Park Delights with Little Ones

Favorite chill spots at Disneyland Park

While you are waiting for rope drop, mobile order something to pick up later in the day at Jolly Holiday. They sell out of some treats early!

If you Rope Drop Fantasyland, you can do all these things in the first hour

Carousel

Snow White

Pinocchio

Mr. Toads

Dumbo

Casey Jr Circus Train

Canal boats

Mad tea party

Alice in Wonderland

Peter Pan

Red Rose Tavern

Go to the left at the entrance. There's a back room. It's quieter. There is a water bottle refill station. The restrooms are great. We chill here with some tater tots until everyone poops

Outdoor nap spot

Between Fantasyland and Frontierland. There's a Guest Relations kiosk. Great people watching. There's a shaded bench for you to sit and great ambient noise.

New Orleans Square

Harbour galley - Soup in bread bowl, cookies

Tiana's palace - open 10am-9pm

Mint julep bar (Beignets) - open 8am-10pm

I love the restrooms here. There is a drinking fountain you can use to refill water bottles

You could ride Haunted Mansion or Pirates

Pirate Lair on Tom Sawyer Island

Mobile order something to eat and take the ferry over to the island

There are restrooms and a bottle filling station but no food (bring your own)

Rivers of America

I’ve never seen Fantasmic! but there are some dining packages

Mark Twain Riverboat

Sailing Ship Columbia

Davey Crockett Explorer Canoes

Ship to shore marketplace = Breakfast chimichanga and frozen lemonade

There's a little view of the river from the marketplace where there used to be tables. The fresh cool air coming off the river is really nice to stop and snack.

Frontierland

Restrooms at Rancho del Zocalo, but there’s usually a long line there

The chill thing to do here is watch the ducks

Albert got a kick out of playing with the cannon

You can find a shady bench

We’ve never eaten at River Belle Terrace, Cafe Orleans, Plaza Inn, Blue Bayou. Pretty much any place that requires reservations.

We’ve never eaten at the Golden Horseshoe, but I heard they have a root beer flight right now which sounds really fun

Royal Theater

we’ve never done, I just don’t think Albert has enough patience to sit for a show

If you bring quarters, you can do the shooting gallery at Frontierland and some other fun stuff in Adventureland inside the Bazaar.

Hanging around the Hub

Food from Quick Service / Food Carts

Maurice's Treats - open 8am-9pm

Churros near sleeping beauty castle - opens 8:30 am

Little Red Wagon Corn dogs - opens 8am - midnight

Pretzels near big thunder MTN - opens 11am - 11 pm

You can ride the Main Street Vehicles.

Toontown

Cafe Daisy

Bottle filling station near Chip & Dale gadget go coaster

Also low stimulation cave and picnic area way at the back of Toontown

These restrooms are so crowded

You can sometimes see characters like Goofy and Pete

We’ve never waited in line to see Mickey and Minnie at their house(s)

Disneyland Railroad

Good for an afternoon nap

Or if it’s really hot, we take a nap inside the waiting area of Great Moments with Mr Lincoln

Main St characters (we usually catch them in the afternoon before the 3:30PM parade)

We get popsicles if it’s hot from the food carts on Main St (strawberry sugar-free) and sit at the train station. We get popcorn from the cart for the walk back to the hotel

Troubadour Tavern

(near Toontown and the Fantasyland Theater) has good, kid-friendly food

Baked potato

Chicken nuggets and mac

Prince and Princess restrooms (we love these)

Adventureland

Swiss Family Robinson treehouse, be prepared to climb it at least 6 times

Tiki Room + Dole Whip (you have to mobile order it)

Jungle cruise

Bengal bbq You can mobile order and then sit inside, it’s shady

Restrooms are closer to the Tiki Room and castle

Tomorrowland

(this is pretty at night when all the neon lights are on)

Autotopia

Galactic Grill (good to mobile order and sit outside)

Pizza Planet (one pasta dish can feed two people for sure), Albert does a good nap here too

Inside the restaurant is dark and air-conditioned & there’s ambient sounds that put him to sleep

Nemo

Monorail

Buzz Light-year

Restrooms are behind Autotopia and usually not crowded

Small World

you can get a lightening lane for this I think

Parade - find out when it is and plan to be somewhere to avoid or watch it.

King & Queen restrooms near Alice in Wonderland. This is my fav parade-watching spot

Main St near Tomorrowland

Baby care center - you can get diapers here if you run out. They will give you a sticker. If your child gets lost, this is where you can find them.

Silhouette studio - 8am- midnight

Usually we get ice cream at Gibson Girl on the way out

Galaxy's Edge

is another great nap spot. It has ambient noise that puts my kid out!

If he’s in the stroller and getting fussy, we get a blue milk and walk through Batuu until he falls asleep. I think you can also watch the fireworks from back here now. You can mobile order food and drinks here that’s good for adults. Kids might not like it because the food is all weird

Droid depot the robots will interact with your kid.

Milk stand

Ronto roasters

Docking Bay 7

Water bottle refill stations at both restrooms, rarely are these restrooms too crowded

Critter Country

*I think most of this is closed at the moment

But I wanted to say that the Hungry Bear was great for kids, we enjoyed sitting on the second level overlooking the train, the riverboats, and they have some ambient nature sounds that are very relaxing. I love the bathrooms on the ground level, closer to the river.

Favorite chill spots at Disney California Adventure Park

Fiddler, fifer & practical cafe (Starbucks) in Carthay Circle. 

We love getting a snack while waiting for rope drop.

Paradise Gardens Park

Rope drop The Little Mermaid and ride it for a while. They will let you circle around again and again if there’s no line. The line gets long later in the day, so we usually do this one first.

There's a cappuccino cart near the bridge to Sanfransokyo square if you need a coffee

Pixar Pier

restrooms by Paradise Garden Grill and Goofy’s Sky School are okay

Jesse’s Carousel (there are nice restrooms behind the ride)

Toy Story Midway Mania (if you can get a Lightning Lane)

Pixar Pal A Round (do the NON SWINGING)

Sanfransokyo Square

The Bakery Tour - 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Get a Baymax or Mickey Vampire Bread and feed the ducks

Restaurants open at 10:30 AM - Aunt Cass Cafe takes mobile orders

They have mac & cheese in a bread bowl that is kid-friendly and big enough to share

The Baby Care Center is next to Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop and across from The Bakery Tour. There’s a nice spot to change a diaper, a family restroom with a tiny potty, high chairs for feeding, etc.

The bathrooms here have a water bottle filling station

Grizzly Peak

Redwood Creek Challenge Trail - make sure mom & dad have on sturdy shoes or be prepared to lose your child for a while. This is a ropes course with lots of stairs. Great to get wiggles out.

Our best nap spot in DCA is in the Grand Californian Hotel Lobby

It’s cool and quiet and pretty. You can get snacks right there at the Grand Californian Great Hall Cart or you can get food from the GCH Craftsman Grill. You can order food from the poolside GCH Craftsman Bar even if you’re not a hotel guest. But that’s going to take longer.

There are so many little courtyards within the hotel grounds for kids to toodle around. It’s shady most of the day. You can access this from Downtown Disney too so it’s a great spot to know about whether you have a park reservation or not.

You do have to go through security to re-enter the park from the hotel but it’s worth it.

There’s a water bottle filling station in the hotel gym.

Another great nap spot is the walking path behind Grizzly River Run. Apparently it used to be the smoking area, but it’s not anymore. There is a unique sound of the flume ride that provides enough white noise to get a kid to sleep. Plus the humidity from the water ride makes that area significantly cooler. You can park the stroller on a bridge over the splash zone and whoever is not sleeping can watch people doing down the drop

Sometimes you can find a photo-op with Goofy or Pluto near the airplane near Soarin’

There’s a really quiet spot near the restrooms across from Soarin and Smokejumpers

It’s like a closed alleyway that goes nowhere but there’s a bench there. Great spot for breastfeeding or eating a popsicle and avoiding the crowds and noise

It’s between the gift shop and the restrooms.  I think there might be some lockers there.

Going back through Carthay Circle and down Hollywood Blvd

Hit up the Disney Jr Dance Party. It’s quite loud but short and fun for the kids

Animation Academy is a fun place to chill out. It’s cool and dark. I’ve never got Albert to nap in there but it feels like it could work for some kids. You do have to park your stroller and leave it outside, so that’s a drawback. 

We've never done Turtle Talk with Crush but that's also in this building

Turning the corner to Sunset Blvd

It’s a good spot to watch any DCA parades. 

There’s a Shawarma Cart that you can get breakfast or lunch. Really yummy

There’s an open courtyard behind the shawarma cart and the Hyperion theater that sometimes isn’t used for anything. It’s a nice place to sit and eat and you can sometimes find shade there

Avenger’s Campus

We usually get some food at Pym test kitchen and watch a show at Avenger’s Headquarters

Black Widow and Black Panther do a thing on top of the building near the quinjet

Spiderman does a thing at Web Slingers, it’s short but the kids get a kick out of it

Starlord does a thing in front of mission break out, a dance-off

The Ancient Sanctum is a garden that is nice and quiet (low stimulation). I heard Dr. Strange used to do a magic show there but I don’t think it’s running now. Still nice to see

The restrooms are by Web Slingers, but they tend to have long lines

Cars Land

It’s hard to love Cars Land because my kid always wants to buy something and he’s not big enough to ride the Radiator Springs Racers

If it’s winter, I try to do Cars Land at sunset because you get to see the neon come on and people do a funny dance to the Sha-boom song. It’s worth trying to time it that way.

If it’s hot we eat inside Flo’s V8 Cafe. 

The tables and theming are really cute and the food is definitely kid-friendly. 

The restrooms are there in Flo’s but sometimes they have really long lines.

I think there’s a drinking fountain or water bottle filling station there.

Cozy Cone Motel

is hard to navigate but they have some fun snacks

Cone 1 = churros

Cone 2 = ice cream

Cone 3 = queso (mac & cheese in a bread cone)

Cone 4 = chimichangas and frozen adult beverages

Cone 5 = popcorn

You have to know which cone you want in order to mobile order food, but it’s worth it.

Definitely mobile order because if you do walk-up it can take over 10 minutes for your food

It’s worth waiting in line for the photo op with Mater, Cruz or Lightning

You can ride Mater's Junkyard Jamboree or Luigi's Rollicking Roadsters but they're very jerky

Hollywood Backlot

It’s nice if they have entertainment on the Hollywood Backlot Stage

That whole area is chill because there’s only Monster’s Inc as a ride.

We usually get food from the Studio Catering Company (a food truck)

There are sometimes tables right there or you can sit in the bleachers for the stage

I like Mickey’s Philharmagic. It’s dark in there and the show is music so the kids love it

There are some little tables right there and that area is mostly shaded

We usually hit Trolley Treats on Buena Vista St to get some Churro Toffee for the ride home

Night Stuff and Fancy Adult Stuff

If you know anyone with a Magic Key, the magic key terrace is nice

I’m sure you could enjoy dinner at Wine Country Trattoria, but I’ve never eaten there

We’ve never eaten at Carthay Circle Lounge or Lamplight Lounge or Storytellers Cafe

I’ve never seen World of Color, but there are dining packages you can get

For dining reservations, you want to grab those 60 days before your trip and I just never remember. You can ask to be put on a waitlist for walk-up and they may or may not call you

Disneyland Hotel

We love to order the sweet potato fries and sit out by the pool at Tangaroa Terrace

They have low chairs that are good for kids and the music / vibe is nice

I heard the Coffee House at the Disneyland hotel just reopened with a good menu

The Adventure Lawn Gazebo is a great wiggle spot for kiddos. As long as there’s no wedding

Pixar Place Hotel

Small Bytes is a bodega type store

Sketch Pad Cafe is a quick service

Great Maple is a sit-down, I think you need reservations

I've never been to any of these because they've only recently opened.

Mid-session Check-in

I feel like Session 3 is flying by. It's weird because I had a race in the middle of the session, which was somewhat strange and may have influenced my training cycle. But I'm trying to carry on and integrate the training plan from the LA Roadrunners, too. We are now officially in week 2 of the marathon training cycle.

I ran with the LAM 5:45 - R/W 3 group this weekend. I debated between that group and a slower one, but I decided to challenge myself. The sign said something like 13 minute miles and I thought it would be a stretch but I figured as long as it's run/walk I should be okay. It was hard to keep up but I did it. And afterwards I felt great.

The pacer, Mariana, had a sign with a QR code. When you scanned it, it brought you to the WhatsApp for this pace group. We could immediately connect with each other and share photos. It was actually awesome. I overheard another woman struggling with all the apps. Komoot and Strava and now WhatsApp. They were saying that it was a lot of technology to begin marathon training. They were having trouble downloading all the apps and finding the right one in the play store.

It was a real treat to run in such a big group, but some of us are still learning the rules of the road. Go two-by-two or single file depending on the path, so we can all share the space safely. If you spot a hazard-like a hole, step, bike, anything potentially dangerous, shout it out! If you hear someone in front of you calling out a danger, pass it on down the line, so everyone stays prepared. But don't call out every twig or leaf, we don't want to cry wolf so often that we miss real dangers.

She sent a message explaining all the notation in the training plan and specifically how that translated into our pace group, which I found really helpful.

• R-pace (repetition): zone 5, for 200 to 800 meters
• I-pace (interval): zone 4, for 800 to 1600 meters
• T-pace (threshold): zone 5, 8/10 effort, 5 to 10k pace
• HMRP (half-marathon race pace): pace expected on race day, high end of zone 3 - 12:58
• MRP (marathon race pace): pace expected on race day, zone 3 - 13:09
• easy: zone 2, 6/10 effort, 12:34 to 13:45 minutes per mile

TO WHAT EXTENT HAVE YOU MET YOUR RUNCLUB GOALS?

My goals this time are to continue building community among my runners, become more confident in my ability to lead, and keep training and building my fitness. I want to be more serious about cross-training and possibly have my sister write me a program. I am doing a good job of getting my miles in, but I could do better at cross-training and weight training.

WHICH COMPONENTS OF THE PROGRAM SUPPORTED YOUR PROGRESS? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)Here are some Facebook groups that I draw inspiration from:

• Team #runDis
• StreakingwiththeCOOLKIDS
• Crowned Athletics
• #RunDopey

I think some aspects of the Sparkle Squad, the LA Roadrunners, and the Rise and Run Family could translate to the Fit4Mom West SFV RunClub+. Sparkle Squad does a bracelet swap and a bunch of "getting to know you" posts right at the beginning of the year-long membership.

• share BRAND/ AMBASSADOR discounts
• share race discounts or coupon code
• ask for the Traveling Squad Unicorn Necklace
• download and share Accountability trackers in Canva
• create INSTAGRAM hashtags and @ tags#womensupportingwomen #womensrunningcommunity #womensrunning #inspiringrunners #runningmotivation #runnermotivation #motivationforrunning #runninginspiration #instarunner #instarunning #instarunclub
• tell them to like & comment each other's posts
• follow train: Comment with your INSTAGRAM handle. Please copy & paste the web address of your profile, so people can click through & follow with ease. e.g. @sparkleathletic: www.instagram.com/sparkleathletic
• Spirit Days - themes for dressing up in running attire

WHAT ABOUT RUNCLUB+ SURPRISED YOU OR DID NOT MATCH YOUR EXPECTATIONS (WHETHER POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE)? YOU CAN SHARE YOUR GENERAL REFLECTIONS HERE.

I met Juliet Ulanday from Fit4Mom SFVNELA and she is their RunClub+ coach. They also run at 8am on Sundays. She recognized me from my Instagram, so it was the first time someone recognized me from social media only because I'm unsure if we've ever met in person. We were both cooling down after the Santa Monica Classic. Her husband was forthcoming in sharing that managing the run club is challenging and that waning participation is universal. It made me feel connected to a larger running community, and it made me feel happy that I posted so many sweaty selfies on Instagram. At least they're reaching someone.

WHAT SUGGESTIONS DO YOU HAVE TO IMPROVE SESSION 4 (October, November, December)?

I tried having an after-run coffee/brunch with the gals during week 3, and it was kind of nice. We ended up staying another hour after our 3-mile run because one of our runners went to the wrong park and then had to drive across town to get to where we were. I felt it would be nice to do a little walk with her, and then we got coffee since we were already at a mall. It was something I wanted to try and I think it went well. Maybe not something we must do every time, but it was nice for a change.

Week 1 Homework
https://youtu.be/OzuF2Pym-Yg

Apps
https://youtu.be/hXFw_F1grb4

What is the magic mile?

https://youtu.be/CnvuBDT8aD0?si=qL_AZIhEOmRM2Wmj

Videos that I still want to make:

• Mission Inn Run course
• Holiday Half Marathon course
• Cycle Syncing
• How and why to keep a training journal

I also want to write a blog post about family-friendly Disneyland days and another one about budgeting and planning for races.

Santa Monica Classic Race Report

The course route and distance were changed 48 hours before the event, which was challenging after I had planned and prepared for a different experience. This was going to be my first 10k in a long time (like 8 years). I had envisioned a long, gorgeous 10K through the city of Santa Monica and temperatures ranging between 65 and 70°.

The event itself: Where? How long? When? Weather?

The modified course went along Ocean Avenue, with views of the Pacific Ocean on one side and Silicon Beach high rises and hotels on the other. It was actually really pretty. At sunrise, there were cotton candy clouds. Because of the high rises, most of the course was shaded.

The start and finish were very close to the world-famous Santa Monica Pier. The finish line festival was at the 3rd Street Promenade, which is closed to cars. The event organizers asked everyone to please come on Saturday for early bib pick up. But when I walked through the same day, there was no line at 6:00 a.m.

I woke up at 4:00 a.m. I left my house at 4:30. I arrived at the parking structure around 5:30. I changed out of my pajamas into my running outfit and braided up my hair. I left my car at 6:00 a.m. and I paid for 4 hours of parking for $9. It felt icky immediately after I got out of the air-conditioning. The humidity was 89% at that point. I found the LA roadrunners and took a picture at 6:30. Then went to the very front of the corrals to be interviewed by KTLA prior to the race start time of 7am.

It kind of went south at this point because after our interview they told us we had to go from the front all the way to the back and it was extremely crowded. Some of the LA roadrunners very smartly made a gap in the fence right behind the athletes with disabilities. So they went off in the first wave.

According to the event organizers there were somewhere between 6,000 and 7,000 people. Since they had changed the start time from 7:30 for the 10K and 8:30 for the 5K now it was a 7:00 a.m. rolling start for everyone. They let another wave go about every 4 minutes. I went to stand off to the side because the crowds were very overwhelming and everyone was pushing and shoving to get an earlier start.

I didn't hear the National Anthem at all

 In the last 5k that I did, the 2024 Corona del Mar Scenic 5k, I started way too far forward in the 12-minute mile corral, and I don't run a 12-minute mile, so it was discouraging having everyone passing me. Well, that race didn't have corrals either, so let's say I started in the middle of the women's pack. This time, I decided to start a little bit further back in the pack, and therefore, I would be running with people who also run at my pace. What I didn't realize is that meant I would not cross the starting line until 40 minutes later.

The time was not such a big deal, but with every minute that went by, was another minute that the sun was above the horizon. It kept getting hotter and hotter. I had a hydration backpack, and I had filled my bladder with ice, but the longer I was waiting, the more the ice was melting, and by the time I started running, there was no ice left.

After 7:15, I realized that if I didn't get in the corral, I would never get a chance to start the race. So I just walked up to the end of the pack. I stood next to a nice couple who lived in North Hollywood and would be running the LA Marathon for the first time. It was nice to have a chit-chat to pass the time.

I started to panic because right when we got up to the starting line, the announcer said if you don't finish the first loop of the 5k by 8:15, then you cannot do the second loop to make 10k. When originally, the emails that they had sent out said as long as you can do a 15-minute mile, then you can do the 10k.

If you do the math, with me starting at 7:40, That's an 11 1/2-minute mile. I know I don't run that fast so at the time when I crossed the starting line I was already very upset because that was a change that was made morning of that was not in any of the emails. But I remained optimistic throughout the race, and I told myself I would just make the decision at the U-turn whether I felt good like I could do another loop or if a 5k would be enough for me that day.

Course description and evaluation of event logistics

Honestly, I feel like it would have been better to let everybody who registered for the 10K start before everybody who registered for the 5 K. It seemed like there was no rhyme or reason as to who got to be in the earlier waves, and it wasn't really communicated very well.

Mile 1 I was feeling okay, but because the course was now a out and back, The signage was very confusing. The first sign you saw said mile 3, then you saw mile 1, then you saw a mile 2, and then mile 1 again, and then mile 3 again. I understand that the organizers were having double-sided water stops so that participants would have more opportunities for water. And there was a misting station around mile 2. As I walk to the finish line festival I heard a lot of other participants say that the signage was very confusing, so it wasn't just me that was disoriented by this.

I decided that I would just keep running until I saw my friend Yaya, who I did not start with. I figured she probably started in an earlier corral than me and I would see her at some point as she approached the U-turn and as I was still going out. That was really helpful as a distraction. I did see her the first time when I was in my first or second mile and she was in her second or third mile.

The dew point was 69 and the humidity was 76% and the temperature was 76°F when I crossed the starting line. At every water station I grabbed two cups, one to pour on my head, and the other one to pour on my arms and legs. It felt more like swimming in a hot tub than running.

https://sciencenotes.org/what-is-dew-point/ 

I feel like the runners never really got a chance to spread out or find pace groups in any kind of way that made sense because everybody was just all lumped together. The party pacers were just standing around on the sidelines cheering. There were faster runners coming from the back and like running into people. Because the start line was open all the way until 8:30 a.m. for people to begin.

How I trained for the event

I did a good amount of training runs in Nebraska. Those runs were done under conditions similar to the race day, i. e. warm and with high humidity. And I knew that I would have to run a little bit slower, or take walk breaks to cool down. But I also knew that if I didn't get to the U-turn by 8:15 I wouldn't be able to finish my 10k so I was rushing.

Around mile 2, I felt like I started running out of gas. I had eaten a banana and two PB muffins at 6am. I ate two fruit strips at 7am. But since it took so long to get started, I already had burned through all my fuel, walking around and waiting in corrals. Luckily I had packed half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, so I had to walk while I ate that. Let's just say my fueling plan failed. I could have benefited from something with more electrolytes.

Mile 3, I was flying, it was downhill. My music was bumping. I started looking out again for my friend Yaya who had already made the U-turn so she would have been in her fourth or fifth mile when I was in my third. I was running when I saw her. But then I started to feel my right hamstring locking up. I walked a little bit. I tried to start running again and it was a no-go. I almost started crying as I approached the U-turn. I wasn't running any faster than my training pace, but I also wasn't running any slower. I did not adjust my pace for the heat and humidity. I was so pumped because of the race day energy.

One of the coaches for the roadrunners said my name and asked me if I was going to stop or take the second loop. It made me feel so good that she called me by name. But I told her my leg was cramping up, so I would call it a day. I crossed the finish line around 8:30. I tried to run across the finish line, so hopefully, my finish line photo will look cool, like I'm not in pain. I crossed the finish line with another woman who is a working mom. She was like I have to work a 12-hour shift tomorrow. I'm not doing another lap. So, I had to accept that this was our right decision.

I knew I had another 10k on my calendar in October, so if this is not the right day to do a 10k, it's not the right day, and it's all right. I walked around until 9:00 a.m. The finish line festival was underwhelming. There were few vendors. There were few giveaways or samples. And there was no expo at the bib pickup, which was disappointing. I let my husband know that I had finished the race but was slightly injured. I texted my friend Yaya to see where she was so we could meet.

I walked towards the running mamis tent and stopped at the port-a-potties on the way. We took some cute photos with our medals with the ocean in the background. We also tried to stand in the shade as much as possible. It was above 80° when I finished the race, and it was 85° by 10:00 a.m. when I left.

Gear and nutrition

I'm happy that I wore my vest for the race, which allowed me to bring my speaker, phone, keys, wallet, sandwich, and fruit strips. I wish I would have brought some salt tabs. I brought a liquid IV packet, but I didn't have any water to dump it in until after I crossed the finish line. After the finish line, they gave away graham crackers, Cheez-Its, pretzels, oatmeal bars, water bottles, and electrolyte drinks. There were no electrolytes given at the water stops on the course.

It was surprising that there were no porta-potties at the finish-line festival. There was one group of porta potties near the start line, but the lines before the race were crazy long. There was another group of porta potties near the finish line, with shorter lines. I wouldn't have known those were there, except the LA Roadrunners photo spot was right by that, so I did get to use the restroom before and after the race.

I am still slightly disappointed in the overall experience because I initially registered for the 5k only. Then, the organizers changed the start times and finish times for the 5k and 10k after I had already registered so that people who wanted to do the triple 5k challenge could do both the five and 10k. I had to pay about an extra $40 to upgrade my registration from the 5k to the 10k, then I ended up running only a 5k, so I could have just left it as a 5k registration, but then I would not have qualified for the Conquer LA challenge.

The organizers said that they would honor whichever race we registered for even if we didn't run a 10k distance. If we were registered for the 10k, then it would count as a 10k. But now they're having a lot of trouble posting people's results because it's hard to tell what distance people actually ran.

I feel bad for anyone who was trying to use this race as proof of time. I'm not sure if it will count because the organizers were saying it was an unofficial 10k, not a certified distance. And for a Disney race, to get proof of time for a half marathon or marathon, you need to run at least a 10k. A 5k would not count.

Interestingly, the Rise and Run podcast has been having guests who are race directors on their show. They have had a lot of discussions about shortening races due to weather conditions. So I feel some empathy towards the race directors who had to make these decisions. But I do think it's okay to debrief individual runners' experiences of those decisions.

I hope these changes effectively prevented heat-related illnesses among the participants, staff, and volunteers. At least for me, I would have had to walk or limp the remainder of the distance, so I am grateful that the race was shortened. I may have been slightly more aggressive in getting into an earlier corral. I just didn't know!

The streets were reopened to cars after 10:00 a.m. I guess they couldn't start the race earlier because the city of Santa Monica has a noise ordinance that does not allow them to start earlier than 7:00 a.m. So kudos to RunDisney for starting their races so early in the morning. I may be a Disney runner, after all.

P. S. Did I taper? No. Did I hydrate? No. Did I bring electrolytes? No. Did I learn from all these things? Yes 👍

AND I tested positive for COVID-19 three weeks before race day, so that may have interfered with my training and/or performance on race day.