Princess Half Marathon – Aurora

Day two of the Fairytale Challenge began as the day before, catching the 3:30 transport to EPCOT. Our luggage did arrive so I was able to wear my contacts for this run. We arrived and the staging area was already filling up with runners. I managed to get a photo with Merida and then took my trek out to the corrals and Rick made his way to the Magic Kingdom.

I was placed in corral D, which the wait was not that long. Once we were released with some fireworks we were heading towards the Magic Kingdom. Along the way I took a photo with Captains Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa. Continuing towards the Magic Kingdom, I finally arrived at the marquee. You would think that the park would be close but from experience it is another three miles till you get to the park. There was a photo op with four princes, John Smith, Eric, Flynn Ryder and Phoebus. By the time I got my chance Flynn took a break, so I filled in.

We finally made it to the Magic Kingdom, just past the five mile mark. The view when you turn onto Main Street and see Cinderella’s castle never gets old. Found Rick right by the castle where we took a right and entered Tomorrowland. After tailing a picture with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb I entered Fantasyland. As I approached Gaston’s Tavern I saw that he was there with Belle and decided to wait in their line.

After the long wait I took my picture with them and continued my way to the castle. Right before we entered the castle, Snow White was there. Since she is my favorite princess I had to stop and get a photo with her. Once I got my photo I ran through the castle then came upon a bottle neck at the front of the castle so we just walked our way down. Took my castle photo and made my way through Liberty Square where I saw Jessie from Toy Story. From there we spent a very short time in Critter County and that is where we exited the park.

Just after mile six there was a photo op with Villains, which I got a group photo with the Queen of Hearts, the Evil Queen and Cuella DeVil. With the line taking over 15 minutes I started being concerned about the balloon ladies. I proceeded to follow the runners along the streets that passed by the golf course and a couple of the resorts. By mile eight fatigue and exhaustion caught up with me and it started getting hot, I started taking extensive walking breaks at this point.

By mile 10 we were routed on a ramp that looped to the road leading to EPCOT. At the top of the road I saw how far back the runners were so that gave me the assurance that the balloon ladies was not going to pass me up!

We entered EPCOT by mile 12 and I pushed on to finish strong. As we passed Future World and seeing Spaceship Earth the end of the race is almost there. Just one more stop I had to take, a photo op with Pluto for Megs. Once we turned the corner and saw the finish line I dug deep down and sprinted towards the finish by way of giving high fives to Donald Duck and Goofy. I finished in 4hrs 17min 59sec.

We celebrated by having brunch at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’, resting in the afternoon and having dinner at The Edison. Despite the lack of sleep, aggravations with Southwest I had a great time running this half marathon.

Princess Enchanted 10K – Mulan

The first race on 2019 started off a bit rocky. I estimated that I got three hours of sleep within 48 hours prior to the race. With a mixture of worrying about Megs at her doggie camp, traveling and Southwest losing all our luggage contributed to my insomnia. Luckily I made it a habit to pack my running gear in my carry on.

We signed up for the 3:30 transportation to EPCOT, which allowed me to check my bag in, take a photo with Cinderella and get to my corral in plenty of time. I was placed in corral B, so that gave me enough cushion if I wanted to stop for photo ops or if my lack of sleep would slow me down.

The course is very similar to the 10K for marathon weekend so I was very familiar with the course. We ran through the road entrance to EPCOT and along the way we saw Pocahontas on an overpass, snapped a quick picture of her and continued on. Just past mile one there was a very long line for Belle and the Beast, I opted to forego that photo op and continued on. Shortly after there was a line and it was Elvis Stitch so I waited.

Around 3.5 miles we entered the outskirts of EPCOT and saw the outside side track for the ride Test Track, so I knew we were close to entering World Showcase through Mexico. I quickly took a picture of the lake and posted on social media that I arrived at EPCOT.

We made our way through the showcase passing through Norway, China, Germany, Italy, The American Adventure, Japan and Morocco. I stopped at Morocco to take a photo with Aladdin, his line was fairly long, but it went pretty fast. We continued our world tour and passed France.

We took a little detour out to the Boardwalk resorts and in about mile 5.5 we entered back into World Showcase and finished our world tour through the United Kingdom and Canada. We passed under the monorail and took my last photo op in front of Spaceship Earth. I proceeded towards the finish which is located to the left of the entrance. I finished in 1hr 41min 6sec. Considering the few hours I was running on I felt pretty good along the race and finishing it.

We celebrated the 10K finish at BOMA with a great African brunch. We were planning on spending the day at EPCOT, but decided to take the day to rest after the lack of sleep for the past two days, which was the best decision.

Completing the 10K was the start to achieve the Fairytale Challenge. Next up is the half marathon to complete the challenge.

Chicago Half Marathon

The morning of the Chicago Half Marathon turned out to be a perfect morning weather-wise for running.  It was in the low 70’s with clear skies.  In the past it has been warmer, and since the course takes us on Lake Shore Drive, shade is rare.

We picked up my friend Jo on our way down and we then parked again by the Museum of Science and Industry and made our trek to the start line.  It is a long walk and it is next to the lagoon of Jackson Park.  As we were walking there was an abundance of mosquitos in the area and you can see everyone trying to swat them away.  We made our way to the start area and got ourselves situated in corral L.

The race started on time and they released us at 7:00.  They had a rolling start so all the corrals left at once.  When we got to the start marquee we started our tour around Hyde Park.

The following is an excerpt from the participant guide that features what we ran through during this race:

Mile 1 – As runners begin their trek down Cornell and Stony Island Avenues, they pass through the eastern border of the 125-year-old University of Chicago campus. The average tuition, excluding room and board, at this internationally renowned, private institution costs $42,000 annually. As a testament to U of C’s curriculum, the school decided to drop its football program in 1939 determining it was a distraction from its focus on education, research and scholarship.

Mile 2 – As runners approach Mile 2, turning east on Marquette Drive, they come upon Jackson Park Golf Course on both sides of the road. In 1899, as the Columbian Exposition was dismantled, this large plot of parkland was transformed into one of the country’s oldest golf courses, and the ­public course west of the Appalachian Mountains. Prior to Mile 3, the 5K course turns west on Hayes Drive toward the Finish Line.

Mile 3 – The Half Marathon course now parallels Chicago’s Lakefront Trail, an 18 mile, multi-use recreational path spanning the Lake Michigan shoreline. Just beyond the 5K mark, runners turn northbound onto Lake Shore Drive – Chicago’s most popular roadway, originally constructed (from the north end) in 1882.

Mile 5 – Once passing the Museum of Science & Industry, Lake Shore Drive parallels Burnham Park. This six-mile stretch of lakefront parkland, named for Daniel Burnham, connects Grant Park at the north (14th Street) with Jackson Park to the south (56th Street). Few people realize that the City of Chicago operates the oldest park district in the country, and spends more on its 580 parks on 8,100 acres than any other city per capita. The agency also operates the nation’s largest municipal harbor system, as well as one of the most expansive beach programs – with 24 beaches across 28 miles of shoreline.

Mile 6 – Just beyond Mile 6 is the eastern border of Bronzeville, once known as the “Black Metropolis” for its African American influence and culture dating back to the early 1900’s. Even today, 47th Street remains the hub for the historic neighborhood, which once produced Louis Armstrong, Marla Gibbs and Lou Rawls.

Mile 8 – The course now enters the Douglas neighborhood, which includes 31st Street Beach – completely rebuilt in 2013. At the north end turnaround, runners will see the McCormick Place Convention Center, one of the world’s largest facilities with 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space.

Mile 9 – Less than one mile west, looking down 35th Street, is U.S. Cellular Field – home of the Chicago White Sox. This area also parallels the South Shore Electric Line rail service.

Mile 10 – Part of 43rd Street, immediately west of Lake Shore Drive, is renamed “Muddy Waters Drive.” Muddy, who lived on 43rd Street for 20 years, was known as the Father of Modern Chicago Blues because of his unique ampli­ cation style. In 1987, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is best known for the “Hoochie Coochie Man, I Just Want to Make Love to You,” and ”Got My Mojo Working.”

Mile 11 – As runners pass underneath the 51st Street pedestrian bridge, they will notice a large park to their right. This is Harold Washington Park, home of a massive man-made pond, larger in circumference than a 400m Olympic running track. Locals mistakenly refer to it as the “Duck Pond,” as it was originally built for model motorboats.

Mile 12 – Prior to the 20K mark, runners continue southbound, crossing 57th Street and approaching the east side of the Museum of Science & Industry. On September 3, 1954, this exact section of Lake Shore Drive was closed to traf­fic  for the most unlikely of reasons. More than 15,000 people gathered to watch a captured WWII U-505 Nazi submarine exit Lake Michigan and cross the highway en route to its new exhibit home.

Mile 13.1 – Adjacent to the Finish Line sits the remarkable Statue of the Republic. This 24’ tall bronze sculpture is actually a replica of a much larger version (of the same name) destroyed by ­ re in 1918. The original statue, nicknamed “Big Mary,” stood 65’ tall and welcomed attendees at the Columbian Exposition. The current statue, which was rededicated in 1993 in tribute to the event’s centennial, is now referred to as the “Golden Lady.”

The complete guide can be viewed here: Athlete Guide

Running with a friend during these races are always fun, and makes the run more enjoyable.  Jo and I are similar in pace so we kept up with each other.  At the end my issue with Gatorade happened again, and my stomach was quite uneasy, and my left knee started hurting so I told Jo to go ahead and he finished minutes ahead of me.  I finished in 3hrs 5min 43sec.  Still not my regular pace, but I will take it.  My training for the past couple of months have been sporadic, so that time is understandable. I just need to get my butt back into it and start training again.

This race completes the Chicagoland Half Marathon Challenge, at the finisher festival we picked up our third medal, which was designed so that it holds both the Spring Half Marathon and the Chicago Half Marathon medals together.

Chicago Rock n Roll Half Marathon

The half marathon started an hour earlier than the 5K and since the course encompassed a lot of the downtown area we decided to drive down to Belmont and take the Red line down to the start. We got there just before 6 and headed to the Art Institute steps because there was a Half Fanatic picture meet up planned.

I got to meet a few half fanatics and then walked our way to the corrals. I was placed in corral 12, and there were 20 corrals this year. It started to rain when we were waiting in the corral, Rick was there with our umbrella so he stayed with me while we moved up to the start. Once we got to the start the rain stopped, which I was hoping was the last of it, since they said it was predicted a 30% chance of rain in the morning. No such luck, it started drizzling as we went north on Columbus towards Randolph. We took a right and ran on Lower Randolph so that shielded us from the rain. They split the half marathon and the 10K course at the end of Randolph, where we went left and the 10K runners took a right.

The crowd started to thin and it was easier to maneuver around the runners and now the big water puddles. The course took us up to Grand Ave and we made our way south via State street. The forecast of 30% chance of rain was pretty much wrong, it rained on an off throughout the course. The magnitude of the rain ranged from drizzling all the way to a deluge. Needless to say I was pretty much soaked throughout the entire run.

Our tour of the downtown area brought us down State street where we saw the Marina Towers and the Chicago Theater. The course also routed us through the Theater District, the Chicago River, looped us around at Des Plaines St and brought us back to the Loop are via Monroe Street. They brought us back to State street via Clark, Madison, LaSalle and Washington, where we saw a lot of Shops and the Harold Washington Library, where we took another turn going west on Van Buren until we hit Franklin and then Harrison Street to bring us back towards the lake.

We took a right on Michigan ave and ran south all the way down to 31st street, where we took a left heading east until we got to Martin Luther King Drive. We took a left and ran the Drive and looped back and ran the other direction of the Drive and took another left back onto 31st street and proceeded to the lake.

We crossed Lake Shore Drive overpass and took a left on Fort Dearborn Drive and make our way towards McCormick Place. As we exited the tunnel at McCormick Place they routed us to the pathway towards Soldier Field, just before we got to Soldier Field, they turned us to the left and we went on the off ramp of Lake Shore Drive, and we ran along the Southbound shoulder of Lake Shore Drive. This year they had a row of box trucks shielding us from the oncoming traffic, which made it feel safer.

We took the on ramp towards Roosevelt Road and once we got off Lake Shore Drive, you could see the finish at a distance on Columbus Drive.

I finished in 2hrs 51min and 55sec. So much better than my last half marathon back in the spring. Despite the rain, it was a good run overall. If my feet weren’t so soggy throughout the race I would have said that the rain felt good while I was running. I picked up my remix challenge medal and we decided not to stay since it started to rain hard again. This was my seventh year running the Rock n Roll, and this year was quite an experience. I already signed up for next year’s challenge, so I will be running it again next year, I wonder what the weather would be like next year!

Chicago Spring Half Marathon

This year is the 10th anniversary of the Spring Half Marathon which represents the northern side of Chicago. Although we do not run in the north area, this is a 2-part series which includes the Chicago Half Marathon scheduled in September, which represents the southern side of Chicago.

This is my fifth year running this half marathon. I liked this race because it usually has cooler temperatures and they also give you a flower to plant along with your finisher medal. This year the weather was not cooperative, which made the run a little miserable towards the end.
Jo also signed up for this and we ran together for the majority of the run. The temperature was in the 40’s when we arrived and got into our corral. The skies were overcast and you can feel the wind while we were waiting for our corral to get started.

Once we started we headed south on Columbus drive and just before Roosevelt Road we veered left to the under pass that lead us towards the museum campus and connecting us to the lakeshore path going south.

We passed Shedd Aquarium, Soldier Field and McCormick Place and then began our run through the lakeside paths along Lake Michigan. We continued south until we passed 47th street, just after the six-mile marker we came to the turnaround and headed back north. The wind started to pick up and it and the cold air didn’t help a bit. It started to drizzle a bit, which wasn’t too bad and then it stopped.

Around mile 8 my feet started to hurt and I needed to take more walking breaks. By mile 9 I told my feet started getting sharp pains on the left side of my left food. I told Jo after mile 10 that if he wanted to go, to just go ahead because it was going to take me some time to finish.

For the last 5K I was taking more walking breaks, so that I wouldn’t injure my feet, because I have another race the following weekend. Just past mile 12 I saw Rick, paused a bit and then continued to the finish. When we reached Randolph street we took a left and went through the covered roadway until we reached Columbus Drive. When we turned onto Columbus you can see the 13-mile marker and the finish line. When I turned and made my way to the finish the rain was coming down. When I passed the 13-mile marker I started on a light jog and made it to the finish.

I finished in 3hrs 19min 24sec. I was so glad to finish. I hobbled to get my medal and to find Rick and Jo. We just hung around for a little bit and then headed back home so that I can get out of the wet clothes and into a hot shower.

Dopey Challenge – WDW Half Marathon

Saturday morning Donald Duck hosted the Half Marathon, we could see how popular the race is by seeing how the traffic was just getting to the park. We got there early and realized that they moved the start corrals to the main road. Rick departed to go to the Magic Kingdom because they allowed the spectators to enter the park to cheer the runners.

As I remembered from the first marathon the trek to the starting corrals is very long. That should of been counted as part of our mileage because it was long walk! For the last half of the challenge they placed me in corral E. When I got to the corral I made my way to the front so I could have more of a cushion so I can try to get more photos with characters.

They released the corrals with fireworks, which was a nice touch. Once they released our corral we started off on the main road of EPCOT. When we passed the first mile marker we ran a little further and then turned north towards the Magic Kingdom. That was a long stretch between the two parks. With the Disney races they have a lot of thing to see, such as billboards with movie clips, characters and entertainment. On this stretch one notable sight was a large Mickey Mouse head that was a hot air balloon just before the entrance o the Magic Kingdom.

By mile four we ran through the transportation center where you can take the monorail or ferry into the Magic Kingdom. Since we are running the router us to the street where the resort busses take to the passenger drop off. As we pass the Contemporary Hotel we could see the lighted Space Mountain and also the lighted Cinderella Castle. The castle still had it Christmas light so it was very bright. Just as we passed the five mile mark we are entering the gates to the park!

We entered the park where we saw the plaque “Here You Leave Today and Enter the World of Yesterday, Tomorrow and Fantasy” and that made me smile. We proceeded to Main Street where we were greeted by a lot of spectators and a great view of the castle. Rick texted me where he was so I was able to see him by the castle just before we turned right towards Tomorrowland.

We ran through the Circus area and made our way to Fantasyland, where we ran through the castle. When we exited the castle, I took my picture with the castle and the continued towards Liberty Square. We were the routed to Frontierland where we ran towards Big Thunder Mountain and the turned around, took a right turn at Splash Mountain and then exited the park and made our way back to EPCOT.

On our return route to EPCOT we passed a few resorts and golf courses, by then the sun was up and bright. On some of the ramps that we ran on, were quite narrow and were on a slight angle. This was a bit and to run on, but I got it done. By mile 12 we were entering the entrance of EPCOT, and I believe the park started to be open to the public because there was a lot of people there. To finish the last mile, the routed us up Tomorrow World and made a hairpin turn just at the entrance of World Showcase and back towards Spaceship Earth and the usual exit out of the park to the Finish. They added the choir just before the last turn singing Hallelujah, an indication that the finish is near!

I completed the Half in 3hrs 33min 16min, definitely not my best time, but definitely a fun time. The lines to the characters were not too long so I was able to take pictures with Sebastian, Woody and Bullseye, Cinderella & Prince Charming and Aurora & Prince Philip, and the Genie from Aladdin.

We had breakfast reservations at Boma with the relatives so we quickly freshened up at the hotel and met Nanette, Nicholas, Jean, Kainoa and Jaiden for breakfast before we spent a few hours at Animal Kingdom. Left the park around 7:00 so we can relax and rest up for the last race of the challenge.

Infinity Gauntlet Challenge Part 2 – Avengers Half Marathon

Followed the same routine as yesterday, this time met up with my cousin Nanette and Todd before entering the corrals. This time we were in corral D, and hung out towards the back because Nanette got interviewed and was on the jumbo Tron where she was recognized for doing 50 half marathons and that her first one was a Disney race.

Once we started we followed the same route and entered California Adventure through Cars Land. This time we didn’t go through A Bugs Land but instead went through the service area and entered again in Hollywood Land right by Guardians of the Galaxy: Breakout and ran part of Buena Vista Street right next to Cathay Circle. We took a left and went through Pacific Wharf and made our way around Paradise Pier. We took a left right by Ariel’s Undersea Adventure and made our way through Grizzly Peak and Condor Flats, and made our way back to Buena Vista Street where we exited the park.

I saw Rick before we took a left and ran through the outskirts of Disneyland and entered the park through Critter Country right next to Splash Mountain. We ran along the Rivers of America and found ourselves in Frontierland, where we caught a glimpse of Big Thunder Mountain. We briefly went through Fantasyland and ran through the castle.

We took a left turn and ran through the access part between the castle and the Matterhorn and took a right and ran past the Nemo ride, Autopia and Space Mountain. We arrived at the Hub through the Tomorrowland entrance and made our way down Main Street U.S.A. before we exited the park and on our way out to the streets of Anaheim.

When we exited the parks I saw Rick before we went on Harbor Blvd and turning on Manchester Ave. This street ran parallel next to I5 and we also passed the Gardenwalk before we tuned on Katella. From Katella we turned on Anaheim Blvd to Cerritos. We then turned on Lewis Street, Ball and State College Blvd before we joined Cerritos Ave again. When we got to Douglas Rd we took a left and ran past the Honda Center on our way to Angels Stadium.

We ran the perimeter of the stadium parking lot before we entered the stadium. In the past the stadium was filled with spectators and bands. This year it was completely empty, which was bit of a bummer, because these people cheering give you an extra boost. Also in the past they would have a group of people in their service uniform cheering and a group of people in 50’s outfits dancing, this year they were missing. I always enjoyed this part and was really missed this year. Another thing that was missing was the row of people in cosplay, they were nowhere in sight!

When we exited the stadium we ran along Gene Autry Way to Haster Street. We then ran through parking lots until we arrived back on Harbor Blvd. At mile 10 we took a left onto Katella for the last 3.1 miles. We took a final right on Disneyland Drive before we took a left onto the Disneyland Property right next to the Pacific Pier Hotel. We ran through the parking lot and the street towards Downtown Disney and made our finish right by the Disneyland Hotel. I finished in 3hrs 3min 6sec.

I hung out with Nanette and the first aid area waiting for Todd to finish. It was sad because this is the last race in Disneyland for quite a while. We are not sure when or if it will be coming back. There was a sign just when we entered the property that said “time to say good-bye to the west coast RunDisney family”. They say that it is because of the multiple construction plans, but I have a feeling that there is more to it. Well, I enjoyed running these races, and I will miss doing them in Disneyland. I still have my trip in January to WDW for the Dopey Challenge, but my hopes for doing a coast to coast next year has been squashed.

Thank you West Coast RunDisney for the fun times I had with the races in Disneyland. I do hope that you will come back soon, and that you will continue where you left off with the Infinity Gauntlet Challenge so we can collect all of the Infinity Stones.

Chicago Half Marathon

Finishing up the Chicagoland Half Marathon Series with the Chicago Half Marathon in Hyde Park.  Usually this race has cooler temperatures, since it is towards the end of September.  But this year Chicago has been having out of the ordinary weather and the weekend weather had the potential to get into the 90’s.

This year I was joined with my friend Jo, which it would be his first half marathon.  We got up early, picked up Jo and headed down to the Museum of Science and Industry where we usually park.  There was a photo meet up for the Midwest Half Fanatics, which I went to, but there were only two others that arrived.  So we took a quick picture and then I headed back to gear check and joined Jo and headed to the corrals.

We were both placed in corral M.  They released all the corrals at once, so we walked up until the start line and then we were off!  We started off at Jackson Park, made our way through the eastern boarder of the University of Chicago campus.  We ran through the Hyde Park neighborhood until we connected to street connecting to Lake Shore Drive.

Once we passed the Museum of Science and Industry we made our way to the northbound lanes of Lake Shore Drive.  Just as we passed mile 8 we went on the off ramp on 31^st street and crossed the overpass and turned left onto the on ramp to go back on Lake Shore Drive.

We were now heading back to the finish on the southbound lanes of Lake Shore Drive.  They had the Event Alert System at Yellow before we started the race, which indicated that the event conditions are less than ideal for the race.  I saw when we got to mile 10 that they changed it to Red which indicated potentially dangerous conditions.  It was because it was really starting to get hot.  The had water misting fans along the last part of the course, which was a welcomed addition to the race, which helped cooling us down.

We started with my regular interval pace, but once we got closer to the finish, and when it was starting to get hot, I modified the intervals so that we would take more time walking and a bit more frequently.  Jo did very well with my pacing and we managed to navigate this course in best way we could considering the conditions of the weather.

As we turned the last corner we saw the Statue of the Republic and right next to it was the finish line.  I finished the race in 3hrs 1min 44sec, and Jo finished a few seconds behind me.  We collected our medals and headed to the Finish Festival, where I got my challenge medal and got our free beer and pizza.

Although the weather was not ideal, it was fun running with Jo.  I am happy that he finished in an upright position and that he finished his first half marathon with me!  There were a lot of people take away by medical, I hope that they got the medical attention they needed and that they are doing OK.

Another challenge done for the year, and again they did not disappoint with the medals.

Disneyland Half Marathon – Pixar’s Toy Story

Arrived early to get through security, gear checked and get to the front of my corral for the second part of the double dare, the Disneyland Half Marathon.  The whole series was themed in celebrating Pixar, which the half was dedicated to Toy Story.  Even at 5:00 in the morning you could feel the heat and humidity, which gave the indication of how hot it was going to be.  Before we started they kept of informing us of the heat and that the warning system was currently at yellow.  If it changes to red, then the course would be shortened because of the dangers of the heat.  That was a bit disconcerting, especially since it took them awhile to release the first corral.

The did release the corrals, but 10 minutes late.  We were off to complete the 13.1 miles around the parks and the streets of Anaheim.

We started the course like we did the previous day and entered the property through the gated area across from Paradise Pier.  Again we entered California Adventure through Radiator Springs right by ornament valley.  We cruised along the main drag in Radiator Springs and buzzed through Bugs land and entered Hollywood land right by the new Guardians of the Galaxy ride.  We ran through Buena Vista Blvd. towards Pacific Wharf and entered Paradise Pier.  We ran behind Mickey’s fun Wheel and made our way to Grizzly Peak.  We exited California Adventure and ran to the side service road of Disneyland and entered the park through Critter Country by Splash Mountain.  We made our way through New Orleans Square and ran through the outskirts of Adventureland and Frontierland and entered Fantasyland right by Pinocchio’s restaurant.

At mile 3 we ran through the castle and then ran past the Matterhorn and looped around and entered Tomorrowland.  We exited and took a left at the hub and ran through Main Street and exited the park to the service streets east of the park entrance.  Just before we exited the property we had to stop, because there was a fire truck trying to get in, so we had to go to the side to allow the truck to pass.

Once we were out of the park we exited on Harbor and we were on our way to finish the half marathon on the streets of Anaheim.  Along the way we saw all types of cars along the road, and this year there was one that was just like Doc Hudson from Cars.  In the past when we went by the Honda Center they would route us along the Santa Ana River Trail, but this year they kept us on the streets.  We entered A’s Stadium from Douglas Road and went through the outfield of the A’s Stadium the opposite way.  When we exited the stadium we ran along Gene Autry Way, which marked the last 3 miles of the run.  We connected to Katella Ave by Harbor Blvd and once we turned on Disneyland Drive, you knew that you were close to the end.

The heat started rising ever since the sun came out and there was minimal cloud cover.  By mile 9 I started feeling the effects on my body.  It felt like I couldn’t get hydrated.  I drank the Gatorade and water, but that didn’t help.  So I ditched my 1mile run/30 sec walk and did mostly walking to the end.  At times I would get a burst of energy and I would run, but I mainly walked.  Once we got on the property, by the Paradise Pier hotel, I took a jog to the end and then pushed it a bit when I saw the finish.  I finished in 3hrs 45min 00sec, by far my worst time ever.  I would rather finish with a bad time, than stopping from heat exhaustion or dehydration.

This was a challenge this year, and the last part of the Half was not enjoyable at all.  I am glad that I finished, and I completed the double dare challenge.  At this point I don’t know if I will be running this again next year, but you never know!

Finisher Certificates for the Half and the Double Dare

 

Chicago Rock n Roll Half Marathon

The half marathon started an hour earlier than the previous day’s 5k, so we had to get up really early to travel down to the start area. This is the first half marathon that I did travelling from our new home in the north side of Chicago. We had to decide either to take the train from our location that would take us about an hour to travel, or drive down to the Belmont stop that would take us down to the start in about 20 min. We decided to drive to Belmont.

By the time we got to the start area, I took my usual picture at the start and then gear checked my items. And of course I had to take one last bathroom stop before going into my corral. As usual the line was super long, and by the time I was next in line they already started releasing the corrals. My corral was towards the back so I did not worry…too much.

I made it to my corral just as they started moving the 2nd wave towards the starting line. I did get to see the woman that dressed up as a Starbuck cup last year, this year she was dressed up as the Art Institute. I knew it was her because she had 2 green lions on her shoulders.

This is my sixth year running this race, and I like the changes that they did to the course. In the past couple of years they have been keeping us close to the Loop area, which is nice because you get to see more of the buildings and landmarks of the city, i.e. The Picasso at the Daley Center, the Chicago Theater, Union Station just to name a few. This year they routed us by where I work and along that street there was a long line of people holding the U.S. Flag in memory of veterans that have passed away.

Once we maneuvered through the Loop we exited the area when we turned right at Michigan Ave and went south down to 31st Street. Just before we arrived at Martin Luther King Drive they set up the guitar man which marked the 9th mile of the course, so only 4 more miles to go. We turned left on MLK drive and turned back around and went back down MLK drive and turned again on 31st street.

We crossed over Lake Shore Drive and turned left onto the street headed towards McCormick Place. Just before arrived at McCormick they had the sponge station. On a hot day that station is most welcomed. Today wasn’t as humid as in the past, but it was still a welcoming station! We ran through the McCormick Place corridor, which you needed to watch where you ran because it had a lot of holes. Towards the end of the corridor they had a DJ with a light show, then we were back out in the open.

We ran up to 18th Drive/Museum Campus Drive and took a left and then entered the southbound shoulder of Lake Shore Drive for the last stretch of the run. We exited Lake Shore Drive and made our way north on Columbus Drive and the finish was in sight. I finished in 2hrs 36min 28sec. The weather was way much better than it was in the past and they had more aid stations towards the end of the race which was a nice addition. Also, I am glad that they switched from passing out the GU packets and instead gave these liquid energy packets that had the consistency of juice.

I knew a few people that ran this race with me, but I did not see them this year. I hope they had a good race and hopefully see them in the upcoming races.