Half Marathon - Train with me for Jan '11 - ...Shock - an update! 4/06! new pix

[dismagiclover]

Here is our hero at Mile 7. She's looking good and over halfway there

 

[Sandy321]

Jenny - your too funny!! (ie "hero")

Thanks for posting - and for taking the photos!!

It gives others an idea of what people wore out there!! No gloves, no hat - I had so many layers on I needed the heat to leave somewhere!! I have a polar tech wind proof, water resistant coat - so I had on 2 'long underwear' tops, long sleeve tech shirt, my coat, then I threw the WISH shirt on top -

pretty silly huh?!!

 

[Sandy321]

Ran in to Dolce at Studios today - dh and dd went to animation studios and drew - Dolce went on ToT with me!! (I always have to ride that one alone!) then we rode RocknRoller coaster...

the more I talked with Dolce - she is so committed to a "redo" (with no walking - no IT issues) and I know I could do so much better...

I'm going to work on Jan '11!!

DH and I are talking about which resort - you have to plan for that 11 months out... BLT? Boardwalk? BCV? (Didnt get to use Stormalong bay this time!) maybe OKW?

How many days? Do we plan on doing Food and Wine 7 days and Marathon 5 days? or all at Marathon?

its truly crowded here this week - we are doing well... but, there are a lot of people - and it will get worse closer to the weekend and Martin Luther holiday...

Looking out the window right now - Illuminations!!

 

[dismagiclover]

Sandy you're going for Jan '11. I'm planning on being there too, but I'm going to try for the Mickey Medal Liz is planning on doing the Donald again and going for a faster time (she won't have me holding her back) I'm bringing my whole family and we're planning on staying at the BWV. BLT was an awesome place to stay though because of the monorail before the race. It let us get a few extra ZZZZ's. I'm suprised it's crowded. I guess enough people stay through the week. Has the weather warmed up?

 

[eyor44]

the more I talked with Dolce - she is so committed to a "redo" (with no walking - no IT issues) and I know I could do so much better...

I'm going to work on Jan '11!!

I'm gonna do it also! I figured if we could make it through THAT weather, we could make it through pretty much anything. (remember my wind tunnel experience) I am taking this week off (much to Roo's dismay) but will be back out there next week. Who's with me?

PS - no one has ever called me a spitfire before. I love it. I was just so excited going through the Magic Kingdom and then to find you. My first race, but despite the weather it was great.

 

[eyor44]

Dolce

Congratulations! I am so very proud of you completing your first marathon. I can't wait to hear all about it.

 

[pjstevens]

Sandy, I have to say it again, CONGRATS!!!!! You did an amazing job and are the true meaning of a Wisher! It does not matter if you were dead last, you FINISHED the 1/2 OFFICIALLY!!!! You did great! So glad to have gotten to meet you. If you don't mind, I'd love a copy of the pic that hubby took of us two with your camera. Pm me your email address (and I'll send you mine).

 

[dislvr74]

Sandy, CONGRATS!!!!! I knew you could do it.

Here's my story...

To recap, I was originally scheduled to depart BMI (a very small, regional airport that is about an hour away) extremely early Friday morning with a connection in ATL. On Wednesday I started getting nervous about the weather and considered trying to drive to BMI on Thursday and all sorts of other options. Airtran suggested changing my flight to one that did not require travel through ATL because of the predictions of bad weather there on Friday. I changed to a mid-day flight on Thursday, but DH could not get Thursday night off of work. I found a babysitter, booked a hotel near MCO for Thursday night, and thought I was all set. As you can see from Sandy's picture, the weather in IL was pretty bad on Thursday and there was no way I was going to be able to drive to BMI. Schools were closed here and the roads were just awful. So, I changed my flight AGAIN to leave from IND late morning on Friday.

The weather looked better on Friday, but we were experiencing 35 mph wind gusts with a lot of blowing snow. I decided to give myself an extra hour and left my house at 7:00am. I had to drive 45 mph almost the entire way! At one point, I saw an ambulance (it didn't have its lights on, so I don't think it was on a call) in the west bound lane go through the median, across the east bound lanes, and into the ditch. A few miles later, I saw a pick up go from the east bound lanes into the ditch on the other side of the west bound lanes. I would have turned around at that point, but I was closer to the airport than to home. In the end, it took me three nerve racking hours to make what should have been a less than two hour drive. I was basically physically ill by the time I parked the car.

After all that, the flight went well and my mom's flight out of Chicago was fine. She arrived several hours before me and went to the expo to get our stuff. I arrived at the hotel around 4 and we didn't really do anything that night because it was just so darn cold.

The race itself was just brutal. I decided that it is much harder to walk a race than to run/walk. We were just out there for so long! We finished in 3:29. I was a little frustrated because we were maintaining a 15 min/mile pace, but got warned about being swept at mile 2! We were towards the back of the last corral, but we were well ahead of the required pace. I think they started the timer (or whatever they use to check the pace requirement) before the last runner started. Anyway, that put us into such a panic that we started doing 14 min miles, which of course made us very tired. I didn't take any pictures because we were so worried about getting swept (and I didn't want to expose my camera to the rain). Overall, it wasn't my best race experience. I think the princess half is going to be my "do over" event.

I'm not planning to be there in 2011 because that weekend overlaps with our new student orientation for spring admits. But I am sort of thinking about trying the full in a few years. Seeing the last marathon finishers on Sunday was a little discouraging because they just looked so miserable! I'm not sure I can handle that level of pain yet.

 

[liznboys]

Sandy, here are the pictures I took with you in them. I didn't know you were in them until I got home and uploaded, then I said, hey there's Sandy! ha!
Sorry they're blurry, I was on the move...

Heading into Liberty Square:

LTT, getting your shoe tied!:

 

[eyor44]

Sandy, CONGRATS!!!!! I knew you could do it.

Here's my story...

I'm not planning to be there in 2011 because that weekend overlaps with our new student orientation for spring admits. But I am sort of thinking about trying the full in a few years. Seeing the last marathon finishers on Sunday was a little discouraging because they just looked so miserable! I'm not sure I can handle that level of pain yet.

I'm so glad you made it there. We were concerned that perhaps you didn't. I finished in 3:24:58 and started in about the middle of the last corral. So sorry we missed you. We were looking for you at POP and at dinner on Saturday.

 

[eyor44]

Sandy
Thank you for organizing dinner and all. I loved meeting everyone and wish we could have stayed longer. Thank you for everything and

Congratulations!!!!!!!!! on finishing. forgot to say that earlier. You know, I think you finished with more fanfare than the first runners did. Who else had such an escort?!?

 

[Sandy321]

dislvr so glad you shared your experience with us!! Dont like to lose anyone! You are right the way they time that last corral is a joke! I'm never starting in the last wave again!! (dont tell anyone! )

eeyor/Lisa you are such a kind hearted soul!! Yes, you do run with determination and you are a spitfire when you are motivated!!

Dolce How was work?

Liz thank you for adding your pictures!! I'm so excited to have that picture of me finding someone to tie my shoe!!! How random!! Thank you!!

We're still in Disney. Still the walking wounded. Still freezing. Still have coats, gloves, long pants, running shoes... grrr Going home Saturday!

 

[pjstevens]

We're still in Disney. Still the walking wounded. Still freezing. Still have coats, gloves, long pants, running shoes... grrr Going home Saturday!

Sandy, I saw it's supposed to get close to 70 today though. I'm so jealous you got to stay so long afterwards and enjoy yourself. Our weekend was over in a blur, but with so many wonderful memories.

 

[Dolce27]

Hey everyone! I’m here. Sort of. My flight out of Orlando was delayed Tuesday night. By the time we landed and I arrived home and all, it was midnight. When our plane hit the tarmac at DFW, I turned on my cell phone to a voice message from my boss requesting that I come in to work early yesterday morning. I was at work by 7:15 am. Yes, a Starbucks run on my way in had been mandatory but even that extra shot of espresso I ordered lasted for only so long. I was dead for most of yesterday and crashed last night.

I’m soooo glad to have met some of you this week-end! It was great to see everyone’s bling Saturday night at Cape May. I think that I almost scared eyor off! I was seated in the lobby area, close to the restaurant, waiting for everyone to arrive (and trying to figure out how to know who was who) when eyor walked passed me. I did (briefly) see the one photo of her and her friend that she’d posted on this thread and I was studying her, trying to determine if it was her or not. Then her friend walked over to take her picture and I was trying to visualize them both in tiaras since the photo that eyor had posted had them both wearing tiaras and eyor had commented about it. (Yes, I really was trying to determine if you were tiara people or not.) I could tell by the “uh, why are you looking at me?’ looks that eyor kept sending my way that she was less than thrilled to note a total stranger scrutinizing her. They walked off but I followed and asked eyor if she was eyor and she was! I introduced myself and she finally stopped giving me those “are you a crazy person?” looks and replaced it with an “I’m so happy to meet you!” look.

(Psst! Don’t tell her that I really am crazy! I think that I have her fooled!)

Oh! And eyor, please tell your friend to start posting on here – I really enjoyed meeting her. I hope that your sinuses have gone away and that you’re feeling better now.

Maroo: I’m soooo happy that you were able to go this week-end! You have to sign-up for the 2011 half-marathon. We must have a meet-up next year as well.

Sandy – I’ve told you in person, but I’m going to officially post this on your TR – I’m sooo proud of you and happy that you completed your half marathon. And last finisher is MUCH better than no finisher. You did it! You accomplished a goal! And I do think that you should go back for 2011 – you know that you can do this, you’ve already done it!

I am disappointed that I missed seeing you on the course; I was so close to have caught you! Saturday I went to EPCOT and went on Soarin’ first thing. I don’t know if I adopted them or if they adopted me; but I now have an honorary set of grandparents. I met the sweetest couple in their 70’s and wound-up playing Tour Gide for them almost all day at EPCOT as this was their very first visit.

Now, looking at them, you wouldn’t know that they were in their 70’s; seriously I would have thought late 50’s. They were very active with great fun (and young) personalities. We were leaving The Land and were crossing over to go to Mission:Space (yes, I took a 70 yr old couple on Mission:Space. The guy, Chuck, rode the orange side with me while his wife, Teddy, went on the green side) and the CM’s were pulling up the rope on one side of the 1/2 marathon course. The last of the runners were still plowing through on the other side. Since I was with the couple, I didn’t stop to cheer the last of them on as I would have done had I been solo. Major kudos to everyone that ran Saturday. That just looked miserable and everyone I saw running the course looked miserable. I saw very few smiles (but I did see lots of pple in shorts!!)

I’m sooo happy for all of you and your Donald medals! Dislver, I’m sad that I never got to meet you this week-end. Congrats on your finish!

Sandy- you and your family are great! I’m so glad to have had the opportunity to meet you guys and to hang out with you some! Thank you! (I notice that you didn’t mention how we almost became squished sardines on the Tower of Terror. )

 

[Dolce27]

(OK: I’m doing a second post about the full marathon (and pretending that I’m not monopolizing Sandy’s TR… Again! *sigh* I type too much. I’m sorry, Sandy!))

The weather conditions for the full marathon were slightly better Sunday morning. We didn’t have rain or sleet (thank goodness) but it was 20-something degrees when we started off and barely in the 40’s when I finished. I did have a ticket to the race retreat tent (again, THANK GOODNESS) and didn’t go out to the corral until about 5:15.

I did turn in my prior race times at EXPO and was bumped up to corral B from corral G. (I think I should have been placed in C, not B, but oh well.) The first part of the full marathon was split. The Elites were at the head of the Red start. Corrals A,B,C were on the Blue Start. Corrals D thru H (or J? I can’t recall how many corrals total) were lined up behind the Elites on the Red start. There were three waves. All of the Blue start corrals (A,B,C) were in the first wave along with the Elites. I don’t know how the other two waves were done. Sandy, I know that Tim was in Corral D – was he wave 1 or wave 2?

For wave 1, we stepped off at 5:40 and can I tell you how great it was to have Disney be so strict with the corrals?? I was actually in a run when I hit the Start line. A run! I hadn’t been able to do that in my prior two races b/c too many people were up where they weren’t supposed to be causing chaos. Now, they released the mesh holding back Corral C to merge all three Corrals before the Start so I actually moved my way back into the Corral C people before the official Start time. I felt that in Corral B I was a little too far up for my pace.

My IT band began hurting me Friday when I reached Orlando and didn’t stop hurting. I’ve never had the IT band already giving me problems going into a run - normally it doesn’t begin hurting until going into mile 4 so I was really concerned about the leg. I kept my pace steady and didn’t pass people to put stress on the IT band. I let others pass me and just focused on running as far as I could.

As far “as I could” turned into 13 miles. I’d hoped that my leg would last until at least mile 17 (like it did on my 20 mile training run) or even up to mile 20. Nope, going into mile 13 my knee locked up from the inflammation of the IT band and I physically couldn’t bend the knee to run on it anymore. I was very disappointed but refused to let it get me down. I switched over to power-walking. At first it was straight legged as I couldn’t bend my left leg at all but finally the knee softened enough to allow me to bed it enough to power walk. It never would let me run again – I tried many times as I REALLY wanted to run. My body was up for it – but the knee locked up each time and pain would shoot up. So, I walked. And walked.

I had no other problems. I never even came close to hitting “the wall”. My body felt great and I was soooo jealous of the runners passing me by – I just wanted to run! The miles were nothing. Honestly. I hit mile 26 and was like – Really? Already? The miles just flew for me and I was still smiling by the end. I could see how leaving Animal Kingdom and going down that huge parking lot and then up the gradual incline (was it on an overpass? I didn’t notice) and then the out and back to the Sports Complex is daunting for most people. It didn’t bother me much as a walker but had I been running, I may have had a few mental problems during that part that I would have struggled through.

Between mile 21 and 22 I passed the soldier that made the news. He was in full gear – including a 30lbs backpack – doing the marathon. As I passed him, all of the runners were calling out to him, thanking him for his service to our country and giving him respect. It was a cool moment.

Mickey walked me across the Finish Line. He was trying to encourage me to run as he paced along side of me. I was too busy laughing at him to try to explain to him that I was injured and I was moving as fast as my leg would allow me to go.

Because I had to walk half of the course, I finished the full in 5:50-something. I was told that 8,000 people did not finish the full marathon on Sunday. I’m taking some time off from running to allow my IT band to heal and then will start back up. I’m so looking forward to 2011- I expect to be injury free for that race! I’m glad to know what the course is like, it will help with my training this year.

 

[maroo]

Hello everyone!

LOVE the race reports!

I am OFFICIALLY signed up for the Princess Half (which is in March)...more about that on my pretrippie later...I changed my dates a bit.

But I am walking 7 miles today...that is my target for this week. So I am excited.

We STILL have no running water either at my work or my condo. Jackson, MS is a mess. But I am staying with Lauren and able to do laundry and such just fine.

 

[eyor44]

We're still in Disney. Still the walking wounded. Still freezing. Still have coats, gloves, long pants, running shoes... grrr Going home Saturday!

But you are still in Disney!

Mickey walked me across the Finish Line. He was trying to encourage me to run as he paced along side of me. I was too busy laughing at him to try to explain to him that I was injured and I was moving as fast as my leg would allow me to go.

Dolce - I am so glad you finished. Sounds like you had a great race. How cool that Mickey walked you across the finish line. I'll bet you have some great pictures from that.

Got mine last night and they are horrid. Yes, horrid. You should have seen the way I was dressed. But I was half way warm.

But I am walking 7 miles today...that is my target for this week. So I am excited.

We STILL have no running water either at my work or my condo. Jackson, MS is a mess. But I am staying with Lauren and able to do laundry and such just fine.

on the 7 miles. You go girl! You can do it!

Still no running water?!? Oh Maroo. What a thing to come home to.

I had plumbing issues also when I got home. We have a septic irrigation system and all four sprinkler heads froze and busted. Got those fixed and it still wouldn't work. By coincidence the primary tank was full and needed to be pumped. I had a sleepless night and very stressful morning until it was all fixed. Everything is working now and we are good.....for the moment.

RocketLizzy is suppose to get on here. I thought she was getting on early today, not sure what happened. Guess I'll email her the link.

 

[Dolce27]

maroo: I missed the post about the no running water thing! Wow. I hope that it is fixed soon and I'm thankful that you can stay at Lauren's.

I'm giddy. I realized that the 2011 dates are announced and sign-up is a go. Currently Disney has all of my money but as soon as I can gather some more I'm signing up for the 2011 full marathon. And I plan to stay at the Boardwalk Inn this trip.

 

[Sandy321]

trying to upload a video to youtube - its taking way too long!

Dolce I LOVE your report - you are not too wordy!

Going to Princess Breakfast, its our last day

Then I'll start a trip report with pictures! I'm going to snag a few

everyone - keep up the great work!!

 

[rocketlizzy]

Congrats to you guys!!! I finally made it to disboards! I really enjoyed meeting you guys and thanks for adopting me. Dolce, l'm so glad you made it, Mickey is so sweet & what a finish. We too had water issues, but the pipe burst the night I got home, so we caught it right away & my handy husband fixed it that night. He was not too pleased though & was still stressed from being trapped in the house with two boys for four days, going bananas. He's fine now. Maroo any water yet?
Sandy hope you had a good trip even with the weather, you are an inspiration. I wouldn't have done the race if it had not been for Lisa, I'm so glad she is my strong & determined friend. I had to sprint between mile seven and eight to avoid getting swept. It was a great feeling to cross that finish line, even though I looked like a neon yellow eskimo.