Yeah, I'll echo the sentiment of everyone that said yesterday was rough. Of course, not knowing what to expect, I went in imagining worst possible scenario - it is a marathon after all!
I thought I had had hydrated well, to the point of potential over hydration - but nope, not even close. Thanks to the humidity, I was sweating more than usual and I took at least two Powerades at every stop, plus sometimes even a water or two. I went through both bottles on my hydration belt twice. I ate all of my chews and almost everything on course (except for the Clif Gels - I'm no masochist), and while the banana at mile 19 felt like the best thing I've eaten in my life, I just never really got a boost or anything from it - it more just helped me "stay moving".
My Garmin died at the disco tunnel (which, again, learning curve on charging and things), but I was keeping track of my friends up ahead until I got separated at a crosswalk switch off in Hollywood Studios by the Osborne Lights (stay hard, lights!). So, I started counting intervals in my head - which was dumb because I could've just fired up RunKeeper and put my headphones in and done it that way, but Dopey Delierium had set in and I couldn't think straight.
I came across a gal, probably in her early to mid 20s saying goodbye to friends who had come to cheer her on as she was running Goofy. She started walking next to me and then was just openly sobbing. I told her she was doing amazing, we were almost to the end and I would walk with her for a while if she wanted. She just nodded and said thank you and we walked together out of the park and down towards the turn for the Boardwalk path before she thanked me, said good luck and took off running again.
It was obvious she was doing this whole marathon alone. It just made me think - that was MY plan before
@mbwhitti decided to join. I have no reason to understand why I was so lucky to have her do that, be she literally saved my Dopey. I just wouldn't have been able to do that 26.2 alone. I would've thrown my sunglasses on around mile 8 (not that they were needed almost at all yesterday), and would've cried behind them all the way until I probably got swept near ESPN.
But I didn't. We had dance breaks, sing-alongs starting at mile 7, enjoyed a slush from France as we made it around World Showcase and other moments I will treasure with me for the rest of my life.
This Dopey was hard. It felt like the races were bipolar - the 5k was AWESOME, but the 10k was a rainfest. The half was great, even though all that fog was CRAZY - like talk about not being able to see .10-mile in front of you, but the full ... that was like going to war. And people who weren't there won't understand. Finishing (and surviving) Dopey is one of my greatest personal achievements - but I'm not sure how I feel about it.
If (and it's a probably) I do it again next year, my training focus is going to be COMPLETELY different. Just like this year, I knew I could do the first three races no problem and I put more emphasis on the back-to-back aspect of the challenge. Where this failed me is it didn't give enough respect to the full. The full is a beast of its own making - and that beast took down PLENTY of runners yesterday that didn't give it enough respect in training.
Anyway. Just my thoughts from yesterday! I'm glad it's done - and it will go down as one of my favorite weekends of my life!
Just kidding. I found this race harder to prepare for because I knew how hard it would be. But, I also prepared for the race better because so in that way it helped knowing.
