Tag: Disneyland

• Disneyland Half Marathon

  Posted at 3:44 AM by Brittany, on September 9, 2012

  

  One of the most memorable and amazing weeks of my life has come and gone in the blink of an eye. September 2nd was I day I will never forget. All the training, the tears, the pain, the struggle, the whining, the complaining, the food, the running, has all paid off because I am officially a half marathoner. My goal was to run/jog the entire time..no walking. Goal complete!

  

  
  4:00 am came and I hauled myself out of bed. I struggled getting to sleep the night before. I was panicked that I wouldn’t wake up, and that I would miss the race. This caused me to toss and turn like the ocean. This was the first race I have done where we started in the dark. It took 20 minutes after the initial gun shot for my corral to start because this race had 17,000 people. At about 6:05, I was off.

  The first 3 miles were magical..I am so corny right now, but I don’t know how else to put them. I was able to run through Disneyland and California Adventure, with hundreds of other people that shared the same passion for running and Disneyland. My only complain with these miles was the congestion of people. It was stop and go for almost the entire time, this was a hassle and a slow down.

  Miles 3-7 were neutral. I started to get some stomach kinks at mile 7 due to the fact that I hadn’t used the bathroom prior to running, so I had to stop and let the gut beast out.

  At mile 9 I was given a Gu shot..aka the TAR shot. It was chocolate flavored, so it tasted good…but was SO thick that I thought I was going to choke. I couldn’t eat it. At this mile I ran through Angels Stadium which made me feel like a BAMF.

  Miles 10-13 were tough. I had to turn my brain off and chant the word, “run.” I was tired, and excited all at the same time. I finally made it to the finish line..and I might have cried. OK I cried. I was tired, I was excited, I was proud, and I was amazed. This was a moment I will cherish forever. I earned my first running medal and I couldn’t feel more proud.

  

  So proud I wanted to wear it all day.

  

  This thing is like solid gold. I felt like a king. The run was tough near the end, but if I could do it all over again I would. I’m sad that it’s over, but so glad that it happened! Thank you to everyone that wished me well before the run.

  

  Q: Tell me something that you accomplished this past week!? A HALF MARATHON BABAY!

  

  | 52 Comments Tagged Disneyland, Half Marathon, Running

• DLand Expo

  Posted at 3:23 PM by Brittany, on September 1, 2012

  Yesterday I went to my first running expo. For all the races I have run thus far, I was able to pick up my packet and tshirt the day of the race. This race is different in the fact that if you don’t pick up your stuff early, you don’t run. I also had to sign a waiver explaining that if I die of heat stroke, the wild pigs are able to eat my leftovers.

  

  After what felt like a half marathon of walking, I found the expo. There were so many people here it was unreal. The booths were fun to look at, and I was able to snag some samples of Clif Bloks which I really liked. Fortunately for me they will have some at mile 9.

  

  I snagged my running bib (which is THE coolest one yet) and headed to the expo. There were multiple times I felt someone’s sweaty armpit on my shoulder, arm, and hands..I wanted to die. I don’t like other people touching me that I don’t know! I was a bit disappointed that there were no freebies at this expo. I paid $150 for this race and they gave me a tshirt and a baby clif bar. I still love you DLand.

  

  I really can’t believe that in less than 24hrs I will have completed my first half marathon. In Disneyland. I am so jazzed, and tonight I am going to have a spaghetti feast at my all time favorite restaurant, The Spaghetti Factory. I am going to run like the wind tomorrow, and I know my man Buzz will be there carrying me to infinity and beyond!

  

  Move over woody, it’s my turn to be spooned.

  Q: Best expo you’ve ever been to? I’ve mentioned this once before, but I went to a women’s expo where I was given the most amazing tongue scraper. Any expo where you get free stuff is a good expo.

  

  | 22 Comments Tagged Buzz Lightyear, Disneyland, Half Marathon, Running

• 8M,9M,10M…13.1M

  Posted at 12:31 PM by Brittany, on August 29, 2012

  I never blogged about my last three long runs on my half marathon training schedule. I blogged about my 7miler, which still holds the title of best run I’ve ever had. The 8miler I had scheduled for the next week was tough. Mentally I was out of it, and the run was painful. I won’t elaborate much more than that, but I can assure you I looked something like this.

  
  The 9 miler was better. I stopped worrying about my pace, and just let myself run. My time was a lot slower than my 7miler, but I finished without a struggle. The only complain I had was during the last mile. My knees started to bother me, but I can thank my 9hr work day for that. I looked more like this.

  

  Slow and steady.

  This what I would look like as an animation, with a cauliflower arm.

  The 10miler I ran this past Sunday was the final long run before the half. I was worried. I have never hit the double digits and although it was only one mile further than the week before, I was nervous. Mentally I was psyching myself out. Finally I just went for it, and I felt great the entire run. EVEN with the ridiculous hills. Almost an entire 5miles of the run were uphill..ugh. It was a slower pace still, but I felt like THIS..

  

  Yea I was pretty much flying. I did it, I ran 10miles without stopping.

  This Sunday is the big day, I am running my first half marathon and I couldn’t be more excited. Be ready for some California based posts for the next few days! California here I come!

  

  Q: Tell me something exciting you have recently accomplished!! It doesn’t have to be fitness related, tell me anything! 

  

  | 29 Comments Tagged Disneyland, Half Marathon, Running

• This Is How I Show My Age

  Posted at 7:25 PM by Brittany, on August 27, 2012

  Every year I go to the county fair with my best friend. Every.single.year. The game plan has always been the same, get a wrist band in order to ride sketchy rides all day long. I like to get my money’s worth, and going to a fair or a theme park isn’t cheap. Therefor I like to stay all day long and suck the park dry. This year started out no different than the last, and I looked forward to the fair all week long.

  

  This is what I’d look like as the smartest farm animal.

  In all my years of adolescence I’ve been proud of my strong stomach, and my willpower to go on rides until the park closed. I should have known something was changing when I was the one that requested to leave the water park last month. Manfriend was prepared to continue on for a few more hours, but I pulled the plug and wanted to go eat. Who am I?

  Right off the bat at the fair my stomach started to flop. The very first ride had me feeling funny. I tried to tell myself it was the toothless smiles I received from the carnival operators, but it was indeed the ride.

  

  I ignored the sensation and continued on. Ride after ride and the puke feeling only grew. Once my other half started telling me she had a headache and her back hurt I knew what was happening. We were turning into old ladies. Gone were the days of rolling with the middle school kids (we had to be the oldest people at the fair without children.) We continued on though, until finally I needed something to eat.

  

  Slim pickings for vegans at the fair, but I had my heart set on these curly fries since last year. I am proud to report that basket went into the trash empty. With only a slight amount of help from my homegirl, I polished off the entire batch. Spinning rides and a stomach full of grease called for a mellow next hour. Time to look at the farm animals. I have been obsessing over chickens for the past month, and I have found two new types I MUST HAVE.

  

  Two chickens representing two different eras. On the left we have 1970’s chicken proudly sporting a full head of hair in the Afro puff. On the right we have 1990’s chicken proudly sporting the punk rock grunge look. Must have both.

  I think my favorite ride of the day was the children’s roller coaster that went no faster than 2mph. It was shaped like a worm.

  

  Either this or the fun house, both of which went easy on my stomach. I am a sucker for the funky mirrors in the fun house. No where else can you distort your body image in that many ways. I take that back, Photoshop is pretty powerful too.

  

  Be careful little girl, on the left is what you’ll look like if you keep eating Cheetos.

  Overall my day at the fair was fun and eyeopening. Gone are the days of my 15yr old body enjoying the spins of county fair rides. My 23yr old body needs more mature rides like roller coasters and towers of terror. Good thing I leave for DLand on Wednesday!!!! YAHOO!

  

  My other half

  Q: How do you handle spinning rides?

  

  | 24 Comments Tagged Curly Fries, Disneyland, Fair, Old Lady

• Lakefair 8K

  Posted at 6:37 PM by Brittany, on July 22, 2012

  Yesterday I ran race number eight of the year. My first 8K race, which is just .03 miles shy of 5miles (which is the most common distance I have raced thus far). An 8K for the eighth race, how appropriate. The course ended up totaling 4.9miles according to my Garmin. I once packed myself some Starburst to eat during a 10K, but found out there is gelatin in the ingredients..gross. This time I tried something different.

  

  To be honest, these jellies are so delicious I need any excuse to eat them..including a mere 5mile run. I stuck these in my pants for safe keeping.

  

  I love the secret pocket my running pants have. Some people might use it for their keys, or money. I most definitely need mine for some kind of edible item. I didn’t even care that I had a giant bulge protruding from my left hip.

  

  Look close, right under the 7 it looks like I am packing a silver bar.

  The race course was great. The inclines and declines were mild, and the temperature was ideal. Not to mention I was able to run next to a total hunk near the finish line.

  

  Bahahaha

  I’m not sure how or when, but 4554 ended up pulling ahead of me in the last stretch…… and beat me. I don’t know this for sure, but I am going to guess this guy is a heart doctor. You go mystery-coco.

  

  I finished the race in 49:20 at a 10:04 pace. My only complaint was about the girl running so closely behind me that her breathing sounded louder than a jackhammer, and her running number was flopping all over her shirt which annoyed me. I wished I had that silver bar to throw at her.

  Post race I stuffed my face with free watermelon, and my pockets with free builder bars. Aside from being manufacture on machines where dairy “may be present in traces”, these bars are vegan friendly and oh so delicious.

  

  I grabbed six, but couldn’t wait to eat one. I’ll give you one guess as to which flavor is my favorite. Another race down, and one race away from Disneyland! Next week is my first 7miler..acckk!

  Q: Do you ever bring sugar laden snacks to eat during workouts for a boost?

  

  | 41 Comments Tagged 8K, Disneyland, Running, Vegan

• Done

  Posted at 8:22 AM by Brittany, on June 11, 2012

  I am done. I am officially done, done planning my vacation for the end of August. I started this planning process on January 18th. This is a specific date that I will come back to in just a moment. My tickets are purchased, my hotel is paid for, and my legs will soon be ready for a lot of walking..and..running. Had I waited just ONE month after January 18th, this trip would not have been possible.

  For the past two years this has been a day dream of mine, a goal that I didn’t think possible for various reasons. Finally I pulled the trigger and said go. The preparation for this vacation starts today.

  

  A closer look..

  

  On September 2nd I will be running my FIRST half marathon!! This isn’t just any half marathon, I wanted number one to be special.

  

  DISNEYLAND!! I am so unbelievably excited. Race registration opened on January 18th and was SOLD OUT by February 19th. Had I waited, this would not have been possible. I have been sitting on this “secret” for a few months. I wanted my trip to be complete before sharing. Along with running the half marathon, I will be going to Disneyland and California Adventure two of the days I am there.

  I wish I was running with Snow Whites Manfriends. My only goal for the actual run is to get a decent photograph. I’m talking about the ones that the “professionals” take. I don’t want to look like this..

  

  Seriously..how does that even happen. This was the last 5miler I ran and I felt GREAT during this race, yet I look like a 70yr old dying woman about the throw up her crackers and soup. I can’t believe I even put this on here, I invite you to laugh because I sure as hell had multiple laughing fits over this shot.

  With that said, I have no time goals. I am running this race simply to get my foot in the door and see how I like running 13 miles. After this race the opportunities are endless. Why did I choose DL as the first one? Possibly because it’s the happiest place on earth, and because not everyone can say, “My first half marathon was at Disneyland.” I can’t wait to share more about the training process, and then the vacation itself! Stay tuned, and wish me luck!!

  Q: If you’re a runner, tell me about the first time you ran your longest distance. If you’re not a runner, tell me about an athletic goal you have, or have already achieved. 

   

  | 56 Comments Tagged Disneyland, Half Marathon, Half Marathon Novice 1, Horrible Running Picture, Running

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