And, I did it! Four races in four days, totaling 48.6 miles. It was fun, in a weird, sadistic kind of a way. Apparently I thrive on challenges and that was definitely a challenge.
Race one--the 5K. Oh, 5K…how I heart you. Such awesome weather, a later start (0630), and by the time I got warmed up, I was done. The best part was that it ran directly through EPCOT, no side roads, so there was always something to look at. Getting up at 0330 (runners had to be in place by 0530) was a gentle way to start off the weekend. Also, the run was crowded, but not too bad. My friend, R, and I dressed up like Ariel (in "mermaid" t-shirts and green/blue tutus) because it did sprinkle a bit (…water…Ariel…it seemed like it made sense at the time :) )but nothing crazy wet/hot/humid and the rain kept us from getting overly warm. I'd say this was high up on the list for my favorite run of the weekend.
Followed closely by race two--the 10K. Cheshire cat run, in pink shirts and tutus, start time was 0530, which made for a VERY EARLY day. A very nice, flat course through and surrounding EPCOT again. It was humid that day, but not very hot. R and I did a walk/run combo throughout the runs to try and save energy for the marathon and that made this a particular one a very easy and happy run. There were characters alongside the road, and Disney made every effort to keep us entertained. But again--by the time we got really warmed up and ready to go, the run was over. I did run into another friend of mine, DP (our husbands work together) during the run. We were around mile six of the 6.2 when I saw her--it's so much fun to see newer runners finish their runs! She did really awesome, which made it that much better.
The half marathon…our Tinkerbell-themed run…this one was both good and bad. It was a good thing it started at 0530, because it was HUMID that day. Even though it was cloudy the whole time (thankfully) the humidity made it very difficult to get through. The path was really nice--through EPCOT, down to the Magic Kingdom and back again. The carrot to finishing this run was that we were almost done. Half marathons are my favorite distance, and I felt like this one went pretty well. R and I held back in our efforts, because we still had a lot of miles to go the next day, but it was a smooth run…excluding the line at the bathrooms.
Around mile four, I was dying to pee. All of the water I drank that morning hit me all at once and I had to stop, so I could go. We had just gotten into the Magic Kingdom and there were (non-portajohn) bathrooms to the right. The line to the women's room was stupid long (because the men could stop along the side of the road, and had been)…so, R and I decided to see if there was more room in the men's room. The line was indeed shorter, but all of the stalls were full, so it didn't work out (s/n: I'm military and she's a nurse. Men's restrooms are not out of the question when you gotta go and working around/with men is the norm). Finally got out of there and the rest of the run went without any noticeable hitches. :)
The full marathon…that was a hell of a day. It was cooler (a high of 70 degrees that day and sunny), which for me, a Floridian, was awesome. My friend R had left "negative stupid cold temps" at home and 70 was a bit much…not just for her, but for a lot of the people who came south to do this run. It's awesome when you're used to it, but bouncing around between polar vortex and Floridian winter temps must have done a number on more than one person. The path for the run is great--again, starting in EPCOT, to the Magic Kingdom, around the Wide World of Sports Complex, through Hollywood Studios (s/n: in Hollywood Studios, around mile 22, we go through a tunnel which shows the costumes they have designed--Pirates of the Caribbean and the like--and as we're running, they play the song from Cinderella "Cinder-ellie, Cinder-ellie, night and day it's Cinder-ellie." All of the women in the tunnel started signing along with the song--it was HILARIOUS) and back around to EPCOT to finish, for the fourth time, under the big ball. Great course!!
So, we get up at 0300, on the bus by 0345 and get to going. On the way off of the bus, R snagged her iPod on a bus seat--right between the arm and the chair itself. After about five minutes of a few people looking under the seats for it, she realizes where it's tucked away and grabs it, and we head out. I pick up a bottle of water on the way to the start and then realize that it has a hole in it…go to the porta-john and lose MY iPod (and I wasn't going back for it--the bus was one thing, a portajohn…nope, don't need the iPod back that badly), and then R grabs a water bottle with a hole in it. At that point I'm wondering if the cards are stacked against us, but figure, "well, crap. We're here, may as well try it."
I had to stop at mile three, but nothing too bad. We did notice at mile four there were guards at the men's restroom door (hhmmmm….?? ;) ) and we kept pressing to around mile 14. At that point R is feeling gassed and convinces me to go ahead. I feel bad, since we were dressed as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum that day (what good is Dee without Dum??) but I knew that sometimes having someone hold back for you can be just as frustrating as being left behind.
It's a delicate balance, I think, running with someone else. For me, it's good to stay together for at least the first half, but then it should be played by ear. Last year, I gassed out on R and she ran ahead because my stop and go was killing her back. I didn't begrudge her--she needed to go ahead and that was that. This year she was dragging and I knew that she was getting frustrated with herself and that me slowing down for her wasn't really helping. I waited at the finish for her (she did the same last year) and we headed back, after getting ALL of our finisher's medals. All six of them. ;)
I really did enjoy this run and the challenge that the training for it gave me. I don't think I'll run Disney again next January (just because I've run that one since 2009), but I would encourage anyone looking for a challenge at the Happiest Place on Earth to give this one a shot. Full, half, 10K or 5K or any combination of those…it really was a blast!!
All through this, I really hope I raised some money for the charity Save Out Cats and Kittens (SOCKs). It really is difficult for me to convince myself to train for something without a reason for it…and knowing that people are donating to a worthy cause in the hopes that I succeed make this a very doable (if crazy) goal.
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