Mrs. Darling's 2010 Half Marathon Trip:Yes, it does snow at Disney World

[Ellester]

Sounds like a great birthday dinner! Cali Grille is on my list for a non-kid meal. I agree that having to keep my kids entertained tends to minimize the relaxation aspect of a nice meal. Two hours for a meal would about kill them! (If I didn't first! ) Can't wait to hear about the race!

 

[Stefy]

Ooh the excitement is rising for the race now. Forgot to add in my last post, am glad you decided to go with the Tyvek in the end

 

[dismagiclover]

Sounds like a great birthday dinner! Cali Grille is on my list for a non-kid meal. I agree that having to keep my kids entertained tends to minimize the relaxation aspect of a nice meal. Two hours for a meal would about kill them! (If I didn't first! ) Can't wait to hear about the race!

Even my calm 10 year old girl wouldn't enjoy a 2 hour meal. My 7 and 5 year old boys would think they had died and ended up where they didn't want to be

Ooh the excitement is rising for the race now. Forgot to add in my last post, am glad you decided to go with the Tyvek in the end

The Tyvek was definitely the right decision. I watched a bit of the Gunners game last night to make DH happy and I thought of you.

 

[liznboys]

Thank you! I did check out the C25K site and printed it out! You two have really motivated me to do this!

Yay! Keep us posted!

I'm glad the bed was comfy! I didn't realize you got up and peaked out the window. I must have either been asleep or very close to it!

Yeah, I remember I heard the music and I thought for a second if I should say anything about it because I knew you were like me, TRYING to relax and fall asleep. But then I couldn't help myself, had to ask you if you heard it too. You replied but I could tell you were more interested in working on sleep. Which was a very good thing, because if you were all excited to hear it like I was, we probably would have ended up getting up and heading out of the room to watch it from somewhere...thereby making sleep occur even later!

 

[dismagiclover]

Which was a very good thing, because if you were all excited to hear it like I was, we probably would have ended up getting up and heading out of the room to watch it from somewhere...thereby making sleep occur even later!

Then we would have only gotten 3 1/2 hours of sleep instead of 4 1/2 hours

 

[dismagiclover]

At 3:00 am sharp Liz’s alarm went off and she rolled out of bed to get ready. It took me a bit longer to get up and I finally got out of bed around 3:30. It was insane to be up that early! We piled on all our multiple layers, ate a quick breakfast and headed out of the room a little after 4:00 am. As we walked across the bridge to the Contemporary we shivered and it was an unsettling realization that we were going to run in this weather. It was about 30 degrees F. We headed over to the monorail and there was a train waiting for us so we hopped on with all of the other crazy people willing to be up at 4 am to go for a run in these freezing conditions. Liz snapped this incredibly flattering picture of me in my marshmallow garb.

Check out all those layers. Pure Comedy. I snapped one of Liz (who looks way too happy for this time of the morning.)

Before we knew it we were arriving at Epcot. I knew there were real restrooms (as opposed to the hundreds of port a potties to come) right by the monorail stop so we made the first of many potty stops of the morning. Everyone in the restroom was lamenting the weather. One runner was from Florida and I believe in a state of utter shock. Liz decided to don her Marshmallow gear

We headed out into the dark, frigid outdoors and made our way over to the starting area. We were surrounded by fellow runners and most of them were quiet as we contemplated the task ahead of us. As we came close to the race area we heard the music blaring and a DJ trying to create a party atmosphere, but most of us were just trying to stay warm. We chit chatted with a woman from Pennsylvania (about the weather of course) and Liz looked up at the lights and took a picture.

That is snow. In Florida. And we aren’t on Main Street during the Christmas Party! This was the real deal. So don’t ever let anyone tell you it doesn’t snow in Florida. There are 20,000 insane runners who can testify to you that it does! The realization hit me that despite all of my optimism this was not to be a dry race. I tried not to think too much about that and we headed through the tents to the runners only area where we were greeted by hundreds of Port a Potties and thousands of people waiting for said Port a Potties. We hopped in a line. Pre race nerves, over hydration, and cold weather do funny things to the bladder. We picked the wrong line. Most of the lines had 2-3 port a potties serving them. Ours had one. The woman behind us kept encouraging whoever was at the front of our line to rush another port a potty. No one ever did. Anyway, we made it through the line and by the time we were done the crowds had thinned out quite a bit as everyone headed toward the starting corrals. We took a bit of a walk (I’d guess around a half mile) on a road through a backstage area. We noticed a few old boats and such. No pictures though. I think we were a bit nervous. We finally made it to our corral (Corral G) and waded our way through the crowds. We tried to get up as far as we could, but it wasn’t too far. We found our spot and plopped down and waited. (In our fully marshmallowed up condition)

And waited.

And waited.

Fireworks!

The gun went off.

And we waited. The gun went off again. More fireworks. And we waited. Gun went off. Fireworks. Waited.

And we MOVED A LITTLE BIT!

And more fireworks!

The race was on.

As we slowly made our way to the starting line we began stripping off the extra layers we’d brought for the wait. We threw them to the sides (Disney collects them and donates them to charity. This was a banner year for that). I even stripped off the Tyvek jacket because the zipper broke. (I know it is a one time use thing, but geez.) We approached the start line.

Look who was wishing us luck as we crossed the starting line.

And then we finally made it under this:

So thirty five minutes after the elite runners crossed the starting line (which meant they were around mile 7) we finally crossed. The race was on!

 

[carissanboys]

Wow! I'm in shock of how long it takes to get to the starting line! I'm sure you'll probably tell as we get further along (maybe next installment), but I'm wondering how long until the crowd starts to thin out. Doesn't even look like a person could start jogging/running at the point.

I am very nervous about the peeing aspect of a half marathon. As we know from my previous TRs, I have a teeny, tiny thimble of a bladder and I'm afraid I'll have to pee often. I'll have to train for it! Marathon Peeing!

I thought there was something else I was gonna say, but I've lost it. Oh well....

 

[Stefy]

The Tyvek was definitely the right decision. I watched a bit of the Gunners game last night to make DH happy and I thought of you.

Aww thanx They have quite a few matches coming up, Premier League and all, but at least we are at the top

Gosh thats alot of people for that early in the morning I salute you both.

I love how Mickey and the gang cheered you on as you went by the start, awesome

Looking forward to reading more about the race

 

[disneylovin24]

Snow on marathon day

I'm very intrested in reading the marathon, I have always wondered how disney does a marathone

I can't believe it took that long to reach the start line

 

[dismagiclover]

Wow! I'm in shock of how long it takes to get to the starting line! I'm sure you'll probably tell as we get further along (maybe next installment), but I'm wondering how long until the crowd starts to thin out. Doesn't even look like a person could start jogging/running at the point.

I am very nervous about the peeing aspect of a half marathon. As we know from my previous TRs, I have a teeny, tiny thimble and I'm afraid I'll have to pee often. I'll have to train for it! Marathon Peeing!

I thought there was something else I was gonna say, but I've lost it. Oh well....

We were in the last corral and they had several different waves or starts all separated by 10 minutes. So we didn't start until I think the 4th wave. To be honest it never really thinned out. This is quite a crowded race. They assign corrals based on projected finish time so the fast runners aren't stuck behind the walkers/woggers. However, you have to show proof of time from a previous race (10K or longer) to get moved up out of the last corral. I'm going to try to get a 10K time that I can use for proof of time next year so I can move up at least one corral.

Regarding the peeing aspect. I think I stopped 5 times during the race itself (not counting the two times before we even started.) I was a bit overhydrated on race day There are port a potties all along the way, but there are lines for them so it affects your time. For me that is just part of racing! When it's hotter I don't have to stop as much. I guess because I sweat it out. Hopefully next year will be a bit warmer.

Aww thanx They have quite a few matches coming up, Premier League and all, but at least we are at the top

Gosh thats alot of people for that early in the morning I salute you both.

I love how Mickey and the gang cheered you on as you went by the start, awesome

Looking forward to reading more about the race

There are over 20,000 people that do this race. It's huge! Lots of insane people out here I love Mickey and the gang at the start too. They look so cute in their workout outfits Don't worry there are more characters to come. That is the best thing about Disney races!

Snow on marathon day

I'm very intrested in reading the marathon, I have always wondered how disney does a marathone

I can't believe it took that long to reach the start line

I explained the start a bit up above, but it does take a while. That is just a lot of people to move. You may hear more about this race than you ever wanted to know. I'm planning on dragging it out

 

[Angies1274]

Wow! Look at all those people!!--and at that early in the morning!! You all are such an inspiration!!!

I think I'm still in shock over the fact that it actually snowed in Florida. Brrrrr...you both look so cold.

I can't wait to hear more about the race!!!!

 

[jo]

Wow! That looks so exciting! I am going to register today!

I guess it will do me good to be training in Iowa winter! Then I will be all prepared if it snows next year- BUT let's hope not!

Thanks so much for the report- it is so inspiring!

Jo

 

[micheleq]

Finally found you and joining in the fun! Alot different from Star Wars Weekend huh

I was for several years, a high school varsity track coach, so bravo to you gals for doing the half!! Since having my two kids I've become a bit of a couch potato and need to get back into the game. DH has several friends who are competitive tri-athelets (two have been to Ironman in Kona, one is among the top ten amateurs in his age group in the nation) and they love to "encourage" me to get running again.

Running in the cold is never fun (here in CT we always had the kids outside unless conditions were too icy), esp. in snow or in mixed weather conditions. I bet at the end of that race, you had a great sense of accomplishment. If you can run in those conditions, every other day must feel like a heatwave. Can't wait to hear the rest!

 

[dismagiclover]

Wow! Look at all those people!!--and at that early in the morning!! You all are such an inspiration!!!

I think I'm still in shock over the fact that it actually snowed in Florida. Brrrrr...you both look so cold.

I can't wait to hear more about the race!!!!

I think I'm still in shock that it snowed in Florida too and on the day of the race Not in my wildest nightmares could I have come up with that scenario. But it was still a great race and it makes for great stories

Wow! That looks so exciting! I am going to register today!

I guess it will do me good to be training in Iowa winter! Then I will be all prepared if it snows next year- BUT let's hope not!

Thanks so much for the report- it is so inspiring!

Jo

Did you get registered? It really is such a great race and there are so many people on this board who will help to cheer you on to the finish! I trained here in the cold in Maryland and I'm glad I did. Race day didn't seem that bad. Those Florida folks were just dying on race day!

Finally found you and joining in the fun! Alot different from Star Wars Weekend huh

I was for several years, a high school varsity track coach, so bravo to you gals for doing the half!! Since having my two kids I've become a bit of a couch potato and need to get back into the game. DH has several friends who are competitive tri-athelets (two have been to Ironman in Kona, one is among the top ten amateurs in his age group in the nation) and they love to "encourage" me to get running again.

Running in the cold is never fun (here in CT we always had the kids outside unless conditions were too icy), esp. in snow or in mixed weather conditions. I bet at the end of that race, you had a great sense of accomplishment. If you can run in those conditions, every other day must feel like a heatwave. Can't wait to hear the rest!

It's fun to see my summer trip report friends again! This trip is definitely different from Star Wars Weekend. Just goes to show you there is always something new at Disney!
You have friends that do the Ironman. Those are real athletes and tough cookies! I just dabble in this running thing. Your friends are right though. You should get back out there running. You won't be sorry that you did!

 

[dismagiclover]

We were off, but definitely not at breakneck speed. This race has lots of walkers and we were in the last canal so there were many around us with a slower pace. We began weaving around people and trying to find a place to run a comfortable pace. We were looking for around an 11 minute mile, but didn’t get close to that during this part of the race. Almost immediately we noticed quite a few people heading for the woods by the side of the course. For those of you that are non runners let me explain a little bit about a phenomenon that occurs on race day. Most racers are pretty paranoid about staying well hydrated leading up to race day so we drink plenty. Plus there are those pre race jitters. Plus in this race there was the cold. All these things together tend to cause full bladders. Running on full bladders is rather uncomfortable. Thus the race into the woods. Most of the woods racers are men. Were there any female woods racers? Well I know there were at least a couple.

Anyway, back to the business at hand. The race was on and we were moving. We passed Mile 1 and I was going to take a picture of the sign, but it had no race clock on it so I skipped it. We soldiered on to Mile 2 and here is our time.

Now remember we started 35 minutes after gun time so we aren’t as slow as it appears, but we also aren’t speeding bullets. (The winner crossed the finish line less than 4 minutes after we hit mile 2). We were still dodging people trying to get a steady pace. As we ran along World Drive we saw some of the super speedy runners coming back the other way. Hard to believe, but these runners were coming up on Mile 10 while we were still working on mile 3. Craziness! We made it to Mile 3.

That was about a 12 minute mile. Somewhere along this stretch it began to really sleet. At one point Liz cried, “Ouch.” I looked over thinking she might have pulled a muscle or something and she says, “Ice just flew into my eye!” Yea, running through pelting ice is not a pleasant feeling for those of you that were wondering. I don’t think I’d recommend it. We came upon the first landmark of the run.

Then shortly thereafter we ran by the Speedway and through the TTC parking area. There were a few spectators about cheering us on which was very appreciated. It was miserable weather for us runners, but I’m sure it was worse for the spectators. At least we were moving. The Mile 4 sign soon appeared.

We’re making OK time, but nowhere near our hoped for 11 minute pace. (Too much people dodging.) About this time we get our first castle spotting. It was exciting to think we’d be running through it soon! At about 4 ½ miles we hit the much hyped “Contemporary hill.” Hills are interesting things when you are a runner. Normally people don’t even notice hills, but as a runner you’re pretty much always aware of an incline no matter how slight. Overall Disney is incredibly flat which makes for great running. (Especially compared to Maryland. If you don’t like hills never go near the Baltimore races. Trust me.) There are a few inclines at Disney though. Most of them involve overpasses, but the Contemporary hill is an underpass. It actually goes under a bridge of water connecting the 2 lakes. So I was interested to see if this hill was all it is hyped to be. I hate to say it, but it wasn’t. Like I said I’m used to running in Maryland and there is a much bigger hill that I do on every run. So we made it up the “big hill” without incident. Right after the hill we ran by this lovely sight.

Notice the sun has come up. I mentioned to Liz that maybe we should just bag it and head inside to warm up. She laughed at my joke. I wasn't joking. But we carried on despite my fantasies of warm showers and hot cocoa, motivated by what we knew was coming right up. We hit Mile 5.

Then what did we see?

It’s Space Mountain! Now that’s what I’m talking about! The sight inspired me to really take off!

Liz was feeling like she had the whole universe in her hands. (I know. Bad joke.)

It was finally here. Time for the Magic Kingdom and that run down Main Street!

 

[carissanboys]

I saw this picture on someone else's half marathon TR for an older race so I'm thinking they use the same mile markers each year? I'm hoping so because my maiden name is Bannister. I'm sure we're not related at all, but maybe he'll inspire me during the race.

They count your time from the time you cross the start line, right? That's why you wear chips on your shoes?

 

[RunningthruDisney]

It even looks cold. Ran the Half in 07. We had lots of fun and warmer weather. Started laughing when you said the elite runners were so far ahead. I do that all the time!!!!

 

[liznboys]

LOL Jenny you're cracking me up with your descriptions of everything...

And after us, there were at least a few more...we started a trend on that stretch of road...

Wow, that's crazy that the winner crossed the finish less than 4 minutes after we reached mile 2!

I have told the story of the sleet going in my eye many times now. lol It was crazy!

That Contemporary hill/underpass was nothing. I was so caught up in the sights around us, and the anticipation of nearing MK, I did not even notice we were going up a hill. Distraction sure helps when you're running!

Oh there was NO WAY we or me or you were going back to BLT at that point my friend!

HAHA the whole universe in my hands. cheesy, love it.


Carissa, yep the tag on your shoe tracks your actual race time, called "chip time". On the results they show your chip time and clock time. Here's the first page of the half results so you can see:
http://results.active.com/pages/searchform.jsp?pubID=3&rsID=88766
The difference in time between the chip and the clock shows you how long it took the person to cross the Start line. It took Jenny and I about 35 minutes to cross it, so we have a 35 minute difference between our chip times and clock times.

 

[Ellester]

You look so cold! I'm sure it was warmer running than watching though. I grew up in South Florida and when I was in second grade in 1977 it snowed in Ft. Lauderdale. The first and last time in recorded history. We got to go out and play in the flurries and then they closed school because we had no heat. (It wasn't broken or anything, the school was built in the 50's and they simply didn't put heat in.) Looking forward to hearing about the run through the MK!

 

[disneylovin24]

I never realized that the race actually went through the parks, that's very cool. It's good to know that a nice amount of people walk (in case I ever considered it)