Yay!! Someone is reading my trip report!!!
Sorry about the cliff hanger.
Day 2Saturday 1/7
The Plan: Mom and Krista get up at 3:00, down to bus stop by 3:30 to catch bus for half marathon start. Dad and Stephen get up at 4:30 to leave resort at 5:00, drive to Epcot parking lot and take monorail over to TTC for marathon support. After half marathon, back to resort to clean up and rest, ADR Chef Mickeys 6:30.
Reality: The phone rang bright and early at 2:50. I cant believe the half marathon is finally here. I lay in bed for a couple of minutes, waiting for the alarm clock to go off. I listened for movement in the next room, I heard Mom stirring, so I went ahead and got out of bed. Strangely enough I wasnt nervous at all this morning, I guess I was at the point where I just wanted to get it done.
Of course Stephen woke up when I did, but stayed in bed while I was getting ready. I was thankful for the curtain partition between the bathroom and the room. I could brush my teeth and get ready without blinding Stephen and when I was ready to get dressed, the soft glow of the curtained light was much easier on tired eyes!! I was completely ready at 3:20; I had everything on, everything with me and eating a bagel and drinking one last water before the start. I pushed opened the connecting doors and Mom was almost ready too. She was a bit more frazzled than I was; I guess one of us needed to be calm. Stephen videotaped us as we were leaving and took a couple of pictures of us. We looked more like skiers than runners, with all of our layers of warm clothes! Yes, it was very cold outside (about 33-35 degrees), and windy, I wasnt sure how we would wait for 2 ½ hours for the start.
Trying to find the bus stop turned out to be quite comical. If you remember, I said earlier that I had never stayed at Port Orleans before and yesterday we were in the car every time we needed to go somewhere. So, here Mom and I are trying to navigate a resort weve never been to at 3:30 in the morning, and in case you dont know, its dark at 3:30 in the morning! We did enjoy the jazz music though; it was a very nice themeing touch. We finally found our way to the lobby and out to the buses. I was very impressed with the way Disney was handling the marathon, we didnt have to think about anything, we just followed the CMs directions. The less thinking you have to do at 4:00 in the morning, especially when youre nervous, the better! In front of the resort there were 3 charter busses, all running and ready to take marathoners to the start line. Mom and I got the last 2 seats on the first bus and off we went. Mom realized that she forgot her water (we later found out there is so much water on the course, you dont really need to bring your own), I had a water that I was planning on drinking right before the start that I gave her because I also had a water in my running pack. The bus ride over was pretty quiet; I dont think anyone was talking. I assume most people were sleeping, praying, or gathering their thoughts one last time before the madness began. The drive to Epcots parking lot was a quick one and before we knew it, we were out in the cold, I saw many people just wearing their race clothes (I bet they were freezing!) or wearing their half marathon sweatshirts and jackets they just bought at the Expo Center. Im not sure that was so smart, if you really think youre going to wear a sweatshirt the entire time (not many people did, as your body warms up quite a bit as you run), thats fine, but if not, you have to either throw away a $50 sweatshirt you just bought or carry it for 13.1 miles. I can tell you, 13.1 miles is a decent distance and I wouldnt want to carry anything in my hands for that long.
We walked across the Epcot parking lot, following the blinding lights and the blaring rock music. Weve all trained for this event for months, put in the miles and the hours: it was now time to party!!! There were huge, insanely bright (like day time bright) lights all around the perimeter of the parking lot; in the center there was a huge stage with a band playing all sorts of rock songs. I couldnt tell you exactly what they sang; Ive found that there are bits and pieces of the marathon that I have blocked out, like it was just too much for my brain to process. The first thing Mom and I did was find the port-a-potties, we didnt really have to go, but we wanted to make sure that we went to the bathroom a couple of times before the start. Theres nothing worse than starting a long run with having to go to the bathroom!!
Mom and I walked through the throngs of people, searching for the port-a-potties; they had to be around here somewhere. We walked pass the stage and found even more people and to the far right more port-a-potties than I have ever seen in my life. I didnt count them, but Im guessing there were 50 all lined up, I really wish I had brought a camera, just to take a picture of that! (For much of the half, I was wishing that I had a camera, just to capture on film what the marathon looked like to me, next year Im definitely squeezing one in somewhere). There wasnt a line for the bathroom, so Mom and I were in and out in a few minutes. It was a little after 4:00 by this point and we had at least an hour before the corrals opened up and another 2 before the race really started. We werent really sure what to do, standing around would be boring, but we didnt really have a choice in the matter. While we were deciding what to do, we hear, Hey, Krista and coming toward us were 3 people in our Wish team. How they recognized me with all the layers on, I have no idea, but I was glad that they did! We sat on the concrete (the cold, cold concrete) and just talked, I didnt really say much but it was nice just listening to everyone else and being able to get my mind off the marathon. A little before 5:00, we disbanded to hit the port-a-potty one more time and then get ready to make our way to the corrals. The lines for the port-a-potties were significantly greater this time and then the unimaginable happened: they ran out of toilet paper!! Boy, was I glad I grabbed a handful of tissues before leaving the room that morning. Once the discovery was made that there wasnt any toilet paper, most of the people got out of line, the only ones still in line were men and women with tissues.
It was now time to begin the cattle call for the corrals and the only time I was slightly confused about where to go. The Sarge from Toy Story was up on the stage, yelling at people to move it, move it, get your little feet moving, and get moving to the baggage claim. Since Mom and I didnt have any bags to check (you take the race goody bag we got at the Expo Center, attach a number thats on your bib and then you can put things in there you need after the race, like extra clothes, cell phones, food, etc), we werent sure where we needed to be. We finally discovered that you had to walk through the baggage claim to get to the corrals and that you have to go through the gates that correspond with your race numbers. Of course we were down by the 1000 gate and our race numbers began with 26---, we made our way down our gate, showed our race numbers and passed through the tent. There were water tables set up on the other side of baggage claim and another approximately 30 port-a-pottiesnot sure if they had toilet paper in them or not. Mom and I grabbed a cup of water so we would have some fluids in our system and followed the mass of people making their way to the starting corrals.
The Sarge told us that it was a 25-minute walk, it wasnt quite 25 minutes, but it was a long trek. We started out on a road, then we cut across a field, and then on another road that was the actual starting point. Once we were on the second road (I have no idea what it was, a major Disney road though, I think the one that takes you from Epcot to the Downtown Disney area), the corrals started on the left-hand side. The corrals went from Elite-Corral H and they are based on what time you think (and can prove) you can finish the race. Disney doesnt want someone who does a 14:00 mile pace in the middle of people who can run a 6:00 mile, so corrals are created to keep people who run or walk similar paces together. For corrals Elite-Corral D or maybe E as well, you have to submit a proof of time for a race longer than a 10K to be placed in a higher corral, if this is your first race or you have a slower race time, then you are placed in a lower corral. Mom and I didnt have a previous race time to submit, so we were automatically placed in Corral F, which was okay by me, as I didnt want to start the race off going too fast. Ropes separated the corrals and a few minutes before the race began, the ropes were dropped and then pulled out and people would fill in the area between the groups. By the time we got into Corral F, it was 5:20, only 40 minutes until kick-off (sorry, Im a huge football fan), Mom and I got as close the to the front of corral as we could, before we stood and waited and waited. We listened to conversations going on around us and watched as people hopped the fence and head off to the woods. It was funny watching the people finding places to go, you could definitely tell the men from the women, as the women had to go deeper into the woods. At 5:45, I started to get undressed, I mean take off my sweat pants and sweatshirt, I cut slits up the side of my pants, but I still couldnt get them over my shoes. I had to sit on the ground to pull them off, while I was sitting on the ground, I pulled Moms pants over her shoes too. Of course while this is going on, the ropes were dropped and everyone started moving forward. Great. But I was able to get everything off and not get run over or lose my place, so it was fine. We threw our clothes over the side of the fence, like everyone else did; they were later picked up by CMs and donated to homeless shelters.
At 5:55, we counted down from 10 to 1, I think this was the start of the wheelchair race, but Im not positive. The entire time we were in the corrals, we could hear Mickey and Minnie and the emcees talking, but we couldnt see anything that was happening, there is a jumbo screen showing what is going on down at the start, but we couldnt see it from where we were standing. A couple seconds before 6:00, there were fireworks and I think a gun and the half marathon officially started! And the lower corrals were still just standing there.
We started the marathon shuffle within about a minute and finally made it to the start line almost 13 minutes after the race started. I dont know if I mentioned this earlier, but I actually run 4 minutes and walk 1, so when I crossed the start line, I took off running (Mom planned on walking the half, so we agreed to just meet at the finish line). Well, sort of, there were so many people bunched up for the first mile that I couldnt really run very fast. I found myself running in the grass to get around people, around mile 2, it cleared up and I was able to find my groove. But, I am getting ahead of myself, like I said a little earlier, the race started on a main Disney road, we actually were on an overpass, we crossed over the entrance to Epcot (Space Ship Earth was cool all lit up) and then went around the entrance ramp to the road that would eventually take us to the TTC and the Magic Kingdom. Since it was 6:00 in the morning, the sun wasnt up yet and it was dark, but Disney had huge lights all along the course and being able to see, or not see, was never an issue.
There was water and Power Ade every mile on the course, which was very much welcomed and we met our first support group right around mile 2. I think they were a Team in Training Group and they were yelling at everyone and ringing cowbells (I remembered thinking, needs more cowbell from the skit on Saturday Night Live). As the race went on, these support groups were awesome and very much needed, a huge spirit lifter (the best were a group of cheerleaders from a local high school calling people out by name and telling them they were pretty, around mile 7
). The sky was starting to lighten, as we got closer to the Magic Kingdom, I think it was around mile 3, and to see the sunrise was amazing. Around mile 3, we heard a horn honking and people yelling at people in the far left lane to move to the right. Why? Because the people who would eventually go on to win the race had already run up to the Magic Kingdom and they were making their way back to Epcot. I think the winner of the half marathon finished in 1:08!! Thats equivalent to a little over 6 miles for me!! They were really flying and it was awesome to pass them as they were heading for home. Unfortunately, I was not heading for home quite yet. But I was still feeling great and not having any problems at all. Around mile 3 ½, (I think, Ive discovered that most of the half was a blur and I cant remember everything, I think it was just way too much to take in) the course veered off to the left toward the TTC, the course would take us through the TTC parking lot, by the dog kennel and then back on the road by the Contemporary and into the Magic Kingdom backstage.
At mile 4 there was a support group from the
Disney Cruise Line. They were playing the ships horn, which is the first 7 notes of When You Wish Upon A Star, I bet that got old for them after a while! There were some characters there too, I cant remember who was all there, but I know Peter Pan was there because I gave him a high five. I was getting excited at this point, I knew Dad and Stephen were going to be standing somewhere around the dog kennel, so I started to look for them around THE HILL. The hill by the dog kennel is supposed to be the hardest hill on the course, and it wasnt bad at all, its the hill that takes you under the overpass on Seven Seas Lagoon Rd, by the Polynesian. Its kind of steep, but short, I didnt have any problems. When I came out from under the overpass, I saw Dad and Stephen standing on the left-hand side up against the barricade. I stopped for about 30 seconds, basically just to say hi and for them to ask if I needed anything: water, food, change of clothes? Nope, I was good, so after a quick kiss from Stephen, I was on my way again. This truly was the best part of the marathon for me, I remember thinking, is that the TTC already? Mile 5 already? The Magic Kingdom already? It really seemed like the miles were coming to me, instead of me searching the skyline for a mile marker.
Okay, so heres the part in the marathon where I cried, on World Drive, after mile 5 and running towards the Contemporary. I caught the sight of the top spires of Cinderella Castle and I just couldnt help myself. On every single training run: tempo and long, stuck on the treadmill staring at a cement wall or while I was running laps at a running park, I envisioned Cinderella Castle, that really was a huge motivator on certain days. How could I not cry knowing that in a few minutes everything I had worked for was becoming a reality? It was an awesome feeling. Im really glad that I cried out there instead of on Main Street, because I really wanted to enjoy running down Main Street, USA. Oh, and the Go the Distance sign hanging on the overpass, didnt really help matters much either.
Im glad that my tears had dried and I wasnt glassy-eyed, as there were huge potholes on the road in front of the Contemporary. I would have been devastated if I sprained my ankle 5 miles into a half marathon because I tripped over a pothole. We followed the road past the Contemporary and ran backstage to get into the Magic Kingdom, if you have ever used the walkway from the Magic Kingdom to the Contemporary; we were on the other side of the walkway, behind the greenery. The only word I can think of to describe what it was like running into the Magic Kingdom and down Main Street USA: magical. Simply magical.
We entered through a backstage door and came into Town Square right by Le Chateau hat shop. Chip and Dale were standing to our left and I gave one of them a high five. I turned the corner (watching for the trolley tracks, but we were on the right side of the street and the tracks were a non-issue) and BOOM, there was Cinderella Castle, in all of her golden beauty. I am so glad that I got the tears out of my system and now I was just giddy running down Main Street. About half way down, I look to my left and I saw an insanely bright, florescent green shirtits one of my Wish team members!! Even though we didnt meet last night, I recognized Carrie right away and gave her a high five, I didnt really have time to stop and chat, but I did find her after the half to say hi. The race course took us down Main Street and veering right into Tomorrowland, it was so cool to be running through an empty park, it was almost eerie because there was a huge group of people around you, but 50 yards to the left or right, it was desolate. I laughed to myself when I passed the bathrooms in Tomorrowland and there was a line out the door, I would soon find out the joke would be on me!
I followed my fellow runners past the Mad Hatters Tea Cups and into Fantasyland, Tweedle Dee and Twiddle Dum were by the Tea Cups posing for pictures with anyone who wanted to stop. This is the first time in my life I have ever seen Fantasyland empty, I was thinking how great would be to jump on Dumbo without a line! As I was running through Fantasyland, getting closer and closer to the Castle, I started mentally preparing myself for the highlight of my marathon: running through Cinderella Castle. As we were running through the corridor, everyone started whooping and hollering, there was one man yelling, Get up, Cinderella! it was a riot. Oh, and can I tell you how awful it was to smell bacon and sausage cooking when all youve had to eat were Power Bars?? Coming out of the Castle and down the ramp was so cool and made me feel like a celebrity with all of the photographers snapping pictures of us. I had a smile glued to my face until I crossed into Liberty Square, well I was still smiling, but it wasnt quite so forced.
As I running through Liberty Square, past the Haunted Mansion and in the part of the pavement that is brown, I started singing to myself, Im running in the poop because I always sing to Stephen Were walking in the poop when we walk through Liberty Square. Is anybody lost? The brown pavement represents the waste from the animals and the sewer back up from buildings during the 1700-1800s when horses were the main form of transportation. So when you walk on the brown pavement, you are essentially walking in the poop, sorry for being so blunt, but I find myself thinking about the craziest things when I run. Now that Im totally off topic, lets get back! 2 of the Country Bears from the Country Bears Jamboree where standing on the course, I gave one of them a high five and continued on my way. We continued through Frontierland across the train tracks (past the train blowing his horn for us) and backstage. The floats were out from the Share A Dream Come True parade and people were stopping for photo ops. People were actually getting up on the floats, not sure if they were allowed to do this or if the CMs really didnt care. We made it to mile 6 backstage, there were food stations as well as water and Power Aid stations. I wasnt hungry, but I went ahead and took a banana half to give my potassium a boost, although honestly I was still feeling great at this point. And here is my little half marathon rant; banana peels are pretty slick, especially when you mix them with puddles of water from water stops and thousands of runners. So why would you drop the banana peels down on the course where everyone is running? Hellothrow the banana peels over on the grass or as far off the course as you can, its just decent running etiquette. Now I didnt see anyone fall or slip on the banana peels, but the potential was there. Okay, rant over.
As we were running out of the Magic Kingdom, we crossed over this weird bar grated bridge; it was actually creaking under the weight of all the people. I know the bridge was stable and we were perfectly safe, but I still stopped running and just walked over the bridge. Bridges dont freak me out or scare me, but Im definitely going to remember this for next year!! We came out of the Magic Kingdom almost at mile 7, on Floridian Way, just north of the Grand Floridian. At this point, I was still okay, I felt pretty strong and I kept telling myself that I was half way there. We had a laugh at mile 7 where there were speakers set up with Mickey giving us updates as to where we were on the course. I assume someone programmed the wrong message in because Mickey told us that we were on mile 5 and just coming into the Magic Kingdom, oh boy! Right after Mickeys motivating message, we passed the Grand Floridian; they definitely get the award for the best support team. There were about 20 CMs standing across the street from the resort, the women were dressed in all white with the Minnie bride ears on and the men were dressed in all black wearing the Mickey groom top hat. All the CMs had either cowbells they were ringing or the clapper hands, making a tremendous racket and lifting everyones spirits. It was really helping because I was starting to lose steam, I wasnt exactly tired, but I knew the fun part was over (the Magic Kingdom) and I knew I had a long stretch of road ahead of me. Plus I really, REALLY had to use the bathroom! Remember the bathroom I passed in Tomorrowland? Not a great idea, as I had to go bad and every port-a-potty I passed had 2 or 3 people waiting to go. And I have 5½ more miles to go. Great.
We continued down Floridian Way, passing Shades of Green and then the Polynesian, there were a lot of people standing in front of the Polynesian cheering for us. Dad and Stephen were at mile 8, just past the Polynesian, it was great to see them, its a morale booster to see people that you know along the way. I stopped to talk to Stephen and Dad for about 30-40 seconds, long enough to tell them about my bathroom dilemma and to get a fresh water bottle. I know, I know, not smart to get even MORE water, but Stephen kept trying to give it to me and Ive learned its easier to just take it than to stand and argue.
After that little break, I felt better, ready to face the long stretch of highway back to Epcot. At about mile 8½ I saw the most beautiful sight I have ever seen in my life: a row of about 10 port-a-potties and NO lines!!! I went flying across the field and to the first open potty I saw. I had a couple of concerns right before I stepped into the port-a-potty: 1. If I stop running, can I start going again? 2. Can I squat or will my legs buckle beneath me. Pretty gross, I know, but that was truly what I was thinking. I found that I could start running and my legs didnt buckle, but I held on tight to the door handle so I wouldnt fall.
After my problem was solved, I walked back across the field (figured I shouldnt really run across uneven grass) and got back on the course. I felt tons better and wish I had done that sooner!
Now here is the bad part, running down Floridian Way back to Epcot, basically its just a highway. There wasnt anything exciting going on; no characters or groups of people to yell your name to make you feel better. And in the distance I could see the Dolphin and I could hear Stephens words from the night before, look at the Dolphin and just remember you dont have to run to the Dolphin, but I knew how far down the entrance ramp to Epcot was and it was a long way. Around mile 9 there was a medical tent, I thought about going over to get some Tylenol because my foot was hurting, but I was afraid they would make me sit down and check out my foot, so I just kept going. Mile 10 was a food and water stop, they were passing out chocolate flavored Clif Shots, but since I never trained with Clif Shots, I didnt want to eat one during the marathon, so I just grabbed a cup of water. Mile 10 was tough for me, very tough, I kept telling myself that all I had left was a 5K, I can run 5Ks in my sleep, but it was still really hard, I think that was the longest 3.1 miles I have ever run in my life. The entrance ramp to the road back to Epcot was tough, it was long and curved and since it was out in the open, the wind was blowing hard, definitely not what we needed, but the end was in sight! Once we made the turn onto the road to Epcot (sorry, I have no idea what its called), it felt like a weight had been dropped. At mile 11 you can see the gates to Epcot and even though I knew we were coming in backstage, to see the entrance was huge mentally. I followed the crowd around me, I know I picked up the pace a bit and ran into Epcot at mile 12, to the far right of the park. Im not completely positive where we came in, I was turned around a bit and to be completely honest, I wasnt really paying that much attention to the scenery around me! I think we came in around the Living Seas, but Im not 100% positive, I know we ran by the Ice Station Cool though, I know this because this is where I lost it. Again. All of the emotions of being less than a mile away from a race that I have been training for since May just hit me all at once. I never in my wildest dreams thought I could run more than a mile or maybe 2, and here I was running 13.1 miles. I started to get my emotions under control, which wasnt that hard, it wasnt like I was sobbing or anything, but right then over speaker came the Madonna song Hung Up. I have this song on my mp-3 player and Ive listened to it on training runs, and it hit me that the very same song I listened to when I was training started playing the last mile of my half. Wah!!!!! Yes, I am a very emotional person!!
We ran up passed the giant Christmas tree (the Christmas decorations were still up in the parks) and then looped back down the other side of walkway. I was so tempted to turn on the jets, but I refrained, not wanting to go too fast too soon and burn out in front of the grand stand. How embarrassing would that be?? We exited Epcot right around the Guest Relations building, there was a gospel choir standing backstage, right before we came into the final stretch, but I have no idea what they were singing. I came out from behind the open gate and into the beginning of the grand stand and the first thing I saw was Dad and Stephen standing up in the top of the bleachers videotaping. I started waving my arms at them as I ran and then I took off, it felt like I was flying. I dont remember seeing the mile 13 sign or anyone that was running around me (although in the tape, I went flying past a man that made me feel good
), all I can remember was the finish line. I cant describe to you what it felt like to cross the finish line; it was a goal I had been working hard on for 7 ½ months. I felt such accomplishment and pride. This time when I was smiling for the cameras, I was smiling for real and there was nothing fake about it. My chip time was 2:41:47 and my clock time was 2:55, not too bad for someone who until July hated running!
After I crossed the finish line, I walked over on shaking legs to one of the many volunteers sitting on the ground waiting to cut our Champion Chip off of our shoes. After my chip was taken off, I went to the next group of volunteers to get my Mylar blanket, which was much appreciated as I was freezing, and then I finally got my bling: my Donald Duck Half Marathon Medal. I was kind of disappointed because the person I got my medal from just handed it to me instead of putting it around my neck, but I wasnt that broken up over it. I followed the group onto the next section of our post-marathon journey: the official picture with our medal. This was very cool and I had no idea it was going to happen, but there were maybe 6 booths set up with the marathon background and a photographer taking pictures of every runner and their medal. Again, this was not a forced smile.
After the picture there was a tent set up with water and food, I grabbed a muffin and continued out to the parking lot where the family tents were set up. We decided to meet at the W tent for our Wish family, so I started wandering in that direction. Stephen met me as I was coming up to the tent, he had tears in his eyes and gave me a big huge and a kiss. Stephen also gave me his jacket as I was FREEZING!! I ended up tying my Mylar blanket around my waist and wearing his jacket. I felt okay to walk, so we walked back to the grand stands (stopping at the port-a-potty on the way) to meet Dad and wait for Mom. On the way, I called my mother-in-law (who had been driving Stephen crazy calling every little bit to see how I had done) to tell her that I finished and what my chip time was, I could hear her relaying the news to whoever was around. We hung up the phone so I could get over to the bleachers and I think she was going to call Stephens grandparents.
So, how did I feel after running 13.1 miles? My legs felt okay, they werent sore or achy (yet), but I could really tell my electrolytes were low. It felt like my mind was on slight delay, Stephen would ask me something and it would take a few extra seconds to process what he said and respond to it. It was so weird. So I guess my next long distance run, Im going to have to suck it up and learn to drink Power Ade to help balance out my sugar and sodium.
Dad was still up in the bleachers watching for Mom, did I mention that he was standing on the very top bleacher? Bleachers, or steps in general, were not much fun to maneuver 20 minutes after running 13.1 miles. I finally made it to the top bleacher and immediately sat down, my legs were screaming in protest. After a few minutes of sitting, I stood for a little bit and then sat for a little bit and then stood again. Dad walked down to stand along the fence, but I just stayed put, I knew I could only handle the steps so many times. I guess around an hour or so after I crossed the finished line, we saw Mom trucking around the bend. I was very proud of her for actually finishing the half marathon; in September she got bronchial pneumonia and under doctors orders, she could not train from September until December. In December, I think she walked like 7 miles, 10 miles, and 6 milesthats all the training she could do. It was questionable that she could even finish the marathon, but she said she was trying anyway and if they sweep her, then they sweep her. Her chip time was 3:36 and I think her clock time was 3:50something to be proud of. Once we saw her cross the finish line, I drug myself down the bleacher steps and we walked over to meet her in the family tent. That is a far walk!! Its basically across the Epcot parking lot; I never knew how huge that parking lot is. We got to the tent just as Mom was walking up; we gave her a hug and let her catch her breath for a minute. She said she felt fine, but her legs were sore and her foot was hurting really bad, we later found out she had a HUGE blood blister on the side of her foot. There were 3 of our Wish team buddies at the W tent, so we talked to them for a few minutes before everyone decided that they wanted to leave and get back to the resort to relaxi.e. sleep!
Oh my goodness, the trek back to the van was long; very, very long. Stephen kept offering to get the van, but Mom and I thought it would be good to keep walking to keep the lactic acid from building up in our muscles. Plus, we really didnt know how far down the van was parked. We should have let him get the van for us. We finally made it to the van, after wandering around a bit; Stephen and Dad couldnt remember where they parked it. Wow. Im not used to climbing up in a van, that is high! Stephen had to actually push me up into the van because I couldnt get my legs to go up that high. Maybe we should have gotten a car or something smaller. We made it back to Port Orleans French Quarter fairly quickly and I gingerly slid out of the van. Thankfully our room was pretty close to the parking lot so Mom and I didnt have too far to hobble.
The first thing I did when I got back in the room, was kick my shoes off. I noticed when my shoes were off, the top of my right foot was throbbing. It actually felt like a broken a bone and it was starting to bruise. I thought maybe I had tied my shoe too tight or something, and it would stop hurting soon. Boy was I wrong. And now was the moment in time I was dreading all dayit was time for my ice bath. Ice baths are greatest and the worst invention ever, they are great because the ice water cools down the muscles in the legs and stops the lactic acid from building up. They are the worst invention because you are soaking in a bathtub of ice-cold water for 10-15 minutes. Ive been doing ice baths ever since I my upper mileage was 7 and beyond, so I know how awful they can be. There have been times when my legs were purple and red from the water being so cold and Ive been covered in goose bumps. But I also know when you get out of the bathtub there is little to no pain in your legs, so its completely worth it. While I was taking my ice bath, Stephen went to Sassagoula Float Works to get us something to eat. I told him I didnt care what I ate, as long as it was beefI was seriously having protein cravings.
I took a deep breath and walked into the bathroom, I knew I would feel better once it was over with. What I do, when I take ice baths, is get into an empty bath tub and let the cold water fill in around me, I just wouldnt be able to sit down in ice cold water. I took off my running tights, but left my shirt on, for a little bit of warmth, wrapped a towel around my shoulders and got in the tub, turning on the faucet as I got in. The water wasnt that cold here, or maybe I was still so cold from the race it felt warm to me. Granted it was still quite chilly, but not frigid. The bathtubs have an angled back to them, which was nice, I took advantage of that and laid back, closed my eyes and covered my face with another towel. I was in the bathtub about 15 minutes; I think I may have passed out from the cold. As soon as the water drained, I got back in the tub and took a super hot shower, let me tell you, that felt awesome!! While I was in the shower, Stephen came back from getting lunch, so it was pretty much perfect timing. I put on pajama bottoms and a t-shirt, combed out my wet hair and came out in the room; I was starving and didnt want to waste anytime blow-drying my hair.
Mom and Dad brought their lunch into our room, so we pulled the table out in the center of the room so we could all eat around it. Stephen had gotten me a double cheeseburger, fries, a Diet Coke (Im a Diet Coke fiend, like 3 or 4 cans a day, but I havent had one since Sunday because youre not supposed to have caffeine the week of a marathon, so I was in serious caffeine withdrawal) and a chocolate milk to replenish some of the lost nutrients (actually Slim Fast is really good for this, but chocolate milk was the closest thing to Slim Fast as Stephen could find). Stephen had spaghetticarbo-loading and water; Mom had a ham sandwich, and I think my Dad had a burger too. My double cheeseburger was amazing, but that could be because I was so hungry!! I only ate about half of it before feeling a little sick to my stomach; I guess it was too much of a good thing. By the time we finished eating, it was getting close to noon, we all decided to take a nap because we were all exhausted from the early morning. Dad and Mom went into their room while I set the alarm and a wake-up call for 3:30. I didnt think we would sleep for that long, but I set it as a precaution. We had been lying down for about 5 minutes when the phone rang, it was the Mousekeeping manager, he noticed that we had our do not disturb sign up all morning and asked if would we like to have our room cleaned. I told him we were okay, since we were checking out tomorrow, he asked if we would at least like some clean towels. I said yes and we later found a bag full of towels and wash clothes hanging on our door.
I thought I would have a hard time falling asleep, Im not much of a nap taker, but I fell sleep right away and didnt move until the alarm went off at 3:30. The first thing I did when I got out of bed was take 2 8-hour Tylenol, I wasnt really sore, but my body was very, very stiff. Mom and Dad heard Stephen and I moving around so they came into our room. Remember when I said that Mom had a huge blood blister on her foot? Well, she showed us and I thought I was going to throw up, it was huge and red and it looked very, very painful. Dad decided to fulfill his doctor dreams and drain the blood out of her foot, I couldnt watch, but apparently everything went fine and she felt much better afterwards. Yuck!! It was close to 4:00 and we decided to go to Downtown Disney because Stephen forgot to bring his gloves to throw away for tomorrow and Jackson Square didnt have any. Our ADR for Chef Mickeys wasnt until 6:30, but we were going to take our chances and try to get there early and get a table. If all else fails, the Contemporary has pretty decent shops that we could waste some time in. It took us a few minutes to get ready and a couple of extra minutes to pack our suitcases back up. We were checking out of Port Orleans tomorrow and into the Board Walk Villas, the plan was to load the car as we were leaving for Downtown Disney, leaving only carry-ons for clothes we would need for tomorrow, so it would be one less thing we had to do in the morning. We were walking out the door a little after 4:00 and soon on our way to Downtown Disney. Mom and I were wearing our I Did It shirts for the half marathon and our Donald medals, we got a lot of comments that night and a lot of attention from the characters and CMs. We felt like celebrities.
Since Port Orleans is so close to Downtown Disney, we made it there in just a couple of minutes. No one else needed anything or was in the mood to shop, so Stephen ran into the World of Disney by himself. This was probably a good decision seeing as we were sort of on a schedule and Mom certainly loves to shop.
It didnt take long for Stephen to come back to the van with a pair of black gloves with Mickey Mouse on them. He said there were a lot of people in there buying hats, gloves, and sweatshirtsno one was prepared for this cold front. It was kind of humorous to us northerners to hear the meteorologists stress how important it was for everyone to stay safe and covered because of the extreme cold weather. They kept warning everyone not to stay outside too long and to keep your pets in the house. For crying out loud, it was 30 degrees!!!!!!!!! Thats balmy to us! The way everyone was talking you would have thought it was negative 12.
We pulled into the Contemporary right around 5:00 and valet parked the van, you gotta love that feature with a Disney Dining Experience (DDE) card. Even though it was about an hour and a half before our PS at Chef Mickeys we walked to the podium and checked in. Stephen explained to the CM that we were very early, but we would appreciate it if we could be please be seated early, but of course we understood if nothing was available until our 6:30 ADR time. Basically, he flirted. The CM looked at her sitting schedule, gave us pager, and told us the wait would be about 15 minutes. Nice! We were directed to the picture taking area and then over to the circular bench back by the podium. We sat down on the bench for maybe 30 seconds when our pager lit up. So much for a 15-minute wait, it was more like 5. Trust me, I wasnt complaining!!
We followed the CM to our table; we were in the back of the restaurant, in an upper room. Although the table was out of the way we didnt mind at all, we got as much character interaction as everyone else and sitting up there was a little quieter. Our table was along the railing on the restaurant side, but had it been against the window, we would have had an awesome view of the Magic Kingdom. As soon as we were seated, our server came by to get our drink orders and off we went running, well walking slowly, to the buffet, cursing those blasted steps on the way. Mom and I were absolutely starving, I cant remember the exact number, but I think I burned around 1200 calories that morning. Now you know my secret: I run so I can eat!!
I went ahead and 2 got plates, no use messing around, and started to stack food on. I cant remember everything I got, but I know I had a salad (okay, pretty much a basic salad), macaroni and cheese (goodvery cheesy), chicken fingers (possibly the worlds best chicken fingers), pizza (basic pizza), ribs (I know you wont believe this because were talking about ribs from Chef Mickeys, but the ribs were excellent, the meat was actually falling off the bone), salmon (okay for buffet salmon), and various saladspotato, macaroni, etc. I realized after I finished eating that I failed to get the world famous Parmesan mashed potatoes. What was I thinking?? I debated going to get some, just so I could try, but I was completely stuffed. Wait a minute, what am I saying? Theres ALWAYS room for dessert. I couldnt decide what to get, so I made a little sampler platter, I had carrot cake (okay, nothing special), rice krispy treat (not nearly as good as the ones in the park, it was very dry), chocolate chip cookie (okay), and an ice cream sundaevanilla ice cream, hot fudge syrup, and topped with crushed Butterfingers. Yes, it was as good as it sounds. Everyone really enjoyed our meal here, Stephen wasnt quite as enamored as Mom, Dad, and I were, but he was stuck eating pasta and potatoes, so his opinion was a little skewed. The character interaction was wonderful here, even though we were a party of 4 adults and no children. We (when I say we, I mean Mom and IDad and Stephen dont really do the whole character thing) had our picture taken with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip, and Dale and they all made a huge deal out of our Donald medals. I would definitely eat at Chef Mickeys again, but its not some place I have to eat every time we come. Our bill (Stephen and I) was about $56.00 before the DDE discount, about $45.00 after the discount, not including tax and tip.
We finished eating right around 6:30, we made the comment that we saved ourselves an hour and a half; well actually the CM at the podium saved us an hour and a half. Many, many thanks! Stephen decided that he wanted to head back to the room and get of all of his stuff for tomorrow ready and then head to bed. Stephen took the van back to Port Orleans while Mom, Dad, and I took the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom. As soon as we walked up to the platform, the monorail pulled upperfect timing! I was very tempted to get off the monorail at the Polynesian, but I refrained and stayed on the monorail until we got to the Magic Kingdom. Dad was funny, every time the monorail stopped and the doors open, Dad would stand up and start to get off. I had to remind him that we werent at the Magic Kingdom yet. I guess he was antsy to get there. We finally pulled up to the Magic Kingdom and I told Mom and Dad that it was now time to get off. The first thing we did after getting off the monorail was walk over to Guest Services. Mom bought their 8-day hoppers on-line Thursday night, choosing the will call option. This is actually a pretty smart thing to do, by purchasing the passes on-line, its a little cheaper because youre pre-buying and will call pick up saves you shipping charges and you dont have to worry about losing the tickets before you get there. After Mom picked up the tickets, we walked in the gates: finally home!!! I love the Magic Kingdom at night. The Christmas decorations were still up, I thought I would be happy about that; I love Disneys Christmas decorations and since weve been to Walt Disney World for Christmas in 2003 and 2004, I really missed not being there in 2005. But truthfully, I wasnt that excited about seeing the decorations, dont get me wrong, they are beautiful and they of course didnt bother me, but it was January and I was ready for Christmas to be over. The decorations were slowly taken down that week and by Wednesday; everything was completely down and back to normal. Regardless, they did look beautiful, as did all of Main Street and Cinderella Castle.
We really didnt have an agenda tonight; we just wanted to hang out in our favorite section of the world (thats world and World). We were moving fairly slow, I pretty much felt okay other than a little stiffness in my legs, but Moms foot was really bothering her. We walked down Main Street, stopping to take a couple of pictures and then turned toward Adventureland, heading for Pirates of the Caribbean. We were getting ready to cross the bridge into Adventureland when Mom wanted to sit down on the stone planter for a minute because she was really hurting pretty bad. I asked her if she wanted to just go back to the room, it wouldnt be the end of the world if we didnt do much tonight. Mom said no, she would be fine, but Dad and I could both tell she was in a lot of pain. I again asked if she wanted to go back, she said yes, but she didnt want Dad or I to be disappointed about leaving the park so early. Dad and I pretty much told her duh, and if shes in pain and cant really walk, then we go back to the room. It wasnt worth ruining an entire week of vacation because we did too much on the first night. So we all turned around and walked back down Main Street and out to the bus stop. Miracle of all miracles, there was a bus for Port Orleans sitting at the bus stop. I ran ahead of Mom and Dad, we could see the bus sitting there from the beginning of the bus stop area, but we didnt know how long he would sit there and wait. The closer I got to the bus and I was sure the driver could see me; I slowed and then finally stopped in front of the queue to wait for Mom and Dad. We got on a fairly empty bus, waited a few more minutes to see if anyone else came up and then finally we were on our way.
The bus ride was pretty short and before we knew it, we were pulling in front of the French Quarter. Since it was pretty chilly, okay, cold, we cut through the lobby and then decided to check out Jackson Square. I just keep falling in deeper love with this resort, I was glad that we were going to be transferring to the Board Walk tomorrow because I love the Board Walk, but I was very sad about leaving Port Orleans French Quarter too. It was nice to be able to explore the resort tonight without any stress, but even so, one night wasnt nearly enough time. We looked around Jackson Square for about 20 minutes, Mom bought something, but I cant remember what it was. On the way back to our room, we stopped at the Mardi Gras pool to check it out. It looked amazing and lots of fun, I love a themed pool! I wanted a picture of the 3 of us in front of the Mardi Gras Parade sign, as I was trying to rig up the mini tri-pod, a lady stopped and asked if we would like her to take a picture. Yes! And thank you!!
We got back to the room around 8-8:30, Stephen was just lying down to go to bed. He was very surprised to see me back, but agreed that resting was definitely a good idea. Since Stephen was going to bed and I wasnt really tired, I took my magazine into Mom and Dads room. I stayed in there until about 10:00, reading Glamour and watching the Patriots-Buccaneers game. I walked back in our room; Stephen was sleeping, but not very peacefully. I took more Tylenol and got ready for bed. I got into bed, but I couldnt get comfortable, my legs were sore and stiff and I kept tossing and turning. I ended up getting into the other bed, I was afraid I was going to keep Stephen up by tossing and turning all night. I didnt get much sleep that night, I kept waking up every hour or so, but I finally nodded off to sleep.
for the tips. I am thinking about getting tights for the cold weather. I know to dress in layers in order and take clothes off as needed. What type of running pack do you have?
