Race Recap {2013 Tinkerbell Half}

A week ago I ran my first half marathon, the Tinkerbell half. After the Tinkerbell Half Meetup I was very excited about my race!

I was assigned to corral D because this was my first half and I had no proof of time. I arrived in my corral at 4am (which meant I left my house at 3am, and woke up at 2:30am). I was nervous about the race because on Saturday I woke up with a chest cold. I told myself it didn't matter how quick or great I did, I just needed to finish.

Waiting for the race to start took awhile, but I had a great time talking to fellow runners. By the time the race started I had pushed my chest cold to the back of my mind and was ready to go!

The first 5.5 miles were through various parts of disneyland, CA adventure, and disney backlots. It was a lot of fun to see the park from a different perspective. There were characters, floats, music and live bands placed throughout the way. In addition, there were many people cheering us on, and lots of water stops.

Once the “disney portion” of the race was over I feared the remainder of the race would be a letdown, but it was far from it. Cheerleaders, Dancers, Bands, and spectators cheered us on. I think my favorite cheer section was the Red Hat Society.

Miles 6-10 somehow turned into a blur, and by mile 12 the excitement was high. I couldn't believe I had almost completed my first half marathon, while sick, and the time just flew by.

I completed my race with a chip time of 2:49:17, which is a 12:55 pace. It's faster than my 13 mile training run or expected completion time, so I was VERY happy with myself.

In true Disney fashion I dressed as Periwinkle, and of course I was wearing a Sparkle Athletic (Run Team Sparkle) skirt, and a pair of wings! Yes, I ran my first I half marathon with a pair of wings on!

It was a great race. I felt like it was a reverse parade- where the floats and entertainment stayed still, and I ran passed.

As disney said, it's true… I finished my half marathon and all it took was a little faith, trust, and pixie dust!