What I Do When I'm Not Running on a runDisney Weekend

I’ve lived in Southern California most of my life and going to Disneyland was something I grew up with.  I’m always a little surprised when someone tells me, “I’ve never been to Disneyland.”  Because of where I live, I have an annual pass and I try to get there as often as I can.  Some of my visits correspond with runDisney race weekends and I always try to get some of my favorite things in while I’m there.

Everyone’s approach to Disneyland is different and I will admit I am not of those people who needs to “ride all the rides.”  As much as I love the rides, I am equally as happy just walking around enjoying all the little things that Disneyland has to offer.  On my recent runDisney weekend, I experienced a few things I don’t normally for and took some time to do a couple of my favorites.  So whether you’re headed to Disneyland for a day or a week, here’s a few things I would recommend doing.  

Character Breakfast

There are a couple Disneyland hotel properties that offer a character breakfast, one of them being Paradise Pier.  When my friends and I decided to stay there during our race weekend, we decided we wanted to do the character breakfast.  Although it is a bit pricey for breakfast, the experience is fun.  Breakfast is buffet style and includes things such as fresh fruit, the famous Mickey waffles and an omelette bar. (My omelette was delicious!)  As you’re enjoying breakfast, characters walk around interacting with the guests.  We were probably the only table without children, but we still had a blast.  Your visit includes a guaranteed picture with Mickey, which they try to sell you, but they also allow you to take pictures with your own camera.  

“Walk in Walt’s Disneyland Footsteps” Tour

As part of our girls weekend, we wanted to do something extra special.  After looking at the various tours they offer, we decided to do “Walk In Walt’s Disneyland Footsteps” tour and it was amazing!  You take a three hour tour of the park, learning the history of the parks and seeing Walt Disney’s vision.  The tour includes a few rides, lunch and a trip to Walt’s Dream Suite.  We were only allowed one picture in the Dream Suite, but I must say it is beautiful!!!  My favorite part of the tour?  They were able to have ASL interpreters for me, as well as a captioning device for the rides—this made sure I didn’t miss anything on the tour and I was beyond impressed that Disneyland offered this service for its guests. 

All The Snacks!

Disneyland has some great treats and the holiday season is no exception.  Some people go for the churros or Dole Whip, but my favorite treat is their gingerbread Mickey cookies.  No holiday Disney trip is complete without it.  I had the Dole Whip too, but there is something special about the cookie.  California Adventure has a new festival for the holidays and there were some tasty treats there as well.  As much as I love the Disneyland snacks, I do try to keep my meals a little healthy when I’m there and I find there are better options in California Adventure or Downtown Disney.

The Entertainment

Sometimes I just walk around Disneyland and enjoy the sights, which includes the various entertainers.  One this trip, we saw a holiday drum line, the dapper dans and a few bands.  Everyone seems in such a hurry to get to the next ride, but I love stopping to take some time to enjoy it all.  

The Decorations

The Holiday season at Disneyland is my favorite.  There is so much attention to detail from Main Street to the rides, you can’t help but be happy.  But this isn’t just during the holiday season—year round Disneyland is a magical place and the details are always awe inspiring.

The Rides

I mentioned that I don’t need to ride all the rides, but c’mon—you can’t go to Disneyland without riding some of the rides.  I always try to take a break from technology when I am at Disneyland, but I definitely love the Disneyland app which can help you determine your wait times and plan your adventures.  

Have you ever been to Disneyland? What’s your favorite thing to do there?

Until next time, happy running.
Jenn13.1

RunDinsey Avengers Superhero Half Marathon Recap

After three days in the parks and two races, I was ready for the Avengers Superheroes Half Marathon—not only was I looking forward to all the fun but I was also looking forward to earning my second Infinity Gauntlet Challenge medal.  As I mentioned in my Dr Strange 10K recap, we had decided to mash Disney with Superheroes so I would be running the half marathon as Super Snow White, complete with shield to weild off any bad apples I encountered on the course. (See what I did there…)

Sunday Runday was off to an early start—we headed over the the start line area to meet up with everyone and get a few pre-race pictures before the race started.  Then we were off to our corrals to wait for the race to start.  After the national anthem and other announcements, the runner's were on their way.  The waves seemed to be going rather quickly and before I knew it, it was time for us to start.

Our plan going into Sunday was to have all the fun.  The course for this race was new and I was looking forward to it—this was my fourth runDisney half marathon at Disneyland and every course has been different so far. Shortly after mile one, we came up to the first photo stop and the line was short! What?!  This never happens so we took a quick picture, took a bathroom break and continued on our way.  Then we came up to the next photo stop and again, a short line! 

I’m not sure why all the lines were short, but the longest wait we had for a photo was about seven minutes.  Maybe people took all their pictures at the 5K and 10K—it’s the same characters, but we still wanted all the pictures.  

After mile four, we headed out of the parks and into Anaheim.  If I’m being honest, the most exciting thing in Anaheim is Disneyland, but the crowd support makes this race worth it.  At mile six, we came upon the Sparkle Athletic cheer station, complete with the Sparkle unicorns.  We then continued on and before I knew it, we were entering Angels Stadium.  In the past, the course routed you through the back entrances and you didn’t see the completed stadium.  This course brought you through the front and I saw the Angels helmets that I had never seen before.  

The crowd support near the stadium was awesome.  My favorite part of any runDisney event has been the group dressed in vintage military uniforms, complete with a dance floor and dancers.  I was excited to see them out there again.  Once we left the stadium, a cosplay group cheered us on for about half a mile.  Before I knew it, we were at mile ten with only a 5K left to go.  

I struggled the last three miles.  I don’t know if it was a combination of running two races the days before and spending time in the parks, but my legs were not happy with me.  I was getting cramps in my legs and my feet were screaming at me to stop.  I was grateful to have Stephanie, Toni and John with me to help keep me going.  

Finally we found the finish line! I’m not sure that I’ve ever been so happy to cross a finish line.  After getting our medals, snack boxes and taking a few pictures, we headed to the stage area to meet up with the rest of our friends.  I decided I needed to keep moving, so I headed back to the hotel to get ready for the rest of the day in the parks.  (I think I may have been having some shoe issues during the race because as soon as my shoes came off, my legs felt so much better!)   

After the 10K on Saturday, I was a little concerned about the hydration stops along the course, but they had so many.  The crowd support was awesome and we loved getting shout outs on our Princess Superhero costumes—we even had some people take pictures with us because they loved our shields! The new course? Amazing!  I loved this change and I hope runDisney sticks with it.  

It was another great runDisney Avengers Superheroes weekend and I can’t wait until next year!  Maybe I’ll actually watch the movies before then.

Until next time, happy running.
Jenn13.1

runDisney Dr. Strange 10K Race Recap

When registration opened for the runDisney Avengers Superheroes weekend, my first thought when I saw the theme for the 10K was Dr. Strange was, “Doctor Who?!”  Although this would be my second year running the Infinity Gauntlet Challenge, I’ve never actually seen the Avengers movies and don’t know who the characters are. 

As I mentioned in my Captain America 5K recap, this was a girls weekend with Michelle, Stephanie and Toni.  After discussing costume ideas, we decided to mash Disney and Superheroes—for the 10K we decided to be Superhero Mouseketeers.  Julian would also be joining us and I couldn’t wait to have all the fun.

Like all runDisney races, race morning came early and we headed over to the start line area to meet up with our friends for some pre-race pictures and fun. This year we stayed at a Disney hotel and I loved being that close to the start area!  After meeting up with everyone and taking pictures, we came up with a race plan.  AJ and Ivie were starting in earlier corrals, so they would run ahead to the first photo stop and wait for us. 

 It worked out perfectly—by the time we met up with them in line, we were almost to the front of the line.  As a group, we definitely follow racing etiquette and picture taking etiquette—although it may have looked like we were cutting in line, we take one group picture with one person’s phone.  We have the process down to a science to make it easy on everyone.  After the first photo stop, we were on our way for the rest of the race—I run most races alone so I always have a blast with the groups at runDisney events.  This race did not disappoint.

After all the character stops and all the fun, the race was over.  I was honestly having so much fun, that I didn’t pay that much attention to the course.  I know that I wasn’t struggling to get through the crowds like I was at the 5K and it never felt too congested to me.  

The only change I would make would have been the number of water stations—there were only two and I would have liked one more.  The weather started getting warmer the last couple of miles and one more water station would have been perfect. 

I still don’t know who Dr. Strange is but I had a blast at the Dr. Strange 10K.  And the bling is pretty awesome too! After getting our medals and snack boxes, we made our way to the race stage to meet up  with other friends, have more fun and take more pictures.  After this race, I was definitely looking forward to the next day’s Avengers Superheroes Half Marathon and earning my Infinity Gauntlet Challenge medal.

Have you ever done a multi-day race challenge?

Until next time, happy running.
Jenn13.1