Disneyland 5k Trip Report (with Pictures!)

[SilentDante]

I wasn't ever much of an athletic person. But when I started to realize I had gained more weight than I was really comfortable with, I decided to start running. This year, to motivate myself, I signed up for the Disneyland 5k Family Fun Run. I booked a hotel for the night before (a first for me, I live close enough that I've always just driven) and my wife and I made our way down on Friday afternoon.

We got down and checked in just in time for dinner. Nothing in Downtown Disney seemed really appealing, so we went to the Wine Country Trattoria. It was a twenty minute wait, so my wife waited while I set off around DCA to test out my new Rebel XT (well, refurbished, but it's new to me). Disneyland was the main reason I bought the camera, and it didn't disappoint:







I like how the birds look like ears in this one.


My favorite shot of the day!








I rarely see shots of Grizzly Peak from this angle. Menacing.



We had a lovely dinner and decided there wasn't much in DCA we felt like riding and that we should make our way over to the Main Event. Pictures from that night and the race day on Saturday when we continue!

[Hakuna Makarla]

Nice pictures!! so how did you do in the race??

[Legally Brunette]

Great photos

[pratt55]

I like the pretty pictures.

[Giddy4Aladdin]

Awesome pictures.. cant wait to see more and to hear about the 5K!

[b236en]

Great report so far...

[Dopey's Girl]

Really liked the TOT/sunflowers shot!

11 Days Until Disneyland For My Birthday!

[BoygunaSurf]

Good TR, did you run well?

[SilentDante]

Part 2- In Which I Try My Hand At Ride Photography-

So, the wife and I went over to the HPOE for the evening before the race. Since I have a fancy new camera, I decided to test out its low light capabilities. It was pretty dark by this point and I wanted to see what kind of shots I could get without a flash. I haven't bought my low light lens yet, so these are just with the kit lens.

First up, Indy! There was a shockingly short wait, so we jumped in line.
For some reason, I've always loved this mural in the queue. The ride was great, as always, though the 3 doors at the beginning weren't working. We could see the Idol Room change as the vehicle in front of us went through! Neat, but it would be nice to see the ride get some TLC. I wasn't even going to try and get a clear shot on this bumpy ride.

We were tired, but I was determined to ride the Mansion. This is the last time I'll see the unadulterated beauty in all her glory for the next several months, so I made sure to get my rides in on this trip!









I was really pleased with the results. I can't wait to get a faster, low-light lens to see what I can get with that!

After that, we were ready to head back to the hotel. I wanted to be well-rested for my race, after all! I made a quick stop to get a shot of some tiki torches....


...And made our way down Main Street and off to tomorrow!


Still to come- Part 3! Where I actually run the race (I'll post my results, I promise!) and spend some time in the daylight.

[SeaWolf38]

Pretty cool! I'm looking forward to race day! The course is really awesome.... I wish I was in good enough a condition to do it... darn asthma and what not. Maybe a few years down the road...

[SilentDante]

Part 3- Not That Anyone's Waiting For It, But Here It Is:

Saturday. Race Day. I woke up a little nervous. I hadn't ever really done anything like this before, and while my training had been going well, you never know what can happen. We got up early and walked over to the Timon lot (we were staying at the Holiday Inn & Suites on Walnut, so it wasn't a bad walk).

I took a pre-race water and started to calm down (I'm not bored in this picture, just tired).


Running through the Toy Barn was a fun idea. I also liked how they reused the Army Man platform for the DJ/Host.

At 7am, we were off! I didn't take my camera with me on the race, I was more concerned with finishing at a time I was pleased with. If you want to see what the course was like, check out this post:
First Trip Report!!! Disneyland 5K Run!!!
They captured it pretty perfectly. Running into the Magic Kingdom and seeing characters and cast members cheering you on was a big boost. I especially liked seeing Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy in exercise gear. Very cute. Running through backstage areas was a thrill, as well. I started to tire out as we crossed over to DCA, and ended up walking a few short legs. Most notably, I walked up most of the ramp in Paradise Pier. Putting that kind of incline at the end of the third mile of what had been a relatively flat course was just cruel. As I crossed the three mile mark, I switched into high gear- I was close! I finished with a time of 31:30. That's right around my average, maybe even a little on the fast side for me. I was very proud of myself for actually following through with this running thing. And what better way to celebrate my accomplishment than a day at Disneyland?


We first made our way back to the hotel...

...On our own private tram!
We got back to the park as quickly as possible, and headed to Adventureland.

It's a good thing I was in shape, that boulder wanted my Dole Whip!
We also saw the Stone Tiger show. It was cute, but I won't miss it now that it's gone.

I took this on the entry tunnel on Space Mountain. I forgot I wasn't in Manual mode on the camera and it took a 15 second exposure. Still, I kind liked how it looked.
After Space, we made our way to the other mountain in the area, the Matterhorn.

I never noticed this guy in the control room window before.

While in line, Monorail Blue test rode past.

What better way to celebrate than a spin at the Tea Party...

...And a trip to hell?

How long has the apple been back? It still didn't work, though.

I love the creepiness of Snow White.

On our way out of Fantasyland, I saw the band performing through the castle. I liked the perspective.
After that, I didn't feel much like carrying my camera around anymore. So, we packed it in to the locker and spent the rest of the day unfettered. I had a wonderful lunch at Cafe Orleans (the seafood crepes with pommes frites- yum!), rode the Mansion 3 or 4 more times, and basically just took it easy until after Remember! It was a fantastic day.

Next year- Half Marathon here I come!

[WheresMickey]

Nice report! Thanks for linking my trip report to yours!

[kickcows]

I really like that last shot!

Great TR! Congrats on the race.

[Duck44]

Good job on the race.

Thanks for the pics.