Dumbo Double Dare Race Recap Part 4- Disneyland Half 2013

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I’m wordy, you guys know this.  I broke the Disneyland Half recap into two parts.  You can find the first part here.

The plan was to just keep moving.  But, yeah, you know me too well.  Once we hit the parks we found a few pictures we just had to stop for.  I mean, hello, we were the Incredibles!

Baby Jack Jack on the Incredibles float. Sadly, not the best pictures!

A lot of people asked if hitting the parks 2 days in a row for a race “got old” or felt “less magical” and I can honestly say NO WAY!  But you know I drink the Disney Kool Aid, so maybe I’m not the person to ask.  I thought runDisney did a great job with variety of characters between the two courses.  It felt like many characters out for the half were not out for the 10K- most notably the Princesses.

This was my second race through the streets of Anaheim.  The citizens of this city really make you feel welcome!  So much encouragement & so much love on the course- I couldn’t believe it.  I even borrowed someones sprinklers (see middle image above) when I desperately needed to cool off.  They told me to go right ahead!  That’s why they had them turned on that morning.  Seriously love how this community comes out to support the racers.

The heat caught up to me and many others- reports say we were running in what felt like 104 degrees at this point.  Holy Moly.  I’m not sure it was that bad, but it did cause me to extend the walking intervals a bit more than normal.  The water and Powerade stations were plentiful, even for us back of the pack runners.  I think runDisney added a lot more because it felt like we were stopping for water at every mile rather than every two miles that I was expecting.

There was a section of ick on this course.  Yes, that’s my writers description.  Ick.  I have to complain because it was dusty and gross and stank.  Y’all know what part I’m talking about.  The section between the Honda Center and the Angels Stadium sucked.  Be prepared to hold your nose for about half a mile!

At 9 miles in, almost to Angels Stadium, I’m flagging.  More walking than running.  Mr. Shenanigans however is all kinds of giddy and happy.  He looks strong and fresh.  He’s chatting up people as we go by.  He’s all smiles.  Internally I’m all… dude… so. not. fair.  But after Ranger School and all kinds of suck in the Army, running a half marathon without 60 extra pounds on your back might be easy.  Hooo-Ahhhh!

Angel Stadium has been touted as a highlight of this race.  I’m not a baseball fan, unless we are talking about Derek Jeter. I do love the Captain.  This part wasn’t anything I was particularly looking forward to, but I was pleasantly surprised!  It was fabulous.  Scouts cheering and signs everywhere.  We slapped hands and ran around the perimeter and just had a fantastic time in the stadium.

After the stadium we headed back to Disneyland and I was ready to be DONE. Mile 11 was very hard.  I felt light headed and didn’t run a single step.  Shenanigans down!  The sun was just brutal and finally got to me.  There was a section of pure relief though when we went through a tunnel on our way back to the parks.  I can’t even tell you where that was, but it was enough for me to cool off, get out of the sun, and catch a second wind.

The home stretch became fun again.  I rejoiced when we saw Peggy Sue because I knew we were so close to finishing!  The right song at the right time can make ALL the difference!  The #DisBroads were singing me home along with the cast of Pitch Perfect.

We got a shout out from the announcers as we crossed the finish line.  Y’all— gonna say it again.  The Incredibles.  GREAT costumes if you like a little extra attention on the course.

This race was never on my radar, other than the desire to own the Big D medal.  Now that I’ve completed the Dumbo Double Dare, I know I’ll be back. Sure- there were issues.  There were hiccups.  Many blogs have documented what went wrong.

But on the course itself, I had a ton of fun.  I know part of that was running with Mr. Shenanigans.  A little tip: marry your best friend and find things you can enjoy doing together.  We loved running these races and are looking forward to the Wine and Dine in … eeeeppp… 59 days!

Did you run the Dumbo Double Dare? What challenges did you face on the course?  Do you plan to run it next year?

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