Racing to Lose a Toenail ~ My Half-Marathon Weekend *Homeward Bound 3/16 p.25

[All7OfUs]

I guess there was good reason that your title worried me. But I had no idea it would be quite that sad. How awful to have that happen!

That aside, I am so proud of you! A great big congratulations is definitely in order!!

 

[OhMari]

Thank you for putting it in words how you felt and did finishing
and generally the whole race.
I don't think I would remember half the things you told us about.

I have a little info about this.

If you look in the background to the right, you can see Off Kilter. I was so excited and surprised when I saw and heard them! I have been wanting to see them forever and didn't get a chance when we were at Epcot the day before. I can't tell you how much seeing them really gave me a final boost. I wish I had stopped and taken a picture. I did have a huge smile on my face as I passed them!

One of the guys in "Off Kilter", "Mike Ferguson" was 2 years behind me in school and is from my home town.
I talk to his mom all the time at our library.
He mostly subs and is the fiddle player for Off Kilter.

His main job is the guitar player at Margaritaville over at Universal City Walkway. But Mike is going to make sure he plays with Off Kilter when the Lomira Band is at WDW in March. Mike just told us, that he just bought a foreclosed house in Orlando that was worth over $500,000 and he bought it for $140,000. Unbelievable.

 

[pirate<3rocks]

Ahhh that is sad Car, reminded me of the time I went whitewater rafting.... someone lost their dad/husband that day on the river from a heart attack. Glad you could appreciate how truly wonderful it is to have a body that took you successfully through the finish line.

Off Kilter rocks! < need a bagpipe smiley

 

[Charleston Princess]

Oh, that is so sad about the man collapsing during the race.

On a happier note, hurray that you finished! What a sense of achievement! Those mile marker signs are really neat, and you saw Off Kilter!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

So sad...I can see why you would be emotional for the remainder of the race.

Although the race was not as you imagined it, you should be so proud of your accomplishment! You set a goal, worked hard, and finished! Good for you!

 

[DrMomof3]

I had heard something about an ambulance during the race but didn't hear anything else. I can't imagine witnessing that especially while dealing with the frustration of having so much pain while running.

Amanda

 

[TnTsParty]

Finally cought up with your trip report Carissa. Sorry to hear you were so hot and in pain. The most important thing is that you finished - you got your medal and you know you can do it again. Glad to hear Baxter is doing better and congrats on the house. Bet you guys are getting excited!!

 

[MeMom]

It's especially sad that the race ended in a tragedy for one family.
Maybe the race didn't go as you planned, but you learned to put it all into the right perspective, too. There will be other races. You accomplished a wonderful goal.

 

[blue_river]

My heart goes out to that family

You are an amazing woman Carissa

 

[KatGarcia]

You had me all emotional reading that! How amazing accomplishing your goal!!

 

[eandesmom]

wow, what a gamut of emotions! Very sad and I can see where it would have just really made you think, about so many things. Thanks for sharing what you went through.

Congrats on finishing! You did it! And that's all that matters.

 

[Goofster57]

Carissa,
You did an awesome job with your training and dedication to get ready for the race, you finished it and that is a major accomplishment to be very proud of!!

 

[jmskinner]

on finishing the race. Such a great accomplishment!!!

My thoughts and prayers for the gentleman and his family.

 

[carissanboys]

That was so cool to see you cross the finish line!!!

I wasn't expecting them to have video so it was a neat surprise for me too.

Congratulations on finishing the race Carissa! I know it might not have been as fast as you would have liked but just think of how hard you have worked and how far you have come over the year - absolutely inspirational!!!

That's so sad about the man who passed away... at least he was doing something he loved when he died.

Thanks Amy

Yea!!!! You made it!!! Congratulations!!!!!

I guess there is no way to NOT know where you are with those mile markers. HA!

How terrible that that man passed away during the race.

I can't wait to see your medal!!! (again LOL)

Lots of good pictures coming up for me wearing my medal.

I'm so sorry to read about that man you saw being worked on. I was hoping that the chapter wasn't going to be quite that sad. About 10 years ago I was playing basketball at our church gym and a guy had a heart attack and died en route to the hospital. It's not something you soon forget.

I watched the video and saw you cross the line! That is awesome how you set a goal and reached it. Congratulations!

No, it isn't.

Thanks Glenn

That is a sad moment. My heart goes out to his friends and family.

And I'm sorry your race wasn't as you envisioned. You have good races and bad races, but it is awesome how far you've come in the last year!

Absolutely.

Hi Carissa - I just caught up with your TR. Can I just say you are such a wonderful inspiration! I am definitely going to remember your story as I am training for my first HM. In fact, I was going to give myself the day off today, but now I am going to get my butt in gear and go for a run this morning!

My biggest concern with doing a Disney Half is getting up so darn early. Do you think running the Wine & Dine Half (I think I read somewhere that it starts at 10pm) would be easier? I am not sure which one I want to do yet. I am thinking January or the Princess next year... I would love your input!

Sorry to hear about your sad moment. It's always scary to see someone down on the ground, no matter where you are. I hope that he was doing something he loved, in a place he loved...

When I first heard about the Wine and Dine starting late at night, I thought it was crazy and there was no way I could do that. I'm usually in bed around the time that race starts. But, after my experience with this race and having a hard time getting to sleep the night before, I started thinking that doing the race at night might not be such a bad idea. Still not sure how I feel about it. Maybe Liz could give a better recommendation since she has done both and she did the half in January on as little sleep as I did.

Congratulations on finishing the race!!

Thanks

That is so sad, I would have been tearing up as well.

I'm proud of you for reaching your goal and finishing the race! Considering your pain 30 minutes off the goal time is fantastic!

Thanks Lessa. I know I should be happy with what I did, but it's that dang competitive side of me!

30 minutes off your goal time is not bad considering you stopped to take pictures at different points and such.

and very sad about the gentlmen in the race.

At least I finished in less time than the allotted 3 1/2 hours.

Wow, that is so sad about the man who passed away. I can’t even imagine seeing that and then continuing to race. I would have been emotional too. Really puts things into perspective!

You should be so proud of yourself! You did amazing! Watching that video of everyone crossing the finish line seriously brought tears to my eyes.

BTW, I’ve been wondering, how on earth do they take pictures of everyone and organize them? Does someone go through all the pix by bib number? Or is it computerized in some way? (ok , stupid question, but I just can’t figure it out!).

I'm not really sure about that. I assumed they had people going through the pictures and looking for bib numbers, but that would take forever. Not really sure?

I would have been emotional by the end of that race too! 30 minutes over your goal isn't bad considering the circumstances. Great job! When do you think you'll do another half?

I'm not sure. If you'd asked me at the end of that race, I'd have said never. By the next day I was saying maybe next year. Now I'm really not sure. Don't know that long distance is my thing with my groin issue.

Awesome! I saw you cross and stop your watch! That sad incident reminds me of Evan's little Fun Run he did with school last fall. It's only about 1½ miles but there was little boy who crossed the finish line and collapsed. It was very sad. He was okay after awhile, but he did need immediate assistance.

Can't wait to see more of your pics!

Thanks DM. More pictures to come!

 

[carissanboys]

I guess there was good reason that your title worried me. But I had no idea it would be quite that sad. How awful to have that happen!

That aside, I am so proud of you! A great big congratulations is definitely in order!!

Thanks Liesa

Thank you for putting it in words how you felt and did finishing
and generally the whole race.
I don't think I would remember half the things you told us about.

I have a little info about this.


One of the guys in "Off Kilter", "Mike Ferguson" was 2 years behind me in school and is from my home town.
I talk to his mom all the time at our library.
He mostly subs and is the fiddle player for Off Kilter.

His main job is the guitar player at Margaritaville over at Universal City Walkway. But Mike is going to make sure he plays with Off Kilter when the Lomira Band is at WDW in March. Mike just told us, that he just bought a foreclosed house in Orlando that was worth over $500,000 and he bought it for $140,000. Unbelievable.

I'm surprised I remembered what I did and wish I could remember more! Very cool about the guitar player! Someday I want to be able to actually watch an entire performance.

He got an awesome deal on his house. I thought *ours* was a good deal! Almost every house we looked at was a foreclosure or a short sale. Very sad.

Ahhh that is sad Car, reminded me of the time I went whitewater rafting.... someone lost their dad/husband that day on the river from a heart attack. Glad you could appreciate how truly wonderful it is to have a body that took you successfully through the finish line.

Off Kilter rocks! < need a bagpipe smiley

I went white water rafting once and that would have been horrible if someone like that had happened. I was so afraid someone was going to get hurt that day.

Oh, that is so sad about the man collapsing during the race.

On a happier note, hurray that you finished! What a sense of achievement! Those mile marker signs are really neat, and you saw Off Kilter!

The signs were awesome. Sometimes it seemed like they were much too far apart though!

So sad...I can see why you would be emotional for the remainder of the race.

Although the race was not as you imagined it, you should be so proud of your accomplishment! You set a goal, worked hard, and finished! Good for you!

Thanks Missy I am happy with my performance overall. When I started this journey, I wasn't even sure I could manage to not be swept. So, I need to keep that in mind.

I had heard something about an ambulance during the race but didn't hear anything else. I can't imagine witnessing that especially while dealing with the frustration of having so much pain while running.

Amanda

I wondered if you had seen or heard anything.

Finally cought up with your trip report Carissa. Sorry to hear you were so hot and in pain. The most important thing is that you finished - you got your medal and you know you can do it again. Glad to hear Baxter is doing better and congrats on the house. Bet you guys are getting excited!!

We are excited but kind of in limbo right now. Still waiting for the bank to get the ratified contract back to my realtor so she can submit it to our bank and get the mortgage process moving. Dealing with a bank as the seller is such a slow process.

It's especially sad that the race ended in a tragedy for one family.
Maybe the race didn't go as you planned, but you learned to put it all into the right perspective, too. There will be other races. You accomplished a wonderful goal.

Thanks MeMom. I agree.

My heart goes out to that family

You are an amazing woman Carissa

Awwww, thanks Heidi.

You had me all emotional reading that! How amazing accomplishing your goal!!

Thanks Kat! It was a great feeling.

wow, what a gamut of emotions! Very sad and I can see where it would have just really made you think, about so many things. Thanks for sharing what you went through.

Congrats on finishing! You did it! And that's all that matters.

Thanks Cynthia

Carissa,
You did an awesome job with your training and dedication to get ready for the race, you finished it and that is a major accomplishment to be very proud of!!

Thanks Keith

on finishing the race. Such a great accomplishment!!!

My thoughts and prayers for the gentleman and his family.

Thanks Melissa

 

[liznboys]

Yay! Race complete! I know things didn't go as you'd hoped, but you really should be SO very proud of yourself for coming this far. Imagine where you were a year ago...and now you can say you did a half marathon!! It's so cool! I think you can do it again, working on improving strength overall may help with the groin. There's always the option of walking, too, I have to always keep that in mind myself with all my issues.

... My biggest concern with doing a Disney Half is getting up so darn early. Do you think running the Wine & Dine Half (I think I read somewhere that it starts at 10pm) would be easier? I am not sure which one I want to do yet. I am thinking January or the Princess next year... I would love your input! ...

Robyn~It's definitely a different experience doing a night race. It can be harder in that you've been up all day (unless you are able to nap) and with the morning races you are starting fresh. However, "fresh" depends on how much sleep you were able to get! You will have to see how you feel after you do a smaller, local (morning) race this year.

Something else to consider is what time of day you do most of your training runs. If you're used to running in the early part of the day, especially with being a brand new runner, then I would do a morning half. Stick with what you're used to. That's my 2 cents anyway. I'm glad my first half was the January one. And then W&D was my second half and I made myself do a few long runs at night so I'd be prepared for that different experience.

I feel like I didn't help at all with what I've said... lol It varies so much from one person to another so that makes it hard to really recommend what to do. You will have a better idea of what you can and want to do as you've been running longer.

 

[carissanboys]

Yay! Race complete! I know things didn't go as you'd hoped, but you really should be SO very proud of yourself for coming this far. Imagine where you were a year ago...and now you can say you did a half marathon!! It's so cool! I think you can do it again, working on improving strength overall may help with the groin. There's always the option of walking, too, I have to always keep that in mind myself with all my issues.

I know I could do it again, just not sure I want to. Perhaps in 2013. This year I just want to focus on speed and strength training. But, first I need to just get back to running period!

 

[carissanboys]

When I got back to the room, Liz and I exchanged stories of how the rest of the race went for us. I did some stretching and think I collapsed in the bed for a bit. I felt pretty gross so decided to jump in the shower. I was getting hungry at that point so I went over to the food court and picked up the Asian Chicken Salad. I had been eyeing the picture of it in the elevator and couldn't wait to try it. I brought my food back to the room and dug in.

(I borrowed this picture from someone else since I didn't take one myself.)

It was so good!

Liz was finishing up her shower and we decided to head out to Magic Kingdom. I was sore and walking didn't feel great, but I figured it was best to just keep moving at this point. We were wearing our bling, of course!

We headed down Main St. and knew we'd have to stop for a picture in front of the castle wearing our shiny medals.

This is the one photo I purchased from Photopass. I framed it and have my medal hanging over the frame.

Liz had eaten a few things immediately after the race, but she didn't have a meal like I did so she was hungry. I think it was around 2 or so and our ADR at the Plaza wasn't until 5 so I figured I better get something to eat as well. Yes, I had just eaten that chicken salad, but hey! I'd just run 13.1 miles!

We headed to the Launching Pad because Liz was craving one of their giant hot dogs. I had never eaten there before. I got a plain dog along with a frozen coke. This is what Liz got:

She'll have to tell you which one she got because I don't remember. I do remember how I fell in love with the frozen coke! It was the first time I had one and it won't be the last.

We took one quick picture of ourselves before heading off:

I don't have any pictures from the next few hours to help me remember what we did, but I will try my best. (Liz - Tell me if I mess anything up!) My goal on this trip was to see/do as many new attractions as I could - new to me anyway. Our first stop was the Carousel of Progress.

I'm glad I saw it, but can't say I'd do it again. I think my parents would really enjoy it. There was a bit of a malfunction during the beginning and we ended up having to sit through the same scene twice. By the end I couldn't get that catchy little tune out of my head. "It's a great big beautiful tomorrow!"

Then I believe we headed over to Stitch's Great Escape. This was one of those attractions that I knew wasn't going to be great. But, I really want to be able to say I've done every one. So, in we went. It was a very interesting ride. When the lights went out, I kept hearing this lady near me repeat some very naughty words over and over and over again. I was thinking, "Seriously?? There are children in here!" Liz didn't hear her so maybe she wasn't as loud as I thought. Anyway, not sure I'd take the boys on it or not.

I think we then headed to Fantasyland to see how long the wait was for Snow White. I remember it was longer than I was willing to wait so we went to the Hall of Presidents. I thought it was a great show, but I admit I was having a difficult time staying awake. It wasn't the fault of the show. I was exhausted and the atmosphere was so relaxing.

I think we decided we had time for one more attraction before we needed to make our way to the Plaza so we went to Country Bear Jamboree. I think it was around this time that Liz was sweet enough to go get fastpasses for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I have been on this one a few times and really love it. We wanted to ride it in the dark. I really didn't feel like walking over there and back so Liz offered to do it.

While we were waiting to get into Country Bears Jamboree I mentioned to Liz that I used to have an album of the Country Bears.

I listened to it often as a young girl. I assumed it was from a movie. Liz said the only movie related to the Country Bears came out a few years ago. As we entered the theater, I realized the album was a recording of this very attraction at WDW. I had no idea! This made me really excited to see the show and I knew every song.

After that visit down memory lane, it was once again time to rush to our ADR at the Plaza. We got a great table in the corner. It felt good to sit down and relax for a bit. Liz and I both ordered the Cheese Steak Sandwich, recommended by our friend Jenny (dismagiclover). It was really good and hit the spot.

Around this time, Liz was texting back and forth with our friend Joe (the one who went on ToT with me). We were planning on meeting up for the Electrical Parade and Wishes. Liz and I were going to try and fit in the Enchanted Tiki Room, but decided we should head over and save our spots for the parade. Joe's daughter was also with him and soon Augie showed up. Liz had met them both at the Wine and Dine half-marathon. We all just chatted about the race and other stuff.

The parade was great! I thought it was pretty equal to Spectromagic and I loved the music.

After the parade was over, we decided to all walk over to Fantasyland and watch Wishes from a different perspective - behind the castle. Joe had some Mickey Vision glasses that he was sweet enough to share with us.

It made different colored Mickey Heads out of the fireworks. It was so cool!

We had to get a group shot before we parted ways for the night:

Liz and I then had a date in the dark on BTMR!

Riding it in the dark is a totally different experience. Very fun!

And with that, we were done for the day. We were exhausted and a certain someone was having difficulty walking. (Yeah, it was me.) So back to the room we headed for some much needed shut eye. A few shots were taken on the way out:

It was quite a day. Back in our room, it didn't take long for either one of us to fall asleep. Sadly, the next day it was already time to head back home. But, not before some more fun!

Up Next - Facing My Fears, Again

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Wow....13.1 miles AND a day at the MK! You go girl!

Ahh...the Carousel of Progress....a sentimental favorite of mine.

 

[carissanboys]

Wow....13.1 miles AND a day at the MK! You go girl!

Ahh...the Carousel of Progress....a sentimental favorite of mine.

Don't forget very little sleep!

I thought of you when I was on CoP.