goofyguy1958
My son the dinoboy!!
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2003
- Messages
- 594
This is long so I posted it separatly.
I have been calling myself Goofyguy1958 for years without having any official reason to use the name other than that Goofy happens to have been my favorite cartoon character since my childhood back in the early 1960s. However, as of Sunday January 7, 2007 I can officially use the moniker: I have successfully (and this is relatively speaking here) completed the 2007 Walt Disney World Goofy Challenge. For those of you who do not know what the Goofy Challenge is, it is comprised of a half marathon run on Saturday morning followed by a full marathon run on Sunday morning. Or better put, 39.3 miles of running within just over a 30 hour period of time (depending how fast or not you are).
I went into this event with a specific time goal but, since this was un-chartered waters, I knew that some adjustments may be necessary. For months I started my long training runs at 6 AM in the relative cold of southeastern Pennsylvania. Some of these runs produced a nice thick coating of ice on my mustache while others were comfortably in the low to mid forties. I tried to anticipate and plan for everything in the Goofy Challenge. However, a sudden increase in temperature and humidity was an unwelcome and what would prove to be troublesome change for these northeastern legs.
Saturday morning January 6th, I got up at 2:45 so I could eat breakfast, get dressed, do the necessaries, and make the 4 AM last bus to the corals for the half marathon. I put on my shorts, singlet and a throw away t-shirt to fend off any morning chill. When I walk out of my room I turn around after about 4 steps, re-open the door, remove and toss the completely unnecessary t-shirt back in the drawer. It was going to be a hot run.
After a short ride, I exited the bus, proceeded to Port-O-Pot city, joined the conga line to the pots and, when finished dancing, proceeded to the starting area corals - Disney sets you up by your projected finish time and is, in my view, very generous which coral they place you in. I was in coral A wave A1 with a predicted finish time of 2 hours (hey, I needed to save something for tomorrows full. Didnt I?). While waiting for the 6 AM start time I met a few very nice people runners are the nicest and most open people it has ever been my pleasure to meet and found a couple of guys who were looking to run the same pace as I was. One of these guys, Mike, was from New Orleans and was used to this kind of weather while the other, Tom, was from Minneapolis and was definitely not used to the heat and humidity.
The singing of the national anthem was greeted with thunderous cheers and the 6AM start is fast approaching. The building anticipation is palpable until finally Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and, of course, Donald start the countdown. Five, four, three, two, one and were sent on our way by a flash of fireworks and pyrotechnics. We, Tom, Mike and I settle into a nice consistent pace and make a pledge to simply enjoy the day and not worry about time if the heat starts getting to us. Mile one passes in just under 11 minutes. No worries as it took us about a minute and a half to get to the start line and there was a lot of congestion to run through. Mile two goes by without a hitch. Mile three, four, five pass without incident and I am having a blast high fiving all the characters and children, young and old, that I can reach along the course. Mile six passes and Tom peals off to hit a Port-O-Pot while Mike and I continue on with wishes of good luck. We continue knowing that looming just ahead of us is the keystone of Disney World, Cinderellas Castle and Magic Kingdom.
As we enter the Magic Kingdom the roar of the crowds is deafening. Main Street is one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had in my 19 years of road racing. If you do not get chills turning the corner from Town Square and riding the wave of enthusiasm up Main Street to the Castle, youre inner child is dead. The only problem here is that you actually float up Main Street and cannot help but increase your pace mine dropped from an average of about 9 minuets per mile to a 7:30 mile through the Magic Kingdom. No worries, it actually felt effortless and I had no ill effects through the next, what are mostly boring, 6 highway miles.
Somewhere along Main Street Mike and I separated and I would run the remainder of the half on my own and before I knew it right in front of me are the toll booths that lead us into the EPCOT parking area. The excitement is building as I realize I am well under my anticipated pace and feel really comfortable despite the heat. I and all my fellow racers enter EPCOT to the roaring of the spectators along the Future World section of EPCOT and again I am lifted to what feels like a floating stride and am carried through the final stretch and to the finish line. What a rush!
I get my Donald medal, grab a drink and something to eat (oranges and bananas look good now) and go to the Goofy Challenge tent to get the orange bracelet removed and my blue bracelet to replace it. Disney places an orange bracelet on all Goofy Challenge participants when you pick up your race packet. The bracelet must be worn until completion of the half when it is removed you get a blue one that must be shown after you complete the full in order to get that coveted Goofy medal. The Goofy medal proves to the world that you are goofy enough to complete running a half and full marathon or 39.3 miles on two consecutive days.
OK, now I finished the half and have tomorrow and the full marathon to look forward to. I have a very relaxed day planned of reading, eating and resting. I have breakfast at 10 AM at the Yacht Club Galley return to my room, grab a book and head to the pool at Old Key West for some relaxation. Later I grab a nap, get dinner, set out my race gear for tomorrow oops, I only brought one pair of running shoes that are now wet from the sweating throughout the half and I know I will pay for this mistake during the full and settle in to read and hopefully get some sleep.
Stitch and Mickey greet me with a wake-up call that comes at 2:45 AM and I follow the same routine as I did on Saturday. Today, I am in coral D which is directly behind the elites coral again Disney is far too generous in placing a slow old guy like me here. Today promises to be even hotter than yesterday and the humidity (according to the weather channel it is around 94% before I leave my room at 4 AM) is visible in a fog-like haze. I find an open spot in the coral and take a seat beside a gentleman, John, from Fort Lauderdale who, I later find out, is looking to finish his first marathon and wants to run it in 4 hours matching my hoped for time. I actually feel really good in spite of my faster-than-expected finish in the half yesterday and am full of enthusiasm for todays race.
Again, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and my hero/alter ego Goofy count us down to the start after the Star Spangled Banner and were off after the fireworks and pyrotechnics. The only difference this morning, aside from double the miles that is, is that I am actually dripping sweat before we start running. Me thinks time is not something to worry about today and having fun would be more in order. The early miles pass without incident as John and I move along in high-spirited conversation but we are both surprised by the visible humidity as we approach the what-appears-to-be a fog enshrouded Spaceship Earth around mile 3. The crowds are larger and even more intense although I cant believe this possible than yesterday and they again help keep the legs moving.
John and I keep up our steady pace through mile 8, 9 and then into 10 and the entrance to the Magic Kingdom. It is here where John peals off stating he is pushing his heart rate too high and wants to ease the pace. In retrospect, I probably should have stayed with John and I would have finished sooner and most likely stronger than I did. I continue on until right around the half I notice some strange sounds emanating from under my feet. I look down and see water squirting out of my shoes with each step. I realize that this is my sweat not water (which I should have, but hadnt as of yet, been pouring on my overheated head) that I am using to mark a wet trail marking the path of my progress. I make a mental note to increase my fluid and electrolyte intake from here on out and press on. At mile 14 there is a water stop and I take in some fluids, pop a cliff shot and without thinking slow to a walk to insure I get all the fluid I can. This was my first mistake. When I attempt to start running again my legs send the message to my brain that they liked the walking pace and were not ready just yet to do that running thing again.
I walked for 2 minutes and then successfully trick my stubborn legs into a slower paced jog. I try to plan out the rest of the race thinking I should do the run 1 mile walk one minute intervals for the remainder of the race. Unfortunately, my shoes had other plans; they decided now was a good time to literally curl up for a long rest. The insoles of my now water and not running shoes decided to roll up and see what kind of discomfort they could present my waterlogged feet. I continued on, trying to ignore the discomfort and moving my toes around in an effort to uncurl the inserts. This goes on until around mile 18 when I finally stop and remove the inserts. I tuck the inserts into the back of my shorts which elicits a number of questioning stares as well as actual questions to which I answer how the inserts are strategically placed as a symbol of how this Goofy Challenge is kicking my butt.
With the removal of the inserts, I decide that I will approach the rest of this race as an adventure, try to enjoy the crowds and not worry about my time. I start to run walk changing pace as often as possible and continue taking in as much fluids as I can grab. Oh, Oh! Too many fluids at one time mixed with strenuous exercise like running usually leads to something unpleasant and for me it is stop, lean over the guard rail and puke. Oh what fun this is! But, with the right mind set, this actually turns out to be an enjoyable experience. In the past I would negatively ruminate about my ever-slowing pace and pout but today I look inward and actually feel a lightening of my mood and an increasing desire to experience the positive energy all around me.
The support of the volunteers is overwhelming and should be rewarded. When you think how they have been out here for at least a half hour more than you and, at least in my case, will remain out there for an additional 2-and-a-half-hours more, you see just how amazingly dedicated they are. Also, all the people who came out really early to cheer on the thousands of us nuts running, walking or staggering through the overheated Florida morning deserve every thank you and high five we racers can muster. So my mission changes to thanking as many people as I can by feeding their positive energy back to them ten-fold.
I continue on enjoying myself more than I thought possible even through a series of staggering starts and stops and more walking than I care to admit. The miles continue to pass until finally the entrance to EPCOTs World Showcase beckons and I can finally see the end of this craziness that is the Goofy Challenge. I somehow manage to run the entire last mile picking up the pace all the way to the finish.
Disappointed? Yes and no. I am disappointed that I had to slowly splish-splash my way through the final 12 miles of a painful marathon while loosing 2 toenails and getting my first quarter sized blister in 19 years of racing (this is because my feet were doing their best no-insert in-shoe skating imitation they could muster). However, I am very pleased with my half marathon effort and, as I stated a long way back in this article, I have called myself goofyguy for many years without justification but, now I can proudly wear the moniker because I am and have achieved Goofy status!
I have been calling myself Goofyguy1958 for years without having any official reason to use the name other than that Goofy happens to have been my favorite cartoon character since my childhood back in the early 1960s. However, as of Sunday January 7, 2007 I can officially use the moniker: I have successfully (and this is relatively speaking here) completed the 2007 Walt Disney World Goofy Challenge. For those of you who do not know what the Goofy Challenge is, it is comprised of a half marathon run on Saturday morning followed by a full marathon run on Sunday morning. Or better put, 39.3 miles of running within just over a 30 hour period of time (depending how fast or not you are).
I went into this event with a specific time goal but, since this was un-chartered waters, I knew that some adjustments may be necessary. For months I started my long training runs at 6 AM in the relative cold of southeastern Pennsylvania. Some of these runs produced a nice thick coating of ice on my mustache while others were comfortably in the low to mid forties. I tried to anticipate and plan for everything in the Goofy Challenge. However, a sudden increase in temperature and humidity was an unwelcome and what would prove to be troublesome change for these northeastern legs.
Saturday morning January 6th, I got up at 2:45 so I could eat breakfast, get dressed, do the necessaries, and make the 4 AM last bus to the corals for the half marathon. I put on my shorts, singlet and a throw away t-shirt to fend off any morning chill. When I walk out of my room I turn around after about 4 steps, re-open the door, remove and toss the completely unnecessary t-shirt back in the drawer. It was going to be a hot run.
After a short ride, I exited the bus, proceeded to Port-O-Pot city, joined the conga line to the pots and, when finished dancing, proceeded to the starting area corals - Disney sets you up by your projected finish time and is, in my view, very generous which coral they place you in. I was in coral A wave A1 with a predicted finish time of 2 hours (hey, I needed to save something for tomorrows full. Didnt I?). While waiting for the 6 AM start time I met a few very nice people runners are the nicest and most open people it has ever been my pleasure to meet and found a couple of guys who were looking to run the same pace as I was. One of these guys, Mike, was from New Orleans and was used to this kind of weather while the other, Tom, was from Minneapolis and was definitely not used to the heat and humidity.
The singing of the national anthem was greeted with thunderous cheers and the 6AM start is fast approaching. The building anticipation is palpable until finally Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and, of course, Donald start the countdown. Five, four, three, two, one and were sent on our way by a flash of fireworks and pyrotechnics. We, Tom, Mike and I settle into a nice consistent pace and make a pledge to simply enjoy the day and not worry about time if the heat starts getting to us. Mile one passes in just under 11 minutes. No worries as it took us about a minute and a half to get to the start line and there was a lot of congestion to run through. Mile two goes by without a hitch. Mile three, four, five pass without incident and I am having a blast high fiving all the characters and children, young and old, that I can reach along the course. Mile six passes and Tom peals off to hit a Port-O-Pot while Mike and I continue on with wishes of good luck. We continue knowing that looming just ahead of us is the keystone of Disney World, Cinderellas Castle and Magic Kingdom.
As we enter the Magic Kingdom the roar of the crowds is deafening. Main Street is one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had in my 19 years of road racing. If you do not get chills turning the corner from Town Square and riding the wave of enthusiasm up Main Street to the Castle, youre inner child is dead. The only problem here is that you actually float up Main Street and cannot help but increase your pace mine dropped from an average of about 9 minuets per mile to a 7:30 mile through the Magic Kingdom. No worries, it actually felt effortless and I had no ill effects through the next, what are mostly boring, 6 highway miles.
Somewhere along Main Street Mike and I separated and I would run the remainder of the half on my own and before I knew it right in front of me are the toll booths that lead us into the EPCOT parking area. The excitement is building as I realize I am well under my anticipated pace and feel really comfortable despite the heat. I and all my fellow racers enter EPCOT to the roaring of the spectators along the Future World section of EPCOT and again I am lifted to what feels like a floating stride and am carried through the final stretch and to the finish line. What a rush!
I get my Donald medal, grab a drink and something to eat (oranges and bananas look good now) and go to the Goofy Challenge tent to get the orange bracelet removed and my blue bracelet to replace it. Disney places an orange bracelet on all Goofy Challenge participants when you pick up your race packet. The bracelet must be worn until completion of the half when it is removed you get a blue one that must be shown after you complete the full in order to get that coveted Goofy medal. The Goofy medal proves to the world that you are goofy enough to complete running a half and full marathon or 39.3 miles on two consecutive days.
OK, now I finished the half and have tomorrow and the full marathon to look forward to. I have a very relaxed day planned of reading, eating and resting. I have breakfast at 10 AM at the Yacht Club Galley return to my room, grab a book and head to the pool at Old Key West for some relaxation. Later I grab a nap, get dinner, set out my race gear for tomorrow oops, I only brought one pair of running shoes that are now wet from the sweating throughout the half and I know I will pay for this mistake during the full and settle in to read and hopefully get some sleep.
Stitch and Mickey greet me with a wake-up call that comes at 2:45 AM and I follow the same routine as I did on Saturday. Today, I am in coral D which is directly behind the elites coral again Disney is far too generous in placing a slow old guy like me here. Today promises to be even hotter than yesterday and the humidity (according to the weather channel it is around 94% before I leave my room at 4 AM) is visible in a fog-like haze. I find an open spot in the coral and take a seat beside a gentleman, John, from Fort Lauderdale who, I later find out, is looking to finish his first marathon and wants to run it in 4 hours matching my hoped for time. I actually feel really good in spite of my faster-than-expected finish in the half yesterday and am full of enthusiasm for todays race.
Again, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and my hero/alter ego Goofy count us down to the start after the Star Spangled Banner and were off after the fireworks and pyrotechnics. The only difference this morning, aside from double the miles that is, is that I am actually dripping sweat before we start running. Me thinks time is not something to worry about today and having fun would be more in order. The early miles pass without incident as John and I move along in high-spirited conversation but we are both surprised by the visible humidity as we approach the what-appears-to-be a fog enshrouded Spaceship Earth around mile 3. The crowds are larger and even more intense although I cant believe this possible than yesterday and they again help keep the legs moving.
John and I keep up our steady pace through mile 8, 9 and then into 10 and the entrance to the Magic Kingdom. It is here where John peals off stating he is pushing his heart rate too high and wants to ease the pace. In retrospect, I probably should have stayed with John and I would have finished sooner and most likely stronger than I did. I continue on until right around the half I notice some strange sounds emanating from under my feet. I look down and see water squirting out of my shoes with each step. I realize that this is my sweat not water (which I should have, but hadnt as of yet, been pouring on my overheated head) that I am using to mark a wet trail marking the path of my progress. I make a mental note to increase my fluid and electrolyte intake from here on out and press on. At mile 14 there is a water stop and I take in some fluids, pop a cliff shot and without thinking slow to a walk to insure I get all the fluid I can. This was my first mistake. When I attempt to start running again my legs send the message to my brain that they liked the walking pace and were not ready just yet to do that running thing again.
I walked for 2 minutes and then successfully trick my stubborn legs into a slower paced jog. I try to plan out the rest of the race thinking I should do the run 1 mile walk one minute intervals for the remainder of the race. Unfortunately, my shoes had other plans; they decided now was a good time to literally curl up for a long rest. The insoles of my now water and not running shoes decided to roll up and see what kind of discomfort they could present my waterlogged feet. I continued on, trying to ignore the discomfort and moving my toes around in an effort to uncurl the inserts. This goes on until around mile 18 when I finally stop and remove the inserts. I tuck the inserts into the back of my shorts which elicits a number of questioning stares as well as actual questions to which I answer how the inserts are strategically placed as a symbol of how this Goofy Challenge is kicking my butt.
With the removal of the inserts, I decide that I will approach the rest of this race as an adventure, try to enjoy the crowds and not worry about my time. I start to run walk changing pace as often as possible and continue taking in as much fluids as I can grab. Oh, Oh! Too many fluids at one time mixed with strenuous exercise like running usually leads to something unpleasant and for me it is stop, lean over the guard rail and puke. Oh what fun this is! But, with the right mind set, this actually turns out to be an enjoyable experience. In the past I would negatively ruminate about my ever-slowing pace and pout but today I look inward and actually feel a lightening of my mood and an increasing desire to experience the positive energy all around me.
The support of the volunteers is overwhelming and should be rewarded. When you think how they have been out here for at least a half hour more than you and, at least in my case, will remain out there for an additional 2-and-a-half-hours more, you see just how amazingly dedicated they are. Also, all the people who came out really early to cheer on the thousands of us nuts running, walking or staggering through the overheated Florida morning deserve every thank you and high five we racers can muster. So my mission changes to thanking as many people as I can by feeding their positive energy back to them ten-fold.
I continue on enjoying myself more than I thought possible even through a series of staggering starts and stops and more walking than I care to admit. The miles continue to pass until finally the entrance to EPCOTs World Showcase beckons and I can finally see the end of this craziness that is the Goofy Challenge. I somehow manage to run the entire last mile picking up the pace all the way to the finish.
Disappointed? Yes and no. I am disappointed that I had to slowly splish-splash my way through the final 12 miles of a painful marathon while loosing 2 toenails and getting my first quarter sized blister in 19 years of racing (this is because my feet were doing their best no-insert in-shoe skating imitation they could muster). However, I am very pleased with my half marathon effort and, as I stated a long way back in this article, I have called myself goofyguy for many years without justification but, now I can proudly wear the moniker because I am and have achieved Goofy status!
But, YOU DID IT!!!!! 
and 
her way.
Way to go Goofy guy 
