For those who don't know the story, my stepdad, Peter, has been training for the past 8 months for the Disneyland Half Marathon. He decided to begin running to better his health, the completion of a half marathon would be the icing on the cake. The Marathon was Labor Day weekend as it is every year since its inaugural year. Watching him train reminded me of the struggles that every runner goes through when entering the sport. On top of those struggles, you are faced with the struggles of summer training during monsoon season in Arizona. Long story short, it is quite the mountain to climb. However, in the last month I did my long runs with him on Saturday morning at 4:30 am, and I'm so very proud of the dedication that I saw him put into it. Again, I say it takes a little something extra to get your ass out of bed that early into 95 degree 60% humidity weather. After months of training, the weekend was finally here. We headed out there on Saturday morning. We were staying at the Disneyland Hotel, which is where the expo was being held. After checking in, we headed to the expo. This is the part where I get giddy. Yeah, I said it, giddy. I LOVE the atmosphere that surrounds any race, especially big ones. Seeing thousands of fit individuals all sporting their local 5K or turkey trot T-shirt from years past like trophies. The running community is an amazing group that I'm proud to be a part of! After picking up our bibs, chips and other sundries from the expo we hit the park. I will say that this is the challenging thing about this race, you should be resting before and after a race....not is Disney country, your feet take a beating. We took in a healthy dinner and were able to hit the sack by 9pm. Let me remind you that I ran last years Disney Half and it was brutal by most racers standards. The temps for the weekend were hovering around 100 degrees and the humidity was extremely high. The race officials were dangerously close to canceling the race. Ok, fast forward to this year. You could not have asked for a more picturesque California morning. Start time temps were mid to high 60's and although the humidity was high, there was slight breeze in the air. Getting to our corral, I was reminded of the fun of this particular race. Whether you love Disney or not, you are surrounded by people enjoying the sport of running and having a good time with it. C'mon, what other race can you see a very fit grown man dressed in a tinker bell outfit? Disney does everything top notch. The start included a marriage proposal, the national anthem, a monorail full of Disney characters, tons of lights and what start isn't complete without large pillars of fire coming from the starting arch. I don't want to speak out of turn here, but I'm pretty sure that Peter was a little in awe of the restless energy that you're surrounded by in the 10,000 other runners around you in those corrals awaiting the start gun. After all the festivities, we were under way. The first 3 miles take you through California Adventure and Disneyland....they go by very quick. Then you hit the streets of Anaheim for the next 5. The first 6 miles were really strong. I told Peter at mile 6 that we were on pace for a strong finish. The California marine layer (cloud cover) kept things down right pleasant. Around mile 8 is where difficulty began to set in. Around mile 10, after having just passed the Anaheim Angels baseball stadium, the sun began to creep out. Couple that with some hip and right leg problems, and I could tell that the final 3 were gonna be a challenge for him. This is where the true fight in an individual is seen during a race, you see it all around you. Everyone digging deep to find their own motivation to push them through till the end. Peter did this, and he did it big. With the sun beating down on an already tired body, he found the determination to finish strong. Again I'll say it. The human body and spirit is amazing, and you can do anything you set your mind to. Peter, I'm proud of you! You finished your first half marathon! Activity
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