Disneyland Half Marathon - Run

I was fortunate enough to qualify for corral A with my previous half marathon times, so I knew I could get in front of the crowd and not have to fight the masses through the parks. At the start I was about the fifth line back, so there were not many people in front of me, and this made a clear path. Running through the parks was a memorable experience. Lining the streets were the Disney characters and you could stop and get pictures taken - but not for me this time around, I was aiming for a PR and was running strong. I hit the 5K mat at 22:45 (7:15/mi avg) and the 10K mat at 45:15 (7:16/mi avg). At 15K I was at 1:08:19 (7:20/mi avg) so I knew I had a great shot at my PR. My left hip/glute did not start getting sore until mile 10 or so, which helped me keep a good cadence and stay strong through the main parts of the race. I took on little water, but had planned for this in training and felt ok even without the added fluid. At mile 111-12 I felt a bit fatigued but associated my mind with my form and kept my pace below 8:00/mi. As I entered the Disneyland Hotel area I pushed a bit harder to finish before the 1:37:00 mark, and managed to come in a bit under, which set me new PR by about six (6) minutes. Execution for this race was good, and my 7:23/mi avg pace is a clear indication of that. Although I am totally satisfied with my results, I am confident I can do even better at this distance, and perhaps hold a 7:00/mi pace avg with more training and speed work.

Nothing comes to mind on the surface. I could have executed fluid intake a bit better, but I did not want to stop at the water stations and walk, and did not want water and PowerAde sloshing into my face, so I skipped many of them.

Went to the massage tent and got a 10 minutes massage on my legs, then walked to my designated meeting spot with the family.


Nothing comes to mind - my weight was about 193-194 for this race, and I suppose as I continue to shed pounds and fat I can improve my overall speed, but I do not think this was a limiter for my results based on past races.


This is Disney, so you know they are going to put on a top-shelf race. I was not disappointed in the least, and was thoroughly impressed with their management of the corrals and the finish area. Well done Disney - you make a great race for everyone.