Ok, guys, Here’s my half marathon report. Sorry it’s a little long (ok, a LOT long), but I started typing on the plane back home last night and just got caught up in the excitement of reliving the weekend. I’m still working on the full marathon, and I’ll post it as soon as it’s finished.
We arrived at the Expo around 12:00pm on Friday and proceeded to pick up our packets. I headed over to the Goofy booth and received my official “branding” (the orange bracelet). I was in it now—for better or worse. After checking our chips, we headed down to the main floor of the Milk House and went straight to the official Disney merchandise area. We hit this area first this year because last year it was extremely crowded and many of the clothing sizes we needed were gone by the time we made it here. After dropping way too much money on stuff we probably don’t need, we left the merchandise area to go hear John Bingham/Jenny Hadfield speak. Along the way, we found Cam and Howard and said hi. Got big hugs from Cam.
John Bingham was great as usual. We then picked up our official race shirts and goody bags and just before we left the Expo, we found Craig on the main floor. He recognized Krista and we recognized him in return just about the time he introduced himself. We chatted for awhile, all of us antsy with nervous anticipation (we were like kids on the way to summer camp).
We checked into the All Stars and headed over to the Pop Century a little before 4:00 for the WISH Team dinner. Wow, what a great time! I have no idea how many WISHers and family were there, at least 50 I’m sure. We met so many new people and saw a lot of familiar faces as well. The Pop ended up being a great area for us all to meet, as we had one whole section basically to ourselves and we could all spread out. We got some great team photos (which you guys have already seen, I’m sure) and then got a chance to get some good old fashioned carb-loading. We then made our final plans for where to meet everyone in the morning, said our goodbyes and left the Pop before 5:30.
Back in the room, I laid out my race stuff for the morning. I’ve got the night-before “race ritual” down to a science. Basically lay out every single item I plan to bring or wear, re-secure the race number and champion chip about 50 times, re-read the final race instructions, and prepare the spectator bag with extra socks, body glide, etc in case I would happen to need anything mid-race. Krista’s dad, Carl, would be doing the half in the morning with me, so we made final plans for a meet time in the morning (we had adjoining rooms, so that was nice). It was lights out around 9:00, and I thought I’d be able to fall asleep fairly easily. My logic was that since I was running the half marathon in the morning, it would be just like a warm up run for the full marathon on Sunday, meaning that I would be less nervous for Saturday as I planned to take it easy and enjoy the race so that I would be fresh for Sunday. I was mentally preparing myself for this all week, telling myself that Saturday was just like any other run during training, and that by getting out onto the course in the morning, it would calm my nerves. Yeah, that logic didn’t work. I had a really tough time falling asleep. I remember seeing 10:00 on the clock and then tossing and turning for at least another hour. The alarm went off at 3:00am, but I really didn’t need it to since I woke up at 2:50 and just stared at the clock for the last 10 minutes. So much for a good night’s sleep, huh?
I was ready by 3:30, and Krista had awoken by this point, too. I met Carl outside in the hall—holy cow, why was it so humid outside already??--and we snapped some last minute pictures (the last time we looked this good all weekend
). We said our goodbyes and headed off towards the lobby. On the way down the stairs, I managed to miss a step and slightly roll my ankle as I landed on the ground. Ouch! I was more scared than anything, as I used to have really weak ankles and I figured it would be just my luck to sprain an ankle on race morning. I walked it off and was fine within a minute or so. So that's good, disaster one averted.
There were two busses waiting for us when we got to the lobby, so we boarded the second motor coach and we were off to Epcot. I know others have said this before, but the Epcot parking lot truly is a surreal experience on marathon morning. As soon as you step off the bus, you are surrounded by thousands of other marathoners all heading in the same direction towards the baggage tents/staging areas. There are floodlights and spotlights everywhere, Spaceship Earth is lit up in all its glory, a band is jamming on the main stage (by the way, who’s the lucky band who drew the short straw and has to play to a group of thousands of strangers at 3:00am??). All around, people are sitting on the ground, standing in groups, stretching, laughing, talking to family on cell phones. It’s a really cool atmosphere.
Carl and I made it through the baggage claim area—which, by the way, was a mess since they decided to check baggage by first name instead of last name or by race numbers as they did last year. As soon as we got to the other side, we could see they already has the wave starts/staging set up. We thought we’d get to sit together for at least another 45 minutes until we headed towards the start area, but I could see that we’d have to split up at this point instead of later. Gave each other a last good luck and said we’d see each other at the finish line. Carl went to Wave C and I made my way towards the other side of B. My official wave start was A-2, but I had decided I’d start in B so that I could control my pace a little better. I wanted to start slow and end slower J so that I could keep the legs fresh for tomorrow (I had practiced this way in training, too). As I walked up the side of B, I saw a multitude of green WISH shirts huddled together. Ahhh, familiar faces. I made my way over and found a spot on the ground, and sat and talked with Judy, Charlie, Colleen, Howard, Bill, Mel, and others. What a great way to pass the time, and I think we all helped each other stay calm and lighthearted. Around 5:00, they started letting the Wave B people enter the start area, so I made one last trip to the bathroom and began the walk to the start line. I caught up with Colleen and Howard and we all walked the approx 85 miles to the start together. Both of them were starting in Wave A, and as we neared the area where the A people left the B people, I almost went with them, but finally decided to stick to my original plan and start in B. I wished them luck and shuffled with Wave B towards the start. I stretched in the grass while we waited for the next half hour. At 5:55 they sang the National Anthem and then started the wheelchair racers. At 6:00, we all counted down to zero with Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy as the Wave A racers started. All of us in Wave B moved forward towards the start line, and at 6:10, we again counted down and we were off. I slapped Goofy’s hand as I crossed the line, which ended up causing me more worry than I needed. See, Goofy was on the far right side and so I had to cross the start line on the VERY edge near the barricades. I figured the starting mats were set up to completely cross the start line from side to side, but because I was so close to the edge, I was worried that my chip hadn’t registered at the start and I wouldn’t have an official time. I spent the first three miles wondering in my head if I would still be eligible for a Goofy medal if I didn’t have an official time for the half. All this worry was for nothing as I found out later that my chip did indeed register. That was a close one!
I’ll reiterate what others have said—Disney needs to rethink the first mile of the half marathon course. It is so narrow as you cross the first overpass on your way out of the Epcot area, that many people were running on the grass due to the crowds. It was so crowded that I started walking in the middle of the crowd as I realized that my walking was faster than any running I was accomplishing. Once we made it to the cloverleaf onto World Drive, it had started to thin out a bit and I could run at a comfortable pace. I had decided during training that I would do intervals for this race, walking for one minute every half mile in order to keep my pace in check. This really seemed to work well during the months of training, as I found that if I ran too hard on Saturdays, I ended up paying for it in dividends on the Sunday longer runs.
World Drive didn’t seem nearly as long of a stretch as it did last year during the full marathon. There was enough entertainment on this stretch that it kept it interesting—a band or two and a few DJs cranking music and playing off the racers. It WAS starting to get hot, though. I shouldn’t say “starting,” as it was already humid and warm at the start, but it was ever warmer as I got into a rhythm and started to sweat. About mile 3.5, everyone was treated to a nice thrill when the half marathon leaders came racing back past us on their way back to Epcot. Wow, they were moving. I was surprised to see one guy way out in front and then a few minutes later, the next racer was the women’s leader. I thought for sure we’d see at least a couple more male racers first, but she was really moving fast. I think in the overall race standings she ended up finishing second behind the solo male runner, which is really impressive.
At mile 4, we entered the TTC area, and the crowds here were outstanding, much more so than last year. I passed under the tunnel by the kennel and saw Krista, her mom and sister cheering for me. This was really uplifting. I paused for a few seconds to say hi and let them know I was doing well (and also to tell them that it was already hot enough on the course to fry an egg!). I told them I’d see them at the finish and I continued on my way. I was disappointed to see they didn’t have the “Go the Distance” sign up at the bottom of Contemporary Hill. Did they have this up for the half last year? We made our way into the Magic Kingdom past Mile 5. Wow, was Main Street ever crowded! I saw Cam, Carrie and Scott on Main Street and yelled hi on my way past. I don’t think Carrie or Scott recognized me at all because when I turned around, Carrie had a really strange look on her face like, “Who the heck was that and how does he know Cam??”
We passed through Tomorrowland and into Fantasyland. Running through the castle was great, and I tried to make sure I got a clear view of the photographers as I passed through the front side. We exited the Magic Kingdom (and passed the first medical tent, at least it was the first one I remember seeing) and continued on Floridian way towards the Grand Floridian. Is it just me, or does this stretch down Floridian Way seem really long? Last year, it seemed to fly by, this year, it seemed like it would never end. It was crowded through this area, and seemed even more so when we got to the crowds of spectators around Shades of Green/Wedding Pavilion. We continued along past the Polynesian and past Bear Island Rd (I gave a quick nod down that road since I knew I’d be hitting mile 13 here tomorrow and beginning that long stretch to the Animal Kingdom). Back onto World Drive and Mile 10 came and went. I saw a lot of people around me starting to fade and drop off their pace at this point, so I did a quick “body check” and determined that I felt pretty good. I wanted to push the pace, especially since I knew all I had to do was round the cloverleaf and head back to Epcot, but I restrained myself because I knew I’d pay for it tomorrow if I sped up today. I chatted with an older guy around mile 11 who had just run a marathon the weekend before and was heading to Houston to do another one next weekend. He said he does around 25-30 marathons a year and I noticed he was wearing a 50 states-50 marathons shirt. Crazy, just crazy.
Over the last overpass and into the Epcot parking lot, where we quickly entered backstage near the resort bus stops. The crowds here were great, and they really seemed to lift everyone’s spirits. I took one last gulp of Powerade at mile 12 backstage, and then we entered Epcot near Innoventions. Instantly there was sound—music, guests and cast member cheering, runners shouting and high-fiving spectators. It was cool. We ran through the light arch, rounded the Christmas tree, where I slapped hands with a cast member wearing Mickey hands, and then it was off towards Spaceship Earth. The final stretch of this race is amazing. I got to enjoy it more today than during last year’s full because I was so tired at that point and didn’t get to take in the scenery. The gospel choir was outstanding, cheering on racers as they went by. After passing the choir, the course dumps you out from backstage into the final finish line stretch. Wow, this was fun. Thousands of people cheering and calling out names, encouraging the runners. I saw Krista, her mom and sister at the 13 mile mark, waved for a picture, and headed for the home stretch. Once again, I had to hold myself back from greatly increasing the pace. Crossed the finish line in 2:33:48 (chip time). I felt good about this time, since it was very close to the time I was shooting for in this half (2:30). I actually didn’t have a strict time goal in mind, just to finish and feel good for tomorrow, and at that point, both goals seemed to have been accomplished. Got my Donald medal and mylar blanket (did anyone actually feel cold enough to need to use the mylar blanket??) and headed for the massage tent. I only had to wait about 5 minutes for a table to open up. Tip to anyone doing Goofy next year: get a post-race massage. I had never done this during training, so I was worried about trying something new on race weekend. The massage was great. They knew I was going to be running again on Sunday, so they lightly massaged my legs and did a lot of stretching for me. The stretching worked wonders for me later in the day.
After the massage and after going through the Goofy tent to get my brand new (and blue this time) bracelet, I walked through baggage claim and met a bunch of WISHers at the W tent. Once again, had a great time with all of you guys there, and it was great to see everyone celebrating their race. I waited there for Carl to finish (and he did indeed with a chip time of 3:33), and Krista, her mom and sister met us there for some pictures.
We headed back to the All Stars, where I immediately filled two huge bags with ice from the ice machines and proceeded to soak in the dreaded ice bath. Krista brought me a grilled chicken sandwich and a bagel from the food court, which I wolfed down instantly. I took a nap for about an hour, then watched some tv and chatted with the rest of the fam for awhile. We took it easy for the rest of the day, and I made sure to drink plenty of powerade and water to get me back to “pale yellow.” J We went over to MGM that evening, not to tour the park, but just to eat at Mama Melrose. Krista and I left the park right after dinner, and her family stayed for a little bit to check out the Osbourne Lights. After we returned to the room, we laid out all of our race stuff for the morning (a little déjà vu for me). It was lights out by 9:00, and I actually didn’t have too much trouble falling asleep this time. Go figure, huh?
Next up…..full marathon day.
Steve
When we passed it looked like they were waiting for the bride and groom to arrive. We assumed they must be runners from the half-marathon. I cant imagine getting married and then running another 8 miles. I cant remember the names on the sign. Just curious if anyone has any info on this wedding.
But I did not stop!
MILE 20!
to everyone recovering!
Did you guys love VWL?
Cindy had hers. My DH, Steve, didn’t have his either – Cindy’s boyfriend, Fred, had his and Steve was with Fred. Before the race, I told Steve to meet us at the “W” tent so we could meet up with other WISHers. Cindy later told me that the boys were going to meet us at the “M” tent – by her last name. I told Cindy to tell Fred to tell Steve the change in plans. You can see where this is going. At the end of the race, I told Cindy that I have to go lay down in the VIP tent…my feet were hurting. Could she please tell Steve to meet me there? Ten minutes after lying down, I emerge from the VIP tent. No Steve. I went to the “M” tent, the “W” test…just in case. No Steve. I walked around some more. Feet were still hurting. I think some of you saw me wandering around. Went back and forth from VIP to “W” to “M”. Saw several upset WISHers – no more medals. 
Still no Steve. One hour later, after the crowds had greatly thinned, I finally saw him – waiting in front of the “W” tent – not the family tent but the tent to drop off the personal belongings before the race. He was not a happy camper (more worried than mad) and my feet were still hurting. Cindy and Fred were long gone at this point. Skipped the massage (still another hour and ½ away before my name would be called), went back to the hotel and took an ice bath. Steve never got the message to meet me at the “M” tent or VIP.
The next day was better. Thankfully, I packed a lot of moleskin. It was a life saver. Looking back, a change in socks halfway through the run would have helped.
A green shirt is trying to push by..it's Sunny and Paul!! They were desperately trying to make their way to their start group. They must have, because I never saw them again.
Met up with ohMom and AlreadyExcitedGrammy!They got the only picture of DH and me together
. Mile 2...another Sharpie sign..no sayings..yuk. Note time, and I'm doing about a 15 minute mile, which is not bad considering the crowd. Pass an elderly man with a head lamp on. Tell him, "What a good idea!" He says it keeps him from tripping on people's feet! Coming up on Mile 3 and my WISH buddies start flying by..chimera, Honeibee are who I remember. 
There was no one behind him for quite a while!! We were yelling for them all
Thanks so much for all the WISHers being there!! Down Main Street, but, honestly, it's just a blur. I see the crowds, but I have to watch the people in front of me.
If it weren't for others' posts, I would never have believed that there were many characters on the route! I'm sure most of them had gotten too hot by the time I got around!
, which is why I wore the pants. BIIIIGGGGG mistake!! But, my pictures look ok!!
DH, who could care less, got 3 Castle pictures..I got none with the castle behind me...siiiighhhh.
and then msblrobs/Sara..ringing that cowbell! Bless you!! I think it all started to culminate here. Even though I have done 
not mad lost it, just overwhelmed. Poor escape/Susie, who saw me right then! 
