Race Reports/Encouragement/Kudos January 13th

Richard - Great job on your half. If you couldn't be in Disney, sounds like a good place to be!

Kelley - Even though I only did the half on Saturday, I hurt with you as I read. I had some of those same emotions after the event. I love that your DH came through for you and did everything to make it better. Great job on finishing both events. I have my fingers crossed that the Garmin is in the luggage somewhere.

Jackie
 
Some photos to go along with my report (Post #17).

Me passing by the Boardwalk Villas, along the canal (mile 24):

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Inspiration/motivation hugs from the kids (also mile 24)

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Back at the villa, cleaned-up, and finally wearing my medals:

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Kelley - So AWESOME seeing the pics - especially the one of your kids giving you hugs and encouragement!! I am sure that was just what you needed to get through those last 2.2 miles!!
 
Hey kids-

Just got back from Disney! This is a short report- I need to download my pictures and my little one is screaming at me, so don't have much time. Still, here's the basics:

Half was soooo fun! WISH team support was wonderful. I took a ton of pictures, but ran a little faster than planned (about 2:13).

Full- so, I'm with Kelley- it was hard! I realized in the first half mile that my left IT band hurt (it's always been my right before). Again, the WISH support was great! I ended up ok, but I used a lot of Biofreeze and was pretty nervous. I ran into Bree somewhere before the Magic Kingdom, and Cecilia/Cruella. I lost Bree while I was taking pictures and hung with Cecilia and her girls she was mentoring. Somewhere outside MK Bree and I found each other again- we stuck together for the last 16 miles or so! That was really great. I never even listened to my iPod- we just ran, chatted, walked, wished for Diet Cokes, etc, all the way to the finish (around 5:40ish). Saw a bunch of WISHers as I was walking back to the hotel- they were looking strong!

Kelley- I went with the Butterfinger, and it was fabulous!

OK, must deal with baby- will post more soon!

Jen in Ga



Can't walk today!
 

Congratulations to EVERYONE THIS WEEKEND AND ALL OF YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :cool1:

I am living vicariously through my family this weekend, so I hope you will let me post a little report for them.

DH & DS-11 did 5K -- THEY ROCKED :banana: DS-11 first race ever, he was scared to death, and oh yeah one running shoefor DS "somehow fell out of suitcase" when DH was packing it up --- soooo he wore mine, only a size and 1/2 too big:confused3 Well DS was a really good sport and they did great, about 35 minutes!! Here they are at finish:
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Next was kid's races for DS - 8. That also had a little fiasco where he lost a shoe right after start and had to run against 100 sprinting 7 to 8 year olds, I thought he would fall into a heap crying but instead he put it on and BOOKED to finish line. GO SETH GO :yay: I told him that i was very proud of him for not giving up and he spoke words of great wisdom, he said: "MOM YOU NEVER GIVE UP EVEN IF YOU ARE IN LAST BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN, YOU MIGHT END UP IN FIRST" :sad: VERY PROUD MOM :flower3: Here he is PROUD OF HIMSELF:
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Then the 1/2 , DH did 2:05 which was great :dance3:
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I had so much fun cheering on all the WISH ers and everyone else on Sunday!!!

You guys are awesome.

angie
 
OK... well I don't have alot of time on the computer this morning.... so I am gonna try and make this quick!! I had an absolutely amazing time this weekend. I loved running the 5k with Michael. He did so awesome!! The first half he kept asking .... Mom can we walk.... but the last half he was running like a little mad man out there. I mean sprinting for as long as his little legs would take him, and then stopping just long enough to catch his breath before he started running again. I am so proud of him!!

Friday night I didn't make it to the Pop meet. We had to get to the A-T dinner and had a really good time there. Michael immediately become shy and started talking to his feet whenever anyone tried to talk to him, but it was fun. I got to meet the Mom of the little girl who's team we were on, and that was wonderful. Poor thing she started crying and I almost lost it right then and there. They are such wonderful people and I can't wait to help them again. I did get to meet ANGIE (and her family) there, which was awesome!!

Sunday was amazing... I got to meet a ton of WISHers .... and even had some WISH friends to talk to before the start of the race!! Which was wonderful, because last year I stood by myself the entire time!! My pace was awesome for the first 8-9 miles, but I had to make a potty stop in Magic Kingdom which put me behind. My final time was 4:23:08!!! I am REALLY proud of this year's time. I can tell that I left everything out on the course, because I can barely walk even today!! And it's a huge improvement over last year's.... 5:49:40

This Year-
5 Mile 45:17
10 Mile 1:31:23
Half Split 2:03:35
20 Mile 3:16:08
Chip Time 4:23:08

Last Year -
5 Mile Split 58:10:00
10 Mile Split 1:54:51
Half Split 2:38:29
20 Mile Split 4:20:04
Chip Time 5:49:40

So I shaved 1:26:32 off of last year's time!! YAY!!

Ok... I gotta run... clothes to wash and house to clean. I'll try and pop in again later with a full race report!!

Dana
 
WTG everyone! It is AWESOME to read all the reports.

Dana - that is huge girl! Taking that much time off of your marathon. You worked so hard and should be proud!

Angie - WTG to your DS and DH!

Jen in Ga - Bree said she ran with you! WTG on the great finish.

Kelley - I know it was hard, but you finished!:cool1: Love the pictures!

I know I missed tons of people but gotta go!
 
The Disney Magic lives!

Housekeeping found my Garmin and Lost & Found will mail it to me!

Yippee!!:cool1: :banana: :cheer2:
 
Christa- I did run with Bree! Hello, lifesaver. We were together something like the last 16 miles. It was very cool. I've written my race report on the half, but the full may take awhile- I've got lots of pictures to add!

Kelley- :cheer2: So glad you'll have your information to plug in!

Dana- wow!

Jen in GA
 
More later, but I'm at work now and this week will be hectic so it might be a couple of days.

First, I cannot say enough about all the wonderful WISH support! Oh my gosh!!!!!! How can I thank you for that?!?!?! How can I express my deep gratitude for the wonderful feeling you gave me time and again that someone "out there" actually cared whether I made it?!?!?! I love you guys! I loved seeing you laughing and smiling and cheering and always being just around every corner. You really have NO IDEA how much that lifts the spirits when you are tired and hot and running behind schedule. You stayed out there even for me -- way at the end. I am all teary just thinking back about it. You are real heroes because you unselfishly gave support, time, and energy when there was nothing in it for you. I am humbled by your generosity of spirit.

I finished the marathon just under the wire. I finished the half a bit earlier. I finished the 5K a LOT, LOT, LOT better timewise. (No character photos! :rotfl2: )

To give you some idea of a Wendy-style marathon... I stopped for about 6-8 character photos and a diet coke on the course. :rotfl: PRs are not high on my list of priorities for these races! I saw a million WISHers on the course -- some passed me, some I passed -- all offered affection and encouragement. My standout encounters during the race were with Matt and his Minnie/princess, who kept leapfrogging me until they blasted past me in EPCOT headed to the finish line and into the proverbial sunset. It's funny how folks you've never met before in person suddenly seem like your best friends -- I enjoyed them so much! (Matt, if you read this -- I'm the "serious walker"!)

I'll have photos and details later. Just wanted to pass on the love I received this weekend. I am forever in the debt of so many of you -- I hope I can encourage someone else as you all encouraged me. :hug:

I'm officially Goofy-cubed now! (I completed my third Goofy and have already signed up for my fourth in 2009! Yahoo!)
 
WOW!! That was so much fun!!

The half
Met a whole bunch of WISHer's at the start and hung around getting to meet people. Then I headed to my corral and found Howard, Lynne, Steve, and Kevin. When they told me what they were planning to do for the half I was like "what am I doing up here?!" and sure enough when we started moving it didn't take long before they were out of sight.

At the second water stop, I got hit by another runner trying to get to the powerade. I had to catch myself to avoid falling and ended up hurting my knee with the manuever. I ran the next 3 miles thinking that I might not be able to finish the half much less run the full. But I got distracted by the crowds and before I realized it, my knee wasn't hurting any more.

My garmin wasn't charged so it gave up by mile 1. The only way to judge my pace was by the clocks at the mile markers. I have never run a race that I didn't push myself to the tip of my endurance so I was really struggling to keep my pace steady. It seemed like the entire race was passing me. I told this to my coach when I saw him at mile 11 and he laughed and assured me I was way up in the pack.

Right before mile 12, my mentor from last year tapped me on the shoulder and said "lets go." I raced with her to the finish line and it felt SO good to finally push myself! I ended up finishing in 2:13:13. About 17 minutes ahead of schedule but I felt fantastic!

My sisters did exactly like I asked them and rushed me back to the hotel and into an ice bath. 40 pounds of ice for 20 horrible minutes!!! Luckily, they stayed with me and told me jokes and let me complain. Then we took of to Hollywood Studios for rides on the Rock & Roll Roller Coaster and lunch at the Brown Derby. I left them at the park to join my team for dinner at Wolfgang Puck's on the Westside then straight to bed by 8pm.

The Marathon
Today was all about getting my girls through the marathon. I had 4 women and 4 men that I was supposed to help get to the finish line. By mile 10, I had 2 left with me that desperately needed me to get them to the finish. I was trying to pull them up to an 11 minute mile but by mile 13 things were unraveling fast.

One girl couldn't run anymore and I and the other girl could not walk for more than a minute or two. I tried dancing, running backwards, skipping, marching. Finally, I sent the runner on to meet my older sister at mile 16 and I stayed with my injured runner.

I hopped, danced and joked with her all the way to Animal Kingdom. By then, I was almost paniced that she would not be able to finish. Just as we turned into the park, another team mate met us and offered to wak with her. I took off and started notifying the TNT coaches along the way to please check on her.

I walk/ran with Jen and Bree for a few minutes more. Then I saw the time at mile 19. 4 hours. I have never ru 7 miles in under an hour so I knew right then that a sub 5 was gone so I just decided to have fun. If I passed a band, I danced. If I passed an obnoxious comedian, I heckled. If I passed a WISH teammate, I stopped and said hello. I had the best orange slice ever from WISH Screamers at mile 20. I walked with Martha for little while before mile 21. I met up with Dave right before we entered Hollywood Studios. I walked with him for a couple minutes and I think we passed each other several times over the next couple miles.

I tried to talk Mr Incredible into flying me to the finish line. The poor guy tried to stayin charactor but he was laughing. I offered my Donald Medal to a medic if he would give me a lift, he said he'd only do it for the Goofy medal. I decided the price was too steep. I tried to buy a margarita in Mexico but they said I had to come back after I finished.

My big sister met me with .2 miles to go and ran me in to the finish. I high fived all the charactors on the way in and hammed it up for my finish photos. But when they put the Mickey medal around my neck, I felt my throat close up and by the time I made it to the Goofy tent I was pouring tears. I couldn't sob because I couldn't get anything past the huge lump in my throat. I just nodded and tried to smile to the volunteers. I probably looked sick to their eyes.

After all my people made it in, I went back to the hotel for another ice bath, which felt really good this time. It might have been the beers and pizza I had while in the tub. Then we took off in the rain to Epcot. I decided to boycott Mexico and opted for a beer in Canada and wine in England, Japan and France. (stop counting) I left my sisters in Epcot while I went to the TNT Victory Party. My coach insisted I wear all of my medals and I had to show the Goofy Medal to almost everyone. I ended up dancing on my chair with some of my runners. I felt incredible! After the party dwindled down, I took off to Epcot again to meet up with my sisters. We rode Soarin' then enjoyed a couple more beers in Canada while we watched the light show.

I am back home now. I feel great! I can't wait to do it again. I haven't decided if I will do it next year or not. I was thinking of taking a year off but I had so much fun! I can't decide!
 
WOW WOW WOW is all I can say to all who finished the Goofy!! Well actually to anyone who finished any of the races but WOW the Goofy sounds like a real feat!!! I might have to try it one day - just not in 2009!!! Congratulations!!
 
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Oh wait, I think that’s been used.

But it’s appropriate in this situation.

We drove up Fri morning with no problems as I-4 had reopened from the horrific accident a couple days before. Went straight to the Expo for packet pickup. DH was excited as this was his first Expo as a runner instead of a spectator. Did some shopping and found Anne, Carrie and Scott. DD15 was sitting up looking down on the Expo floor and was able to spot Anne’s WISH shirt. It was really crowded so I didn’t get to visit many of the booths but all I really wanted was my marathon pin and a shirt. DH got his and we went off to check-in at the Poly for our first visit there.

Got in and got settled in time to head over to Pop for the WISH meet. This is always one of the highlights of marathon weekend. This was my third year with the team and I was constantly amazed at how much we have grown. So many people were there, I don’t think I got to meet everyone (Kevin…how have I missed you 3 years in a row?) There were cowbells, pompoms, clappers and those wonderful backpacks that Karen and John made. It was really great!

My Pop picture is a little off-kilter but this is the team for 2008.

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We ate then left to go back to the room and start settling in for the night. DH wanted to go back to the Expo so we dropped him off on the way and he rode the bus back. One of the best things about staying at the Poly was watching Wishes from the beach which we did 2 out of 3 of our nights there.

Half Marathon

Neither of us slept much that night. DH got up about 2:30 and was out the door a little after 3 for his first half. We were both worried about him...he really hadn’t run much in an effort to heal the shin splints and we weren’t sure if his legs were going to handle the race at all. I went back to sleep after he left and got up about 6. Got ready and went to TTC about 6:35...it was packed! I couldn’t get anywhere near the gate so left and went over to the road by the Poly. It was really early so only the elites were going by. They all look so serious...it doesn’t seem like they’re having much fun.

My first WISHer was Mike who ran by looking fresh as a daisy. I also saw Howard, Lynne and Kevin, Chester, Matt and Cheryl, Cecilia. I got a 5K update on DH so was encouraged that he was moving along. I didn’t get any updates for awhile and was worried he’d had to pullout due to the leg pain. I finally saw him, but he was on the opposite side of the road. He was running with Erin and they both looked great! I packed up and ran back to the Poly to get the kids up and ready to go to EPCOT. I got his 10K update after they passed me at the Poly so figured the updates were about 2 miles behind. Went to the room, helped get the kids ready and we took off for EPCOT. I was afraid we wouldn’t make it after we got the 15K update while on the monorail to EPCOT. The cool part was passing over the runners on the course...we saw Lily and Judy both out there moving along very well.

Once we landed, we went straight to the family area. I was afraid DH had already finished but it still took them awhile to get in. They finished in 2:53:35 with no shin pain at all!

The medal mess at the end was unforgivable. I’m planning to send an email to Disney Sports. Hopefully, third year’s the charm and they’ll be able to pull it together for next year.

We took DH back to Poly to eat and rest, then I took the girls to MK for awhile. I was trying not to walk much, but we got to do a few rides, including WT’s new fave, the Haunted Mansion.

Full Marathon

I actually got some sleep the night before which is really unusual for me. Usually I sleep about 2 hours then just lie awake waiting until a reasonable time to get up and ready for the race. I got out the door at about 2:45 and realized how warm it was. Found out later, 67 degrees with 94% humidity. I went to the monorail. Doors were locked...they said they weren’t letting anyone on the trains until 3am so I sat down to wait a few minutes. Caught the monorail to TTC, then waited for the train to EPCOT. Next thing I saw was the lime green monorail pulling up to take up over to EPCOT...I figured that must be a good sign!

I got there and walked to the start and found Dana and Bill near the baggage claim. We went through and found a bunch of WISHers already assembled, so sat down. I was really nervous and spent most of the morning babbling so apologies to all of you that had to listen to me at that hour. I was really surprised at how quickly they moved us into the corrals. I hadn’t even started my potty ritual yet when they opened the gate. Jen and I got lined up in corral G where some WISHers were already waiting. It all seemed to go by pretty fast. Before I knew it, we were standing up, moving up and getting ready for the start.

We started off pretty well, got to see the WISHers at the first water stop (thanks for being there!) but I had to make an unscheduled potty stop in EPCOT so we hit the Odyssey before we got routed back out. I felt pretty good, but the humidity was brutal and I felt pretty damp by mile 3. We got to MK...hope the castle pictures turned out well! I was feeling pretty hot, wet and sweaty by then. I had packed an extra shirt for DH to have outside the Poly and was looking forward to changing. When we got there, I discovered I’d only packed a long sleeve tech shirt, not a short sleeve or tank...AAARRRGGHH. So, since I’d already taken off my WISH shirt, I just left it off and carried it...without putting on sunscreen. Oops.

I have a wall I always hit between miles 12 and 14 and it was there just like always for me. A lady ahead of us said she thought the next water stop had bananas and oranges, but we got there and only bananas. Really a shame...the oranges sounded so good and I craved one the whole way.

Jen and I kept up some sort of interval until about mile 15, then abandoned all pretense of running. I was pretty firmly in the BMZ by then. (Sorry Jen...I always seem to be the anchor you drag along in these races). We walked the rest of the way, hot sweaty with aches and pains I didn’t remember from training. My ankle started going somewhere in there. It’s weird, it doesn’t hurt until I stop, slow down or the terrain changes, but I can tell when it’s gone. I have to keep going at that point because stopping means it tightens up and doesn’t bend again until it’s good and ready.

I think the section between MK and AK was the hardest. Nothing to see, only generators with speakers playing random song snippets. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to stop, check into a medical tent and tell them it just wasn’t worth it. Thank goodness for Jen or I don’t know if I would’ve finished. Getting to AK helped...by then we were craving ice cold drinks. There were tons of photographers in AK which I didn’t want to see at that point. We got through and headed out on our way to WWOS and MGM. There were lots of characters along that way which helped.

It was great seeing Ann and Heather at the turnaround. Ann gave us ice which was fabulous ! We saw some WISHers on both sides of the turnaround and headed to MGM. I kept telling myself if we could just get to MGM, I knew we could finish because there’d be stuff to see then WISHers close by to keep us going. Just knowing you guys were out there waiting for us was huge!

Kim, I do remember seeing you at the water stop...sorry I wasn’t coherent enough to say hi. I think Vic joined us somewhere around there. We kept plugging along, I think all three of us were hurting. I kept thinking about what Lynne said before the race started...pain is temporary, pride is forever. Somehow that helped, knowing that I could gut out the pain and get through the rest. I also kept thinking of (is it Robert or Dave’s quote)...relentless forward motion. Toward s the end, I think I was just on autopilot.

I teared up when I saw Kathy, Jen and Erin outside MGM, then again when DD15 ran up to me outside BWV and walked with me for awhile. DH was there with WT and I saw them but was afraid to stop for long. I knew if the forward motion ceased I was a goner. It was sooo cool seeing more WISHers outside BCV...knowing you guys would be there was huge. We got to EPCOT and about halfway around WS, saw the big black cloud hanging over SE and heard the thunder crack. I was so afraid WDW would pull us off the course, I think I started going faster. The CM’s kept saying almost there, but it wasn’t nearly almost enough for me. We came around SE and saw Jen’s family, then came to the choir, then the chute to the finish. Jen and Vic ran it in...I finally got up enough to run and some guy stopped dead in front of me to take a picture of 2 girls crossing the finish line. So my finish photo may show me wiping out some random dude. I made it just under regulation 6:58:09.
Got my medal but didn’t stick around for a photo due to the incoming storm. I saw Carrie at the end then went to find the fam. DH brought crutches, I took off my shoes (aaaahhhh...such relief) and put on my ankle brace. The wind was kicking up so we packed up the kids and headed to the bus. Driver dropped us at TTC to take the monorail or walk back to Poly. We got to TTC and the rain opened up so we waited until it slacked off to head out. I actually felt okay except the bottom of my feet and ankle hurt. We finally got back to the room. The fam went downstairs to get lunch while I got in the shower. It felt really great until I almost passed out. I had to sit down in the shower, turned off the water and wait it out, thinking I couldn’t walk well enough to get to the phone in the other room and call for help. But it passed eventually. I think it was lack of food...I usually drink chocolate milk and eat right after a LR, but in the race to get out of the storm, only had part of a tangerine.

Boardwalk Bakery was great next day! I’ve never been able to go before as we usually leave on Sunday so this was a real treat. Unfortunately, the cold weather everyone had hoped for arrived. It was pretty frigid out there! Got to see everyone, heard some war stories and got another picture before we left.

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Can’t wait to do it all again next year!

Apologies for the length if you’re still reading, bless you! So many things happen on marathon weekend...it’s just amazing!
 
Mel - Great job! I love reading all the details! I can not believe how determined you must have been to continue on in so much pain. And you did it! Hang that Mickey Medal up where you can enjoy it all day.

Cecilia
 
Welllll, I had a plan, and to be honest, I thought I was adequately trained and ready to tackle the marathon. Guess I was wrong.

Wakeup time was 0200 as Marilyn was working at Waterstop #2 Red. She was up and out of the room by 0245. I got up when she left, made a pot of coffee and turned the weather channel on. 63 degrees and 100% humidity, oh goody!

Got my gear together and was out the door by 0330. Met Colleen (Princessmomma/Theta) at the bus stop and we rode the bus to the staging area.

I was suffering from WWHA (Walking With Head up A_s) as I watched Colleen walk into the tent to check her bag and never come back. I forgot everyone had to walk through the tent to get to the runner’s area. I figured it out when I read the sign I was leaning against. :rolleyes1 However, I did have the honor of meeting Cecilia (Cruella de mom) while I was standing there. Cecilia, it was nice meeting and talking with you. Once I got my stuff together I walked through the tent, found the rest of the WISHers, and hung out for a bit.

The walk to the corrals was uneventful. Dana and I had a nice conversation on the ½ mile trek. Got into Corral E and found Wendy and her brother Ken. We talked back and forth until race start.

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0600 the race starts and we’re off. From what I can remember I hit the timing mats around 2 – 2.5 minutes later. I decided to run 3 minutes and walk 2 and set my Garmin for that interval.

I concentrated on not going out too fast and settled into a comfortable pace prior to the 1 mile mark. All was good. Made it to Waterstop #2 and saw all of our WISH volunteers. THANK YOU!! The run through Epcot was uneventful.

Taken from the overpass. Hey GaJen!

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No marathon would be complete without cheerleaders. :)

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Made it to MK and saw our WISH scream teamers for the first time. Kathy, thanks for licorice twists! They REALLY tasted good! The run through the MK was wonderful, and I hope the pictures outside of the castle turn out ok.

Met up with these two in Frontierland.

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When I hit mile 13 it was like I had never trained as I pretty much started to fall apart. Feet, knees and ankles hurt, and I could feel a blister starting on my left foot. However, we continued to soldier on. Played leapfrog with Matt and Cheryl from there until just before hitting MGM.

The trek through AK was uneventful.

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Thanks to all of our scream teamers for being there. Kristi, I had to jump and act like a fool to get my mind off of the pain. Karen, thanks for letting me walk with you guys for a bit.

All I can say is the trek between AK and MGM is a mutha. I had to stop at the Med tent just before the turnaround to have the blister on my left foot attended to. Anne and Heather, THANK YOU for the wet wash cloth! Man did that feel good! Saw Wendy, Robert, Linda, Dave, Erica, Cam, and Rhonda either coming or going.

Stopped again at the Med tent prior to entering MGM for some Bio-freeze, and that’s where I met up with Mel and Jen. I decided to hang with them until the finish.

We walked and talked through MGM, Boardwalk, and Epcot. Not that we had a whole lot to talk about, but to get our minds off of the pain. I think at one time, coming out of MGM, we were a group of 5 or 6. Thank you to our scream teamers outside of MGM and at the Boardwalk. You guys will never know how much you helped!

As we were walking between China and Mexico IronZ came up to us and introduced herself. IronZ, it was nice to finally meet you. Don’t know why I started to jog. You either inspired me or I was racked with fever. Actually, I’m just a dork. ;) :rotfl:

We made it near the finish and I decided to jog it in. Looking at my official time it shows 7:02:58, so no finisher’s certificate. But, I don’t really care. I survived my first marathon. Not sure yet if it will be my only one. I told Marilyn she had permission to kick me square in the butt if I signed up for another one. I just may have to take that butt kickin.

Post race. Thanks for all those that hung around reception area. I wasn’t all there and I apologize if I wasn’t that talkative. I kept looking at the weather and wanted to get to the car before the skies opened up. Colleen, I owe you apology for not offering you a ride to the resort. That was very rude of me.

I’m currently nursing silver dollar sized blisters on the balls of each foot. They hurt like a mutha. This is the first time I’ve ever had blisters while running. I wore the same shoes and socks as I did in training. Not sure what happened.

All-in-all, we had a great time. Can’t wait for ToT.
 
Hey Vic-

You thought that was Helen from the overpass, but it was me!! I was so excited to see you up there- I have a blurry, tiny picture of you that I'm putting in my race report! I really don't know why I didn't just stop moving so I could get a better picture- I am such a dork. ;)

I'm with you on the pain. I'm still walking with my left leg totally stretched out- no bending of the knee or my IT band screams! And you're right, the Twizzlers and washcloth were great-

For all of you at the Boardwalk Bakery meeting- I'm soooo jealous. Harry woke everyone up really early, and my DH was obsessed with hitting the road. I tried to linger as long as I could, and did actually trick everyone into going to the Bakery, but I was too early. It was cold and my leg hurt, so I accepted defeat and left. Had I known such a big group was coming (including Bree who I lost after the finish when we'd been together for something like 16 miles:rolleyes1 Sorry Bree- I think the delirium took over!) I would have just parked my miserably body in a chair and refused to move!

Jen in GA
 
Vic!!! What a great job!! You actually stopped for pictures!!! :cool1: CONGRATULATIONS!!

hoosmi/Jen, Thanks for straightening him out on the picture! :lmao:
 
GaJen said:
Hey Vic-

You thought that was Helen from the overpass, but it was me!! I was so excited to see you up there- I have a blurry, tiny picture of you that I'm putting in my race report! I really don't know why I didn't just stop moving so I could get a better picture- I am such a dork.

Thanks for straightening me out. Maybe I was racked with fever earlier than I thought. :rotfl:
 
I'm still trying to process everything from the weekend. It was my first 1/2, my first marathon, my first Goofy! It was really enjoyable and my only regret was that I didn't take advantage of all the experiences--the photo ops, the conversations, the sights--as much as I wanted. I guess I was too nervous about pace/time.

THE 1/2
I did better than expected on the half, with a chip time of 2:53:18. I'd anticipated a 3:00-3:15 finish, and I was surprised at how great a difference the race adrenalin made, especially at the start. I deliberately slowed down because I knew I had to last not only through the 1/2 but have energy left over for the full. Heck, I should have used that time to talk with folks more, but again...first race, big anxieties. My only problem with the 1/2 was that I ended up with small blisters and hot spots, same as with my training.

THE FULL
I knew to expect the blisters, but they had an effect on my full, as did the humidity. I also made the classic beginner's mistake--I didn't stick with the plan. I'd run with a WISH shirt & my fuel belt in training for the LRs, but switched to another tech shirt for Sunday because of the weather. It turns out the weight/friction of the WISH shirt was what kept my fuel belt from riding up on me (I wear it on my hips).

So between blisters, the fuel belt slippage, and the humidity, I didn't do as well as I hoped based on the 1/2. I ended up walking most of the time, shifting greatly from my 3/2 WR. I finished in 6:27:12. I know, I know, I'd planned on finishing between 6 & 7 hours, but the 1/2 gave me what I began referring to as "the burden of expectation." I started thinking about the race I "could have" done, not the race I was capable of doing on that day, for those conditions. The mindset unfortunately interfered with me maximizing my pleasure with the marathon. Oh, well, I'll just have to try it again next year, right? :rotfl:

HIGHLIGHTS: WISHERS, YOU'RE THE BEST!!!
My highlights included seeing (from afar) many Scream Team WISHers, eyeballing WISHers on the course, and exchanging some brief conversations with some of you. I even enjoyed leapfrogging with a few of you. Thanks for the encouragement, the conversations, the inspiration to all of you. I'm afraid I was too anxious to retain names, but I was the chick in the blue Tortoise (um, that's me) & the Hare race shirt, with a blue bandana. If I saw or talked to you, please know how much your presence meant to me.

Other highlights:
  • Seeing all the characters (even if I didn't get my photo taken) and seeing runners pick up the pace just to get their picture taken with them.
  • The many friendly exchanges with spectators of all kinds. Just their presence was appreciated, but the oranges, Twizzlers, pretzels, and goldfish???? I couldn't believe the generosity of their time and spirit. I was and am humbled by it.
  • I kept my sense of humor, which I was worried would disappear once the sun came out. When I saw the runner at mile 24 with the Goofy medal, saying "This is what you're running for," I replied, "Hmm, I don't think I like them. I'm going home." And I turned around as if I was headed back. At the med station at the finish, I asked for a bag of ice and psychiatric exam. It turns out that humor is my most consistent coping strategy.

Things I'll do differently next year:
  • First, I'd like to move from a WR to a R. I've never thought of myself as athletic, let alone a runner. WISH has made me believe otherwise.
  • Less concentration on time, more on the experience. Now that I KNOW I can finish--which at times I doubted--I'd like to spend more time on the course & enjoy being in the moment more, with less concentration on the next mile marker.
  • Being a member of the Scream Team/volunteering next year. I really appreciated it, more than I could have imagined, and want to give back to the community that helped me complete my first races!
  • Finally, most importantly, I'd like to spend time with and get to know you all. This year didn't go as planned in so many ways. My DH got a new job, we relocated across the country, and we'd been trying to settle into a new life. Plus, this trip shifted from a "given" to a "maybe" to a "don't think we can do it with everything going on." Then the weekend was back on & became a week with my ILS! So I was unable to attend WISH events because I was with my DH and his parents. Still,l I really valued what little time I had to spend with you all, and have promised myself that next year will be different!!!!

Last note: I'm already tempted by the Goofy, who would have thought? But DH and I are thinking of going Goofy every other year just to maintain some balance in the training/social life, especially during the holidays. So 1/2 or full? Hmmmm...:scratchin
 












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