80+ pages to catch up on since last time I checked in?!?! There are worse ways to pass time, but I’ll have to get on that later, lol!
What. a. weekend. Crazy! Here’s my take on it, as a first-time Dopey…
Expo
After battling traffic for 2 hours to get to WDW, I was in no way emotionally ready for what awaited at WWOS, lol! It was just about 12pm when I hit the intersection of Osceola and Victory Way, and traffic was backed up on Victory to the intersection. I needed to eat STAT, so I made a U-turn and had lunch at CBR before trying again about an hour later. That time, traffic moved along and I got parked, no problem. I had many texts from friends already in WWOS warning me of what was ahead, but I still wasn’t prepared for the crazy line going into the Field House. I’ve never seen anything like that at previous expos! It moved, though, and I got my Dopey bibs and shirts. When I saw the line snaking around the fields for the expo, I said “forget it – there is nothing in there I want badly enough to deal with that.” Super thankful all the Dopey stuff was in the Field House so I could skip Josten’s Center!
5K Day
What a great “race”! Stayed at Wyndham Bonnet Creek and drove to all races: encountered no traffic. Spent the whole race with friends and took tons of pics. Weather was cool for this Floridian, but comfortably so. Starting in corral D, character lines were long, but since it was basically untimed, I was willing to wait. Tried for a pic with Dopey at the end, but they’d already closed the (long) line.
10K Day
Another beautiful morning – wasn’t that sunrise something?! My plan was to stick to my slightly more walking than running intervals plan and go my own pace, skipping stops until I was well into WS. My last couple 10Ks, I spent time at the front end waiting in lines and wound up behind the Balloon Ladies, needing to increase the speed to get back ahead of them, and I didn’t want to risk that with the half and full yet to go. It worked out beautifully and I caught up to some of my running group buddies in WS and grabbed a couple pics with them before hitting the Boardwalk. Once safely back in EP, I slowed way down and stopped for some great pics before finishing. Tried again for a pic with Dopey afterward, but the line, while still open, was a 45 minute wait: nope.
I spent the rest of the day emotional about the shootings in Ft. Lauderdale and mildly spazzing out about the weather. I was pretty sure all the rD communication about “monitoring” the situation was a bad sign, though for a while there, local weather reporting sounded like the storms might go through before volunteers needed to be out there getting ready… and then the cancellation.
Followed by a quick procession of disbelief, disappointment, and frustration that all that hard Dopey training was for naught in the end. Folks in my running group started talking about getting together to run what they could at the Boardwalk, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that, and I couldn’t keep my eyes open another minute, so went to sleep with my alarm set for 4am. Why 4? IDK – it just seemed like a good compromise between 2 and my usual 6, lol!
Half-Marathon Day
4am: race still canceled, storms coming. Went back to a fitful sleep. 6am: got up, ate, started texting with friends also staying at WBC and we decided to put in some miles there at the resort once the weather cleared around 9am. My plan was just to run a few miles and see how I felt: at the start I was thinking I’d save my legs and make the most out of the full. But as the miles went on and we saw more and more runners out there also getting it done, and as we stopped for mock character pics and silly adventures ensued, I found myself at 10+ miles and feeling good, so decided to go ahead and finish 13.1 with my friend who wanted to get it done. I’m soooo glad I did! The vibe of so many runners supporting and encouraging each other out there was amazingly uplifting in a way that I’ve never felt during a Disney race and the increasingly bad weather just made the experience that much more badass. We finished in front of our building, soaked to the skin, shivering, wind-blown, hungry, and grinning from ear to ear! I spent the rest of the day recovering, resting, and trying to get calories in before the next day.
Marathon Day
Y’all, that was some serious COLD for this 20+ year Floridian! I left my car wearing: calf sleeves, tights, fleece pajama pants, long sleeve tech shirt, short sleeve tech shirt, long sleeve turtleneck thermal tech shirt, neck gaiter, fleece hooded jacket, running ball cap, fleece ear cover, gloves, and two mylar blankets. I had hand warmers in each hand and toe warmers in my shoes. I found a semi-sheltered spot to huddle in until we went to the corrals, and then I tried to shelter myself in the crowd in my corral. So very, very cold. Even with some pacing about, there was no way to get my muscles warm enough for a fast start, so I started in the back of my corral (K) and walked for a good half mile, not wanting to risk pulling a too-cold muscle by running yet. I ditched my jacket and PJ bottoms within the first mile… and totally regretted it when we hit World Dr. BRRRRRRRRR!!!! At some point, I reached down to pull up the legs of my tights and realized I had absolutely NO feeling in my thighs. None. That concerned me a bit, but I was run-walking well and the sun was rising, so I kept going. I did warm up a bit through the remaining miles, but I finished still wearing two layers and my ear cover and gloves, and didn’t ditch the neck gaiter until mile 24.
I thought the marathon was wonderful, overall! I felt like there were ample opportunities to get some nifty pics, and the creative touches of the Nostalgia Museum and “dig site” were inventive and fun. Course support was great, despite the harsh conditions; I’m amazed and impressed that so many VoluntEars showed up in the cold! CMs were super friendly and encouraging throughout. The congestion never really let up for me and it was frustrating at times when I couldn’t go my own comfortable pace because there simply wasn’t anywhere to go, but that’s part and parcel of racing at WDW and I know not to let that mess with my mind too much. I’m proud to say that I finished strong, feeling pretty darned good, aside from the cold, and feeling more accomplished than I expected! Wore my Dopey medal with pride to dinner and the next day.
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