Race Report: Tinker Bell 1/2 Marathon

Last year was the first year of the Tinker Bell 1/2 Marathon at Disneyland. I didn't do it. Why? Because I had just had a baby and I didn't think I would be ready in two months. I regretted it since I jumped back from pregnancy pretty quick.

There was no way I was going to miss it this year. I have done the Disneyland 1/2 several times and have loved it, so I knew this RunDisney race would be the same.

So the "fun" part of this race was when I got the 24-hour flu just days before. It's been a long time since I've had the flu and it completely drained me. My whole body was weak from all the vomit convulsions. I could barely lift my baby, yet I had a long weekend of working and racing. All my training for nothing! I was so mad! Luckily it was gone as quickly as it came, but my body certainly wasn't recovered to race at full potential.

Team Sparkle had a booth at the expo, so I got to be a princess for the weekend. (P.S. Our Princess Headsweats visors were a hit!) It's never ideal to spend 10 hours on your feet two days in a row before a race , but sometimes that's what you gotta do to support your running habit.

Since this was the Tinker Bell race we dressed as Peter Pan characters. Carrie - tick tock crocodile, me - Captain Hook, and Kelly - Mr. Smee. This photo doesn't do our outfits justice because you can't see our skirts!

We were in Corral A, so I actually got to start the race on the front of the start line. Kinda surreal, especially when standing next to some elite runners. A friend from high school and I ran together for the first four miles. We both had the lofty goal of 1:40, but really I was just looking for a PR (under 1:43:00).

The course wove through both parks and really took you for a ride. It's never ideal to have a course with so many turns. You lose your momentum every time you have to make a 90-180 degree turn. We still kept up our pace and I still had hopes of a fast race.

Around mile 7 you left the parks and ran around the streets of Anaheim. My friend had dropped back at mile 4 so I was running alone. And it sure was lonely. Dark and lonely. No one was around me. I guess that's what happens in a mostly-women's race. Once we headed back toward the park I started calculating what I had to do to get a PR. It was still possible, but I had to keep my current speed. No slowing down and certainly no stopping. That's the part that scares me...no room for small errors.

I felt relatively ok during the race. I took my gels earlier than planned, which meant I was a little undernourished and pushing hard. I kept trying to speed up my legs, but I always seem to hold back, scared I will run out of juice, I was surprised I wasn't going faster, but then again, I was surprised I was going as fast as I was too.

The last mile came and I knew I had to hold my fast pace. Then came the hill. It was a tunnel that went under the park. We had already run it earlier, but here it was again...at the end of the race. SO MEAN. I met the course designer later and gave her a piece of my mind. I was flying when I came up and booked it to the end. 

Done. I did it. Another PR. 1:42:09. I wish I could have shaved off those last 9 seconds, but really I gave it my all. I had sprinted to the finishline and almost fell over at the end. (I knew I had really pushed myself when I tried to run three days later and my legs were still toast!)

Mile 1 7:47

Mile 2 7:49

Mile 3 7:43

Mile 4 8:04

Mile 5 7:57

Mile 6 7:53

Mile 7 7:49

Mile 8 7:54

Mile 9 7:55

Mile 10 7:43

Mile 11 7:36

Mile 12 7:45

Mile 13 7:25

Mile 0.13 0:53

1:42:09

7:47 pace

12th in division

64th woman out of 10,553

I haven't beaten that elusive 1:40, but I still have plenty of time. I'm running the Princess 1/2 Marathon in Florida next month. Same circumstances of working two days before the race, but this time I'm not getting the flu. Maybe Florida will be my lucky state.