Never Land 5k and Tinker Bell Half Marathon 2013

This was the second year of the Tinker Bell Half Marathon. I ran the inaugural event last year and had a great time. I was looking forward to this year's event, but coming only one week after the Goofy Challenge, I was pretty tired. I only enjoyed 2 nights in my own bed before I was off and running again. I also caught a cold along the way, so was not feeling very well.

The weekend started Friday at noon. I picked my princess up early from school and we made our way to the Happiest Place on Earth. Being the Friday of a 3 day weekend, it was pretty crowded. We saw a few characters and rode a ride or two and called it a day.

At the expo we picked up our packets (5k and 1/2 for me, 5k for her) and race shirts. She asked me at least 10 times where Mr. Rudy (Novotny) was, so we stalked his voice until we found him.
 

She is always so happy to see Rudy!

It was fun to share the experience with Mimi. We saw our friend Chia and checked out the official merchandise booth. She also drew a sign of encouragement and decided she wanted to run with it and show it to all the runners (I think the Jester has made an impression on my kids! haha). Eventually, I talked her out of running with the sign. The wings were enough to deal with!

The next morning was another early alarm (common theme of all runDisney events), especially for a 6 year old. I got her up and dressed in her Tink ensemble and we made our way to the park. This was the first time I stayed at my Uncle's house (in Orange, CA) and drove in for a Disneyland race. I was nervous about the crowds and parking, so I left very early. It turns out that parking in the Mickey and Friends Parking Structure was easy and quick.

cutest (although still sleepy) Tink ever!

We were on Main Street USA a full hour before the race started. I was afraid Mimi would be bored, but she really loved the music and pre-race activities. Before long Captain Rudy and his Pirate friend Carissa were entertaining us with their silliness. It was a magical morning right in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle.

Before long, it was our turn to start. Mimi was very excited to start running. Unfortunately, it was pretty crowded. We ran when we could and walked a lot. She was so cute. Any time the option to run was there, she was happy to do it. She never complained or asked to stop or rest. We skipped a lot of the last mile. It is a memory I'll have forever. The 3.1 miles flew by way too fast!

My girl knows how to pose!

When we reached the finish line, Rudy saw Mimi coming. It was so special how he bent down and interviewed her. He asked her who she was running with and who was faster. She told the entire crowd she is faster than her Mommy (which is probably true) and then apologized to me when the microphone was out of reach. Once again, we have Rudy to thank for making the finish so special!

She was so proud to get her medal. We walked through the finish area and she was beaming with pride. After, we changed our clothes and went to The Storybook Cafe at the Grand Californian for a celebratory breakfast.

The rest of the day included more expo time, making signs to wish Rudy a Happy Birthday, and hanging out with the Perez family. We eventually made our way back to Uncle Lewis' house so I could get ready for the half marathon the next day.

I didn't sleep well and was feeling horrible when my alarm went off at 3:15. I almost wished I had slept through the alarm and missed the race. That is how badly I was feeling. My head was throbbing and my nose was stuffed up. I decided I would just walk the half so I could get my Coast to Coast medal.

After I got to my corral, however, I was feeling better. I decided to take it easy and see how it went. Thankfully, I just felt better as time went on. Besides one stop to see Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder, I cruised through the parks. I decided to just avoid playing, run it, and get finished as soon as possible.

I really enjoyed the race. I started in Corral A, so there were not a lot of crowding issues. I was able to run or walk whenever I wanted to. I saw Ken from Super Hero Events and enjoyed catching up a bit with him. The morning was crisp, but not cold. It was dark for over half the race.

At about mile 10 I ran into Chia. We finished the last 5k together. It was nice to have someone to talk to. I am such a social runner. I love sharing miles with friends!

We came in to a gun time of 2:20 (official chip time was 2:19:31). I was very happy with that, considering I didn't push hard and how I had felt that morning.

After saying hi to Rudy, Chia invited me to go with her to the VIP tent. It was really cool to sit right at the finish line and watch people come in. We also met Sean Astin and Jeff Galloway.

After Terri and Louie finished, I said goodbye to Chia and found them in the crowd. We decided to meet off property for breakfast. I walked to my car and tried to leave. Unfortunately, there was some hold up, and no cars were being let out of the parking garage. After sitting for 45 minutes, I gave up and left the car parked and walked to breakfast (lunch by this time). It was really the only negative issue of the entire day.

I loved Tinker Bell. It is a lot of fun to run with almost all women. Everyone was so happy and encouraging. The race course was different this year and I liked it a lot. It is the only runDisney event I hold legacy status, so I'll be back in 2014!

Crazy Coast to Coast runDisney week!