O.K., so the Disneyland Half Marathon is in the books. Rachel and I got up at 0300 on Monday morning, gathered our gear and made our way over to the Embassy Suites Hotel to catch the free shuttle to the race. It really paid off, as it always does, to lay out our gear the night before. There’s nothing worse than trying to paw thru your luggage in the bleary darkness at 0300 trying to find your water bottle or other sock.
Once we got to Disneyland and got off the shuttle it was a nice walk across the parking lot and Downtown Disney until we found the gathering area. A DJ of some sort was performing on stage, playing music and talking to the crowd while a cameraman panned the group putting selected folks up on the big screen. At one point a "toy soldier" I understand was from the Toy Story movie went on stage and addressed the group. Funny folks and in the Disney tradition good at staying in character.
Problem #1: Disney runs the shuttles from 0300 to 0430. We caught the shuttle around 0415 and it’s about a 10 minute ride to the park so we, and most of our colleagues, were mustered up by 4:30 at the latest…but the race doesn’t start until 0600. So there was at least a 90 minute wait for most of the participants which most of us spent sitting on the curbs fighting off sleep. Would have been nice to have a slightly earlier start so we didn’t have so much downtime.
We were herded to our corrals around 0515 or so — the corrals are a good idea though not unique to Disney. Basically the group the runners by expected ability level and start the groups from "corrals" so that the fastest runners can go first, the slower corrals being successively turned loose in order. One of the big problems runners have in these races is finding themselves stuck behind slower runners/walkers/strollers and having to try and pick their way thru that crowd.
Problem #2: Runner Chick got put in the same corral as I did. While it was really nice to have that extra time together the reality is that she’s much faster than I am and probably should have been at least two corrals faster. Since they assign the corrals based upon predicted finishing time I can only assume that I somehow goofed up when I registered her.
Praise: Disney did a good job of providing lots of portajohns and the lines for them pre-race weren’t terribly long. Each corral had access to their own set in addition to a bunch of them near the finish area.
Pre-race the announcements over the loudspeaker repeatedly proclaimed that we were under a "Red Flag Heat Index" today. I wasn’t entirely sure what that meant but I guessed it meant it was going to be hot today. Wow, was that an understatement.
At 0600 the race started in grand Disney style – with synchronized fireworks. Corrals A, B & C took off and a few minutes later they let Corrals D & E (we were in E) walk forward to the start line to await our start. At 0610 the fireworks went off again and we were off and running.
The race starts off down Disneyland Ave, navigates around the outside gates of California Adventure and finally makes a left turn and goes into one of the parking lots of California Adventure and eventually into the park itself. Running through the empty park, with thousands of other runners, was a great experience and I felt very good. We wound our way through California Adventure, then out the front gate, across the courtyard and in through the front gate of Disneyland. The air conditioning on Main Street hit us right in the face which felt wonderful and was yet another sign of things to come…
We were only on Main Street for a moment as a quick right turn took us "back stage" and along a service road that runs between the back of the Main Street buildings and some administrative buildings. Bunches of Disney employees lined the service road shouting encouragement and giving us high fives as we went past.
Praise: The Disney employees and other supporters who lined the race route in places were great. Lots of high-fives for the runners. The race bibs have the runner’s first name printed on it so a lot of the cheering supporters would yell for you by name which was a nice touch.
We emerged from back stage in Tomorrowland just past Space Mountain and we made a loop around the top side of Tomorrowland and down into Fantasyland. Looking up the castle loomed and we ran enthusiastically through the castle and out across the "Drawbridge" on the other side as Disney cameras snapped away. I’m sure I’ll have pictures of that soon.
From there a quick loop through Frontierland and past New Orleans Square was in order. A couple of "pirates" had taken up station on Tom Sawyer island and were firing the Disney cannon at us, causing geysers of water to erupt periodically on the big river. It was fun and very Disney.
Disney characters were scattered around the course at various places and some runners stopped for photos with them. The genie from Aladdin was near the exit to Frontierland, and other characters were stationed in various places to wave and cheer.
After the exit from Frontierland it was back down Main Street, this time on Main Street itself, and back out the Disneyland main gate. Through the parking lots we began our trek onto the streets of Anaheim. It was mile 4.
Problem #3: The "map" they provide of the course is more decorative than navigable. It’s not to scale and gives the illusion that much if not most of the course is spent running IN Disneyland and California Adventure. The reality is that only about 4-5 miles (somewhat less than half) of the race is run in or near the park grounds. The rest is largely run through the streets of Anaheim including some rather uninteresting industrial areas. Also the water stops listed on the map don’t seem to bear a lot of resemblance to reality. In fact I think there might have been MORE water stations on the course than the map indicated. That’s a nice thing but it totally threw my tactical planning out of whack because I had planned my water stops.
Another problem started to reveal itself while we were running the streets of Anaheim — the sun. Apparently "Red Flag Index" means "Death Valley Hot." Too many of the turns on the run seemed to take us right towards the sun. A 30-minute earlier start would be great in future years, just to keep us out of the sun that much longer.
Problem #4: Though the water stations were plentiful and had both water and Powerade most of the water/Powerade was tepid or warm. When it’s 203 degrees and you’re running you really need something to cool you down. While I appreciate that there may be absorption advantages to warm water/sports drink the heat was oppressive and the drinks just weren’t very refreshing. I ended up drinking a Powerade and a water at each station (more than I usually drink) and frequently taking a second water just to dump over my head which provided a little relief.
One thing that was nice: Running the race with Rachel and even though she was way ahead of me it was nice to know she was up there someplace. I happened to check my watch at the 2:05 mark and thought to myself "She’s probably finished by now."
Just past Mile 9 we entered Angel Stadium and ran around the field where the Angels play. The Mile 10 mark is right at the exit in left field and that’s where the trouble began for me. The heat had been getting worse and worse and at this point the sun was just absolutely oppressive. The next two miles were an awful slog. At one point I saw a female runner laying flat on her back along the side of the course, unmoving and possibly unconscious. An Anaheim police officer was kneeling next to her and pouring water over her face and head as the ambulance approached.
At one point the heat was so bad and I was feeling light-headed. We ran under an overpass and for a few moments I considered stopping under that overpass and just staying in the shade for a bit to try and regain my senses. I finally decided to press on and try and get finished.
I had been on or slightly ahead of pace but by the time I got to mile 11.5 I had given up the gains I’d made and was slightly off my target pace. As we re-entered California Adventure Park I resolved to try and finish as strong as I could and see if I could still manage my goal time of 2:45.
I felt a little revived running through the park; the scenery was much more interesting and there was a little shade. We curved our way through California Adventure, back out a front gate and made a left onto Downtown Disney for the home stretch. Now crowds of spectators lined the course cheering and encouraging us. I was chugging along, still somewhat light-headed, but anxious to be done. Unfortunately my goal time inexorably approached and passed as I made my way down that final half mile.
Making the final turn past the ESPNZone and towards the finish line I picked it up and ran as fast as I could thru the Finish line. 2:47:35. Not bad and the fastest half marathon I’ve ever run, but I felt awful. In fact dangerously awful. More light-headed and dizzy I felt like I was overheating and desperately wanted something cold to drink and some shade. I was probably in the early stages of heat exhaustion and once or twice feared I might pass out.
Problem #5: I’m starting to think that race finish areas aren’t designed by people who run races. After we crossed the finish line we were directed to an area where they cut off our racing chips. They gave us medals and some silver-reflective wraps that I quipped were designed to finish cooking us. It was 40 or 50 yards past the finish line and there was still no sign of water or shade. Many races do misters in the finish area to help cool off the runners; but not at Disney for some reason. When we finally did get to the water tables they had water and bottles of Powerade. Staffers were gamely trying to pour ice over the bottles but very little of it was really very cold. Most races put those bottles in big plastic trash cans full of ice water but apparently that idea hadn’t occurred to Disney. As a result, still nothing cold to drink.
I heard my name being called and sure enough, there was Rachel waiting for me on the side. Her foot was in excruciating pain but she had bravely battled through the whole race. She missed her goal time too, but considering the heat, being seeded in the wrong corral and dealing with her injury I think she did great! (and was still 30 minutes faster than I was)
After a brief trip through the food tent (shade! Thank goodness!) we began the long trudge back to the shuttle bus to get a ride back to the hotel. We paused to rest at a shady spot in Downtown Disney for just a bit which was nice but real relief didn’t come for me until we settled into the air conditioning of the shuttle bus.
All in all a good race in lousy conditions. I would probably do this race again, but I hope the Disney folks give some thought to improving the way they deal with the heat. In particular colder drinks on the course and at the finish and more shade and/or misters at the finish line to help keep runners cool.
What Worked:
- The New Balance 817s I wore were fine. Same shoes I wore in the San Diego Maraton in June. This is probably the last race I’ll run in them, but generally I felt fine.
- No problems with the knee or hip. I had my knee sleeve with me but never put it on.
- My pacing felt good for the first 10 miles. I had a tough choice to make – go out a little faster than I usually would and try to get off the course (and out of the sun) earlier, or stay back and pace more slowly and deal with the sun for more time.
- Not carrying a water bottle/pouch on the course. Despite the heat I think I got enough fluids at the water stations and it was nice to not have to tote the waist pack.
- I was tactically smart during the run; anticipating turns, being aware of where I was on the course and my pace on the hills. I would have liked to be more familiar with the course, but overall I think it was fine.
What Didn’t Work:
- Rachel is right; I should have have worn a hat or at least a visor. Might have helped me deal with the sun and heat a little better.
- I didn’t wear an MP3 player on this run and I probably should have. Didn’t need it at Disney and the occasional cheering sections were nice, but there were some long stretches were some music would have been welcome.
- I give myself a B- for nutrition before the race. We weren’t bad on the pre-race hydration but we should have laid off the soda the day before and started hydrating a day before. I probably should have eaten lighter starting Thursday or Friday also.
- My training has been good, but could have been better. I still felt a little too heavy for this race. 3 or 4 fewer pounds might have made a lot of difference.
- We didn’t get enough sleep the night before. We were having a great time at Disneyland and California Adventure Park, then spent some time in the Jacuzzi the night before the race. All well and good but meant we only got maybe 4.5 hours of sleep before the race.
On the Course:
- Not as many runners in costume as I expected. Saw a pink ninja and maybe a few dozen folks wearing mouse ears but otherwise…
- Around mile 5.5 some guy accidentally stepped on the back of my foot as I ran past causing my shoe to come completely off. I had to stop, go back a couple steps to grab my shoe, then step off the course for 20-30 seconds or so to get my shoe back on. It was my troublesome right leg and I was just grateful that the awkward action didn’t cause my knee or hip to act up.
We had a good time and despite the heat I think we mostly enjoyed this race. Now back to training and on to the next race…
-B-
P.S. How hot was it? CNN is reporting today that 27 people have DIED in Southern California this weekend due to the heat. Don’t know if any of them were in the race.
Caution: Slow Children at Play 