Disneyland Half Marathon Trip Report: Health and Fitness Expo, Goofy's Kitchen, Storytellers Cafe and the Rest

Raisin Bread and I took Friday off from work and flew to LAX that  morning on my favorite airline, Virgin America. 

Who's going to Disneyland? We are! 

This will be the last post of my trip report, so it might be a little longer than usual. If you missed my race recaps of the Disneyland 10K or Half Marathon, check them out here:

- Dumbo Double Dare Part 1: Inaugural Disneyland 10K - Race Recap

- Dumbo Double Dare Part 2: Disneyland Half Marathon 2013 - Race Recap

After picking up our car, we stopped off in Torrance for lunch at Mitsuwa on the way to Anaheim. We both had ramen from Santouka despite it being in the 90s that day. We don't normally have easy access to good, authentic Japanese food where we live, so we needed to take advantage of being close to Torrance. 

Spicy miso ramen with pork cheek meat

After lunch, we continued our drive to Anaheim and checked in to our hotel to take as short nap before heading to the Disneyland Half Marathon Health and Fitness Expo at the Disneyland Hotel.

Image Credit: Cruising Goddess

I am glad we arrived at the time we did because I had been following the progress of the Expo earlier in the day and it seemed to be mass chaos. One of the people I follow on Instagram said it took four hours to pick up all of their stuff. Crazy!

By that time, bib pick up was a breeze. The only problem I had was that they couldn't find the stickers for my bag check, but I wasn't planning to check anything anyway so it wasn't a big deal to me.

We then went up to the Expo Hall to pick up our t-shirts and gear bags and walk around the booths. 

Disneyland 10K, Half Marathon and Dumbo Double Dare T-shirts

Ali Vincent from The Biggest Loser at the Expo

We eventually met up with the sister and brother-in-law in the afternoon to take photos and have dinner together. 

For dinner, we went to Goofy's Kitchen, which was also located at the Disneyland Hotel.

Goofy's Kitchen is a character dining restaurant with a buffet. I helped myself to barbecue ribs, mac and cheese, a variety of salads and mashed potatoes, followed by a variety of desserts. 

With character dining, Disney characters come to your table and you can talk to them (if they are a face character) and take lots of pictures with them. These are just a few of the characters we got to see. 

Us with Goofy, Pluto, Minnie Mouse and Belle

Brother-in-law's birthday had been a few days prior but we were able to celebrate together this night! 

Happy birthday, Chris!

Following dinner, we walked around Downtown Disney for a little while before heading back to our hotel.

On Saturday, my parents decided to drive down to Anaheim to have lunch with us after I finished the 10K. We met at Storytellers Cafe in the Grand Californian Hotel. Although they don't typically have character dining during lunch time, we ran into Dale and a few others while we were there.

I forgot to take pictures of my food, which I didn't think was great anyway. I ordered the jumbo shrimp cocktail to share and a burger. 

After lunch, we showed my parents around the hotel before saying good bye. For the afternoon, sister, brother-in-law and I hung out by the pool and went on the awesome monorail slide. There are actually three slides: a baby one, a medium one and the big slide. It was so nice to be in the water after my 10K that morning! 

Disneyland Hotel pool

For dinner that night, we wound up back at the Grand Californian Hotel at Napa Rose. We changed our dinner plans at the last minute and couldn't get a new reservation anywhere else we wanted to eat. Napa Rose had lounge seating that was available, so we went that route.

Although the food was good, the service was painfully slow. It took us about 2 hours to get out of there, which was way past what we were planning for. Sister, Raisin Bread and I were all going to have to wake up super early the next day to make it to the half marathon!

I created a mish mash of a meal: I ordered the portobello mushroom bisque "cappuccino" with brandied thyme froth, the salad of summer with peaches, hickory smoked pheasant and french green beans with California almond vinaigrette and shared a side of truffled "mac & cheese" orecchiette pasta with parmigiano-reggiano. I especially loved the soup and salad. The mac & cheese put me over the edge of fullness, which is not ideal for a meal before a half marathon. Oh well.

On Sunday after the race, we headed up to the South Bay to Raisin Bread's old stomping grounds. We had lunch at a place we used to frequent quite regularly: OB's in El Porto. 

Not much has changed there: still has free peanuts and their stir-fry is still amazing! 

We decided to stay the night at my parents' house so we could spend some more time with them. We headed there in afternoon and took a long nap before dinner. More Japanese food was requested by Raisin Bread and me for dinner, and we went to Tampopo in Gardena. 

I ordered the ten zaru soba. The tempura batter wasn't that great, but the soba was delish. Sigh. I miss authentic Japanese food when I'm here in DC. 

The next morning, we left early to catch our flight back to DC.

Well, that was my trip to LA and The OC. It was fun and I feel like I achieved a lot, my first double, my second half marathon and my fourth 10K. I am also glad that I got to spend some quality time with the family!

Until next time, California!

Santouka
Mitsuwa Marketplace
21515 South Western Avenue
Torrance, CA 90501

Goofy's Kitchen
Disneyland Hotel
1150 Magic Way
Anaheim, CA 92802

Storytellers Cafe
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa
1600 Disneyland Drive
Anaheim, CA 92803

Napa Rose
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa
1600 Disneyland Drive
Anaheim, CA 92803

OB's Pub & Grill
3610 North Highland Avenue
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 

Tampopo Restaurant
15462 South Western Avenue
Gardena, CA 90249

{Product Review} Oral IV - Rapid Hydration Ultra Concentrate

I recently tested out a product called Oral IV. According to the packaging, "Oral IV is a proprietary Bio-Charged Crystalloid Electrolyte Rapid Hydration Fluid comprised of complex pure minerals in a base of ultra purified restructured water." Huh? 

After reading the product's claims on its packaging and website, I honestly don't know how to feel about it. It sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo to me although it comes in pretty packaging. Granted, I'm not a medical professional or a scientist, so maybe I just don't understand it. But if they are marketing to the general public, one would think Oral IV would try to provide product information that is easy to understand. Oral IV was originally marketed towards military and law enforcement personnel and is currently expanding its customer base to include the fitness community. 

 

I received two packs of four 15.0 ml "doses" of Oral IV, which go for $12 per pack. I have used the product two times now, once after a run and once after an aerobic workout. Although you can take Oral IV without water, I chose to take it with since I was trying to rehydrate anyway. The first thing I noticed was the it doesn't taste like anything, which I think is an excellent thing. 

Other than that, I couldn't tell if the product was working or not since I was already rehydrating. The product is meant to be used as a supplement to your hydration strategy anyway and not meant to be used on its own. 

  

Ingredients: Purified water and proprietary complex of crystalloid electrolytes

More from the packaging - "Within seconds of contact to any mucosal membrane, Oral IV changes the conductivity of the cells of tissues in the body through its unique formulation and bioelectrical properties. By combining this select complex of crystalloid electrolytes, an increase in the bioelectrical communication of tissue cells can be made at the cellular level to a greater degree than what is typical in existing and commonly used electrolytes. This in turn facilitates changes in the biological reactions of the tissues, mediates their processes and maximizes their effective hydration capacity." Say what? Oh yeah and "This statement has not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration."

What's my take? To be honest, I am skeptical of what this product claims to do. Although I didn't mind the taste and love the packaging (those vials are so cute and convenient), I find its claims hard to believe. Also, since it is so difficult for me to gauge if it actually works, I would be hard-pressed to want to incorporate Oral IV into my fitness regime.

Disclosure: Due to my affiliation with Fit Approach, I received 2 four dose packs of Oral IV from Oral IV for the purpose of this review. No compensation was received.  All opinions are my own. Read my full disclosure here.    

Dumbo Double Dare Part 2: Disneyland Half Marathon 2013 - Race Recap

It was another early start for me on the morning of the Disneyland Half Marathon. This time, however, I was joined by Raisin Bread for his first half marathon! 

If you missed my race recap of the Disneyland 10K, you can check it out here:

- Dumbo Double Dare Part 1: Inaugural Disneyland 10K - Race Recap

We woke up around 4 am to get changed, eat and head to our corral by 5 am. Only we were rejected once we got there. We were told that corral D was full. How can that be possible if you know how many people are in each corral? That was pretty frustrating, and we were relegated to corral E. Poo. 

Corral A started at 5:30 am and we weren't off until 35 minutes later, partly because we were in the wrong corral. 

We were off none the less. 

Image credit: Cruising Goddess

We started going south on Disneyland Drive to Katella Avenue and entered California Adventure after about a mile and a half. Along the way, we saw some cool floats for The Incredibles and Toy Story. 

The route through the parks was similar to the 10K, only in a different order. For this reason, I didn't wind up taking very many photographs, but we did stop for a couples shot at Mickey's Fun Wheel.

There's the Tower of Terror! We also ran through Cars Land again. This time it was so early that the lights were still on, which I loved! I also loved running down Main Street again towards Sleeping Beauty's Castle.

We exited Disneyland through the Castle and hit the streets of Anaheim. We would be out on the streets for a while, but we still had plenty to look at and there was tons of spectator support. There must have been at least 10 different high school bands and cheerleading squads out there to keep us pumped up. It was much appreciated! I couldn't believe it when I saw the cheerleaders from my high school alma mater, West High School, near mile 12!

There was a stretch of the route with tons of vintage and muscle cars out on display and with their owners honking their horns and cheering us on (sometimes jeering us on all in good fun).

After mile 8, we ran around the Honda Center, the home of the Mighty Ducks.

Image credit: Cruising Goddess

Then we arrived at Angels Stadium. This was one of the parts of the course I was really looking forward to.

It was so cool to run through the tunnel, around the field and past the dugout. There was also a TON of spectators sitting in the stands. Pretty cool!

The rest of the course wasn't too exciting. Both Raisin Bread and I were getting a little uncomfortable from the heat and feeling some pain, so we walked a bunch at this point.

Somehow we were still in good spirits by mile 10.

We picked up the pace again around mile 12 and found it in ourselves to finish strong! 

Image credit: Cruising Goddess

We grabbed our refreshments and I claimed my Dumbo medal for completing the Dumbo Double Dare and my Coast to Coast medal for doing one runDisney half marathon in Anaheim and one in Orlando in the same calendar year.

Bling #2, #3 and #4 of 4

Sister was only about 20 minutes behind us, so we waited for her to get a snap together.

I achieved my goal of PR-ing by 5 minutes! Yay! Not bad for having just run a 10K the day before. 

Place	Name	Bib	Age	Div Place	Gender Place	5k Split	10k Split	15k Split	Clock Time	Net Time	Hometown
9791	IRENE STIRLING	23247	33	1084	5435	42:19	1:20:10	2:05:49	3:38:03	3:02:22	ARLINGTON, VA

Here are the split times from my Polar watch:

Mile 1: 11:40

Mile 2: 12:05

Mile 3: 15:00

Mile 4: 12:20

Mile 5: 11:05 *fastest mile

Mile 6: 12:15

Mile 7: 13:15

Mile 8: 14:40

Mile 9: 14:45

Mile 10: 14:20

Mile 11: 17:00

Mile 12: 14:25

Mile 13: 13:10

It was a fun race, especially since I got to run alongside the hubster, and I can't wait to figure out what my next big race will be. 

Stay tuned for the non-race aspects of my Disneyland Half Marathon weekend! 

Weeks in Review (August 26 to September 8, 2013) + Weekend Fun in Baltimore

After last week's Disneyland Half Marathon weekend, you would think I would be resting my tired self, but nope, I did another race this weekend. Here's a sneak peek at how I looked after my Color Me Rad 5K. 

Because the race was up in Baltimore, Raisin Bread and I decided to head up there for the night. We had an early dinner at Thames Street Oyster House in the Fells Point neighborhood. This was both of our first times in this area of town, and we both loved it.

I ordered a selection of raw oysters and some jumbo shrimp to share. Raisin Bread had the Rhode Island Quahog Chowder. For our entrees, I had an ahi tuna special with gnocchi, sweet potato and cauliflower, while hubby had the swordfish with risotto. The food was amazing. I loved my tuna, which was perfectly seared.

After dinner, we walked around the neighborhood and along the pier before checking into our hotel for the night.

Sunset in Baltimore

I'll have a full recap of the race next week. For now, here is what the workouts looked like these last two weeks.

August 26 to September 1, 2013
Monday: ran 3.2 miles
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: ran 3.2 miles
Thursday: rest
Friday: lots of walking around Downtown Disney
Saturday: Disneyland 10K (recap here)
Sunday: Disneyland Half Marathon (recap coming soon)

Total yoga this week: 0 times
Total mileage this week: 25.7 miles

Before we left for California, Raisin Bread purchased a DVD workout set called "Brazil Butt Lift." Romantic?? I will be starting the full schedule next week, but I did get to try it once on Thursday. It is hard but fun. We'll see if I can keep up with the schedule though because it seems like a lot to me.

September 2 to 8, 2013
Monday: rest
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: ran/walked 2 miles
Thursday: Brazil Butt Lift - Booty Basics and Bum Bum (50 minutes)
Friday: rest
Saturday: rest
Sunday: Color Me Rad 5K (recap coming soon)

Total yoga this week: 0 times
Total mileage this week: 4.78 miles
Total mileage this year: 271.53 miles

Thames Street Oyster House
1728 Thames Street
Baltimore, MD 21231

Disclosure: I received complimentary race registration for Color Me Rad from Blogportunity and Fit Approach. No compensation was received. All opinions are my own. Read my full disclosure here. 

Swirlgear: Designed by a woman runner for women runners

You may or may not have noticed a new button that recently appeared on my sidebar. A few months back, I had the honor of being accepted as a Swirlgear Brand Ambassador. I had the opportunity to speak personally with the folks at Swirlgear and I loved what they had to say about the brand. 

Swirlgear's mission is provide "functional and fashionable running gear for women." The Chicago-based company is completely women-owned and most importantly offers a product that I have not seen before! I love their cuts, fabrics and designs. 

Their current product line includes a variety of styles of short- and long-sleeved shirts, hoodies, shorts and a jacket. I purchased two running shirts to start off with: 

Capped sleeve/pink camo

Image source: Swirlgear

Capped sleeved/Pink and Black

Image source: Swirlgear

The shirts are designed with thoughtful features including moisture-wicking technical fabric, reflectivity on the back and flat stitching. I also love how long the tops are to prevent any riding up and belly exposure.

I've worn the pink camo top a few times now, including at the Lehigh Valley Zoo 10K.

Even more exciting, Swirlgear is currently in the midst of their Swirlgear Kickstater Campaign to raise $150,000 to put their fall/winter 2013 line into production. The line will be broadened to include racerback tanks, singlets, capris and a yoga/running pant.

The funding period ends on September 18, 2013, and any amount will surely help this great company!

You can also show your support by checking out Swirlgear for yourself. Use the code 964 when you place your order to receive free shipping!

Disclosure: As a Brand Ambassador, I receive discounted product from Swirlgear. In addition, I receive a small referral fee on items purchased using my code. All opinions are my own. Read my full disclosure here. 

Dumbo Double Dare Part 1: Inaugural Disneyland 10K - Race Recap

I'm skipping ahead to my recap of the Disneyland 10K because I am waiting on some photos from our first day in California.

The alarm clock went off at 4:45 am, giving me just enough time to change into my race gear and have a banana and a couple of bites of a croissant for breakfast.

We stayed at the Best Western Plus Anaheim Inn, which I found to be extremely convenient. It is within walking distance to the theme parks, Downtown Disney and the Disneyland hotels. I headed out of the hotel room by 5:25 to walk to the staging area, which was located near the Lilo Parking Lot on the west side of Downtown Disney.

Ready for the 10K!

I stopped for one last bathroom break in Downtown Disney because I didn't want to use the port-o-potties by the starting line. The bathroom by Wetzel's Pretzels was already open and with only a short line.

The 5K was just starting when I arrived at the staging area, and even though our race instructions told us to be in our corrals by 5:45 am, they weren't even open yet. This caused a huge amount of congestion! runDisney is usually so well organized that I was surprised that something like this would happen.

Stuck outside our corrals! 

I finally made it into corral D and had a few minutes to stretch. The race started at 6:15 and my corral was off by 6:30.

Bye, bye starting line!

Since I had a half marathon to run the next day, I decided to take it easy on this one and not try to PR. This gave me a chance to enjoy the sights.

The first two miles took us on the streets of Anaheim and led us into California Adventure through Cars Land. This was my first time seeing Cars Land and I thought it was too cute! 

Running through Cars Land

Photo stop for me at Mater's Petting Zoo! 

Next, we ran past Pacific Wharf and along Paradise Pier. There's California Screamin' and Mickey's Fun Wheel.

Running through Paradise Pier

At Mile 3, we made it to Grizzly Peak and we continued past Condor Flats, down Buena Vista Street and out of the park through Hollywood Land. 

We entered Disneyland through the main gates and ran down Main Street USA. 

We went through Tomorrowland and then out of the park briefly before re-entering Disneyland through Toon Town. 

Next, we ran through Fantasyland and through Sleeping Beauty's Castle.

In front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle

And then we continued through Frontierland where I ran into Chip and Dale!

Next, we finished up Disneyland by running through New Orleans Square and out of the park through Critter Country.

The race ended with a run through Downtown Disney to the finish line!

Me at the Finish Line

I picked up my 10k medal and Dumbo Double Dare wristband and got my refreshments before walking back to the hotel to shower and nap. 

Bling #1 of 4

Two wristbands for the weekend!

I knew I hadn't PR'ed on this race but I was actually surprised that I wasn't much slower. My net time was only 6 minutes off of my PR. 

I finished 2910th out of 7828 total finishers and 1509th out of 5133 women. 

Place	Name	Bib	Age	Div Place	Gender Place	5k Split	Clock Time	Net Time	Hometown
2910	IRENE STIRLING	23247	33	296	1509	38:27	1:28:01	1:16:47	ARLINGTON, VA

Spilt times from Polar watch:
Mile 1: 11:00
Mile 2: 10:45 *fastest mile
Mile 3: 12:20
Mile 4: 12:05
Mile 5: 12:30
Mile 6: 13:20

Disney races are always so much fun and make me want to sign up for more and more races! I must admit that these races are pretty hard to PR in because there is so much to see and many "non-serious" runners and walkers to try to get around.

No complaints here though! Disney sure is good at creating a memorable experience!

Disneyland Half Marathon: Sneak Peek

We did it! And with half marathon PRs all around! Since I'm so excited about sharing all the fun that was had this weekend, I can't resist giving you a little sneak peek at our half marathon finish! 

Raisin Bread, me and sister (as Chip) after the half marathon