I knew the night before the full that getting up was going to be hard to do on race morning.  I had just run a half marathon the day before and tried not to spend much time resting during the day because I wanted to make sure the legs didn’t get tight.  When the alarm went off on Sunday morning at 2 AM I had to fight the urge to roll back over and go back to sleep. 

Once we got rolling I woke right up.  The wind outside was enough to cut right through you which kept you on your toes.  Margaret, Mike and I piled into the minivan and drove over to Port Orleans Riverside to pick up Jen and Dave to head to the start.  When we got there Dave hopped out of the car and headed over to his Race Retreat.  This was one of those years where it really paid off to have it.  We stayed in the car longer this morning trying our best to stay warm as long as we could. 

We got out of the car to make a stop at the “H” tent again before heading to the start line.  Jen checked her bag and we headed over to the start line this time with enough time to hear the entire National Anthem.  At this point time seemed to start flying.  We made our trip around the outside of EPCOT and then up the promenade.  Because of crowds we seemed to spend most of our time around the outside of the circle which I knew was going to come back to bite us later on distance wise.   Before mile 5 we were already over 1/4 mile off from the mile markers.

We left EPCOT and made our way towards the Magic Kingdom.  At the TTC we saw Andi and Margaret’s paretns.  As we approached the Contemporary I saw my aunt, uncle, and cousins all out to cheer me on.  We then turned and went down Main Street.  The ROTEr Rooters group was much smaller this time, but they were still there.  Compared to previous years the crowds were much smaller because of the cold.  People didn’t hang around to cheer after their own runners left.  As we rounded our way out of the Magic Kingdom the course narrowed and it was difficult to run without a lot of zig zagging.  This is about where we found Roger and started leap frogging with him for a very long time. 

We soon saw Andi and Margaret’s parents again as we neared the Polynesian.  Then we were approaching the water stop my parent’s were at.  I tried to look strong running through so that Mom wouldn’t worry.  I didn’t need to act much because I really did feel surprisingly good.  Seeing the ROTE water stop was a big adrenaline rush as we entered a boring part of the race.  

I was still feeling good.  Almost too good.  It was making me nervous.  We wound our way through the Animal Kingdom and then out onto the toughest part of the course.  Miles 18-23 are on the highway with a 1/2 mile out and back in the middle.  As we were doing the out and back I looked for runners from ROTE and WISH to cheer them on.  I was wearing a green shirt with an oval on the front like a bumper sticker with a 39.3 on it which was a gift from my friend Jen.  It certainly helped at this point as I was getting comments from the people running towards us on my shirt. 

As we exited the out and back we passed the are where Mr. Dave had told me to throw my water belt two years ago.  Knowing how different I felt this day brought a smile to my face that I was having a hard time getting rid of.  Before we knew it we were entering MGM and the final stretch of the race.  As we ran through I saw my friend Scot leaving to Commissary and yelled to him.  When we exited WISH was there handing out pretzels and twizzlers.  I grabbed a couple pretzels from Tracy before heading off to EPCOT for the finish. 

We were all getting quiet at this point as different aches and pains started to set in.  My legs still felt strong but the bottoms of my feet were really starting to ache.  Margaret was having trouble with the side of her foot and Jen was having a problem with her KT-Tape rolling up on her.  I glanced down at my watch as we were nearing Mexico and got a lump in my throat as I saw that we were at 6:59 minutes already.  We had been staying well on pace until we entered MGM I think but I just neglected to watch my watch after that.  I declared the next walk break as our last and then we ran in for home.  As we came down the home stretch we saw ROTErs cheering us on.   Andi, my Mom and Dad were screaming for us as we headed for the finish line.  We did it!  I finished Goofy and my running partners, Margaret and Jen, finished their first Full marathons!

I grabbed some water and powerade and then made my way for the Goofy tent to get my third medal.  It was put around my neck.  As I left the area I saw Roger standing there wearing his and congratulated him.  Then I found my girls as the food tent.  We made our way back to the “H” tent which had benches underneath it this year instead of a table and a couple chairs.  I sat down and enjoyed the release of not having weight on my feet. 

Mom and Dad made their way towards us and Mom wrapped me in a blanket.  Once we were all present and accounted for we made our way to the car to head  back to Port Orleans Riverside where I had a scheduled massage.  The therapist really worked on my feet and by the time she was done I was walking normally again.

As mentioned in my previous post this past weekend my father was signed up for his first half marathon.  His training started out really strong this summer.  We had him up to 8 miles and we were finishing them together strong.  Unfortunately he ended up developing a nagging case of shin splints.  There was a question for a while whether or not he would be participating this weekend, but thanks to a last ditch effort we got two 8 milers under his belt.  This had him ready to approach the start line and attempt the half marathon distance.  His goal was to stay with me as long as he could and then walk the last few miles into the finish.

We arrived early on race day and I hopped out to go join my friends at the “H” tent.  Dad opted to stay in the warm car a little longer.  It was great catching up with my friends but as we got closer and closer to the start of the race I was getting anxious that Dad wasn’t there yet.  Finally he rolled up with his friend Mike and I got us moving on towards the corrals.  We stopped at the port-a-potties and then started the 20 minute walk to the corrals.  At this point it had been snowing for a little while.  People were gathering around the base of the spot lights Disney had brought in to try to keep warm.  Luckily we had trained in this stuff so we were a little more acclimated to the cold.  With us we had the Godfather pacing team – a group with the goal of moving at a steady pace to try to get my father to the finish line.  With us we had Dad, Andi, Steve, Tricia, Crystal and myself. 

As we approached the start line we could hear the national anthem being sung.  We got into our corral just before they counted down the first wave.  A few minutes later we started shuffling our way closer to the start line as the second wave went off.  Then it was our own turn.  We counted down and off we went.  

The first few miles seemed to just fly by.  The slow pace was feeling good on the legs and was leaving me with the confidence I needed to feel like I could actually double the distance the next day.  Dad was looking really strong and seemed to be feeling great as well.  It seemed like time just flew by and then we found ourselves entering the Magic Kingdom.  We found my Mom about half way up Main Street bundled up and looking adorable.  I think it helped calm her nerves that my father looked so strong when she saw him.  Towards the end of Main Street we came upon the ROTEr Rooters which included my running partners.  The time in the park flew by and then we were back on our way towards EPCOT.  This is where the course gets tough because not only are you in the later miles but you are on a stretch of boring highway. 

I could feel Dad falling back away from me and getting quiet shortly after mile 9.  I know myself when I get like this and I don’t really want anyone to talk to me.  So I let him hang back a little and tried to just keep him in my sights.  Unfortunatley he wasn’t dressed in any distinguishing clothing, so shortly after mile 10 I lost him.  I eased off on the pace in hopes that he would catch back up.  At about mile 11.5 there is a sharp turn that takes you onto a ramp leading into EPCOT.  This gave me an oppurtunity to look back along the course.  I spotted my friend Roger by his red ROTE hat and right next to him was Dad.  I could feel the relief wash over me.  Looking at my watch we still had plenty of time so I opted to walk from there to the finish line to give Dad a chance to catch up with me. 

Around mile 12 we were entering EPCOT and came across the ROTE water stop.  I was running to the right but spotted my friends Chris and Mark on the other side of the street so I jogged over there to get some water from them.  We were soon doing the out-and-back on the promenade in EPCOT and I got another glimpse of Dad and got to cheer for him.  As we made our way back stage again I decided to wait for Dad so that I could cross the finish line with him.  He came around the corner and I joined him and Roger and got them to start jogging so that we were running across the finish line. 

As we approached the finish I grabbed Dad’s hand and put his arm up in victory as we crossed the finish line.  I am SO proud of him.  He did awesome for his first half marathon with so much trouble in his training.  I can’t even imagine what he could do with good training behind him, but we should be finding out in September when he runs the Disneyland Half Marathon.  😀

This year I once again attended the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend and even though this was my fifth year attending there are many things that set this particular weekend apart from the others. 

This was the first Walt Disney World Marathon weekend since the conception of RunningoftheEars.com.  There were several ROTE rallies planned throughout the weekend to ensure we spent plenty of time with friends.   There was a group gathering at Port Orleans Riverside, a group trip to Downtown Disney, a catered dinner at the Contemporary, watching fireworks from the Polynesian and the annual trip around the World Showcase at EPCOT to celebrate our accomplishments.

This year my father was signed up for a distance greater than the 5K.  Yes, we got him to sign up for his first half marathon.  Though his training didn’t go as planned we did get him to the start line, healthy, and as ready as he could be to take on the distance.

My father’s family came down to participate in the weekend for the first time.

And last but not least, I gave into peer pressure and signed myself up for the Goofy Race and a Half Challenge.