*Completed* What Was I Thinking: Star Wars Half Marathon Trip Report

[gsrjedi]

I'm a big a Star Wars fan. Last year Disneyland held the initial Star Wars half marathon and I was bummed I missed out on the festivities. I told myself I'd try to get in to this year's race if I could. Now I'm not what you would call 'active'. Exercise is hard work and food is so delicious and beds are very comfortable. For reasons that still elude me I signed up for the race when registration opened up in June. I did have grand plans to spend the six months training. I don't know if you've ever been to Arizona in the summer, but imagine heat, then times that by three. Nightfall isn't much of a reprieve since it can still be triple digits when the sun goes down. Suffice it to say, my training plans were shot. I didn't really start training in earnest until December; a month before the event. Still I was like 90% confident in my ability to finish in the recommended pacing requirements.

If you've read any of my previous trip reports, you know that my Mom is usually along for the fun and this time would be no different. The race was Sunday morning and we would be leaving Friday, switching hotels on Saturday and coming home on Monday.

Friday's drive up was fortunately uneventful. We were staying in Tustin tonight before moving closer to Disneyland for the rest of the weekend. We often do this and get a slightly cheaper room for this first non-full day of our trips. Moms really wanted to go to Newport Beach to check out some makeup store. So after dropping our stuff in the room we headed out. Fashion Island was only about a 20 minute drive from our hotel and traffic was pretty light. After parking we headed straight to something called Urban Decay.



There wasn't much in the mall that interested me so I just waited outside for Moms to finish. Next door to her store was a bakery, so I popped in and popped out with an apple turnover. It was very good. Moms eventually came out of her store completely euphoric. I guess this is the only stand alone Urban Decay in the country or something and they had some stuff she wanted that she couldn't get anywhere else.

- there was one store that had my interest, but their stuff was far too expensive
DSC00005 by Michael, on Flickr - the view from the mall entrance
- Koi pond

We had passed a store on the way called 'Lemonade'. I'm also a big fan of lemonades, any kind really. I just had to stop in for a refreshing drink. They had some food items, but nothing we were dying to have. I was really just there for the lemonade and all this food was getting in my way. I had a couple samples and eventually went with my first choice - a blood orange lemonade. It was excellent; I could really go for one right now. We were getting hungry and looked around but nothing was too appealing. We saw a sign for a burger place in the mall and thought burgers sounded good. The restaurant was called Hopdoddy and was excellent. It really hit the spot. Moms had the class & I went with the chili cheese burger; it had just enough chili to taste it, but not overpower the burger. This is important stuff for chili cheese burgers.

IMG_1569 by Michael, on Flickr - green chile queso fries
DSC00010 by Michael, on Flickr - the Terlingua

After dinner Moms was tired and I wanted to head to the Marathon Expo to pick up my race bib. I dropped her off at the room and headed Disneyland way. The traffic was thick the entire way there and to park. The expo was closing at 8 and I didn't get there until about 7:30.

IMG_1571 by Michael, on Flickr - entry way to pick up the race bibs


I got my bib and headed into the expo to get my shirt. The expo was just about to close so I didn't spend much time there. I headed to D-Street in Downtown Disney and noticed they still had some of the BB-8 & Kylo Ren Christmas ornaments left. I skipped them for now, but did pick up one of the Force Awakens vinylmations - and I got BB-8! Some friends were in town for a convention and I was either going to meet up with them or pop into Disneyland for a little bit. Thing is, I was parked in the Expo parking space and since the Expo was now closed I wasn't sure how long I could stay there. I figured I'd move the car real quick and meet up with my friends, but when I was leaving the line to get into parking was super long and was getting kinda tired. I decided to just head back to the room and sleep. I had to be up fairly early the next day to drive out to Hollywood.

 

[gsrjedi]

Part 2: I Wake the Force Up for the Fourth Time

We were up bright and early this morning. We checked out of the Fairfield Inn we were staying at and loaded up the car. We'd be going to Hollywood this morning, but decided to stop by Paradise Pier to check in. Our room wasn't ready yet this early, so we got back on the road. I've seen The Force Awakens in almost all it's variations; 2D on opening night, IMAX 3D a couple days later, and then in Dolby Atmos a few days after that. We didn't have a Dolby Vision theater in Arizona though and the closest ones I knew of were in California. Coincidentally we would be there. I had purchased us tickets to watch the movie at the El Capitan in Hollywood. They had costumes from the film on display and started the movie off with a laser lightsaber show. Plus the aforementioned Dolby Vision screening. It was Moms first time seeing it and she enjoyed it, to me it just gets better with each subsequent viewing. Most of the costumes and props on display were at Star Wars Celebration, but the laser show was really neat. It's a cool theater, but the seats are cramped and it's a pain to drive in that area.
IMG_1629 by Michael, on Flickr
IMG_1578 by Michael, on Flickr - - the roof of the theaters entrance foyer
IMG_5617 by Michael, on Flickr
IMG_1586 by Michael, on Flickr
IMG_1581 by Michael, on Flickr
IMG_1587 by Michael, on Flickr
IMG_1588 by Michael, on Flickr
IMG_1589 by Michael, on Flickr
IMG_1582 by Michael, on Flickr
IMG_1583 by Michael, on Flickr

IMG_1596 by Michael, on Flickr - the interior of the theater as the credits rolled
IMG_1598 by Michael, on Flickr - they had this Lego display in the lobby

Hollywood Blvd was especially crazy when we went because later that day they were having the premiere for Kung Fu Panda 3. So the street was blocked off in preparation. We didn't' stay for the festivities, but would've had a good spot.
IMG_1626 by Michael, on Flickr

Moms was getting tired and our room was ready so we started to make our way back to Anaheim.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Those fries look so good!

 

[Californian Elitist]

I'm sorry you had to deal with that Hollywood and Highland traffic. It's bad when a premiere is occurring, but it's just horrid on the day of the Oscars. You're right about the chairs at the El Capitan. For the most part, people were smaller back in the 1920's.

I'm enjoying your report.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

As for all the Star Wars stuff, live long and prosper!

 

[gsrjedi]

Those fries look so good!

they were, the queso dip was especially good

I'm sorry you had to deal with that Hollywood and Highland traffic. It's bad when a premiere is occurring, but it's just horrid on the day of the Oscars. You're right about the chairs at the El Capitan. For the most part, people were smaller back in the 1920's.

I'm enjoying your report.

I always realize people were smaller when I'm going through the Peter Pan queue

As for all the Star Wars stuff, live long and prosper!

Don't worry, Disney will make sure that Star Wars is around for a long time and it will definitely prosper

 

[Californian Elitist]

Pan's queue is pretty tight. I'd say Pinocchio's queue is tight as well.

 

[gsrjedi]

Part 3: A First and a Favorite

We left the theater and started back to Anaheim. Traffic on the 101 was at a crawl, but luckily it opened up when we got to the 5. This was our first time staying at the Paradise Pier Hotel. It was the only one of the Disney hotels that wasn't completely outrageous even though the only rooms left were concierge level. That was a nice little treat and I wish we had more days to really take advantage of it.
DSC00014 by Michael, on Flickr - those beach ball pillows had a card with them saying they cost $65 if they end up in your luggage.
DSC00015 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00011 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00012 by Michael, on Flickr
The room was nice, not as magical as the Disneyland Hotel rooms, but the bed was comfortable and we had a good amount of space. Walking through the Grand Californian makes the walk to the parks not so bad.

Today was the last day for the Expo and Moms wanted to check it out, plus I wanted some official merchandise. My cousin wanted us to pick up the New Balance Minnie Mouse shoes for her. As someone who isn't really a runner, I didn't know what most of the stuff they were selling was really good for, so I just mainly browsed. In the official merchandise section I bought the RunDisney vinylmation and Moms bought me a marathon car magnet and the "I Did It" t-shirt. It added some pressure since I couldn't very well wear the shirt if I didn't finish.
DSC00016 by Michael, on Flickr - the Mickey shoes were nice, but weren't Mickey enough for me to bite the bullet. If they had some Star Wars running shoes I would've been in trouble
DSC00017 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00018 by Michael, on Flickr - the Disney World Star Wars half marathon medals
DSC00019 by Michael, on Flickr - the Disneyland medals
DSC00020 by Michael, on Flickr - these signs were all around the hotel
DSC00021 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00023-Pano by Michael, on Flickr - It's nice that the Lilly Belle was out even with the Railroad closed
It was time to eat and we decided to eat in the parks. We were trying to decide between Plaza Inn or French Market Café. In the end the meatloaf at French Market won out. The Cajun Meatloaf with the Worcestershire sauce is one of my favorite things to eat anywhere, not just at Disneyland. The band was out and performing plus some of the train conductors at the New Orleans Square station were dancing along on the platform.
DSC00032 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00031 by Michael, on Flickr
I noticed the train was in the station and they were letting people up there. I went up and took some photos and checked out the train up close for a little bit. I think with the Railroad closed it's a great that people are able to get up close with trains, since you don't normally get that view of them.
DSC00038 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00040 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00042 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00043 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00044 by Michael, on Flickr

 

[Curious Constance]

I love reading trip reports, thanks for taking the time to post it!

 

[gsrjedi]

Part 4: Where I Accidentally Meet Thor

Moms decided to head back to the room and take advantage of the concierge level freebies. I knew I had to be up very early the next day so I stayed a little bit longer to check out the Star Wars Launch Bay. I'd seen it during our Thanksgiving trip, but wanted to check it out again.
DSC00057 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00058 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00060 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00066 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00072 by Michael, on Flickr
I like the models they have on display. Part of me wishes they would get a company to sell Star Wars ship models in similar sizes, but I dread the prices they would want. I hadn't visited Super Hero HQ since the soft launch of the Iron Man experience, so I made my way upstairs. I was taking some pictures of the Thor props and entered a room hoping they'd have Mjolnir in there and I ended up in a Thor meet & greet. He was pretty good, plus I got to hold Mjolnir.
DSC00090 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00093 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00096 by Michael, on Flickr

After that I knew I needed to head back and get some sleep for my 3:30 am wake-up.

 

[gsrjedi]

Part 5: Remind Me Again Why I didn't Do the 10k?

I don't know if it was the anticipation or nerves, but I woke up once an hour before finally getting up at 3:45. I ate a couple bananas and headed out. I really didn't know what to expect. It was cool, they had a stage set up with the announcers showing off Star Wars clips. Most people just milled about.
IMG_5665 by Michael, on Flickr
IMG_1633 by Michael, on Flickr
At 4:45 the pre-show ended and we made our way to the starting corrals. Through a tiny gate in the back of the parking lot. 15,000 people trying to fit in a space wide enough for 2, with a streetlight in the way. It was pretty ridiculous. Eventually I got to Disneyland Dr. and headed for Corral D. Hey, I'm back at the Paradise Pier Hotel. We were too far away to hear and see the screens they had set up. Eventually the fast people started off and we made our way to the start.
IMG_1644 by Michael, on Flickr
IMG_1645 by Michael, on Flickr
Our group started off around 6 am and we were all enthusiastic. We made our way into the Disneyland backstage areas and lots of that was quite tight. I couldn't run the whole way, it was going to be a mix of running & walking for me. The first part was quite a bit of walking since there just wasn't the space to get around people. I noticed all the character photo spots had lines that were kind of long and since I was worried about finishing in time so I just kept on going.
IMG_1647 by Michael, on Flickr
IMG_1649 by Michael, on Flickr
IMG_1650 by Michael, on Flickr
IMG_1651 by Michael, on Flickr
IMG_1654 by Michael, on Flickr
IMG_1655 by Michael, on Flickr
The atmosphere while going through the parks was great. They had Stormtroopers out, the rides were on, and all the CMs we passed were cheering us on. Going through the Esplanade family members were lined up shouting encouragement as we made our way to California Adventure. For some reason the ground in DCA was wet, so you had to watch your step.
IMG_1656 by Michael, on Flickr
IMG_1659 by Michael, on Flickr - I missed taking a picture of the 1st mile marker and decided I'd just take the even numbers.
IMG_1660 by Michael, on Flickr - BB-8 was a popular photo spot
IMG_1663 by Michael, on Flickr
Leaving the parks was the first part where the allure of Disney couldn't really push you, but the spacing finally opened up some. Around mile 6 were some high school cheerleaders, and as we turned onto Garden Grove there were some high school bands to play us on. As we started to enter the neighborhoods there were a few people sitting outside of their houses waving us on. As we approached mile 8, members of the 501st costuming group were on the side of the road as Star Wars characters. There were some more 501st as we approached mile 9 and it all helped to keep you going.
IMG_1664 by Michael, on Flickr
IMG_1667 by Michael, on Flickr - click on this to watch the video
IMG_1670 by Michael, on Flickr
IMG_1673 by Michael, on Flickr
IMG_1674 by Michael, on Flickr - click on this to watch the video
Miles 9-11 were the hardest for me. I didn't have an idea of my location, my feet were starting to hurt, and our cheer squads were all gone. I started to walk a lot more. Around mile 10 I started to get a cramp above my knee. I pulled over to try and stretch it out and the front of my thigh started to cramp, switched it up and the back of my thigh started to cramp. So I just got back to it. I started to doubt if I'd be able to finish at this point. We passed one of the medical tables and I saw people getting some sort of cream and rubbing it on. I didn't know what it was, but I stuck my hand out to get some as I passed by. I took note of the name, Biofreeze, before I started to put it on. It was a huge help and my leg pain was gone. The feet still hurt though.

hit the picture limit so I've gotta continue in another post

 

[gsrjedi]

Part 5 continued

IMG_1675 by Michael, on Flickr - it was quite foggy at this point
IMG_1676 by Michael, on Flickr
IMG_1678 by Michael, on Flickr
Mile 11 brought us to Harbor Blvd, which meant I now had some idea where I was at least, plus the return of the cheerleaders. Eventually I hit mile 12 and knew I was home free. I even got a little extra pep in my step. I texted Moms to let her know I was about 15 minutes out and she was already waiting near the finish. I wish I would've given her a lightsaber to give me to bring across the finish line with me.
IMG_1679 by Michael, on Flickr
IMG_1680 by Michael, on Flickr - I didn't realize at the time they had already shut off the timer by then
IMG_1682 by Michael, on Flickr
I got my medal and anything free they were handing out. I sat down while I waited for Moms to make her way to the family reunion area. We met up and I just wanted to rest so we headed back to the room.

The Star Wars Run Disney event was a whole lot of fun. Big props to the 501st and all the people who stood on the side of the road cheering on a bunch of strangers. I'm planning on doing next year's race as well, maybe try for the Kessel Run Challenge.

 

[ForeverAnna]

Congratulations.

I'll be doing my first half marathon at Tinker Bell in May. Training is going well so far but I'm not up to the required pace yet. I intend to walk the whole thing no running at all except maybe across the finish line. Being in Utah, I have the opposite problem from you. Snow really slows you down.

 

[Curious Constance]

Yay ! You did it, awesome!

 

[gsrjedi]

Congratulations.

I'll be doing my first half marathon at Tinker Bell in May. Training is going well so far but I'm not up to the required pace yet. I intend to walk the whole thing no running at all except maybe across the finish line. Being in Utah, I have the opposite problem from you. Snow really slows you down.

Have fun! My cousin is doing that one also. I walked more than I ran and when we were heading back to the room about 30 minutes after I finished they were already dismantling the 13 mile sign. As long as your under pace you should be good, but it is nerve-wracking waiting for your group to start

Yay ! You did it, awesome!

Thanks!

 

[Phroobar]

Congratulations! That looked like a lot of fun.

 

[Texas84]

Great pictures! Forgot about all the themed cars. Those were amazing.

(I was around mile 12 when you were at mile 6 but I bet you had more fun! )

 

[gsrjedi]

Congratulations! That looked like a lot of fun.

Thanks!

Great pictures! Forgot about all the themed cars. Those were amazing.

(I was around mile 12 when you were at mile 6 but I bet you had more fun! )

I remember seeing the people turning down Katella as we exited the park and being surprised that some people were already about to finish.

 

[gsrjedi]

Part 6: Celebratory Visit to the Disney Parks

I definitely needed a rest at this point. After a bit I started to get hungry, having only had 2 bananas and the snacks in the box they give you after you finish. I didn't feel like going far, so we went downstairs to the Surfside Lounge and got some food to take back to the room. I had the chicken nachos & Moms had some wings. I didn't take any pictures in the to-go containers, but the food was good, if not a little spicy for Moms. I ended up falling asleep for a few hours. Upon waking up, it was time to hit the parks. We used the Grand Californian to enter into DCA. Normally The Little Mermaid ride has no line, so Moms started in the queue and was shocked to see the line actually be a line. It was only about a 20 minute wait, but longer that we normally do for that. When we emerged back on land, the Golden Zephyr was open. That's Moms favorite so we hopped in line.
DSC00111 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00119 by Michael, on Flickr
The crowds were too much for Moms and she decided to head back to the room. The friends who I failed to meet up with on Friday were in DCA right now so I found out where they were at. We hung out for a bit and lamented the loss of the Aladdin musical and while waiting for the rest of their group to ride Tower of Terror, watched a bit of the Pixar Play Parade
DSC00123_HDR by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00126_HDR by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00129_HDR by Michael, on Flickr
00000 by Michael, on Flickr - this marching band was playing a familiar tune
We started to make our way out by following the Parade and waving to the people still sitting on the street. The plan was to hit Disneyland for a bit before I had to meet up with Moms for a dinner reservation. Unfortunately, my foot started to bother me and I decided to head back and rest up a little bit.
DSC00146 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00149 by Michael, on Flickr
We had looked into the PCH Grill the night before & it looked good. We decided that would be a good celebration dinner. It's a buffet with an okay amount of choices. Most of the food was good. The s'mores bar with chocolate dipping sauce was definitely a winner.
IMG_1695 by Michael, on Flickr - I can't remember the name of this Star Wars mousse they had
When we had booked the room, it came with 3 fastpasses for us to use. The only thing Moms rides that takes them is Haunted Mansion Holiday and that was closed. Since this was our last night, I felt obligated to use them. My foot was feeling better, so I made my way back to Disneyland. First stop, Star Tours. It was nice seeing the Jakku scene after having some reference to the movie. I looked around the Star Tours store for a bit, not really seeing much (that I didn't already have). They had a cool light blue dome in the Build-A-Droid section, but no body parts to match. Afterwards, I hopped in line for Hyperspace Mountain. Space Mountain is a classic, but the way they use the projections for this version really kicks it up a notch. I like riding up front to really enhance the feeling of dodging TIE Fighters.
DSC00166 by Michael, on Flickr - Disneyland Forever was going on as I exited Star Tours
DSC00167 by Michael, on Flickr - I wasn't really going for a serious face here
I still had one FP to go and was planning to use it to ride Indy. As I entered into Frontierland, I noticed Big Thunder Mountain standing there. I couldn't resist. As I entered the queue, one of the Disneyland cats was sitting on the rocks. Those guys seem to be out more frequently. Big Thunder was a blast as always. It wasn't too late, but my feet was hurting again so I decided to wrap-it up for the night.
DSC00169_HDR by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00174 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00177_HDR by Michael, on Flickr
I wanted to get the new Star Wars postcards from Wonderground Gallery before they closed and also pick up the ornaments I had seen at D-Street earlier. I got the postcards, but they had sold out of the BB-8 ornament over the weekend and I could only get the Kylo Ren. My niece's birthday party happened the day before so I went back to World of Disney to find her a gift. Ended up getting her a Belle jewelry box and some Belle clip-on earrings. The jewelry box played "Beauty and the Beast" when you wound it and when I gave it to her, my niece kept winding it up. My sister was very thankful of my noisy gift. My watch said I walked a total of 23 miles today.

 

[gsrjedi]

Part 7: A Quick Visit to DCA

Today was a Magic Morning for DCA. Due to various events, we hadn't been able to take advantage of MM during this trip and today was our last day. First stop was Radiator Springs Racers. Moms doesn't ride it, so I hopped in the single rider line.
DSC00183 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00186 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00191 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00192 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00194 by Michael, on Flickr
My car actually won, which is a pretty rare occurrence. There was no wait for Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, so we went on that. One of Mom's favorites is Mike & Sully To the Rescue and we started to head towards Hollywoodland. First though, a quick flight on Flik's Flyers which was just opening as we walked by.
DSC00203 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00206 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00209 by Michael, on Flickr - I've never noticed this outside of the Hyperion Theater before
DSC00216 by Michael, on Flickr
When we got to the ride, Sully was outside and character opportunities with no line are best. We successfully got Boo back to her door before started to head out.
DSC00223 by Michael, on Flickr - I don't know what I was doing here
DSC00224 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00225 by Michael, on Flickr - there's usually no line for this so it's easy to miss the details in the queue
It was time to head out and start to get on the road for the drive home. It was time to say goodbye to Disneyland for now.
DSC00227 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00230_HDR by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00237 by Michael, on Flickr
DSC00238 by Michael, on Flickr - I had to get a photo of this window at D-Street
We stopped at the concierge lounge for some snacks and drinks before loading the car for the drive home.

It was a fun, quick visit to my favorite place. I'm not sure when we'll be back, but I'm hoping to get at least one more visit out of my AP.