superchime
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2010
- Messages
- 817
Post-race
Made it across the finish line smiling but sobbed when they handed me my Dopey medal.
I was feeling ok and still running my intervals up until the end of the race, but once it was over the legs checked out for the day. I made it through the chute, got my gear check bag, and found my husband. He had parked at Hollywood Studios, so to get to the car I had to walk through Epcot and then ride the skyliner. This seemed preferable to making that first step up onto a bus, though. We stopped for a bit so I could drink my recovery shake, then made it though Epcot with a few more breaks. I was so jealous of the other marathoners walking around like they didn't just run 26.2 miles. That night was a bit rough, but the next day I felt mostly ok (with the exception of stairs), and by day 2 I was mostly back to normal (except forever changed by the experience, if you'll indulge a little sappiness).
What I would do again/what I would do differently
* I pre-packed all of my fuel in numbered ziplock baggies so I didn’t have to think about what to eat when. This was very helpful. I also put unflavored fuel at the end of the race and was super glad for this because I was done with flavors by that point.
* I planned my fueling by the hour, so the baggies were numbered 1 - 7. In hindsight I should have numbered the first baggie 0 so that 1 corresponded with 1 hour in time on my watch, because later in the race even that basic math was a bit of a challenge.
* Throwing a few salt packets in a separate baggie was a great idea for when I couldn’t stand any more saltstik chews. If the day had been warmer I might have been in trouble otherwise and I should investigate other electrolyte options for the future, but I know I only want to drink water when I'm running so this is tricky.
* I was weighed down like a pack mule at the beginning of the race but I finished with nothing but a few salt stick chews left and I definitely think this much fueling is the right strategy for me, even though I'm so jealous of the people who got on my bus that morning with nothing but their bib and a granola bar.
* It was the least Disney trip ever but focusing on resort time, recovery, napping, etc was the right call.
* Having my family with me was great for distracting me and keeping me from anxiety spiraling, and seeing them on the course was a much needed boost.
* We had a one bedroom at Old Key West which was great because they could stay up later while I slept. But the only bathroom was accessed via the bedroom, so next time I’d try to find a place with a different floor plan.
* Other than that our room was great. The full kitchen made it easy to eat well (and safely) before the races, and that garden tub was the stuff dreams are made of.
* I really think the Coke in Animal Kingdom was responsible for how good I felt during the last half of the race. Glad I planned for that and would definitely do that again.
* Being able to dictate texts into my Apple watch was super helpful, although I’m sure the people around me got tired of hearing me say “hey Siri, text Billy”
Made it across the finish line smiling but sobbed when they handed me my Dopey medal.
I was feeling ok and still running my intervals up until the end of the race, but once it was over the legs checked out for the day. I made it through the chute, got my gear check bag, and found my husband. He had parked at Hollywood Studios, so to get to the car I had to walk through Epcot and then ride the skyliner. This seemed preferable to making that first step up onto a bus, though. We stopped for a bit so I could drink my recovery shake, then made it though Epcot with a few more breaks. I was so jealous of the other marathoners walking around like they didn't just run 26.2 miles. That night was a bit rough, but the next day I felt mostly ok (with the exception of stairs), and by day 2 I was mostly back to normal (except forever changed by the experience, if you'll indulge a little sappiness).
What I would do again/what I would do differently
* I pre-packed all of my fuel in numbered ziplock baggies so I didn’t have to think about what to eat when. This was very helpful. I also put unflavored fuel at the end of the race and was super glad for this because I was done with flavors by that point.
* I planned my fueling by the hour, so the baggies were numbered 1 - 7. In hindsight I should have numbered the first baggie 0 so that 1 corresponded with 1 hour in time on my watch, because later in the race even that basic math was a bit of a challenge.
* Throwing a few salt packets in a separate baggie was a great idea for when I couldn’t stand any more saltstik chews. If the day had been warmer I might have been in trouble otherwise and I should investigate other electrolyte options for the future, but I know I only want to drink water when I'm running so this is tricky.
* I was weighed down like a pack mule at the beginning of the race but I finished with nothing but a few salt stick chews left and I definitely think this much fueling is the right strategy for me, even though I'm so jealous of the people who got on my bus that morning with nothing but their bib and a granola bar.
* It was the least Disney trip ever but focusing on resort time, recovery, napping, etc was the right call.
* Having my family with me was great for distracting me and keeping me from anxiety spiraling, and seeing them on the course was a much needed boost.
* We had a one bedroom at Old Key West which was great because they could stay up later while I slept. But the only bathroom was accessed via the bedroom, so next time I’d try to find a place with a different floor plan.
* Other than that our room was great. The full kitchen made it easy to eat well (and safely) before the races, and that garden tub was the stuff dreams are made of.
* I really think the Coke in Animal Kingdom was responsible for how good I felt during the last half of the race. Glad I planned for that and would definitely do that again.
* Being able to dictate texts into my Apple watch was super helpful, although I’m sure the people around me got tired of hearing me say “hey Siri, text Billy”
