Around the 'World in 7 Days - Updated 2/5 with Day 3 Part Two!

[HMHunters]

If you'd like some background, you can check this out:

My Pre-Trip Report

Otherwise, let's get this trippie off and running! Time for a trip around the 'World -- Walt Disney World, that is!

The Plan: 7 days, 6 nights – January 5 - 11. Port Orleans French Quarter. Disney Half Marathon on January 6. (First time half marathon for DH and me. Our longest race to-date has been a 5K, which is 3.1 miles. Add another measly 10 miles and you get a half marathon!) ADRs set, changed, set. Special birthday surprise planned, thanks to the DisBoards. (Stay tuned for day 3!)

The Cast:
ME – slightly Disney obsessed. Runner since June ’04. Compulsive Disney trip planner.
DH – not quite as Disney obsessed. Runner since June ’06. Will celebrate a birthday in the World for the first time!
DD – 13. It’s tough to be cool while at Disney World, but she’s going to give it her best shot. Loves Tower of Terror – after it’s over.
DS – 9. Has Disney in his blood as he’s spent 3 birthdays (including his first) there. Loves just about every part of the ‘World except for Fantasyland.
DFIL – Will be there for the first part of our trip. Staying off-site and bringing his cart to drive around the parks.

The Trip:
I went to work and DH worked from home Thursday morning. We both finished up as quickly as possible and then got all the last minute packing done and the car loaded up. Shamefully, we had to use a car-top carrier as we were hauling so much stuff. (This carrier came to be known as the Green Boil. Ugly, but it did make it easy to find our vehicle in the parking lot!) We picked the kids up at school and took off straight from there. (We like to drive most of the way down in the afternoon/evening and then finish up the next morning. We love getting there early enough to go to a park and get the vacation started!) The plan was to drive 6 hours (of the total 10) and grab a not-too-expensive-but-not-too-cheap-as-in-gross hotel. I had pegged 2 Hampton Inns and written down their phone numbers so we could call and get reservations as we got closer. I figured that way we’d have the option of driving another 45 minutes if we felt up to it. (I was pretty proud of this plan. Hah!)

Our trip was going GREAT!! Great weather, great traffic (but man were there a lot of semis! I was glad not to be in a compact car) and the kids kept themselves well entertained. We decided to shoot for the farther Hampton Inn so I whipped out my cell phone to give them a call. Strangely, the call went straight to their voice mail system. Same result when I pressed “0”. Bad omen? No problem; we know we can dial up 1-800-hampton to get central reservations. I did so and got a reservation agent. Definitely not a cast member. She told me the only room they had left was a king-size (did offer us a roll-away) for the low, low price of $120. WHAT?!? On-line I’d seen a price of $79 for 2 queens! I said thanks but no. She reluctantly checked other availability in the area for us and came up with nothing. Nada. Zilch. (Not so proud of my plan anymore. Should have just gone ahead and made the reservations! What was I thinking?! )

My DH remains calm and does not pull out the old “I-told-you-so” attitude. He offers up his Blackberry so I can go online and check for Holiday Inn Express availability. Now, I am quite comfortable on a computer and I am quite comfortable on a cell phone and can text with the best of them. But this Blackberry was a different beast. Starting out frustrated didn’t help at all. It kept trying to predict what I was typing and came up with “golgday” instead of “holiday”. It didn’t respond when I yelled at it. I kept at it until I finally pulled up the correct website. In the meantime, my DH used my cell to call 1-800-holiday and got a reservation agent who should have been a cast member. She was able to give us options along the I95 corridor by knowing the mile marker we were at and came up with a room for us about 30 minutes past our planned stop. No problem; 30 minutes closer to Disney! I happily chucked the Blackberry and we sailed on into the Holiday Inn Express. (Okay, not quite sailed. We pulled off the exit but missed the sign pointing us in the direction of the HIE, which was not visible. We opted to turn left and ended up on a highway that we couldn’t exit for a couple of miles. We finally exited and got turned around. We were laughing about what else could go wrong when the warning bell dinged to let us know that we were low on fuel. Happy happy joy joy. We got turned around, went back down the highway and past the exit ramp we’d come off on. Still no HIE in sight. Pulled into a gas station and fueled up. No one there knew of an HIE. Called the HIE and got directions. Found it in less than 5 minutes! )

We’ve stayed at HIE’s before and been pretty happy with them. Not this one. The room air conditioner sounded like it was powered by a jet engine. The bathroom in our nonsmoking room smelled strongly of smoke. But it was a place to stop, so we were happy. My DH started worrying about our luggage in the car top carrier, which has one of those flimsy little locks that are just for show. So he dragged my DD down to the car to move the luggage into the seats we’d vacated. A pain, but he slept better for it. When the jet wasn’t landing in our room. (The next morning I discovered that our room window was open. We hadn’t touched it. Luckily we were on the ground floor. No wonder those garbage trucks banging around the dumpsters were so loud!)

A quick (free) breakfast at the hotel the next morning and we were on our way by 7:30! No stopping us now! We’re going to Disney! Except for one thing – the outlet mall. My DH decided that he must have new running shoes for the race (yes, I agree with you; it’s nuts to get new running shoes the day before you do a half marathon. I told him that I would listen to no complaints about the bloody blisters he was going to get) so we pulled off. Then my DD saw the Coach outlet so we decided to divide and conquer. While DH and DS looked for new shoes, DD dragged me from designer store to designer store to salivate over the designer bags. Let me tell you that even at the “outlets” those prices are a bit high for me. Somehow purses have become quite the status symbol at the middle school, but I stood firm and she left empty handed. Short pout, but not too bad. DH found his amazingly-comfortable-I-can-break-them-in-this-afternoon-walking-around-the-park running shoes. I rolled my eyes and we spotted the Green Boil to (finally) finish up our trip to the World!! First stop – Wide World of Sports for race registration!!!

 

[PrincessV]

Am I first??!!
What a great start! Well, for us, not so much for you, it sounds. Do you share my hatred for Crackberries? Stupid, stupid, stupid machines.

Bummer that your first hotel experience of the trip was less than stellar, but it sets you up nicely for a much better enviroment at your final destination!

Oh, i'm getting a baaad feeling about your DH's decision to buy new runners.....

 

[pumba]

fantastic drive so far........we are 26 hours of driving so not in the cards for us to go that way.....Thanks for your start of your trip

 

[HMHunters]

Do you share my hatred for Crackberries? Stupid, stupid, stupid machines.

So glad they weren't around when I was in the business world! They make it IMPOSSIBLE to get away from your email! I swear DH's is always going off.

Oh, i'm getting a baaad feeling about your DH's decision to buy new runners.....

Let me just say there was some agony involved in our race, but I'll leave it at that...

we are 26 hours of driving so not in the cards for us to go that way

I'd say so! If you were to drive you'd have to stay for at least three weeks to make it worth it! On the other hand

 

[HMHunters]

We pulled in to WWOS around 11:20 and were amazed by all the cars and people there! We had to park way out in the grass and it was quite a walk up to the arena where registration was taking place. I started to get really excited on this walk! I was so psyched to run my first half marathon at Walt Disney World! (I need to stop here and say thanks to fellow DISer aladdinsgirl for her amazing trip report from last year’s race that was so inspiring and gave me so much great info about what to expect. It made it really fun to know what to anticipate, both before and during the race!) There were all kinds of people and it was quite a carnival atmosphere.
We found the room with the registration tables and waited behind just one other couple before stepping up to claim our bibs and timing chips. Everyone was buzzing with excitement and it was contagious. We verified our bib and chip numbers and then walked over the timing mat to validate our chips. We’re in, baby! From there, in typical Disney style, you walk past all the merchandise booths to get to the table where you claim your shirt and goody bag. We browsed the official race merchandise, but I really didn’t see anything I liked. After wading through the crowds we finally claimed our shirt which totally rocked and our goody bags. (My DH got sucked in to the “Stick” booth. He bought a “Stick” in anticipation of sore muscles after the race. I’m not even going to try to explain it!) My DD was going nuts with the huge crowd so I took her and DS outside while DH went back to the official merchandise area to get us a couple of half marathon pins. From there we were off to POFQ for check in. (Of course you all know what a quick, pleasant experience that is!)

There was a line of 4 people ahead of me. Lots of CMs behind the desk; about half of whom seemed to be helping people. That’s always a bit frustrating. I finally got up to the front and handed over all my AAA vouchers. No special room requests; POFQ is so small that I don’t really think there’s a bad section. Our room was not ready so we got the infamous card-with-the-number-to-call-after-3. Looks like the Green Boil can’t be lanced quite yet. We were all wearing jeans, but it was so warm that DH climbed up and pulled out some shorts for us to change into. While he did that I asked what I thought was a very simple question:

Me: What time do the buses run in the morning for the spectators of the race?
CM: They begin running at 3:00 p.m.
Me: I don’t think so; the race is at 6:00 a.m. and they want everyone there by 4:00 a.m.
CM: It says on our information 3:00 p.m.
Me: Are you sure?
CM: Yes. No. Wait. That’s for the expo. I have no information on buses running to the race.
Me: Well I know that buses for participants run from 3:00 to 4:00 a.m. My question is do they keep running for spectators after that.
CM: I don’t know. They don’t tell us anything. Let me ask someone.

CM: We don’t know.
Me: Do you have a phone number I can call of someone who might have the answer? Someone at WWOS maybe?
CM: No, we don’t have any phone numbers. They don’t tell us anything.
Me: See, I’ve got my 2 kids who want to take a bus to see the race. The Marathon Guide says they should be at the Epcot parking lot by 6:45 a.m.
CM: ​

At this point someone a bit higher up walked by. He spent another 10 minutes trying to find the answer to my question. Finally I asked him to just call and leave a message at our room when he found out. He agreed and we were off (FINALLY) to the Magic Kingdom!

My DH called DFIL and planned to hook up at MK. We took the bus over in order to bypass the TTC and we were in around 1:00! DD and DS were so ready to take off, but DFIL wasn’t in the park yet. DH volunteered to wait for him while the rest of us rushed over to grab FastPasses for Space Mountain. We got there only to discover that SM was temporarily out of order and they were not giving out FPs. Big disappointment for the kids! We did the next best thing and got FPs for Buzz. We headed back over to Casey’s (not the greatest food but a very convenient location) to meet back up with DH and DFIL. People were sitting on the curb like there was some big excitement coming, so we joined them. Woo hoo! It was time for the Family Fun Parade! Now, this may be exciting for the families selected to march in it, but I have to say that it was not a big hit with my kids. So far their Disney trip was not living up to expectations – where was the pixie dust?!? Then one of the countless birds dropped a gift on my DD’s leg. Understand that DD has a FOB (fear of birds) and a FOBF (fear of body fluids). She started screaming and freaking out while DS and I started laughing uncontrollably. Meanies! I was able to calm down enough to pull out a tissue to clean her off, followed by a good rubbing of hand sanitizer. That gave enough time for DH and DFIL to catch up with us. We used our brank-spankin’-new DDP to get some lunch. $28 worth of food for free! (Okay, okay I know it’s not free. We paid for it but since it’s all pre-paid it feels like it’s free.) We cleverly ordered only 3 lunches to split between the 4 of us. (Those hot dogs are huge and they don’t have kid meals!) As our “dessert” we got 3 bags of Cracker Jacks which we took with us and the kids snacked on later in the week.

After lunch my DISBoard training kicked in and I realized that if SM was down we should be riding the TTA to see it with the lights on! Duh! So we walked (DFIL motored) on over and walked right on. The bad news was that SM was dark. The good news was that SM was running. No matter; we all enjoy the TTA even if it may seem a bit hokey to some folks. After that we rushed back to SM to grab FPs. No more for the day. 40 minute wait? No thanks. We watched the High School Musical Pep Rally. DD is a big HSM fan, but this show did not garner good reviews from her. It was okay for me; the younger kids seemed to enjoy it more. (This show has now been changed and moved to the Studios. In fact when we were back at MK later in the week the set was already gone!)

The big moment had arrived. Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. This is a big deal in our family. DH is a whiz at it and does really well, even without knowing any of the cheats. He always beats us, even when we combine our scores together. But now I’ve got the DISBoards on my side! We go in brimming with confidence. I sit with DD while DS rides with DH. Thanks to the DISBoards, I WON! I did not have a super spectacular score, but I beat DH! (Knowing the cheats doesn't make it foolproof; you still have to hit them!) We were all ecstatic, but tried to be good sports. DH was a bit miffed, but walked away with his pride just slightly wounded. I knew that wouldn’t be the last time we rode with Buzz.

We decided to head over to Fantasyland and do Mickey’s Philharmagic. This is by far our favorite 3D movie! The line was just outside the door so we wound our way through the queue in the lobby. Just in front of us was a kid in orange sneakers. I’d guess around 11. He was sticking his foot out trying to trip people coming back the other way. He was unclipping the ropes. He was trying to rip the plaques off the walls. He was lying on the floor. His mother just looked at him with adoring eyes and gently touched his cheek now and then. My kids (if I do say so myself) are pretty well behaved and behavior like this drives them nuts! My DD whispered that we should try to NOT sit by him in the movie and I wholeheartedly agreed. We moved down toward the front doors; orange sneaker boy was at the back. Being good DISers, we let about half a row of people in front of us before following them in and snagging seats in the center. We were feeling really great, until we turned around to see who was making that obnoxious noise and found orange sneaker boy sitting directly behind us. Throughout the movie he was extremely loud and rude. Walking out my DD informed me that he pulled her hair! Lucky for him at this point orange sneaker boy was out of sight and we did not run into him again. (So far, no pixie dust for us!)

We walked out of Fantasyland into Liberty Square and rode another of our favorites, Haunted Mansion. HM is a favorite because of the attention to detail and because we love to search for Hidden Mickeys in it. We were waiting in line by the tombstone with the woman who opens her eyes and looks around – creepy!

After that we bypassed PoC and BTMRR because the lines were a bit long and we were getting close to our ADR at Tony’s. Instead we went to the Frontierland Shootin’ Gallery and spent a few minutes (and a few dollars) there.

We reported to Tony’s right on time for our 5:10 ADR. (I know this restaurant doesn’t get the best reviews on the DIS, but we like it okay and we wanted some pasta for the carb loading.) After a brief wait we were seating in Christine’s section. She was a good waitress and very friendly and seemed to enjoy talking with the guests. Our first TM with the DDP so we packed it away. DFIL (not on DDP) had soup, DH had the calamari appetizer, DD and I had the spinach-artichoke dip and DS ordered the carrots and celery. (He wouldn’t eat them. Instead of the Ranch dressing on the side for dipping, they were doused in it.) The dip was good and the calamari was okay. For entrees DFIL had the Eggplant Parmesan, DH had the spaghetti while DD and I ordered Chicken Pasta and DS had pizza without chicken. (Reviews: okay. Not memorable at all.) I ate as much as I could, trying to load up for the race the next morning. Might have gone a bit overboard. But we’re on the DDP so of course we have to order dessert! 3 Ice Cream Bombs for DH, DD and me and an ice cream sundae for DS. Officially bloated, we signed the $0.00 check instead of the $144.86 bill.

Although it was still early, we headed back “home” to POFQ. There I retrieved my message that spectators were more than welcome to ride the participant buses. If that had been my question, it would have been a great answer! I gave up and decided to just hope for the best the next morning. We used our early evening to unpack, get settled, and get to bed early in anticipation of the big day – the Disney Half Marathon! Months of training were about to pay off! Or so I thought …

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

Excellent! Great start!
I'm really looking forward to this one, as we are staying at POFQ in August.

Orange sneaker boy sounds like a peach! I don't understand why parents allow this type of behavior, esp. for an 11 year old.

Looking forward to the next installment!

 

[PrincessV]

Me: What time do the buses run in the morning for the spectators of the race?
CM: They begin running at 3:00 p.m.
Me: I don’t think so; the race is at 6:00 a.m. and they want everyone there by 4:00 a.m.
CM: It says on our information 3:00 p.m.
Me: Are you sure?
CM: Yes. No. Wait. That’s for the expo. I have no information on buses running to the race.
Me: Well I know that buses for participants run from 3:00 to 4:00 a.m. My question is do they keep running for spectators after that.
CM: I don’t know. They don’t tell us anything. Let me ask someone.

CM: We don’t know.
Me: Do you have a phone number I can call of someone who might have the answer? Someone at WWOS maybe?
CM: No, we don’t have any phone numbers. They don’t tell us anything.
Me: See, I’ve got my 2 kids who want to take a bus to see the race. The Marathon Guide says they should be at the Epcot parking lot by 6:45 a.m.
CM: ​

At this point someone a bit higher up walked by. He spent another 10 minutes trying to find the answer to my question.

Urg, this stuff just makes me nuts. I understand there's a LOT going on in The World, more than every Cm can possibly keep track of. But every place I've worked has some kind of binder listing who to call for every conceiveable situation or question. Why on Earth doesn't Disney do this? Similar things have happened to me too many times there.

I'm really excited to hear about the half-marathon!

 

[HMHunters]

Urg, this stuff just makes me nuts. I understand there's a LOT going on in The World, more than every Cm can possibly keep track of. But every place I've worked has some kind of binder listing who to call for every conceiveable situation or question. Why on Earth doesn't Disney do this? Similar things have happened to me too many times there.

I'm with you. My biggest frustration was that they didn't even have a phone number to give me so that I could track down the information myself!! I think I'm going to send an email to the race people about this situation. It would be pretty simple for them to send a bus schedule covering the entire marathon weekend to each resort.

 

[mlill]

We We reported to Tony’s right on time for our 5:10 ADR. (I know this restaurant doesn’t get the best reviews on the DIS, but we like it okay and we wanted some pasta for the carb loading.)

I'm really enjoying your TR so far! I can't wait to hear about the marathon! I just had to quote this, especially since I just started my diet today...

My carb loading days are over!

Keep the TR coming!

-Michelle

 

[blue_river]

We decided to head over to Fantasyland and do Mickey’s Philharmagic. This is by far our favorite 3D movie! The line was just outside the door so we wound our way through the queue in the lobby. Just in front of us was a kid in orange sneakers. I’d guess around 11. He was sticking his foot out trying to trip people coming back the other way. He was unclipping the ropes. He was trying to rip the plaques off the walls. He was lying on the floor. His mother just looked at him with adoring eyes and gently touched his cheek now and then. My kids (if I do say so myself) are pretty well behaved and behavior like this drives them nuts! My DD whispered that we should try to NOT sit by him in the movie and I wholeheartedly agreed. We moved down toward the front doors; orange sneaker boy was at the back. Being good DISers, we let about half a row of people in front of us before following them in and snagging seats in the center. We were feeling really great, until we turned around to see who was making that obnoxious noise and found orange sneaker boy sitting directly behind us. Throughout the movie he was extremely loud and rude. Walking out my DD informed me that he pulled her hair! Lucky for him at this point orange sneaker boy was out of sight and we did not run into him again. (So far, no pixie dust for us!)

I can't believe orange sneaker boy pulled your DD's hair! I'm anxious to hear if you did get some pixie dust......so I'm in.

Great start! Looking forward to day 2

 

[Lan]

Hi Fellow 1/2 Marathoner

I was at the expo on Thursday. I got pins as well.

Can't wait to hear more about your trip and how the race went for u.

R u signing up for next year? My sister and I will be.

I am sad that we didn't get a chance to meet after the race.

 

[HMHunters]

My carb loading days are over! -Michelle

Michelle - all you have to do is run 13.1 miles afterward and you can carb load all you want!!

I can't believe orange sneaker boy pulled your DD's hair! I'm anxious to hear if you did get some pixie dust......so I'm in.

I found it unbelievable as well. There was some pixie dust - received and given. Stay tuned...

R u signing up for next year? My sister and I will be.

I am sad that we didn't get a chance to meet after the race.

I would love to, but I need to convince DH that we should be shelling out for ANOTHER trip to WDW when he wants to go skiing. The other question is: half or full? If I do go next year we'll have to set up a meeting!

 

[HMHunters]

After lugging all our baggage into our room (4212 which was an excellent location), we got unpacked and got all our running gear set out for the next morning. Pinned our bibs onto our shirts; attached our chips to our shoes; packed our gear bags. We set the alarm for 3:15, planning on catching a 3:30 bus over to Epcot for the start. (Throw on a running hat and you don’t need to worry about what your hair is going to look like in the pictures!) In bed and lights out by 9:30 which would allow us almost 6 whole hours of sleep – we will be well rested and ready to go!

Everyone climbs in bed and settles down quickly except for me – I’m not feeling well. I was thinking I just overdid the carb loading, but it wasn’t getting any better. I ended up in the bathroom battling diarrhea until about 12:30. DH and the kids were dreaming of Mickey while I was trying to stay optimistic and will my body to get over this. Finally got to bed and fell asleep sometime before 1:00 a.m.

Who needs an alarm when excited runners start passing by your door at 2:47 a.m.?!? We woke up so completely and ready to get started that we decided to get up and ready to go. (How did the kids sleep through that? I know they did. We took a photo of DS taking over the entire bed from DD who is twice as big as him.) DH and I took along some bagels with peanut butter for breakfast and Clif Bars and Propel to get us started pre-race. We had plenty of company at the bus stop. We only waited 10 minutes or so before a bus pulled up and we all loaded on. Luckily it was full so we didn’t have to make all the stops at Riverside. Our non-CM driver was remarkably alert and cheerful for 3:30 in the morning. As soon as I saw him, I realized this was the ONE GUY who should be able to answer my question about how long the buses ran. We snagged the seat right behind me and he assured me that buses would be running continuously until noon. WOW! A straight, confident answer!! That really set my mind at ease as I knew the kids wouldn’t have trouble getting over to Epcot. (Foreshadowing?) I tried eating my bagel on the way, but it wasn’t going down very well. I decided to forget it and just go with the Clif Bar a little later.

We pulled into the Epcot parking lot where they had a great system of buses unloading one after the other. There were lights everywhere and a band playing away, so it didn’t seem like the middle of the night. We followed the crowd and found a spot of ground and sat. It was amazingly warm; I had worn sweats but we ended up using them to sit on. I ate half a Clif Bar and put the rest in a pocket, in case I needed it along the way. I was still feeling okay, so I wasn’t really worried about the digestive issues from the night before. I drank half a Propel and put the rest in my gear bag for after the race. DH and I both visited the huge bank of port-a-potties a couple of times. Attribute that to nerves and good hydration!

Around 4:45 we checked in our gear bags, to be retrieved after the race. (Mine contained Crocs and a change of clothes.) They had big tents set up and you went in to the one which corresponded with the first letter of your first name. You then had a tear-away strip on your bib that was attached to the bag. It was a pretty efficient system, both then and after the race was over. Walking out the other side of those tents you came to the first staging area, with signs for waves A, B and C. We were in wave B so we sat awhile and admired some of the outfits. Turned out Belle, Tinkerbell, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty were all running together. The princesses were in formalwear. We also saw Mr. Incredible, Spiderman (shouldn’t he have been at Universal?!), Mickey, Minnie and a guy with a sculpture of Space Mountain on his head. Finally they called for wave B and we were off! Off to the starting line, that it. It was a 20-25 minute walk. Wave A left first followed by us mere mortals in wave B. About 2/3 of the way through the walk was another line of 30-40 port-a-potties. DH decided to take advantage of them; the lines were pretty long so I skipped out. (Lesson learned – never pass a port-a-potty before the race. I regretted it almost immediately!.)

As we were walking along they had speakers blasting out music (Fergalicious at Disney?!?). Closer up they had some big screens showing music videos along with footage of people at the starting line. We were on a one lane drive that had a slope off to the right of it that ended at a tree line. I guess everyone was very well hydrated, because more and more guys (and then girls) started going down the slope to “admire the greenery”. It was pretty amusing! Modesty was out the window. It was like a car wreck. I kept looking!

While waiting we called the kids. They were up and getting ready to head to the bus stop. I had signed up to have text messages sent to DD’s cell phone as I passed the 5K, 10K, 15K and finish so she’d know where we were on the course. (In theory, great idea, but she got them all at one time after it was all over.) The plan was for them to take the monorail over to MK to see us there and then back to Epcot for the finish. I told DD to call us when they got to Epcot.

Wave A was ready to start at 6 a.m. They had a count down from 10, with corresponding fireworks going off toward the starting line and a big flurry of fireworks at the start. We cheered them on and shuffled forward to take their places. At 6:10 it was our turn. We didn’t get the countdown fireworks, but we did get a couple as we started. I high-fived Mickey, Minnie and Pluto and was off! Not off and running, though. It was so crowded that we walked along until it spread out a bit and we could get into a light jog and then finally a run. Almost immediately someone dropped their cell phone, but a kindly fellow runner retrieved it and returned it to the owner.

We both felt great and the first mile passed very quickly. Checking the clock, our pace was a bit slow but we figured that was due to all the walking and slow jog at the start so we were happy. Mile 2 came up before we knew it and our pace was right on. Next thing I knew we were at mile 3 and feeling good. Realizing the longest race I'd done was 3.1 miles I was amazed at how great I felt! Still in crowds of people, but it was manageable. You just had to be aware of everyone around you. People would stop without moving over first and others were weaving all over the road. Water stops were a bit crazy, and there were lots of them! No reason for anyone to get dehydrated in this race. There were also cheering fans and music along the course which was a nice distraction. Most of the music came from portable dj’s, but there were also a couple of bands and even a choir. My favorite was the steel drum band by the Hess.

Called DD and found out that they had gotten the last bus (at 6:25) that was going to be running until after 7 a.m. (Another piece of information no one knew ahead of time.) Unfortunately their bus driver got lost on the way to Epcot. They were still getting on the monorail to see us at MK. (Amazingly enough, we saw DFIL at the TTC and were able to give him a wave! He had driven in from off site.)

Mile 4 came up before we entered the Magic Kingdom. Called DD and found they weren’t there yet. Told them that when they got there they should reboard back for Epcot. At least they got a nice monorail ride out of it! Back to the race: four miles is nothing to me with the training I’ve done. But something was definitely going wrong. I felt like someone had dropped a brick into my stomach. I got cramps which eventually worked their way around to my back. They were really painful. If that wasn’t bad enough, my diarrhea came back. I was absolutely miserable. So instead of a happy run down Main Street and through the Magic Kingdom, I was now in survival mode. I did manage to run the entire route that was inside the MK, so being there did help me. But it was really tough after leaving it. Running port-a-potty to port-a-potty. Stopping to try to stretch out my back to relieve some of the cramping. Walking to ease the pounding my back was taking. At one point I took a cup of water (not to drink; I was carrying Propel for that) to wash the sweat off my face. I used about half of it and then tried to be a nice runner and throw the cup off to the side where runners wouldn’t have to step on it. Unfortunately there were some spectators right where I threw the cup and I got a kid all wet. Oops! Sorry! At least it gave me (and all the other spectators) a much needed laugh.

DH stuck with me until sometime between miles 7 and 8 when I told him to go on without me. I knew I was running more than I should because I didn’t want to screw his race up too much. After he left I took a long walk break and stretched out for a long time. Now instead of trying for a good pace and a respectable time, I was just trying to finish. Since it was so crowded I had to stay aware of what was going on around me, which made it harder for me. I really just wanted to turn up my iPod and turn my thoughts inward, but just couldn’t do it with all the crowds and commotion. Mentally and physically it was really rough.

At mile 11 they had a Icy Hot stop, so I got a handful of that to rub on my back to try to alleviate some of the pain. I’m not sure it helped too much. But at that point I knew I was going to finish. We hit mile 12 just before entering Epcot. We ran in through a side entrance then up to the beginning of World Showcase before turning back and running back up to the entrance. That felt like the longest mile I have ever run! (Okay, I admit I couldn’t even run that whole mile, even though it was in the park. I had to run/walk. Felt like defeat to me.) Just after mile 13 we could see the finish line. I tried to pick up the pace, but it was so crowded that I couldn’t get around anyone. I scanned the crowd but didn’t see DH or the kids. I finished without any feeling of joy or accomplishment. I walked over to the side to try to stretch out my back more.

I grabbed my mylar blanket (not really necessary as it was so warm that day but a nice souvenir) and then had my chip cut off. I had my medal placed around my neck, but again it wasn’t as I had expected. I was just too miserable. I started looking around for DH, but didn’t see him anywhere. I headed for the food table and grabbed a bottle of water and some oranges, which I ended up not being able to eat. Instead I headed for the massage tent where I got a bag of ice. I laid out my mylar blanket, put down the bag of ice and lied down on it. Finally, some relief! I stayed there with my eyes closed for about 15 minutes before calling DD’s cell phone. She told me DH had gone back up the course looking for me; I directed the kids over to where I was and lied there waiting for them. We met up and then went looking for DH, who did not have a cell phone. I discovered that I had gotten a big blister on my toe; hadn’t even felt it while I was running, but I was glad to have packed Crocs in my gear bag to change into. We found DH over by the finish line, looking for me. DH was sore but feeling good. He had finished about ten minutes before me. (And those brand-spankin-new-sure-to-give-him-blisters shoes? They worked perfectly. He did get a couple little blisters on the ends of his toes, but that was it.) Never did see DFIL at the finish; he was somewhere in the stands. I spotted a concession stand and got an ice cold Coke which I was able to drink with no problem. I think that was the best drink I’ve ever had in my life, even though I’m a Pepsi gal through and through! My blood sugar must have been really low, because that drink did me a world of good. That and the ice bag really brought me back around and I was feeling fine. We all loaded onto the bus back to POFQ for some well-deserved rest.

So my half marathon, for which I’d been training for months, was over and done. Looking back, if I’d gone to a first aid tent along the way and iced my back for a while and taken some Tylenol it might have solved my problem, but I was just too focused on moving along. I’m glad to say that I finished. My time was 2:35, which was about 20 minutes slower than I’d wanted. I was 476 in my age bracket, out of 1,136. DH pulled off a 2:26 even being held back by me. In all the pictures taken by the photographers along the way he’s smiling and I look like death warmed over. I won’t be ordering any photos! (Another handy hint – don’t wear light blue shorts if it’s warm. They will really show the sweat and make it look like you’ve not made it to the port-a-potty in time. Next race I’ll be in black.) I’m glad to know I had it in me to fight through and finish, and I felt like I had trained appropriately. But now I’ve got to do another race to see what I can really do.

Next, back to the fun part of the trip report with an afternoon at Disney MGM Studios!

 

[blue_river]

I've never heard of this marathon (newbie here).

You ran 13 miles?????

 

[PrincessV]

May I just say... You ROCK!!!!!
I'm impressed with anyone who can finish, period. But to do so feeling awful and battling diarrhea the whole time? Amazing, just amazing Listen, I'm planning on the 5K Fun Run next year, and I'm afraid I won't even finish that!

How did you feel afterward? Are you really going to a park after that?

Can't believe your DH wasn't in pain from his new sneaks. I bought a pair of Brooks last year and spent 10 minutes on the treadmill in them. Screwed up my ankle for 9+months. He was so lucky!

 

[HMHunters]

I've never heard of this marathon (newbie here).

Welcome! WDW marathon is celebrating its 15th anniversary in January of 2008. I think it's a great race for beginners so if you'd ever had the itch...

You ran 13 miles?????

13.1 That .1 is really important after the first 13!

May I just say... You ROCK!!!!!
I'm impressed with anyone who can finish, period. But to do so feeling awful and battling diarrhea the whole time? Amazing, just amazing Listen, I'm planning on the 5K Fun Run next year, and I'm afraid I won't even finish that!

Thanks! You can do it!! If you can keep up with your DS, it shouldn't be a problem! Besides, if we all go for marathon weekend we can have a great meet!

How did you feel afterward? Are you really going to a park after that?

I felt amazingly good. I had been doing long runs of 9 or 10 miles, so my body wasn't totally unprepared. I never had any soreness in my legs or feet at all. That's a lesson to train properly!

Can't believe your DH wasn't in pain from his new sneaks. I bought a pair of Brooks last year and spent 10 minutes on the treadmill in them. Screwed up my ankle for 9+months. He was so lucky!

I KNOW! Had I tried the same trick, I'm sure I would have had to throw away my socks from the bloody blisters I'd have gotten. I wouldn't even buy new shoes 2 weeks before the race because I was afraid of what would happen!



Thanks for reading and responding! I'm having fun writing!

 

[Lan]

I was in Wave C...you know the people behind u

Well at least u got a medal put around your neck. By the time I got there, there were no medals and were being directed to the Information Booth. When I made it to the front a young lady said they had found some. So I was able to get a medal

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

BRAVO!!!
I can't even imagine running 13.1 miles! That's soooo great! Congratulations!

I'm sorry to hear you about your tummy troubles. But, well done, girl!

 

[nicolemarie]

We were in wave B so we sat awhile and admired some of the outfits. Turned out Belle, Tinkerbell, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty were all running together. The princesses were in formalwear. We also saw Mr. Incredible, Spiderman (shouldn’t he have been at Universal?!), Mickey, Minnie and a guy with a sculpture of Space Mountain on his head.

Space Mountain? On his head? Oh, I wish you had a picture of that.

Wave A was ready to start at 6 a.m. They had a count down from 10, with corresponding fireworks going off toward the starting line and a big flurry of fireworks at the start. We cheered them on and shuffled forward to take their places. At 6:10 it was our turn. We didn’t get the countdown fireworks, but we did get a couple as we started. I high-fived Mickey, Minnie and Pluto and was off!

How cool is that?! I really want to do this half marathon. I've never done one before. But if I do, this will be the one.

I'm so sorry you were not feeling well and ended up disappointed with your performance. But just look at it this way - it's a perfect excuse to keep up your training and do the one in 2008!

Great report! I'm looking forward to more!

NM

 

[HMHunters]

Well at least u got a medal put around your neck. By the time I got there, there were no medals and were being directed to the Information Booth. When I made it to the front a young lady said they had found some. So I was able to get a medal

I know this would have put me over the edge! I wonder if the people who didn't get one have received it yet?

I can't even imagine running 13.1 miles! That's soooo great! Congratulations!

I'm sorry to hear you about your tummy troubles. But, well done, girl!

Thanks! I couldn't imagine it a year ago either.

How cool is that?! I really want to do this half marathon. I've never done one before. But if I do, this will be the one.

Do it, do it, do it! (Does peer pressure work on you?)


Thanks for reading and responding; hopefully the next chapter will be up tomorrow. Get ready for a sprinkling of