Disneyland Half Marathon - The Happiest Race On Earth!

I did it! After eight weeks of training, I successfully ran 13.1 miles at the Disneyland Half Marathon! The race was so much fun and the course was relatively easy. What made it entertaining was being cheered on by the cast of Disney from Donald Duck to Mickey and Minnie to Lilo and Stitch! There were also the Ducks cheerleaders, hula dancers, the Disney staff, and police officers applauding and cheering the runners on. What was neat was that spectators could track their runners online at the 5k, 10k and 15k mark and they'd even see an estimated time of completion so that they could be sure to meet their family and friends at the finish line! I am so happy that the race is finally over - I was so nervous that I'd get picked up if I didn't maintain a 16 mins/mile pace! Thank goodness I trained! The first 6 miles was like a walk in a park where I felt like I could run forever. Miles 7-10, my body began to ache, but I was only about 25% tired. Once I hit miles 11-13, I got a side stitch, my feet and legs started to cramp, and I started to get really tired because the sun was now fully blazing. I focused on my breathing and gave myself a pep talk. "Do not stop running! You've got to make the last two months of sacrifice and training worth it!" As I approached the finished line, I kept hearing folks saying "you're almost there!" which gave me an adrenaline rush and allowed me to give myself a little push to finish strong! I swear, I am such an emotional sap. I kept wanting to cry during the last .2 miles because I was in such disbelief that all my training was finally going to pay off, but I held it together knowing that I had to look good for my finish line snapshot, haha - vain I know! Thank you so much for those who wished me good luck on my big day, and a special thank you to E* for supporting me at the finish line!

Apparently, I was smiling throughout the whole race!

Almost at the finish line

Crossing the finish line!

Hurray! I made it!