If you read my costume reveal post last week or followed me on Instagram you already know our theme for the Disneyland 5K. I had been warning Coach Jeff for a few weeks now that he might be embarrassed to be seen with us....I think we were right.
It was part 1 of our 22.4 miles of magic at Disneyland 1/2 Marathon weekend! If you have followed my blog in the past, you know that I am a huge fan of runDisney 5Ks. There are a number of reasons that I enjoy these races: (1) they are un-timed so it is more relaxed (2) watching the families running together (3) great shakeout run for the other races this weekend (4) PICTURES! If you read my costume reveal post last week or followed me on Instagram you already know our theme for the Disneyland 5K. I had been warning Coach Jeff for a few weeks now that he might be embarrassed to be seen with us....I think we were right. We loaded up in our corral, met up with a few friends for quick hellos, and were on our way before we knew it. We were ready! The first .5 mile or so are outside of the parks as you make your way into California Adventure through a backstage area. Then the fun begins! As you enter the park, you quickly find yourself in Cars Land! Who better to greet us on Route 66 than Lighting McQueen himself! We took a few more quick pictures in Cars Land before departing and making our way towards Buena Vista Street. I absolutely love running in the "dark" parks. While the parks are not open, you can still feel the Disney magic surrounding you as you pass attractions, shops, and restaurants that are currently silent and waiting for guests later that morning. We quickly exited California Adventure and zipped over to Disneyland! I am going to be straight up - I always get teary running down Main Street. The lights. The music. The MAGIC! After leaving Main Street and a quick swoop through Tomorrowland, we found ourselves in Fantasyland. Of course I took a quick little spin as I passed the Mad Tea Party. We were then greeted by Snow White and Prince Phillip - shhhhh, don't tell Snow White but the Prince did tell me that I was "his cup of tea." We exited Disneyland through a backstage area where we had an up-close look with some of the vehicles of Main Street with some pretty awesome Cast Members cheEARing for us! The final portion of the course takes you through Downtown Disney which I always enjoy. There is nothing better than the support of your fellow runners and the unsuspecting tourists in that final stretch. Nothing beats going to Starbucks for your morning coffee and pastry and end up seeing thousands of crazy (and costumed) runners darting by. The first of 3 finish lines of the weekend was crossed and we collected our bling. I will tell you, putting a medal around your neck is not easy with an oversized hat on.... Race 1 was in the books! 3.1 miles down, 19.3 magical miles left! I will be honest, I was a little sad after the race. I had been planning this costume for a year and have been way to excited to run in my teacup and now it was over. I guess it is time to come up with new ideas for 2016 races! We met up with a few of our friends for some pictures before we headed back to the room to freshen up and get our day going. As we were making our way through Downtown Disney and back to the hotel, we cheered on the remaining runners that were coming into the finish. We saw a lot of chaos happening in the distance and we quickly figured out what was going on. Kimberly, Gail, and their pals have done it again! They truly live by the motto of "go big or go home" with their costuming and this race was no different. They ran as the gang from Inside Out and were a total hit to say the least! Children and adults alike were stopping them for pictures along the way - that is how awesome they are! I truly loved every step of the Disneyland 5K! runDisney never disappoints me and I could not thank them enough for all the fun, magic, and memories that they created at this year's Disneyland 5K.
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BrandiI love to run and most importantly I love to have FUN while I run....I am the "Funner Runner" Feedspot's Top 100 Running Blogs
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February 2020
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