Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend

Hey guys! I am literally in the car on the way home from Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend at Disneyland.

I did the Rebel Challenge this year, which meant I ran the 10k yesterday and the half today. Good times. 

Unfortunately I didn't take many pics because pretty much all my concentration goes to not dying and not stopping. I admire all of those people who have the will power to stop and take a photo, or stretch, or go to the bathroom...but I just know that if I ever stop, there's a chance I might not get going again.

So I got to Disneyland on Friday...and was super disappointed to find that the expo didn't open for a couple hours. I really wanted to check out the exclusive merch from runDisney and New Balance. 

But I went and played in the park with my family. The new Star Wars themed Hyperspace Mountain was super cool. And The Force Awakens updated Star Tours was great also!

The good news is, I did get to the expo and did get the new Dooney & Bourke Star Wars Half Marathon bag and the 2016 Ariel New Balances! Score. 

The 10k was great. That is really my favorite distance and will probably be my go to Disney race from now on. (Apart from halves I haven't done...) I felt strong and ended with a pace 40s faster than the 10k in November and almost a full minute quicker than what I told Disney I expected. (I am not fast...I walk a lot and jog slowly) I'd definitely recommend this 10k to anyone. You spend almost the entire 6.2 in the parks or in backstage areas. It might be my favorite course yet! I ran this race alone, as my sister really wanted to see how fast she could go. And it was just fine. I actually enjoyed setting my own pace and not worrying that I was too slow/fast (ha) for my race buddy. 

Today was the half. Ugh, at this moment I don't know that I could ever do it again. (That idea will change as soon as I decide I want to try a new race!) I felt pretty good for most of the whole race. We slowed way down during the back half, and I, Brittney, had to be the strong one for Aubrey. She was in a lot of pain (never wear Sketchers as your half shoes...). I wanted to quit around mile 9, as per usual. But this time I had to paste a smile on my face and tell the sister that we could do it. I literally had a litany of "You Can Do This. You Got This." playing in my head through mile 11. At 12, Aub almost had a melt down, but we pushed and finished!

This course was not my fave. We spent a lot of time...around 4-5 miles on Harbor. And I find that much time on one street boring. But there was a bunch of park time, and the local 501st legion nailed the cosplay. Over all, I'd maybe do this race again if someone twisted my arm, but I'd rather do the Avengers. 

The medals are freakin' sweet! Super excited to add these to my collection. 

As a side note...it's not the greatest feeling ever to get in a car and drive for 6 hours directly after a half marathon. I can feel myself getting stiffer every moment!

Thanks for reading people! Let me know if you need any advice on how to slowly run a half or anything Disney race related!