that I could ride Toy Story Mania. The lines are long during the day, so this would be my best chance to ride with minimal waiting. The wait turned out to be about 40 minutes even though I was one of the first ones there. It was a fun ride, not mind bending but enjoyable. After Toy Story Mania, I made my mandatory stop at California Screaming (via the single rider line) and got my scream on. Next for more thrills I went on Maliboomer. Interesting twist here, after waiting for a minimal amount of time, we were seated on Maliboomer and of course, the tower I was on broke down. They made us get off the ride and move over to another tower. Everything was fine from there, I would have thought that it might make the ride feel a little more
dangerous, but it was more of a small inconvenience than anything else.
After making my circuit of Paradise Pier which has turned out to be one of my favorite parts of this park, I made my way to Golden Dreams. I needed to see the montage at the end of the film to get me pumped for the run on Sunday. I don't know why but that song by Heather Headley and the images of all those folks (especially Flo Jo) just tugs on the old heart strings. I will be sad when they shut it down as part of the revamp of DCA (but I did video tape it on my last visit so it will live in prosperity).
I was ready to switch to Disneyland at this point to ride some rides over there but when I got there it was a bit crowded. I went towards Adventureland and went to Tarzans Treehouse for no other reason than I have never seen it. It is not even a ride - more of a walk through exhibit. But now I know what it is like. At this point I was tired and my head was pounding from the incessant sniffing so I decided to go back to the hotel to rest. I stopped at a convenience store on my way back to buy some Gatorade and asprin. When I got back to my room, it was hot and humid. I turned on the AC but then had second thoughts and put it on fan only. I figured that would be the best way to circulate some air without making the cold any worse.
I woke up somewhere around 3:15pm and got prepped for the Forum Encounter with the folks from DisneyRunning.com. We were scheduled to meet at 4pm at Naples in Downtown Disney for a carbo-loaded pasta dinner. I was not feeling 100% but I could not bear to spend the entire weekend in my room. I am glad that I went, it was a good time and I enjoyed meeting some of the people that I have seen on the boards. Robert and Linda were our hosts (I had previously met them at the WDW Marathon this past January). I also met Cat, Charles & his wife Mary, Scott & Lynn, Joanne & Don among others (in other words I did not remember everyone's names - sorry). For my meal, I stuck with the basics and had Spaghetti and Meatballs. It was very satisfying and hit the spot. We all talked about what we were expecting for the weekend, the 5K earlier in the day, future races, the lure of the Coast to Coast medal, past experience (or lack thereof in my case) and anything else that came to mind. Somehow during the course of the evening, I was branded the speedster of the group. Not sure how that happened (oh yeah I do know - Robert) but it seemed to stick despite the fact that Cat and Charles were in corral A (which thanks to Charles was thereafter known as the steak sauce corral... Corral A, Wave 1..... A1 Steak Sauce.... get it? It took a couple of seconds to sink in with me but I blame the cold!) and I was in corral B. Great conversation ensued and some goodies for everyone from the host & hostess.
Anyway, after the meal, everyone wished each other a good night and we went our separate ways (it was bed time for many as we had to be in the start area by 4:30am at the latest). Being that I had been sleeping part of the afternoon, I could not see myself falling asleep at 7pm so I made my way to DCA and walked around. I ended up at the Cove Bar again (tsk tsk tsk). And despite my better judgement, I had a beer and a Blue Glowtini (although in my defense, I had a cup of water with each drink to minimize any dehydration). The service was much better today versus yesterday, so kudos to the staff. At this point, it was time to head back to the hotel - I needed to get my clothes, fuel belt and everything else ready for the morning. I got prepped, had some gatorade and was in bed by 9pm. Tomorrow was the big day and the debut of my nuclear orange shirt!
SUNDAY, AUGUST 31, 2008 PART 1
It was a much better night of sleep. I woke up only twice - once to clear the nose and the other time because it was hot in the room (but I stuck with the plan of only using the AC as a fan). I was awake by 3:30 which was 15 minutes earlier than my alarm. So I watched a little television then showered and got ready to go. First hitch of the day - the zipper on one of my fuel belt pouches broke, so it was not easy to keep it closed. I decided to put my Gu in the other pouch as they would have been more likely to fall out of a small opening. So I put my camera in the broken pouch and zipped it half way through - the camera was big enough that it was snug in the pack and should stay in (this will come into play later).
I made my way to the resort and once again found myself walking through Downtown Disney with other runners (can't believe it has been a year already). The set up was very similar to last year, a big stage with the DJ playing tunes and scores of runner sitting on the ground resting and stretching. I made my way to the R tent to meet up with the DisneyRunning.com folks. The same crew from the previous night was there plus some others - Katie, Bob & his significant other and others (same excuse as before). Several of us were wearing our nuclear orange shirts (so bright that you had to wear shades!). It was a nice time, but my mind was on the course and getting myself psyched up for what was to come. I was not worried about being able to finish since my longest training run was 12 miles, but I set a goal for myself to break the 2 hour mark and I really wanted to make it happen. Does that mean I should not run/walk from the start (I already knew that
would be the case because I can't help myself plus it helps to go for it at the start to break away from the crowd)? Should I not stop to take any pictures with characters or of the entertainment (luckily I made several stops during the 5K so I had a nice collection of photos? Will my cold become a complication? Or will my head be in the game?
Around 5am or so (I didn't have my watch - no extra weight) we wished each other well and headed to the corrals as a group. Off the the B corral I went and again, it was not crowded yet so I was able to get near the front. I sat down on the ground and did a little stretching and then made my way up to the very front to take some pictures of the starting line. I saw Charles & Cat, took a picture of them, chatted for a little bit and then returned to my sitting and stretching routing. Before too long, Rudy was back on duty and he gave us some facts about the start time, wheelchair start and such (somewhere around 13,500 participants in the half marathon). Then there was an announcement that they would do something special for one random runner as part of the Year of a Million Dreams. They called out a bib number and asked that runner to make their way to the stage. Next thing you hear (there were no video screens) Rudy says that it is someone he knows. He reassures us that he does not work for Disney and this was mere coincidence. So the other announcer says that it is time to make someone's dream come true. It turns out that this "random" runner was his girlfriend (he must be divorced or such because we were introduced to his daughter at the 5K). You can guess what happened next, he was instructed to get on one knee and he then proposed to her. What a special moment for them. Everyone clapped and cheered for them. She will never forget this I am sure. Oh yeah - she said yes (she must not have seen him in the chicken suit the day before!)
So with the festivities over, we were down to less than 5 minutes to the start of the race. Mickey and Minnie came on stage and there was some banter about where their other friends were. The Year of a Million Dreams monorail showed up with Donald, Daisy and Goofy on board. It was time to start the race and the barrier between steak sauce and corral B came down (unfortunate for the steak sauce late comers who had not finished making their way into their corrals because they were now stuck with us B folks). The wheelchair participants were sent off on their way with a countdown and fire torches. Then it was our turn. 5...4..3..2..1 The sea of people started to move. I pulled out my camera to take a picture of the stage and monorail. I think that I got a clear shot of the stage - I didn't want to stop in place because that would likely irk the people behind me. I got a shot of the monorail just after I crossed the tracking mat. It was time to take off so I put my camera in my pouch and started to accelerate. Next thing I hear is a crash as my camera fell out of the pouch. I saw the battery land in front of me and then some guy behind me yelled out "Your cell phone landed back here". One word - crap! I stopped in my tracks, picked up the battery and then turned to see hundreds of people coming in my direction. I had to bend down to pick up the camera as people ran around me. I quickly put the battery back into the camera, turned around and started to run as I tried to see if I just cost myself a couple hundred dollars. Luckily the camera still worked and was just bruised from the experience (several new dents in the shell). Now what to do with the camera. I tried putting it in my pocket but that was an uncomfortable feeling so I carried it in my hands.
Now I could focus on the task at hand. I was able to accelerate to a faster more comfortable pace. I won't describe mile by mile, so here are the memorable moments:
- The weather was great this year, it was warm but overcast which made it so much better to run
- As we were running up Katella towards Harbor I heard a spectator yell "Running Disney" and then I heard someone to my left yell "Running Disney" - as I looked in that direction it was someone I think in a WISH shirt (I think it was Mkymsehi - can't be sure, but it was nice to see that we have a nice little supportive community going). I gave a thumbs up and kept on going.
- I almost didn't stop to take any pictures with characters. I was tempted to stop for Nemo, but kept going. But when I saw Tinkerbell and Peter Pan standing on the ground (they were on a float for the 5K) I couldn't help it. I actually was slightly past them and stopped, turned back and had my picture taken. I also stopped for Mister Incredible during the last two miles of the race - I thought that I had a few seconds to spare for that one.
- I started my run/walk at mile 6. I kept the walking breaks to 45 - 60 seconds every mile (some day I will make it all the way through without walking breaks)
- I did not walk up the "hills" (the definition of which is debatable to some)- the overpass outside the Mickey Parking lot, the highway overpass on Ball or the steep hill off of the Santa Ana trail. Another small personal victory and testament to training.
- I didn't make the same mistake as last year so I stopped to have my picture taken with the Anaheim Ducks cheerleaders (they were as cute as last year)
- The parking lot at Angels stadium was full of Boy and Girl Scouts again this year. Still very impressive and encouraging. I tried to high five as many of them as I could. I felt that was the least I could do to show appreciation for what they were doing. I hope they didn't mind the sweaty palms.
- It sucked not running inside the stadium, but it was okay running around. They still had the Angels cheerleaders (I ignored them this year) and the announcer who acknowledged the cities that everyone came from (there was a mat in the parking lot so he could track who just arrived in the area).
- I started to feel very tired around mile 11. As I saw the Disney Way tunnel by the freeway, I kept thinking - "I took an unscheduled walking break here last year and I refuse to do that again. " And I didn't.
- As I reached the mile 12 marker, the clock was at approximately 1:51:10. I wasn't sure how long it took me to cross the start line (I guessed two minutes based upon the clock at mile 1 was at 12 when I passed it and I never run at that pace) but I knew that I had to keep somewhere around an 8 minute mile to be sure that I met my goal. Yet for some reason, I still stopped for a picture with Mr Incredible. What was that all about?
- I saw one sad thing while we were in DCA - there was a gentlemen on the ground and he was struggling to get back up. Every time he made it to the point of getting off of his knees he would stumble back down. A Disney employee made their way to him and she was helping him out. As we passed a cart slightly up ahead, someone yelled out that they should go back there because there was a runner down. I hope that he was alright. It is a shame to make it to within a half mile of the finish and then have your body give out. Again, here's to hoping that he is fine now.
- I started to pick up the pace when we exited DCA into Downtown Disney. When i reached mile 13 marker, I could swear that the clock said somewhere around 2:01:15. How on earth could 10 minutes have passed? I felt like a heart attack was coming on at the same time as a feeling of disappointment. But unwilling to give up and still assuming that it took me two minutes to cross the start, I started to sprint. When I say sprint, I mean sprint. I turned on the after burners and ran like the grim reaper was chasing me down. The clock as I passed the finish line read 2:00:26 (or somewhere around there). Seeing that, I was pretty confident that I met my goal, but only the final results would confirm.
They were handing out cold towels which was like a little piece of heaven. I collected my Castle medal and then made my way to the Coast to Coast Challenge rack and they proceeded to cut off the wrist band that was my bling for the weekend. The woman asked me if I wanted to keep the wrist band. You would think that she just asked me if I wanted to keep my first baby tooth the way that I responded "Oh yes please". Hey it has some emotional value!
I grabbed a bottle of water and Powerade, two bananas and then made my way to the R tent to see if any other Disney Running folks were there. Nope. I noticed that Fond Memory Graphics had a booth and they were engraving the medals like they did at the WDW Marathon. Even better, they had the chip times! I walked over there (slowly) and filled out my paper work and handed over my $20 (lucky that is the exact amount of cash that I carried with me). Then came the moment of truth - my chip time was 1 hour, 59 minutes and 13 seconds! OH MY GOODNESS. I seriously misjudged how much time it took me to cross the starting line. Thank goodness that I sprinted the final stretch. It was a five minute wait to have the medal engraved so I used the time to finally sit down and eat my bananas.
After the medal was engraved I headed back to the R tent again to see if anyone was there. Nope. So I went to the main stage to have a picture taken with my new bling. They were getting ready for the award ceremony so I hung around for a little while to watch. At that point my right leg started to cramp up so I decided to head back to the hotel for a shower. I walked very slowly and stopped at Downtown Disney to cheer the runners on and to see if I could see any nuclear orange shirts. Nope.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 31, 2008 PART 2
Back at the hotel, it was time for a hot shower. I just sat in the tub and let the water rain down on me. Oh that felt so nice. And even better, my knees were not killing me. I gave the folks a call to see how they were doing and to let them know how I did. I also called Super Shuttle to make my reservation for the morning. My pick up time would be 9:50 am. A little too early for a 12:30pm flight, but better early than late. Then it was time for a nap. I was meeting up with the DisneyRunning crew at noon and I wanted to head to DCA for the free Disney Visa photo so it was now or never.
I slept until 10:20 which was about 20 minutes longer than planned but it felt so good. I got dressed and made my way to DCA, medals in tow. They moved the Disney Visa Meet N Greet from Ariel's Grotto in Paradise Pier to the Hollywood Pictures Backlot so I had to get directions from a cast member. I found my way to the spot and was slightly disappointed to see that it was Chip N Dale as the featured characters. But it actually turned out to be a great experience. There was a couple there when I arrived and they were having their one on one time. The wife and cast member noticed my medals and asked about the Coast to Coast medal so I explained what you had to do to get one. The husband took a picture of me and my medals. The wife then noticed my Notre Dame gold shirt and started to talk some trash since she was a USC fan. She was actually pretty nice about it and wished the Irish well in all of our games (except the USC game of course).
Not wanting to be left out of the conversation, Dale came over to look at my medals (at this point I had pulled out my Mickey medal from my pocket - I brought it to California with me so that I could have a picture taken with the full set). And that pushed everyone over the edge. You have to admit, Disney does know how to design some serious bling! Finally the couple took off and it was my turn. But it was delayed slightly because Chip had a "runny nose". Seriously - I am not making this up. This is what they said. Funny considering that I was the one with a cold. I wonder if the cast member was dehydrated or something. While we waited, another gentleman showed up for his photo opportunity. We actually conversed with Dale for a while (if you call hand gestures a conversation). But when Chip returned it was picture time. We took a few pictures but my favorite one was Chip holding one medal, Dale holding the other and me in the middle with the Coast to Coast medal. That would be the one that I would have made into my free 5x7".
As I was leaving the area, I noticed Mr. Incredible, Mrs. Incredible and Frozone by the animation building. WOW - a group of three. How could I resist. I hopped on line and was asked again about the medals. The person I was talking to suggested a Michael Phelps pose with my medals - which was a great idea since I would be posing with superheroes. I took my photo and then proceeded to put my Mickey medal back in my pocket - too much noise, too heavy and too much attention. At this point it was a little after 11am so I made my way to Condor Flats to see how the lines were for Soarin Over California. Only a 15 minute wait. Works perfectly for me. While waiting on line I was asked again about the Coast to Coast medal by a couple who also ran the half that morning. See a trend coming here??? I still love Soarin - it is such a different experience and I love the piped in scents during the ride. Disney definitely hit the mark with this ride. One of those unique experiences that you can find at Disney only.
After Soarin I headed over to Greetings from California to pick up my photo. I was asked two more times about the medals and the marathon by cast members. I got my photo and then headed towards the ESPN Zone for lunch with the Disney Running folks. As I walked through Downtown Disney I saw K80K who was with her mother and her mother's friend. We chatted for a little while and then bid each other goodbye until January. The sun was out and blazing and I was starting to drip (again). I saw Charles & Mary outside of the ESPN Zone and we chatted about the run. Charles did not PR as expected due to a freak textile calamity - the seam came apart on his socks (POST SCRIPT - it turns out that Charles did in fact PR despite his wardrobe malfunction!). Today's FE newcomers were Fundulidae & her fiance. Beers, burgers, chicken, conversation and more were enjoyed by the group. Another fun FE.
After lunch everyone said goodbye to one another as people were either ready for a rest, had to leave town or had other plans. Robert and Linda were planning on hitting the parks so Cat & I decided to join them. We hit Disneyland first with the primary intention being a ride on the Matterhorn. The line was too long so we decided to keep moving. We hit the teacups where Robert, Cat & I went for an extra "spinny" go around. It has been a few years since I remember being on the teacups - they are a little more of a tight squeeze than I can remember. What a blast - we went so fast that I needed a second to re-orientate myself once the ride stopped! We then continued our journey around Disneyland and our next stop was Pirates of the Caribbean and then the Haunted Mansion. As we were walking down Main Street USA, they were prepping for the Flag Retreat Ceremony. We made our way to DCA for some liquid refreshment. Cat & I went for some Margaritas while Robert grabbed some beer for him and Linda. Linda went off to find the first aid station and some ice for Robert's leg/knee (the man is a trooper). We stayed there for two rounds during which we met HippieMom who spotted us thanks to Robert wearing the nuclear orange shirt (the thing is like a beacon). There was an all-girl mariacchi band playing for the guests. It was the perfect relaxing pace and activity.
Afterwards we walked to Paradise Pier to see how bad the lines were for Toy Story Mania. As we passed California Screamin, Robert and Linda encouraged Cat & I to go on the ride. Since the line was 25 minutes long we opted to get Fast Passes for later. Oh by the way, over the course of our walking through Disneyland and DCA we were all stopped several times with questions about our medals. The question of the day was "what is that medal for?" only to be followed by "Did you win the marathon?". Sometimes the second question elicited a sarcastic "Yes..... just kidding".
After grabbing our FPs for California Screaming, we walked by Toy Story. The line was pretty long so we passed (we were a very easy going group so it was not a problem - everyone except for me would be in town for a few more days so the lines would be more manageable). Next up on the hit parade was the Sun Wheel (non-swinging gondola). Again, going with the post-race theme, it was a nice relaxing ride (a little cool at points, but enjoyable nonetheless). Robert skipped this ride and iced on a bench while the rest of us went in circles. It was now around 7:15 pm and Robert and Linda were feeling tapped out so they bid us a good evening and headed back to their hotel.
Cat and I continued on and made our way to Tower of Terror. The plan was to wait until 7:30, grab Fast Passes and then go back to California Screaming. But when we got there it was a 13 minute wait! So we got on line where the questions of the day came up twice. What a great ride. It was so much fun! Love it. Back to Paradise Pier we went. California Screamin did not disappoint once again. It was nice to scream a little. When we got off, it was about 8:25. My original intention was to go and buy a Marathon frame for my Disney Visa photo, then head back to the hotel to pack. Cat was planning on staying for the Electrical Parade. Once we got off of California Screamin, I was feeling good so I decided to stay for the parade. It has been a very long time since I last saw the Electrical Parade and I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Cat as we waited and the parade itself. The music and sights were just as I remembered it. What a blast!
After the parade, it was a slow crawl to the park exit. The park was closing so it was time to empty out. At the exit, I said goodbye to Cat (again a goodbye until January). And then I made my way to the Disneyland hotel because they had Marathon merchandise in stock. There were people all over Downtown Disney standing in place watching the Disneyland fireworks over the treetops. I never realized how load the fireworks were until then. Probably because when you are in the park you hear the music over the shell bursts. But out in Downtown Disney, those bursts just pierced your ear drums.
As I got to the Disneyland Hotel, to my disappointment the Fantasia gift shop was closed. It was only 9:40pm - what's up with that? I could see the frame through the window and it turned out that it was no big loss. My picture is horizontal but the frame was vertical (and it could not be turned on its side). It occurred to me that I had skipped another Disneyland tradition - a visit to the Neverland bar. So I stopped by - I was tempted to get some food as I was feeling a little peckish (I had not finished my burger at ESPN Zone because it was a little too filling at that time) but ended up having a beer... and another Glowtini (hey it is sweet and goes down well). I then took off and stopped at the World of Disney where I found a nice frame that could be used vertically or horizontally - perfect.
Saying goodbye to the Disneyland Resort I made my way to Harbor one final time. I was still feeling a little hungry so I stopped at McDonald's and picked up some fries and chicken selects. I went back to the hotel and dove into my meal. It was after 11pm now and before I knew it I fell asleep. I woke up at 1:30am and could not believe that I had fallen asleep. I started packing at that point and set my alarm for 8:50am. It was a little after 2am when i was done and back in bed (can't believe that it is 5am on the East Coast). Time to head back to reality.
SUMMARY
It was a good trip other than the catching a cold thing. When asked, I said that I was not planning on coming back for the 2009 Half Marathon, but you never know. It actually is a good thing for me that it is a holiday weekend because it can be a quick getaway without taking time off from work. So now I will say - maybe. It was fun meeting all of the DisneyRunning folks, the hotel was not expensive, the flight was paid with miles and I ran a fun race. So why rule it out? But now it is time to start training for Dopey 2009.
