part of the chEAR squad

one of the things we'd had the foresight to register for a few months ago was to join the contingent of scouts (both boy and girl) who gather inside angels stadium to cheer on the runners of the disneyland half marathon.  i remembered how much fun it was to run through the stadium and hear all of those people shout out words of encouragement and see the kids holding up signs with stuff like "you can do it!" and "almost there!"  and since i'd decided not to register for the run itself, i thought it would be kind of awesome to be on the other side for once - and drag my girl scouts along for the ride.

the biggest obstacle we had to overcome was the notion of having to get them up super early and check in down in anaheim by 5am.  although the bean grumbled about it a little, she was bright eyed and bushy tailed when it was time to go.

as one would expect, there was zero traffic at that hour.  we found ourselves pulling into the parking lot in no time at all, and my co-leader hopped out of the car to get us checked in with the cast members at the table.

once we'd gathered all of our girls together - we actually only had four girls show up - we headed to another table and received our return time ticket.  this one told us when to head back out and collect the free disneyland tickets we were earning for our hours of cheering.

then it was time to get in the long line and be herded like cattle all the way from the parking lot into the stadium itself.

it was still so dark, it looked like we were there for a nighttime game.

we'd brought plenty of snacks and drinks, so while we waited for the first group (the wheelchair participants) to arrive, everyone munched on stuff like pop tarts, mini donuts and chocolate milk.  i know, i know - but we all needed that sugar rush.

first, the pacer on a bike arrived, and then finally the first wheelchair came rolling through.  he's a little hard to see, but you can see him if you look really closely.

a little while later, another pacer rolled through followed by the first runner.  he was a local guy from fullerton, and beat out 25,000 other runners with a finish time of 1:08.  that's insane, man.  i can hardly run a 10K in that amount of time.

we were having a blast cheering for them - well, okay, i actually think we chaperones were enjoying it more than the girls were.  still, they were happy to be hanging out together in a different setting.  and they perked up a little when the runners coming through started looking a little more colorful.  here, our first costumed runner dressed as peter pan.

meanwhile, this dude was hard at work getting the field all ready for a game later that day.  it was funny to watch him just go about his business, seemingly oblivious to all of the activity and noise that surrounded him.

i was having a ton of fun, shouting into the megaphone and shaking my pompoms like a madwoman.

although i got momentarily distracted by the two ladies in front of me who were engaged in quite a heated conversation about - well, i don't even know what.  i just know that there were a lot of angry hand gestures, dirty looks and hissing back and forth.

photobomber at 3:00.

i got this fun shot, although when i took my hat off to keep it from casting a shadow across my kid's face, i ended up showing off my super sweaty head.  lovely.

and while my co-leader was in the potty, i managed to sneak in a group photo.

the girls eventually moved on from eating to cheering to blowing bubbles to...this.  the boys behind them seemed pretty amused by their antics.

after we received our tickets, the cast members told us that we were free to go.  and although i really wanted to stay until the last runner had come through, i knew the girls were tired and burnt out.  they'd hung in there for over four hours, and had done a great job of the task they'd been assigned.  before we left, we got a picture of all of us:

those tickets are pretty good - a one-day park hopper pass valid for a whole year.

one last selfie for the road:

and what better way to cap off a morning of fun than with some delicious grub from IHOP?

we definitely want to do this again next year, and are hoping that we get a few more takers this time around.  we still got home in plenty of time to get in a nice nap, and now we're going to pick a day to head out to disneyland all together.  maybe the other girls in the troop will want to join us too, which would be super fun.  we'll see.

happy birthday, little sister.  i love you and i miss you.  

longest 6.2 miles of my life

so, the inaugural disneyland 10K.  when they announced it, i knew i was totally gonna register for it despite the fact that 10K is truly my most hated distance.  i don't know why, really.  it just is.

and then it got even better when i found out that the theme was going to be "alice in wonderland."  if you recall our halloween costumes from last year, you'll understand why this worked out so perfectly for me.  i mean, i already had the perfect costume hanging in my closet, just waiting to be worn.

my favorite racing buddy kelley had signed up for the same run, and she was kind enough to let me crash in their on-property hotel room for the night.  in fact, the girls joined the party too, and with kelley's husband running the 5K and li'l d and the bean registered for the kids' run, it all worked out perfectly.

as always, disney runs start before the buttcrack of dawn.  that early morning wake-up call came all too soon, and i dragged myself outta bed to get ready.  now, i'd been battling a nagging cough for several days by then, and as soon as i was upright i knew it was gonna be a rough morning.  my chest was feeling a little tight and i was having a little trouble with my breathing, but hey!  we were at disneyland for one of their awesome runs, and i was counting on some of that disney magic to work on me.

it was super dark when we arrived at the staging area.

i don't know exactly how they figured out placement for everyone in this race, but i was somehow back in E, while kelley was assigned to F.  and as we headed towards the corrals, we overheard some chatter from folks who were in G.  seems that for some unknown reason, there WAS no corral G - and all those people were just kind of stranded, hanging out wherever they could find a spot, and those last several corrals were uncharacteristically disorganized.  when the first few groups were released, the crowds started moving up, and although i'm typically a stickler for rules, kelley and i hopped over the barricades to join a faster corral.  sorry not sorry.

we passed the announcers, dressed like tweedledee and tweedledum.

then we scampered through downtown disney.

these two did most, if not all, of that 6.2-mile run holding hands.

mile marker!  i missed the first one, as i was panting and waving my way through.  the temperature was already nearing 80, with horrible humidity that was doing nothing to help my coughing/wheezing/breathing dilemma.

i didn't stop at a single character photo op.  instead, i settled for taking run-by shots so as to get closer to the finish.  i was seriously struggling, yo.

although the weather sucked, mornings at california adventure are always so pretty.

i got someone to take this for me as i stopped for a walk break.

i tried to use the sight of this sign as motivation:  "you're halfway there!  you can do this!"

as much as i try to stay positive and upbeat through most situations, it was damn near impossible for me during this race.  between my sickypoo situation, the unusual early morning heat, plus that uncomfortable humidity, i was afraid i'd have to flag down a medic or something.  i pretty much walked the entire second half of the run, and i was feeling beyond awful.  but as is typical of me, i soldiered on and found myself entering disneyland at last.

just beyond the archway was a very welcome water station.  when it comes to well-organized runs like the ones put on by disney, i don't usually worry about bringing my own water.  this time, though, i could've used some hydration well before this point.  the water was warmer than room temperature and did nothing to help cool me down, but it helped a little.

two to go!

i think this is one of the super old-school parking lot trams from back in the day.

i always enjoy catching a glimpse this kind of stuff - things you normally wouldn't get to see unless you're one of the cast members...or doing a disney run.

i wonder if this chick did the whole 10K in those flip-flops.

heading back through downtown disney towards the finish was...frustrating.  there were zero barricades set up to make a clear path for the runners, and people were everywhere.  i had to dodge a number of strollers and even one or two little kids as they wandered through, and i was really annoyed.  not cool, man.

finally!

finisher's swag.  why yes, those ARE skittles in the snack box.  how very odd.

i may be smiling in this picture, but that joy is simply due to the fact that i finished without collapsing.  i'm so sad that i was so miserable, considering the fact that run disney events are my most favorite.  but i'd definitely overdone it this time.  bah.

but hey - i earned my bling.

i'm paying for it, though.  i spent the next two days on the couch, wanting to die from the pain of it all.  and when i finally threw in the towel and went to the doctor, it turns out i'd managed to give myself asthmatic bronchitis.  i got meds and an inhaler for the first time in my whole life, and a week later i'm still struggling and about to go in for another visit.  i haven't been able to run since that day, and i've got a half in freaking san francisco to do in just over a month!  help. me.

oh, the things i do for disney medals.  send me some happy healing vibes, will ya?  i need all i can get right now.