“I’ve got a very bad feeling about this.” Jan 2015 - Rebel Challenge - Complete

[pepe3penelope]

A couple weeks ago we only went to California Adventure to specifically see the Frozen Fun stuff. Unfortunately, it was one of those rare weekends we got so much rain!!! We left a little early, but I told DD that the next time we'll go to Disneyland to try out the Storybook Canal Boats to see Arendelle. This ride is so cute, but we hate the SLOW line!!! If the line is up to a certain point, we don't bother.

That was so awesome that you had such short lines on California Screamin' and TSMM. We usually see 45 minutes and that's too long with the kids.

Can't wait to read about the next part...a woman with the same goals as me: eating a good meal and SHOPPING!!! Hope you have shopping pictures!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

A couple weeks ago we only went to California Adventure to specifically see the Frozen Fun stuff. Unfortunately, it was one of those rare weekends we got so much rain!!! We left a little early, but I told DD that the next time we'll go to Disneyland to try out the Storybook Canal Boats to see Arendelle. This ride is so cute, but we hate the SLOW line!!! If the line is up to a certain point, we don't bother.

That was so awesome that you had such short lines on California Screamin' and TSMM. We usually see 45 minutes and that's too long with the kids.

Can't wait to read about the next part...a woman with the same goals as me: eating a good meal and SHOPPING!!! Hope you have shopping pictures!

We avoided most of the Frozen stuff outside of the Storybook Canal. That line looks so small but is so deceiving! I guess we should have tortured our bodies onto Casey's Train.

Hopefully you don't get too bad of a line when you get back to Disneyland!

I think we had such short lines only because it was right after they opened and it was a Friday. The lines got worse as the weekend went on!

I probably don't have as many shopping pictures as you would like

 

[Dis_Yoda]

How Not To Prepare For A Rebel Challenge

We went through some of the shops - I ended up spending $35 at Sephora for this Muscle Rehab Salt Scrub as I figured it would help us after the races as we didn’t have epsom salts to soak for a bath & we were too lazy to find a Walgreens or CVS (and with getting a lens cap from Disneyland Lost & Found - we had no need to use the shuttle to the mall included in the Disneyland packages)

We kept looking at some of the menus but nothing stood out - next up for shopping was D Street where I ended up buying some small things for people at work, especially the person with a bigger bacon obsession than me.

I asked my husband what he really wanted as we kept going back and forth on what to eat. We narrowed it down to either ESPN Zone or Rainforest Cafe. We ended up atn Rainforest Cafe as there was zero wait and it would have something that would make both of us happy. We never eat at Rainforest in WDW as the wait is always horrible for walk ins.

Opening New Vinylmation

We both got an adult beverage to enjoy & enjoy them we did!

We also went with cheese sticks. Fried cheese is always a winner for me!

Cheese Sticks

My husband went the caesar salad for his entree. It was HUGE! Like Billy Fuccillo’s car dealership HUGE! (East coast reference ) It didn’t even look like he started it by the time he was full.

Chicken Caesar Salad

I went with a chicken sandwich. It was tasty especially with the bread & bacon!

Blue Mountain Chicken Sandwich

We skipped on dessert as there was something else I wanted but probably didn’t need if I would be running a 10K the next day.

We walked to the Disneyland Hotel & went into Trader Sam’s as we weren’t sure when else we could get there this trip.

I got a Shipwreck on the Rocks to go as it was really busy in there and there were no open seats to even enjoy a beverage at.

It was strong but oh so good! I was definitely over my alcohol limit though for the day as I was feeling it by the time we got back to Paradise Pier.

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[junmatno]

I love the RFC Chicken Caesar Salad!! So yummy and loving the report!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I love the RFC Chicken Caesar Salad!! So yummy and loving the report!

My husband loved that salad too! It was so HUGE! Glad you are enjoying!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

How To Prepare For A Rebel Challenge

Once back at the hotel, we relaxed for about 30 minutes or so, enough time for me to no longer be tipsy. It was then time to head to the gym!

He wanted to nap instead

Realizing this was his idea, he got happier

Bikes!

We did about 30 minutes on the bikes. I then did some stretches on a yoga mat while he did some strength training.

Back at the room, we showered & got ready to go back out for an early dinner and water load.

Our dinner was at Naples in Downtown Disney as originally I figured it would be a good option to have before the races. This was the correct decision!

We were given a two top by the staircase. We passed on an adult beverage and I sucked down water like it was going to run out or something while my husband went with a Diet Coke.

Bread

My husband had a chicken pasta dish that he really enjoyed. He said it was kinda bland but that is what he wanted for dinner anyway especially with having to run the next morning!

Garganelli - Quill Shaped Pasta, Chicken, Broccoli, Cream, Parmesan, Chili Flakes

I had an individual pizza. It was too much food & half of it ended up going to waste! This was the right combo of flavors for me and for a nice pre race dinner.

Pollo Pizza - Roasted Chicken, BBQ Sauce, Red Onions, Smoked Mozzarella, Fontina Cheese

We skipped dessert as we wanted to go to the candy store instead for our sweets, but first, we went to La Brea Bakery to pick up some items for pre or post race depending on how we felt.

Chocolate Muffin for him, Sourdough Bread for her

At the Candy Store, I picked up a Chocolate Caramel Marshmallow! It was so good & just enough of a sugar rush to curb my sweet tooth!

I laid out Flat Dis_Yoda on the couch in the room before we headed to bed to watch tv (Dog With A Blog, Jessie & Girl Meets World!) and went to sleep.

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[Tinker326]

I am very jealous of all you people who can drink the day before a race. I am too chicken to attempt that as I find as I get older I don't recover well or fast...

For PHM, I plan to drink Thursday then take Friday, Saturday off and start again after the 1/2 on Sunday!

You really got a ton of rides in- that's awesome! Can't wait for the race recaps!!!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I am very jealous of all you people who can drink the day before a race. I am too chicken to attempt that as I find as I get older I don't recover well or fast...

Oh, I'm not so sure I should drink the day before the race to the point that I got tipsy (from 2 drinks!) I probably didn't describe the 2 to 3 liters of water I had between 2PM and 9PM Bedtime.

For PHM, I plan to drink Thursday then take Friday, Saturday off and start again after the 1/2 on Sunday!

My original plan was to not drink at all starting the Saturday before the race. That didn't work so well as beer and liquor are tasty.

I'm going to try to stop drinking starting the Monday before the race for Princess. We're up at WDW the 14th & 15th with my husband's peers from work.

You really got a ton of rides in- that's awesome! Can't wait for the race recaps!!!

I'm glad we got so many in on the first two days as the race days we didn't seem to get as much done at all.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Let’s Run A 10K - First 5K

The alarm went off at 3:30AM and we got dressed. The thought of eating that bread from the night before made my stomach turn so I skipped doing so. Looking at the weather, it was going to be cold so we decided we both would run with jackets.

Mr. Dis_Yoda Pre 10K

Dis_Yoda Pre 10K

We went to get in our corrals at 4AM but we were turned away as they were quite ready for us yet. We were told to come back at 4:30AM so we headed back to the room to wait in the warmth. This is why Paradise Pier was awesome for the 10K. The corrals were right outside our hotel! It took all over 2 minute to get to them.

We got to the corrals right when they officially opened shortly after 4:30AM. I kissed my husband goodbye & we agreed to meet back up at the hotel room after the race. I was about 2 rows back from the front of my corral, E.

At 5:30AM, they started letting the first corral go and then the 2nd. We were walked up towards the front moving closer as each corral moved up.

I Am Insane To Do This

The Start Line

Corral E didn’t start the race until slightly after 6AM and we were off! At the beginning, I actually ran for longer than I usually do before a walk break - a full 2 minutes 30 seconds. There were no characters during the first mile as the path went north of Disneyland before heading backstage at the parks. I took the world’s worst Mile 1 Picture -

I think it was 44 minutes something!

We continued thru towards Disneyland. I had to stop at the entrance of Disneyland to retie my right shoe as it felt entirely too loose for me! As my right ankle is my good ankle, wasn’t going to risk hurting that one! I was also getting really angry at having decided to run with the jacket on but as it cost over $80 back after Tower of Terror 10 Miler - I decided against throwing it to the side of the road. I think I focused the majority of my angry energy during this race towards that jacket.

Mile 2 @ 1:01:35

Now that we were finally in the parks, there were hopefully going to be some characters. I was aware that being as slow as I was, I wouldn’t be able to get any character pictures with myself but at least I could get a picture while I went by. I almost missed Chewy as I went by!

Bad Chewy Pictures

Bad Castle Selfie Picture

As we went into Tomorrowland, I was shocked to see how bad the line was for Darth Vadar. The line wrapped around entrance of Space Mountain & had to have at least 100 people in it! Totally not worth risking getting swept for.

Drive By Darth!

Stormtrooper Selfie

Mile 3 @ 1:16:33

As we continued past Mile 3 - I was honestly shocked to get the text message to my phone saying I finished my official 5K at 50:18 which put me at a 16:10 pace. According to mapmyrun, I was averaging around a 15:22 pace at this point. I knew I needed to pick it up before the end to not risk being swept.

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To note - my husband was already finished with the race by the time I was through my first 5K. Here are his stats from the ‘live’ results:

He also doesn’t seem to take horrible race photos either! Here are some of the proofs: (Remember this for my next post when I show you how bad mine are)

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[Dis_Yoda]

Let’s Run A 10K - 2nd 5K

I picked it up with my run/walk ratios some after that text message that showed I was over pace for the official results. We finished thru Disneyland and headed into California Adventure!

Mile 4 - 1:32:31

Nice Sign!

Star Wars Rebel Characters

Another Bad Selfie Attempt - I think you can see my sweatyband

Boba Fett - The One Character I would have stopped for if I wasn’t so worried about pace

More Jedis

Mile 5: 1:49:53

Lego Slave Leia & Jabba The Hut

Mile 6: 2:04:16

And finished at a 15:52 pace!

I Think I Should Be Smiling But Failing

Official Photos for Dis_Yoda - I think you can tell I’m just done!

Official Results

I weaved at least an additional .27 miles which I guess over a 6.2 mile run isn’t too horrible considering! I need to be more careful about running the tangents if possible. I did love having my headphones in and knowing about what my pace was to make sure I wasn’t slipping too horribly. It also helped me focused on going having music in my ears as well.

MapMyRun Results

As I grabbed my Powerade, Water, Meal Box, I began the walk back to Paradise Pier and passed the official stage for the finish line.

Once back at the room, I ate some of the snack box and bread I had gotten the night before. I took my shower so we could do stuff & not let our bodies get stiff!
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[Dis_Yoda]

I Get My Revenge

Once properly recovered (cleaned, slightly fed) from the run, we headed straight to California Adventure to enjoy some of our favorites from the day before along with getting on some of the other attractions.

We headed back towards the Pier & noticed that California Screamin’ was not operating yet so we headed straight to Toy Story Mania for a rematch.

This time I won along with keeping up being the most accurate! Booyah!

When we got done, we headed to Mickey’s Fun Wheel. My husband did not want to go on this ride at all but I convinced him to go on it while also going on the swinging car as well. Mwahahaha.

He started out smiling!

But it started going away.

Here is when he was done & we hadn’t even fully gone around the wheel yet!

I really enjoyed that attraction but my husband said it was a never ever again.

California Screamin’ was running by this point but the line had climbed to about a 40 minute wait so we grabbed fastpasses as they were for 10:30AM to 11:30AM.

So we headed towards the front of the park to enjoy It’s Tough To Be A Bug.

It’s the exact same as Animal Kingdom but as we haven’t gone to Animal Kingdom at all during our last few trips, we decided we were due to visit Flik again.

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[Dis_Yoda]

Pit Stop and Refueling

We headed to Carsland as we still had time to kill.

We saw the line for Radiator Springs was insane so we went to the Flying Tires as it was only about a 15 minute wait.

Once we figured out how to move our tire, we really had a lot of fun running into the other guests!

I was starving at this point but it was still too early to eat lunch. We decided to go to the Cone area of Carsland to see if there was something to hold us over until we ate a real lunch as Flo’s was still serving breakfast.

The first cone was closed but it had what I really wanted which was nacho cheese popcorn. I ended up going with churros with a Coke Zero.

These were so good as they were freshly made! It could have also been because I was starving. We’ll never know.

We sat for a while to crowd watch plus we ended up getting stuck at our picnic table as Mater switched out with McQueen at the nearby character meet station. My husband & I both really dislike the Cars movies (and Planes) but the theming of this area is really well done, especially for people that like this movie.

We enjoyed our FP+ for California Screamin’ with very little wait. After we got off the ride, I needed real food as did my husband - we headed to Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta as it was next to the Garden Grill anyway so between the two, we were sure we could find something to eat. We both ended up going with Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta. We both were pleasantly surpised with our meals as they were better than what we figured we could get from a counter service restaurant.

I had Five Cheese Ravioli w/ Pesto Sauce & Toasted Pine Nuts.

Five Cheese Ravioli

My husband went with a Chicken Caesar Salad.

Chicken Caesar Salad

We decided to walk around the Grizzly Run area to see if the Wilderness Camp Adventures were open but they weren’t.

After the walk through, we had some time to kill before the last attraction we wanted to do was starting so we each enjoyed a beer at Sonoma Terrace. My back was starting to kill me at this point as well which I figured out was due to my purse with the DSLR in it not helping at all.

We went to the 12:40PM showing of Aladdin before heading back to Paradise Pier to relax and stretch out my back.

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[Dis_Yoda]

Protein & Relaxation

Once back at the room, I decided we needed to do laundry mainly because my husband sweats a lot while he runs. This smells bad when letting it sit for more than a few hours (luckily at home, he can just throw it in the washer until its laundry day) We also had hours to kill anyway before it was time for dinner. I didn’t realize that the laundry at the hotel used tokens as I only had a $20, was wearing pajamas & not going downstairs to the lobby to get change - I got $20 worth of tokens. With the laundry detergent & bounce being $1 each, wash & dry being $2 each, this laundry session would only cost $10. This meant I would be doing laundry on Sunday as well as I wasn’t just going to give the tokens away & I couldn’t use them elsewhere.

Between laundry, we watched crap TV as the internet in the room pretty much sucked and didn’t want to work.

Shortly after 5PM, we headed to the Disneyland Hotel to go to our dinner reservation at Steakhouse 55. Upon arrival, I was happy to see that I had made reservations as the lounge was filled with people trying for a table! We checked in & waited about 5 minutes to be seated at booth in the front of the restaurant.

Menu

It wasn’t long for the bread to arrive! It was fresh from the oven which is the best way to have bread

Sourdough w/ Butter

We then placed our orders for food & kept downing lots and lots of water!

We were brought an amuse bouche of an eggplant something. It had a nice kick to it! My husband didn’t eat his so I had 2 servings.

Amuse Bouche

My husband really enjoys Caesar Salads if you haven’t already noticed by now. Of course, that is what he had to start the evening with.

Caesar

I went with the Pork Belly which was tender and had a great flavor.

Pork Belly

We went with the same option for our entree - Filet. It was so tender and exactly what we wanted from this meal. The Bearnaise was also nice.

Filet

We split a side of Truffle Mac & Cheese. I ended up not eating more than a bite of this as I wanted dessert. My husband enjoyed the majority of it!

Truffle Mac & Cheese

For dessert, we went one of the signature desserts Steakhouse 55 had. The 24 layer cake was so very good. It almost made all the running worth it to burn the calories off!

24 Layer Chocolate Cake

Steakhouse 55 was a perfect meal to have between the two races!

Just stuffed enough, we walked back to Paradise Pier. I set out Flat Dis_Yoda for the next day & we watched Mythbusters - Indiana Jones Edition before going to bed. I think I actually fell asleep about 15 minutes in. I had decided to just deal with the cold this time around rather than run all 13.1 miles with a jacket.

Flat Dis_Yoda

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[Dis_Yoda]

Star Wars Half Marathon - Mr. Dis_Yoda’s Run

We woke up at 4AM and got ready for our runs. It was cold this morning as it was yesterday, so my husband decided to run in the same jacket again. If it wasn’t for the hat change, I wouldn’t have any difference on what he ran in each day. He also wore his long sleeve race shirt underneath it.

His Pre-Race Photo

I ended up leaving the room after we took our pre-race photos but I know he got to his corral about 45 minutes early and he was still towards the front of it.

He really looks way too happy to having run almost 13 miles at this point.

Finish Line

1st Medal

Both Medals

Official Results

He ended up at a 9:29 min pace.

After the race, he went back to the hotel to clean up and wait a while for me to get back.

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[Dis_Yoda]

Star Wars Half Marathon - Dis_Yoda’s 1st 5K

When the alarm went off at 4AM, I got ready quickly. I didn’t drag at all and I actually left before my husband as I wanted to be as close to the front of my corral as possible as I wanted as much room between the pacers and me as possible, so I had him take the pre-race photo and I left.

In the corrals, I took a picture of a shirt that reminded me of my friends. I didn’t text it to them as I figured they may be upset if I texted them as 7:30AM.

I passed the time talking to nearby people and it wasn’t long until we were moving up closer and closer to the stage.

It was slightly after 6AM when we started and my first mile went pretty well. I apparently forgot to get my picture of the Mile 1 Sign. I got annoyed that I had to come to a complete stop twice between before Mile 2 - once as the water stop and then again at the entrance of Disneyland.

Random Jedis

Making Up For those Complete Stops

Bad Castle Picture

Mile 2: 1:05:32

Luke & Leia

Stormtroopers in Fantasyland

Mile 3: 1:21:51 - so 16:19

Not long after Mile 3, I got the race tracker text message that for my official pace, it took me 52:10 to complete the first 5K which meant I was at a 16:43 pace. This was not a good sign if I had another 10 miles to go after this!

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[Dis_Yoda]

Star Wars Half Marathon - Dis_Yoda’s 2nd 5K

I kept going after the 5K text trying to work in picking up my pace.

Bad Picture of Whatever Character Was There

Mile 4: 1:38:30 - So 16:39 Mile

I knew I wasn’t too ahead of the pacers as I left California Adventure and saw them cleaning up the water stop from right after the 5K marker!

Mile 5: 1:55:03 - 16:33 Mile

After Mile 5 - I actually saw my husband running on the other side of the road going towards the finish. He didn’t see me though - he was focused and going!

Mile 6: 2:10:44 - 15:41 Mile

I got the text message for my 10K - 1:41:44 aka a 16:22 pace. I was picking up from my first 5K but still hadn’t had enough of a gap gained.
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[Twoboysnmygirl]

Aw, that's so cool you saw your husband!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Aw, that's so cool you saw your husband!

It was definitely good to see him! I wasn't expecting to at all.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Star Wars Half Marathon - Dis_Yoda’s 3rd K

Mile 7 - 2:26:25 - 15:41

Lonely Crowd Cheerleader

Right before Mile 8, I had seen two people with the orange jackets on a bicycle. I got super scared I was going to be swept. I almost cried when they were saying you are 5 minutes ahead of pace but I knew my wiggle room for finishing would be dwindling if I didn’t keep it up. I also was in a really bad place mentally at this point in the race internalizing all my doubts.

Mile 8 - 2:42:19 - 15:54

Between Mile 8 & 9, there was a good amount of entertainment that help bring up my mood during the race.

Star Wars Car

Elvis Outside A Mexican Place

Stormtroopers

Sand Troopers

Mile 9 - 2:59:09 - 16:50

Around this time, my husband had texted me to tell me he had finished & was back at the room.

I know I went over the 15K marker but it didn’t register I had no idea if I was still in line to finish ahead of pace or if I didn’t as I knew my mapmyrun tracking was off due to weaving and not running the tangents.
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[Dis_Yoda]

Star Wars Half Marathon - Dis_Yoda’s Finish

Mile 10 - 3:15:26 - 16:17

At Mile 10, I had seen the same type of orange jackets which scared me once again. I was still 5 minutes ahead of pace! This was good.

Mile 11 - 3:31:53 - 16:27

I had fell to 4 minutes ahead of pace at this point according to the officials at the Mile Sign.

After Mile 11, there was a wookie & a stormtrooper giving out free hugs. I didn’t get one but it was still nice to see them out there!

Mile 12 - 3:47:30 - 15:37

After Mile 12, my body was physically done. I had already beaten myself up mentally enough at this point that I think every negative thought I’ve ever had towards myself, my husband, my work, my family, etc had gone through my mind.

I also wanted to physically strangle the following person as it didn’t feel like it was the right time or place.

The bad looking Jabba The Hut made me giggle at least.

When I turned at the street corner of Disneyland Dr & Paradise Pier into the parking lot, I knew there would be no way I could be swept at that point. I slowed down a lot.

As I neared Mile 13, I took out my headphones as I knew I would need to listen to announcements. At this time, a lady I had been trading places with for the last couple of miles told me thank you for being her pacer. She said she knew as long as she saw me, she knew she could finish. With how bad my mental state was at that point, it was probably the nicest thing I could have heard and if I wasn’t in such a funk mentally, I should have hugged her.

Mile 13 - 4:05:38 - 18:08

And a short .1 miles later - I crossed the finish line.

Official Results put me at a 3:35:12. A 16:24 pace.

1st Medal

I was nervous I headed to the Rebel Challenge Tent. I know the challenge stated you had to maintain a minimum of a 16:00 pace & I know I didn’t do that for the half as I had gotten my tracker text. I was going to be pissed at myself if I didn’t get the medal for the amount of mental abuse I had just given myself over the last 3 & a half hours. Luckily, they checked my name & told me to go get my medal. I was so freaking happy! It doesn’t show with the photo though I don’t care if other challenge participants want them to keep strict with the pace requirements (Sorry, Not Sorry!) but I freaking tried so hard and was glad I got to finish my goal for the weekend, not being swept. It almost made it worth it.

Rebel Challenge!

A Better Looking Selfie

I had stopped my mapmyrun right after I had gone over the finish line. I looked at it on my phone while I chugged the powerade I was given after my medals. I had gained almost a half a mile over the course! I guess that isn’t too bad though.

Official MapMyRun


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