2016 Disney World Marathon Weekend Part 5 - Full Marathon

Sunday - Full Marathon 

I ran my first full marathon in June of 2014 in Anchorage, Alaska of all places. 26.2 miles is a distance to be respected whether you are running, hiking, walking, or in some cases a painful variation of crawl/limp.

History (and some legends) tell us that the first marathon was run by the Greek Soldier, Pheidippies from a battlefield at the site of the town of Marathon, Greece, to Athens circa 490BC. He was bringing news of a Greek victory over the Persians. Legend has it that upon completing the run he collapsed and died, setting a morbid standard for future marathon runs.

The actual distance run by Pheidippies was actually around 24miles. Centurys later, the British, in order to facilitate a finish in front of Windsor Castle during the Olympic games would add another 2.2 miles. This is why I like to shout "God save the Queen" at mile 24. This is also an inside joke for me praising one of my favorite UK Bands.

Once again (and thankfully for the last time- I was up at 3am). The crowds (about 25,000) were the same. The long walk to the start was also the same.

Even though I was a little bit sore from the previous races I felt like I could do this. Keep the pace slow, hydrate often, and smile.

 

The first 7 miles were in the dark and the the weather and temperatures were perfect! The magic kingdom was once again fun to visit and also a common set of bottlenecks were walking was only possible.

Mile 12 got us through Wild Kingdom. I was still feeling great at this point. At mile 14 I started hearing my first complainers ("X hurts" "too many miles to go"). I just smiled, laughed, and ignored that dangerous negativity. Here's the deal, everyone running a marathon hurts, it is a tough event (even for walkers). Most of the time I passed these poor souls never to see them again. This is why I spent the last 35 weeks of my life training. I was ready for this...I was owning this!

The last time I ran this distance I "hit the wall" at about mile 21. This time around there was no wall, except for the post finish waddle back across the Epcot Parking lot. I hit mile 24 outside Epcot, God Save the Queen!

I crossed the finish line after about 6 hours and 30 minutes (according to my watch) which by marathon standards is rather slow, but by my standards made my year. I don't know why we throw our arms in the air, but what the heck...I just finished 48.6 miles over 4 days.

Now, what should I do as my next event?

2016 Disney World Marathon Weekend Part 4 - Half

Saturday - Half Marathon

Now the distance is starting to get serious! Yes, I know this statement is subjective to your training level and state of mind. I've completed about a dozen half marathons over the last few years. It is a distance that I really enjoy. This is probably the most popular race of the weekend with many making it their first half marathon ever.The start corrals went all the way from A through P. I was happily back in section J. It was a half mile walk from the parking lot to the support area and then another half mile walk to the starting line.

After hearing the same start 9 times, our group was ready to go. There were a large number of Galloway Run/Walk/Run practitioners. At first it became an annoying traffic jam eventually I "Let it Go" (hate that song) and just went with whatever the crowd's pace was. This race took us up to and through the Magic Kingdom. They had the Castle all lit up.

After the Magic Kingdom (about mile 6 complete) the next 6 miles were boring road. I felt good with my pace. Around mile 10 I started to see the newbies hitting the wall...been there, done that, this is why I train for 35+ weeks before one of these events.

The final mile was a short run through the front gates of Epcot. This is where I got my favorite photo of the race. I pride myself on striking a post on most roller coasters when I know where the camera is...my race photos usually stink.

 In the end I finished the Half Marathon smiling and still feeling great. Later on, however, for the first time this week I would start to feel a little sore...a terrifying sensation when you have a marathon to run the next day. I little ice and lots of rest and relaxation on the couch was my plan for the rest of the day.

2016 Disney World Marathon Weekend Part 3 - 10k

Friday - 10k

Another run through Epcot... I really wasn't all that worried about 6.2 miles...that has been my "short" run for the last month.

The real challenge here is that it rained for an hour before and during most of this race. The 3am wake-up was perfect for this one. During the previous day they handed out Mylar (space) blankets at the finish line. I had it with me in the van, but decided to leave it behind...I could have totally used it as a poncho while I stood in the race corral D for about an hour waiting to start. There was a moment, thanks to the rain, where I considered quitting this whole thing.

Near the end of the race the rain stopped and I ended up having a good time. There were a few points where I felt like I could just keep running forever. I should have ignored these feelings as I would pay for the extra effort during the remaining days. Once again, with the race complete, I retired to relaxing for the rest of the day.

2016 Disney World Marathon Weekend Part 2 - 5K

Thursday - 5k

"Take it easy", I kept reminding myself. "You have to make it through 3 more races" I woke up at 3am and arrived at the Epcot parking lot by 3:30. This time frame, by far, was my greatest fear about this event. I wanted to avoid bad traffic and hoped I wouldn't miss my race.

...and I sat in the van in that lot for nearly 1 hour and 45 minutes because I was way too early. However, for a 5k race there were marathon crowds. Neat.

For the rest of the week the 3 am wake up was perfect. Here is a hint on how I made it work: Go to bed at 7 pm. When 3 am arrives you will have had a full 8 hour night. It was a little bit cold with a light mist-rain. In the end...nice 5k.

I celebrated by eating breakfast at the Waffle House and then spent the rest of the day watching the ADGQ2016 charity event on Twitch.

2016 Disney World Marathon Weekend Part 1 - Family Day at Magic Kingdom

Just a few days ago I checked off a major bucket list item. Well, it was actually two items. First, I wanted to take my 6 year old niece and 3 year old nephew to see Disney World. Second, I wanted to complete the Dopey Challenge during the Marathon Festival week.

Orlando, Florida
I've traveled to this part of the USA many times throughout my life. My very first flight was at age 6 from Canton/Akron, Ohio. We took a family vacation to the magic kingdom at Disney World. My second trip occurred at age 12 as a family road trip. We visited Epcot.

Over the last 5 years, thank to my job, I have traveled to Orlando and surrounding areas. It has been kind of weird experiencing this state as an adult versus my 6 and 12 year old self.

Wednesday - Magic Kingdom

One of the main reasons I wanted to go to Florida again was to enjoy the magic with my family. My Brother and Sister in law work hard for their kids. At 6 and 3, my niece and nephew are still in that stage of life where they are innocent. With my frequent time away I am going to miss out on most of their growing up years. Here was my goal...Happy kids go into the park....sleepy kids (and happy parents) leave the park.

At the end of the day I was dropped off at the fitness expo at ESPN's Wide World of Sports. I needed to pick up my race packet and about 6 (whaaaaat?) race shirts.

I met Jeff Galloway!