Real Women Sweat PINK - A 2013 Marathon Trip Report - COMPLETE 8/8/13

[ZellyB]

This is the first time I've attempted a trip report. I was inspired to write one after reading Ariel484's awesome marathon report which you can and should read here

I won't even pretend mine will be as detailed or entertaining as hers, but if nothing else it will serve as a good way for me to remember my first marathon which is already fading from my memory. We can blame that on my age or the exhaustion from the marathon.

So, starring in this trip report is me, Gisele (48) and my dh, Chris (do we really need to discuss the fact that he's younger than me...oh fine, he's 47). Word of warning. Chris is in love with the concept of self portraits and given this trip was just the two of us, there are lots of these. You've been warned!! The obligatory waiting at the airport to board the plane photo.

We do have children. Three in fact. A son who is 14 and twin daughters age 9. And, yes. We left them at home. In our defense, we've taken the kids twice before to Disney AND it was our anniversary AND Chris' birthday weekend AND we didn't really have anybody to help watch them while we ran AND..... I'm sure I'll get over the guilt eventually.

Anyway, I've never been a runner in the past. But after years of Chris begging me to run races with him and the discovery of the Galloway Run Walk Run method, I started training last April for a local half marathon. One day on a long training run, one of our running group mentioned the 20th anniversary of the Disney marathon coming up in January. So, while deeply enthralled in an endorphin high, I pronounced to Chris that we would begin training for the marathon!! TADA!!!!! By the way, "never set a large goal while on an endorphin high" should be added to the list of classic blunders alongside, "never get involved in a land war in Asia" and "never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line." Here's hoping some of you are Princess Bride fans or that joke is gonna fall completely flat.

So the goal was set and we began training. Everything was going well until I was unfortunately diagnosed with breast cancer at the end of October. I underwent a bilateral mastectomy the beginning of November. From early on, I was determined that if at all possible, however, I was not going to let my diagnosis and surgery stop me from running. Fortunately, I had just short of 8 weeks post surgery to recover and my oncologist was supportive to let me delay chemo until my return, so....the race was on!!!

We flew out on Friday with a late afternoon arrival time. I was hoping we'd have time to make it to the expo on Friday night before we checked into Shades of Green for the weekend. Luckily our flights were on time and we were pulling into the Wide World of Sports by around 5:30 that evening.




*I promise subsequent posts will include more pictures and less blah blah blah from me!*

Next up: Packet pickup and Expo Center

 

[schoonersky]

Ok- I made it through Goofy with Ariel and am starting to train for the Wine and Dine, so I am going to keep the inspiration going with your TR!

 

[luckylady]

Don't feel bad about leaving the kids at home. Parents have to have fun to even if it's running then playtime. Count it as your reward for the run (the parks)

 

[JanieZ526]

Can't wait to read about your experience!

 

[JessM]

I can't wait to here all about your experience!

 

[ZellyB]

Ok- I made it through Goofy with Ariel and am starting to train for the Wine and Dine, so I am going to keep the inspiration going with your TR!

Thanks for joining in. Ariel's TRs are awesome aren't they? Reading hers from last year really served as great inspiration for me this year.

Don't feel bad about leaving the kids at home. Parents have to have fun to even if it's running then playtime. Count it as your reward for the run (the parks)

Definitely. And, we are talking about bringing them along with us when we attempt a Goofy in 2015. It will mean pulling them out of school a few days, but we will probably do it anyway. SHH. In fact, our son who will be 16 at that time wants to run the half with us.

Can't wait to read about your experience!

Welcome

I can't wait to here all about your experience!

Welcome

 

[ZellyB]

WWoS and Packet Pickup

We made our way into the WWoS complex. There were still mobs of people there even though it was approaching 5:30 PM by this time.

You can see the mobs were definitely more on the outbound path than in. We felt a bit like salmon swimming upstream.

The signage and number of CMs around to help direct you was really great though. I was quickly starting to understand why Disney races get such high praise. The amount of support and help for runners was incredible.

First stop was to get our packets. The signs pretty easily directed us to the area to get our packets and we looked for our booth to get them. It was really deserted in here. Can you tell I wasn't in the mood to get my picture taken? I was stressing a bit at this time hoping there wasn't going to be any problems getting our packets. Not that my desire not to have my picture taken has ever stopped Chris.

It only took us a couple of minutes to show our driver's license and get the packets. Then we were directed to go walk over a pad to be sure the chips in our bibs were working. It was exciting to see our names pop up on the screen. It was all feeling really REAL now. EEK!!

That's MY name on a MARATHON bib!!! If someone would have told me even a year before this that I'd be running a marathon I would have laughed in their face. You just never know where life will lead you.

We left to head over to the main Expo center to look at the vendor booths. It was really starting to empty out now it seemed. But, we followed the people headed that direction.

It's obvious I'm a lot more relaxed now. LOL. See? Not that many people. That is until we walked into the Expo center.

It was just a zoo in here! But, the energy and excitement was really fun and really got us further psyched for our run. Lots of neat vendors here. We stopped at a booth and ordered myself a custom frame for after I finished the marathon. It was a splurge for sure, but it would give me a duplicate medal and a fresh bib for the frame. Plus a spot for me to put a race picture. From that moment on, I was just determined to try and get some good race picture (hopefully with the castle in the background) to finish off my frame. The question is, could I accomplish it??? You'll have to stick around to find out. Although a peek over at my avatar might give me away.

We spent quite a bit of time in here and bought a few items for ourselves and the kids.

Chris and I both bought short sleeved tech shirts for ourselves and another one for our son. We decided that was enough and we still needed to get checked into Shades of Green, run to Wal-Mart AND EAT!!!! So, it was goodbye to the WWoS. (at least for now).

Next up: Friday night and Saturday at Animal Kingdom.

 

[Ariel484]

Woohoo! So excited that you're doing a report! And hey, thanks for the shout-out!! You are too sweet.

I am SO with you on the anxiety at packet pick-up...such relief to get that part of the weekend out of the way. I'm excited to see your custom frame!

For the record, I chuckled at your Princess Bride line. If I'm flipping through the channels and that movie's on I can't not watch it.

I hope your treatment is going well. I am in awe of you for completing the marathon weeks after your surgery...you're an inspiration.

 

[ZellyB]

Woohoo! So excited that you're doing a report! And hey, thanks for the shout-out!! You are too sweet.

I am SO with you on the anxiety at packet pick-up...such relief to get that part of the weekend out of the way. I'm excited to see your custom frame!

For the record, I chuckled at your Princess Bride line. If I'm flipping through the channels and that movie's on I can't not watch it.

I hope your treatment is going well. I am in awe of you for completing the marathon weeks after your surgery...you're an inspiration.

Glad you are here.

Chris and I are huge Princess Bride fans. We quote lines to each other from that movie all the time.

Treatment is progressing well. I've had two of the heavy chemo treatments so far. Not much fun, but I'm a third of the way there. I'm treating it in my head like another marathon. I figure I'm on about mile 9 right now. And, I'm not sure I'm such an inspiration, but I certainly am stubborn.

 

[ZellyB]

It was around 7 by the time we left WWoS. Never to return???

We headed for Shades of Green next to get checked in. This is the second time we've stayed here and it's a great resort with an awesome location. It's just a short walk over to the Poly and monorail or they have great bus service. We got checked in easily although managed to get ourselves lost on the way to our room. When we finally found it, it was in a quiet end of a hallway near one of the pools but not facing it. It was so quiet down here and we thought how lucky we were to have this nice quiet place to sleep before our race.

We quickly got settled and headed out for a quick trip to Wal-Mart. We wanted to get some breakfast items and a couple other race necessities. If you've read much about marathon weekend this year, you know it was forecast to be hotter and more humid than normal.

Yep. That's 80 degrees on Sunday. Only we weren't going to be on any beach. So, we decided to look at Wal-Mart for a cap with a bill to shade our faces as well as one of those cooling towels that we'd seen around. We did manage to find that, but no luck on a decent cap. We'd seen some good ones at the Expo center and decided we might try to stop back in there sometime on Saturday. BTW, as I was typing this out, I realized I was one day ahead of myself. We didn't arrive until Friday, not Thursday. See? This is why I need to write this stuff out. I already forgot what days we got there! I'll edit above to fix that.

We grabbed a late dinner at a nearby Olive Garden and went back to get some sleep.

Saturday we were up bright and early and headed out to the park. On the walk out of the resort we passed a lot of half-marathon runners who were already back from their run. It was such fun to congratulate them as they walked by proudly wearing their Donald medals. We couldn't wait until that would be us with our awesome Mickey ones.

We drove over to Animal Kingdom.

We got there right as the park opened and headed off to Expedition Everest. We had decided not to do a lot of walking and to try and get out of the park early to be sure we were well rested for the race. After EE (which Chris doesn't like much because of the backward portion. ), went to watch Nemo and then grab an early lunch and off to ride another favorite of ours...

The park was really empty. Our two trips before were in July and spring break, so we were used to the parks being PACKED. We followed the recommended park schedule and found AK to be really empty. It was awesome. We went next and rode the safari and then off to see The Lion King show. We'd never gone to this before because the park had always been packed before, so it was nice to get to see it. What a great show! After the show I caught a shot of Chris chilling with some buddies.

Conscious of saving our legs and feet, we decided to head out for the afternoon. Bye, bye, AK.

Note the bottle of water. Chris and I had been really pushing each other the last couple of days and this day to drink plenty of water along with some electrolyte drinks. We wanted to be sure we were well hydrated for the race tomorrow, especially considering the forecast.

We headed over to WWoS to pick up some caps for the run. The Expo was much quieter than the previous night, but still fairly busy. They had some PCs set up so you could sign up for runner tracking so we stopped off to get Chris set up. I'd already done it earlier online. I had set it up to send my split times to Facebook and some of my friends via text so they could see how I was progressing. Then it was back to Shades of Green for an early pasta dinner in their onsite Italian restaurant and back to get everything laid out for the race. We laid down around 9 PM and drifted off to sleep with 3 alarms set for 2:30 AM. EEK!!!

Next up....Race DAY!

 

[ZellyB]

Well, I obviously got distracted from completing this marathon trip report. But, we are planning to run the marathon again in January, so I got looking at pictures again and decided I should probably finish up the report if for no other reason to keep myself motivated.

So, more information on the trip to come.

 

[kelsco99]

Great - glad you're back - was looking forward to what was to come

 

[appleorchard]

Please do! I just started running and am looking forward to being able to do a 5k--forget the marathon! I greatly admire you!

 

[ZellyB]

I was really worried when we laid down that I wouldn't be able to sleep. It did take me awhile to drift off (especially because the guy in the room next door to us was watching the Broncos/Ravens playoff game and yelling out every 10 minutes. ) Generally, though, I was able to sleep reasonably well so was glad those 3 alarms worked at precisely 2:30 AM.

We got up and got dressed. We'd already put everything out so it was a pretty simple matter to get dressed, put on our fuel belts, grab breakfast items and head out the door. It was really quiet and deserted walking to the front lobby, but once we got there we saw several other runners heading out to the waiting bus. We climbed aboard and settled in for the ride.



You can tell I'm still groggy. The bus was about 2/3 full when we pulled out right at 3:00 AM. We had debated about waiting later to leave, but both of us were worried about getting there on time and having a chance to eat, so we were happy to be on our way.

We got to the parking lot very quickly (the roads were deserted) and filed out of the bus and followed the growing crowd toward the lighted starting area. Lots more activity here as folks were pouring in. There was a lighted backdrop and a stage with an emcee and music playing and, of course, the sea of port-a-potties. We got in line for an official picture in front of the backdrop.


I was so happy with my SparkleTech Minnie Skirt. They are pricey but wow the quality is really good. The undershorts stay down beautifully and they have lots of cargo space. I carried my iPhone in one of the short pockets and it was perfect for it. I had planned on a black running tank, but with the heat, I switched to a really lightweight white one. I didn't want to end up too hot!

We found a spot at a picnic table and settled in to eat our bagels and peanut butter and drink some water. It was great fun watching everyone come in and get ready. We visited with a woman who was local and was running her second Goofy. She was a fellow Galloway method runner, so it was fun to compare notes with her. We both made one final stop for the port-a-potties and waited for them to call our corral.

When they called for corral D, we headed off through the tents and toward the start line. I was really getting nervous at this point! But, the walk was on and boy is that a cattle call. Just throngs of people and it's a pretty long walk! Along the way there was a photo stop with the Fairy Godmother, but we passed it by. We stopped one last time for a bathroom break just to be sure our bladders were empty and then finally got to the corrals.

This is a terrible picture!



But, hopefully, you can see the hoards of people in front of us. The big, bright light is the big screen and stage at the start line. We were getting really psyched for the start!



You'll see we are both wearing our Marathon hats and those turned out to be a great purchase. Not only did they help with this run, I've worn my repeatedly since. Love IT!

We didn't have to wait long and the emcee started announcing each of the corrals ahead of us starting. We gradually began moving forward with the start line getting closer and closer. There were fireworks each time a corral started and just lots of cheering and excitement. It was so much fun! Before we knew it we were at the start and it was our turn.

Ready. Set. Go.


Next up: Let the Run Begin!

 

[Ariel484]

Gisele, I'm so glad you're finishing your report!! You must be starting to train for January soon, right?

Love your Minnie SparkleTech! You're right, those skirts are expensive but they are so worth it! I want to get one of the Minnie skirts but I keep going back and forth between the red and the pink...or hmm, maybe both! Cute picture of you and the husband in front of the backdrop!

The walk is crazy isn't it? Shuffling through the dark with all of those runners to the starting area, excitement in the air...there's really nothing quite like it.

Can't wait to read about your race!

 

[TangledUp]

Joining in! All of the marathon reports I've read have been so fun/inspirational that I am now officially registered for the princess half in February!

Looks like a great start to the report so far! And that sparkle skirt really is adorable!

 

[ZellyB]

Great - glad you're back - was looking forward to what was to come

I'm glad you are here!

Please do! I just started running and am looking forward to being able to do a 5k--forget the marathon! I greatly admire you!

Welcome! Like I said at the beginning, if someone would have told me a year before I ran a marathon that I would do it I would have called them crazy. You just never know and once the running bug bites you, there's no going back. Congrats on starting to run. You'll be conquering a 5K in no time. Are you doing any special training program or just working it out for yourself?

Gisele, I'm so glad you're finishing your report!! You must be starting to train for January soon, right?

Love your Minnie SparkleTech! You're right, those skirts are expensive but they are so worth it! I want to get one of the Minnie skirts but I keep going back and forth between the red and the pink...or hmm, maybe both! Cute picture of you and the husband in front of the backdrop!

The walk is crazy isn't it? Shuffling through the dark with all of those runners to the starting area, excitement in the air...there's really nothing quite like it.

Can't wait to read about your race!

Hi, Shannon. Yeah, I'm happy to finally be getting back to the report! I actually started training about 6 weeks ago since I'm running a half again in November. So far so good. I finished my last heavy chemo treatment on May 2, so the first several runs I had to take pretty slowly, but I'm almost back to my old stamina. It feels great to be running again! Have you started training yet? Are you doing the "official" Dopey this year? I know you did the unofficial one last year. Chris and I are still planning to do Goofy in 2015. Not sure I'll ever try the Dopey. I think physically I could do the running, but 4 early wake-up calls in a row would kill me!

I'm debating if I should wear my same Minnie skirt again (it's barely been worn) or splurge on a new one.

Joining in! All of the marathon reports I've read have been so fun/inspirational that I am now officially registered for the princess half in February!

Looks like a great start to the report so far! And that sparkle skirt really is adorable!

Welcome! I found the trip reports to be a great motivator! Hope mine does the same for you.

 

[jwgm2012]

thanks for deciding to finish your report! I love marathon/race TR's because that's my goal someday... Your story is inspirational and I think it's wonderful you had the support of your Dr. Can't wait to read the rest.... that pic of the starting line and the amount of people is just WOW! How is even possible to run at the beginning?

great job - can't wait to read the rest...

gina

 

[Ariel484]

Hi, Shannon. Yeah, I'm happy to finally be getting back to the report! I actually started training about 6 weeks ago since I'm running a half again in November. So far so good. I finished my last heavy chemo treatment on May 2, so the first several runs I had to take pretty slowly, but I'm almost back to my old stamina. It feels great to be running again! Have you started training yet? Are you doing the "official" Dopey this year? I know you did the unofficial one last year. Chris and I are still planning to do Goofy in 2015. Not sure I'll ever try the Dopey. I think physically I could do the running, but 4 early wake-up calls in a row would kill me!

I'm debating if I should wear my same Minnie skirt again (it's barely been worn) or splurge on a new one.

Oh fun! Can't wait to hear about your half. CONGRATS on getting through the heavy chemo! So glad to hear that, and that you're feeling good again.

I am not going Dopey this year...I'm giving runDisney one year to work the kinks out with adjusting the weekend schedule, adding in the new 10K course, etc. and am planning on doing it in 2015. So exciting that you and your husband will be going Goofy...you guys will have a blast. It'll be the 10th Goofy (special medal!! ), but I'm sure you knew that! You're right, the multiple wake-up calls are a killer. The races are fun, waking up at 2:30 AM over and over...not so much. So yeah, no marathon weekend for me in 2014 (possibly no runDisney at all for me that year...) but I am running Wine and Dine this year, so I'm looking forward to that.

Aren't those skirts addicting?? The princess ones are so pretty but I know they need hand-washing and I'm way too lazy for that, so I only have solid-colored ones (the plain black, the hot pink and another one that they discontinued). But Minnie is a princess too...right??

 

[ZellyB]

We were so excited when we finally got to the start line and got to start our journey! It was so crowded that to start out we were struggling to even be able to jog much. We did manage to finally get up to speed though but before we knew it, our interval timers were signaling a walk. This was really a challenge at the beginning of the race because of the crowds. We would try to position ourselves so nobody was directly behind us and then signal with a raised hand our intent to change pace. It was a bit nerve racking honestly, but there were a lot of run/walkers, so at least we weren't alone.

It was still dark out and a bit cool, but the humidity was already just fierce. You just felt damp all over. Yuck. Then suddenly, there was the first mile marker!



That first mile just FLEW by! I don't think you can really tell in the picture, but the sign was practically dripping with condensation from all the humidty. Ugg. There were still lots of people peeling off at this point to use the port-a-potties which surprised me given that the race just started. I guess those nervous bladders were kicking in.

Somewhere around mile 2, we saw lights and a big pirate ship looming ahead in the median. YAY! I had really wanted to be sure and get my picture with Jack Sparrow, so Chris and I quickly jumped out to get in line. The line was fairly long, but it moved quickly...



I was so excited to get my first character picture of the marathon!

We were back on our way and approaching the gates for MK. Off to the right was another photo op with the Nightmare before Christmas characters, but we bypassed it. We turned and were running along the outside of the race car speedway. While we couldn't see the runners inside, we could hear them and I saw some pace flags go past, so we knew earlier runners were already in there.

It seemed like before I knew it though, we were coming through the side entrance into the Magic Kingdom. Honestly, this was just the most exciting part of the race. When we burst through to Main Street, the crowd support was awesome! There were so many people cheering and the sun was just starting to come up and when you turn that corner and see the castle in front of you, it's just a great moment!!



You can see just how crowded it was with runners. There are lots of portions of the course that get really narrow and it's a challenge to manage, but we were so caught up in the moment, we didn't care.

As we got closer to the castle, there were lots of CMs waiting to take your camera and get a shot of you in front of the castle.



It's a little blurry since it was dawn and the light wasn't great, but I love it anyway! We ran on ahead and then took the turn to go toward Tomorrowland. I think it was somewhere around in here that my phone got the first update from the tracker system for the 5 mile mark. My 5 mile split was 1:18:32 with a pace of 15:42. Very slow, but we knew we would be given my recovery and derailment from my training. But, hey, we had started in corral D so had a headstart on the sweepers. We were feeling great and knew the castle was around the corner, so full steam ahead!!

Next up: The castle and beyond!!