Running Renaissance: One Skip Ahead of my Doom

[GollyGadget]

WDW Marathon Training - Week 13/15

In case you hadn’t heard, It was abnormally dangerously cold this week. It’s starting to warm up though so I should get to enjoy the great outdoors a bit this week. The windchill is currently -5 and you might be surprised how warm that feels compared to -55.


Scheduled
Monday - Easy 5 miles
Tuesday - Strength 4x1.5 mi
Wednesday - Off
Thursday - M Tempo 10 miles
Friday - Easy 5 mi
Saturday - Easy 8 mi
Sunday - Long 10 mi


Scheduled
Monday - Easy 5 miles - Monday was the last day we saw a windchill above 10. I really wanted to get outside because I knew that it might be my last chance for awhile. However, I was feeling nauseous all day so I decided to rest instead. I’m still not sure what caused it and I’m disappointed that I missed a few miles but I do think it was the right call.

Tuesday - Strength 4x1.5 mi - I was feeling a bit better but still off. I really wanted to get in my miles but my body has other ideas. I developed a really sharp pain in my stomach near the end of the first interval. I was hopeful that it would subside during the rest interval but when it didn’t, I decided to call it quits.

Wednesday - Off - originally I thought that I might squeeze in some easy miles to make up for Monday but still wasn’t 100% so decided my body needed the rest instead.

Thursday - M Tempo 10 4.5+3 miles - this was the first of the really cold days. The raw temp was -5 when I woke up (-40 WC) and that was the warmest it was going to be all day .
Perhaps needless to say but I went for the treadmill again. Things were going well until my 3rd tempo mile, I developed a side stitch. I made it through the 4th mile and then decided that I would get to 4.5 and take a half mile rest and then start again. Not exactly the workout as planned, but it seemed like the best option at the time.
Unfortunately I only made it 3 more tempo miles before the side stitch became too much. I do not remember the last time this happened to me. I remember it sometimes happening in HS when the xc season started but that was a LONG time ago. The internet wasn’t particularly helpful in its answers as to why it happened either. I’m assuming it was just a sign that my body was still recovering from whatever caused it to be nauseous on Monday.
It was a bad run which is disappointing so close to race day but we all have bad runs and I’m hopeful this means that I got it out of my system so race day can go well

Friday - Easy 5 mi - The side stitch returned but it wasn’t as bad as the day before and with only easy paces I was able to push through.

Saturday - Easy 8 mi - Fortunately not much to say about this run. It was still cold and I was still on the treadmill but things were feeling a lot better.

Sunday - Long 10 mi - I had planned to go outside for this. The windchill was only -10 or so after all. However, I was quickly told that the Mayo Clinic warned of frostbite in as little as 15 minutes so it was back to the basement once again. Run went well so I’m confident things are on the upswing.


Only two more weeks until the big day! Officially, I’ve got two more hard workouts and a total of 11 runs left. However, we start our road trip south on Thursday so I may need to flex the schedule a bit. The run I’m most worried about is my 8 miler next Sunday. We’ll be leaving at 7a so we can complete the 7 hour drive before the Packers’ game. Driving always wears me out so while I’ll have plenty of time in the afternoon, I know that I probably won’t have the energy. My tentative plan is to swap Saturday and Sunday but you’ll have to stay tuned to find out what actually happens!



Happy running friends!

 

[surfde22]

The cold has been brutal for sure. I don’t have a treadmill, and despise even if I did, so I suffered outdoors for all my runs. It was a challenge some days for sure. Sorry to hear about the nausea. I was dealing with that a couple weeks ago and just hoped I’d survive my runs. Thankfully I did. Hopefully the rest of your training goes smoothly.

 

[GollyGadget]

The cold has been brutal for sure. I don’t have a treadmill, and despise even if I did, so I suffered outdoors for all my runs. It was a challenge some days for sure. Sorry to hear about the nausea. I was dealing with that a couple weeks ago and just hoped I’d survive my runs. Thankfully I did. Hopefully the rest of your training goes smoothly.

The treadmill definitely takes the joy out of running, but it’s nice to have the option. I’m also hoping it’s helping my body prepare for the heat in Orlando.

I know it’s too early and a senseless use of my energy, but I am getting a bit worried about the weather. That’s one benefit to the early start, I should be halfway finished by the time the sun rises.

 

[Herding_Cats]

I know it’s too early and a senseless use of my energy, but I am getting a bit worried about the weather. That’s one benefit to the early start, I should be halfway finished by the time the sun rises.

Shhhhhh! We don't talk about Bruno!

 

[GollyGadget]

WDW Marathon Training - Week 14/15

Happy New Year! I'll get to the training in a bit but first I want to review my top 5 from 2022.
1. I ran my first half marathon after a 3 yr hiatus (Jan)
2. I set a new HM PR of 1:48:03 (Apr)
3. I had a lot of fun running a HM with a friend (June)
4. I ran with my mom for her first HM and it was truly magical (Nov)
5. I reached my 1000 mile goal in early November and ended the year with 1325 miles. A new record!

It was a really good year and I'm happy to be back. My running has never been so consistent and I have a good feeling about 2023 but before I get ahead of myself, let's keep focus on the marathon this weekend.

Scheduled
Monday - Easy 7 miles
Tuesday - Strength 6x1 mi
Wednesday - Off
Thursday - M Tempo 10 miles
Friday - Easy 6 mi
Saturday - Easy 6 mi
Sunday - Easy 8 mi

Completed
Monday - Easy 7 miles - I was really tired of the treadmill so I tried to run outside. I thought it was odd that my normal path hadn't been cleared of snow but trudged along anyway only to discover a half mile later that the bridge was closed and I had to turn around. I wish there had been a sign before I ran through the snow but there is an alternate route to the park so I headed that direction. My alternative included a very icy bridge and the -5 WC was starting to get to me so I decided to head home and finished the run on the old mill. Very thankful to have that thing! Training these last few weeks would have been a struggle with it.

Tuesday - Strength 6x1 mi - it was warmer but everything was still covered in snow and ice so another workout on the treadmill.

Wednesday - Off

Thursday - M Tempo 10 Easy 4 miles - With a few warm days, I thought the trails would be clear so I tried this one outside as well. It was a very cold mess. We were starting our road trip south after lunch so I had to get out in the morning and everything was icy. I thought that if I could just get to the park, it would be clear but it definitely was not. I was VERY nervous about slipping. Ultimately, I had to turn around because I was not finding any clear stretches and by that point I was just mentally over it. Not exactly how I wanted my last tempo to go, but it is what it is.

Friday - Easy 6 mi - I spent a few days in my hometown and convinced my mom to go on a run together, but together really just meant at the same time. She drove us to a pond with a one mile loop so we could cheer each other on as we passed. My pace was unusually slow but I didn't push it at all. I figured my body was tired from the travel.

Saturday - Easy 6 8 mi - as mentioned last week, there was 6 hours of car travel on the docket for Sunday plus the uncertainty of a new town so I decided to swap the 8 miler. I really wasn't into it. I was tired and grumpy but I got it done. My pace was slow again which was a bit discouraging.

Sunday - Easy 8 6 mi - it was 70 degrees for this run which I'm hoping means it counts for heat acclimation. I found a park 1/4 mile from our rental and ran 10 laps around it . There weren't any sidewalks anywhere else and the park was safe so it seemed like the best option. Bonus points because this cute sign was inspiring me to keep going every lap:

It says "visualize your highest self and start showing up as her"

It's hard to believe we've made it to race week. Time seems to have passed incredibly quickly and slowly at the same time. I've got a few more easy runs and then it's time for the show. I'm excited to see how the race pans out and also nervous. for good weather and health.

Happy running y'all!

 

[surfde22]

Good luck on Sunday!

 

[GollyGadget]

Good luck on Sunday!

Thanks. Same to you!

 

[GollyGadget]

WDW Marathon Training - Week 15/15 - RACE WEEK!!

It’s here! I’m here! Let’s do this! I’m a bit early but I wanted to get this posted so I could go right to the race recap and not worry about a training update next time I have a free minute.

Scheduled
Monday - Easy 5 miles
Tuesday - Easy 5 miles
Wednesday - Off
Thursday - Easy 6 miles
Friday - Easy 5 mi
Saturday - Easy 3 mi
Sunday - Race Day!

Completed
Monday - Easy 5 miles - We woke up before the sun so we could complete our 9 hr drive and arrive in time for me to run before dark. I had to run zig zags through the campground and kept getting funny looks but mission accomplished.

Tuesday - Easy 5 miles - I did this run around lunch and it was warm but I felt good. I've been using these runs to check in on any pain points and so far so good!
We also went to Epcot after work and our parking row was there same as my bib number! This must be a good sign . It was also very easy for me to remember.

Wednesday - Off - no running on this day but I decided to hit the expo with my mom. I‘ve never been on the first day and wanted to see the spectacle. . In the future, I’ll stick with going later in the week but it was amusing to see.


Thursday - Easy 6 5 miles - I woke up just before 4a and headed to Epcot to cheer for my mom. I was in my running clothes so I could run laps while I waited. I ran about half before the start and finished while my mom was racing. It was very hot and humid! Part of the reason that I cut a mile off was because I had already been running for an hour since the conditions were so bad. The other reason was that I made it back to my car and was ready for breakfast.

Friday - Easy 5 mi - pretty much the same as yesterday except the weather was perfect and I ate my breakfast first . I’m a bit jealous of how nice the weather was for racing. The marathon is looking to be a bit warmer but it should then still be fairly close. I’m pretty jazzed that the weather is looking as good as it is.

Saturday - Easy 3 mi? - it’s Friday so I haven’t run this yet. I’m guessing there’s a 50/50 chance that I do it. We’re going to hit AK in the AM and I don’t really want to wake up early and run in the dark. However, if I wake up anyway or I have extra energy in the afternoon that I need to shake out, I’ll get it done. Even without it, I’ve run 87% of my planned training miles so I’m feeling really good. I may be misremembering but I once heard Luke Humphrey say that if you finish 80% of your training, you’ll be in good shape. This shouldn’t be used as a reason to skip of course but I know this one run won’t make a big difference.

Speaking of 87%, that’s 543 miles in 15 weeks. I’ve never covered that mileage before and I’m no worse for the wear! Heading into this cycle, my fitness was below where it was when I last ran a marathon in 2018 but I’m guessing it’s really close and maybe even better now. My marathon specific fitness is definitely better because my training was more consistent. Needless to say, I’m really excited about the race on Sunday!

Happy running and Good Luck to all those at WDW this weekend!

 

[SheHulk]

Yay! Have a great race & vacation!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Woot woot! Have a great time!

 

[GollyGadget]

WDW Marathon Race Recap Pt 1
Well folks, it's been a minute but I survived the marathon. Before I go and spoil the whole thing with an intro, let's get into it!

Background
I ran the marathon as part of an extended family vacation. My mom ran the 5 & 10K and my brother and his family arrived the day before the marathon for a week long stay. We each kind of did our own thing but tried to coordinate plans when it made sense.

My partner and I are lucky enough to be able to work remotely so we decided we might as well avoid the cold for a few extra weeks. With this in mind, we needed accommodation that would be conducive to both of us being on calls and the doggies. This ultimately meant that we would stay off site. We rented a place in Sherwood Forest and have no complaints, we'll likely be back again to the same place next year.

However, the rest of my family was staying onsite and my mom was kind enough to let me crash in her room on Saturday night so that I could take the race buses and not leave my husband stranded somewhere in Kissimmee. This worked out really well for us, especially because it made spectating easier.

One last thing to mention is that I last ran a marathon in Jan 2018 at WDW for the 25th running of the event. I had no idea that a marathon could be so fun and vowed to be back for the next anniversary. My training had gone much better this time around and I had really high expectations for the race.

Pre Race
I woke up at 1:47a questioning all of my life's decisions but also excited for the day ahead. My mom and I made it on the first bus which departed just before the advertised time of 2:30a. There were at least 10 more buses lined up and ready at All Star Music.

We got to Epcot just as they were opening the security line and I had PLENTY of time to get into any shenanigans. My mom wanted to head straight to the MK as she has had trouble finding a spot in the past. They weren't actually letting people into MK until 4:30 so she waited at the GF until a monorail driver agreed to stop at MK.

Since I was on my own, it was a great time to get any pre race character photos but I wasn't interested. TBH, face characters creep me out. Also, Aladdin notwithstanding, just not the biggest fans of those movies (Hunchback, Hercules, & Tarzan all came out after 1994 so what were they doing there anyway?). These are both me problems, and that's fine. I hope that others were happy with these choices.

After deciding against character photos, I looked around for the meetup but my brain could not compute where it was supposed to be. I thought I was in the right general area but I did not see a light pole anywhere near.

It was still VERY early but I headed toward the corrals anyway because I wasn't sure what else to do. About an hour later, around 3:40, they opened the walk to the corrals and I hit the potty one last time.

I settled in along the rail in the middle of A. I was pretty surprised to be given an A spot but they relaxed the times a bit this year. I wanted to make sure that I didn't start out too fast so I didn't want to get caught up in the front too far. I spent the next 45ish minutes talking to some guy from Indiana. We both ran "just" the half in 2022 and agreed that those running Dopey were crazy .



Miles 1-9
I had been training for 8:41 mm and my plan was to start the race at 8:50 and then speed up later. My first 3 miles were between 8:40-46 so a bit faster than planned but right near my training paces. Last year, the ramps caused me a lot of pain at the end of the half and I could already feel them. Not exactly ideal but I was somehow able to tell my body that we still had a long way to go and the pain slowly disappeared.

By this time I really needed to use a bathroom. With all of the talk about the impending heat & humidity, I hydrated more than normal and apparently that was too much. I intended to stop inside Epcot but that first portion was so short, I blinked and it was over. No worries though, we were almost back to the start and I knew I'd have plenty of options. Mile 4, including the potty stop, was done in 9:41. This seemed right on target all things considered.

Tangent: this was my slowest mile of the race. I'm still kind of shocked about it. I'm fully bought in to the run slow mentality for easy days and pretty much never go faster than 10mm except on speed days. Because of this, I often forget how fast my paces can be during races.

There was nothing remarkable about mile 5 that I can remember. Shortly after, I stopped for my first character photo with Meeko. I was debating whether or not to stop for oogie but he wasn't out yet so that made for an easy decision . I didn't have a set plan going into the race but I knew that too many stops would cause problems for my legs so I was being a bit more selective than I would for a shorter race.

My official split time for the first 6 miles was 53:38. Everything was feeling really easy and I had to remind myself that's exactly how it should feel this early in the marathon. Disappointingly, we didn't get to run through the toll booth sign. I understand logistically why we were on the other side of the road, but I still missed it. Next, I stopped for photos with Pooh's friends before mile 8 because my niece is currently a huge fan. I also don't remember ever stopping for photos with them before so it was nice to have some new faces.


Running through the TTC was a lot of fun as always but I was anxiously awaiting my arrival to Main Street. The roar of the crowd and the first sight off the castle just can't be beat

To be continued...

 

[surfde22]

I had been training for 8:41 mm and my plan was to start the race at 8:50 and then speed up later. My first 3 miles were between 8:40-46 so a bit faster than planned but right near my training paces. Last year, the ramps caused me a lot of pain at the end of the half and I could already feel them. Not exactly ideal but I was somehow able to tell my body that we still had a long way to go and the pain slowly disappeared.

I had been training for 8:53 and my first 9 ranged from 8:31-8:51. I kept trying to tell myself to slow down, because it was still so early in the race and it was my fourth race in as many days, but it just wasn't happening. I kept waiting for it to get harder too, and luckily it never did.

By this time I really needed to use a bathroom. With all of the talk about the impending heat & humidity, I hydrated more than normal and apparently that was too much. I intended to stop inside Epcot but that first portion was so short, I blinked and it was over. No worries though, we were almost back to the start and I knew I'd have plenty of options. Mile 4, including the potty stop, was done in 9:41. This seemed right on target all things considered.

Tangent: this was my slowest mile of the race. I'm still kind of shocked about it. I'm fully bought in to the run slow mentality for easy days and pretty much never go faster than 10mm except on speed days. Because of this, I often forget how fast my paces can be during races.

Mile 11 was my slowest, thanks to a potty stop in Tomorrowland. It's also the reason I managed a negative split. I'm definitely a bit bummed I lost some precious time to the potty stop, but still beyond elated with my time.

My official split time for the first 6 miles was 53:38. Everything was feeling really easy and I had to remind myself that's exactly how it should feel this early in the marathon

My 10k split was 52:19, and I was a bit worried about the pace. I kept expecting it to get harder for me as the race went on, but I managed consistent splits throughout. Around the time my watch hit 26 miles, I thought I had a chance at going under 3:50, but my legs decided it wasn't in the cards for the day. There will always be a next marathon though

 

[GollyGadget]

I had been training for 8:53 and my first 9 ranged from 8:31-8:51. I kept trying to tell myself to slow down, because it was still so early in the race and it was my fourth race in as many days, but it just wasn't happening. I kept waiting for it to get harder too, and luckily it never did.


Mile 11 was my slowest, thanks to a potty stop in Tomorrowland. It's also the reason I managed a negative split. I'm definitely a bit bummed I lost some precious time to the potty stop, but still beyond elated with my time.


My 10k split was 52:19, and I was a bit worried about the pace. I kept expecting it to get harder for me as the race went on, but I managed consistent splits throughout. Around the time my watch hit 26 miles, I thought I had a chance at going under 3:50, but my legs decided it wasn't in the cards for the day. There will always be a next marathon though

I know some people map out the on course bathrooms but I rarely need them so haven’t bothered. So glad you had a great race anyway!

Do you have your next marathon planned? I’m still very undecided on when I’ll attempt it again.

 

[surfde22]

I know some people map out the on course bathrooms but I rarely need them so haven’t bothered. So glad you had a great race anyway!

Do you have your next marathon planned? I’m still very undecided on when I’ll attempt it again.

I didn't map out the bathrooms at all. I had needed to go for awhile, and just conveniently bumped into the Tomorrowland ones just after mile 10, so I took advantage.

I'm planning on Twin Cities Marathon in October, with a slight chance I'll shift it to Grand Rapids two weeks later. But most likely it will be Twin Cities.

 

[GollyGadget]

WDW Marathon Race Recap Pt 2
Mile 10 - Magic Kingdom
We entered from the backstage area next to Tony’s and quickly turned right up Main Street. It’s pretty jarring transition to go from quiet backstage area right into the cheering crowd. A few tears swelled into my eyes but quickly went away as I was focused on finding my mom. I absolutely love that she wakes up early to cheer for me but I felt like I was so focused on not missing her that I didn’t get to fully enjoy the experience.

After saying hi to my mom, it was into Tomorrowland and past the teacups. Even though the character list had been leaked, I was surprised to not see any characters in either of these areas. Every other time I’ve ran through MK there were characters in both of those locations. Not a big deal but I was a little confused. Next thing I knew thought I had ran past the Beast. He was pretty far off the course and since I’ve had his photo before, I just kept going straight through the castle.

This is always an interesting part of the course. Runners “in the know” start jockeying for position for a good photo. I found my window and crossed my fingers that no one would jump into the gap I had created.



Not too shabby . I do wish the photographers weren’t so zoomed in. Last year my castle shot had a lot more castle and I greatly prefer it.



Oh well, just a minor quibble. I stopped for a photo with Pluto and I’m glad I did. It’s one of my favorite character photos from the race.



We then took a slightly different route through Adventureland which was nice. It was still pretty dark but didn’t seem as dark as Frontierland. There was a quick turnaround just past Splash Mountain. I debated stopping for a quick selfie but since it was still so dark, I didn’t. Sadly after that it was time to leave MK.

Miles 11-16
My first thought as I exited MK: “is it really 5 miles until AK? I hope this goes quickly”. Good news is that it did, at least for me. I stopped for photos with Fat Cat & Chip n Dale. I was kind of sad not to see Monterey Jack but I was more disappointed there was no Gadget. That would have been a must stop!

I had loosely decided to stop for any Mickey & Friends characters so I stopped for Daisy. All of a sudden we were halfway and I was still feeling really good. My official time was 1:57:58 which would have been good for my 5th fastest half time ever. 🏎

Quickly after that was the Powerline photo stop which I was very curious about pre race. Would it be actual powerline? Did Disney have those characters? Would it be Mac dressed as powerline? Turns out it was just goofy dad and Max but I stopped anyway.

I thought my feet were starting to feel a little sore. My brain started wondering if I should buy more cushioned shoes in the future. Typically, I keep the cushion minimized because I don’t like a lot of drop or the squishy feeling of some cushions. I told my silly brain that I was wearing cushioned socks and that was good enough. The foot pain went away, never to be felt again. The brain is weird!

Miles 16-20
The sun was starting to come up so I put on my sunglasses. They weren’t really needed yet but it was light enough that I could wear them and I really wanted them out of my pocket.

As I approached AK, I was surprised to see others already exiting. Of course there were, I wasn’t setting any American records and they were only 2 miles ahead. I think it was because it was the first time I had seen the faster runners. While I do enjoy seeing the other runners, I now totally understand why others don’t particularly enjoy this aspect.

As usual, I found AK really enjoyable to run through. I didn’t see any spectators but I was probably just a few minutes too early. I skipped EE since it had made me a bit queasy the day before and I was still shooting for that sub 4. I do wish that we still ran through the AK parking lot. I know there isn’t much to see there but it was a really great spot to send spectators without a park ticket.



I had been fueling about every 20 minutes but it was starting to rumble in my tummy each time. This was a new and unwelcome sensation. Not sure exactly what to do, I decided to try to get more water at the next stop. This sort of worked. My stomach did calm down. However, I had walked through the water station to get two cups and that caused the back of my legs to tighten up just before mile 19.

There was really no option but to keep going but my legs were absolutely KILLING me. All I wanted to do was finish. Everything from my hamstring to my calf felt like it could burst at any minute. My pace slowed a bit and I crossed the 20 mile mark at 3 hours.

I was lucky to be distracted for a few minutes by looking for my partner. He was going to try to park at CSR and find me near mile 20 but where was he?!?

To be continued...

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Cliffhanger!

 

[SheHulk]

Cliffhanger!

Right??!! I feel like I'm the butt of one of those "How do you keep an idiot in suspense" jokes...

 

[lookingforsunshine]

I told my silly brain that I was wearing cushioned socks and that was good enough. The foot pain went away, never to be felt again. The brain is weird!

Can I borrow your brain?

I love your report so far! So jealous of that Eeyore photo! I agree that the Castle shot looks better zoomed out, but you still got a good photo this year.

 

[GollyGadget]

Can I borrow your brain?

As long as you promise to give it back

 

[GollyGadget]

WDW Marathon Race Recap Pt 3
The Final 10K
Up until mile 19, I was feeling really good. I was consistently surprised at how much distance I had already covered and what “little” there was left. That all changed at mile 20 with the intense tightness in both of my legs.

I know lots of people have problems this far into the race but usually it’s hitting the wall or the muscles wearing down. This was something else entirely. I still had plenty of energy and my legs didn’t feel heavy at all, just tight, incredibly tight.

As I turned the corner towards blizzard beach, I started getting worried that my partner had picked the wrong spot to stand and cheer. I didn’t really give him any instructions other than CSR is near mile 20 but CSR was also near mile 22. My fear was that he wouldn’t make it to the finish if he was, in fact, on the other side.

Nothing I could do about that now but keep moving. My legs hurt but I knew that if I was able to stay near 9mm that I would meet my goal of sub 4. I made my way into BB and hearing Cake’s “The Distance” was exactly what I needed.

(S)he’s going the distance
(S)he’s going for speed
She’s all alone
All alone in her time of need

I realized I have no idea what this song is actually about, but it was the pep talk that I needed.

I passed Donald Duck and was a little sad not to stop since it broke my plans of getting a photo with Mickey’s friends but my legs were not on board with anything that wasn’t continuous movement toward the finish.

As I made my way back toward CSR, I could see my partner on the sidewalk . As much as I love(d) Cake, I love him even more. This was another big boost just at the right time. All that was last was HS, the Boardwalk & Epcot. I got this! I did still worry a bit if my partner would make it, but that was for him to figure out .

Tangent: We were not staying at CSR so I had no idea if he’d be allowed to park there or not. He was able to enter the convention center parking without going through security. He then headed toward the road but got told that he couldn’t cheer in the median near the course because it was dangerous. So then he just crossed the street/course to the sidewalk and found a spot there. This definitely isn’t a sanctioned cheer zone, but it worked out perfectly for us. I got to see a familiar face during the worst part of the race and he got a spot that wasn’t as hectic as the finish.

I knew that Launchpad and Darkwing were supposed to be around here but I didn’t see them. Either they weren’t out yet or I was too focused on my mission to finish this darn thing. My partner did mention seeing “Chip” in the median and wondering how it was safe for the character but not a human. I was really confused about this conversation because I thought he meant Chip the teacup and I was totally bummed that I missed him. However, he meant Chip the chipmunk and now I wonder if he saw Launchpad. Anyway, that’s a lot of words to say that I didn’t see them but they were probably there.

Mile 23 and most of the rest of the race was a blur. All I could think about was the pain in my legs and how much I wanted to be done. I did get a bit of a boost when I realized it was only 5K left. A 5K is nothing. I got this. Plus, the faster I run , the faster I finish.

I remember running through HS and feeling sorry for Scrooge since no one wanted his photo. Also the water stops in this section were amazing. Several volunteers were reading the bibs and cheering for us by name.

As I rounded the corner into the boardwalk, I could see the genie had no line. I quickly debated snapping a quick photo since I didn’t during the W&D challenge, but that was far too many extra steps at this point in the course. I was almost to Epcot and all I could remember was how big Epcot actually is.

Despite the pain, I still did my best to smile for the cameras. Seriously, does this look like someone who can’t even think straight because she’s in so much pain?



By mile 25, I knew that my goal was in reach and at mile 26 I even thought about walking because that had to feel better than running did. I kept going and even pulled off a strong finish once I saw the clock. I was very close to having a finish time with a lucky 7 and I needed to at least try for it.



I ended up crossing the line with a finish time of 3:57:53! Just barely getting that lucky 7.

Unfortunately, I didn’t feel like celebrating at all. My legs were still mad. It hurt to walk. It hurt to stand. It hurt to sit. It all hurt. Some guy congratulated me and told me that I kept him going in the final miles. My brain could not compute this because I felt like a train wreck that was barely staying on the tracks. I really hope that i wasn’t rude to him in my response

Post Race
Once I reunited with my partner and mom the first words out of my mouth were: “never let me do that again.” And I meant it. I couldn’t imagine going through that painful experience again.

I somehow managed to hobble to the car. Strangely, by the time we made it back to our rental, my legs were fine. What was not fine was all the chafing! That may have been the most painful post-run shower of my life.

It took me a few days to process what happened. I still don’t really know. I wasn’t happy about how the race went. At first I thought it was my time. I was fairly confident going into the race and thought I would be a smidge faster but I don’t think that was it at all. I met my time goal. What disappointed me was the experience. Last time I ran the marathon I distinctly remember being surprised at how much fun I had. I know it’s not all rainbows and unicorns but that’s what I was expecting.

At this point, I’m not sure when I’ll run another marathon but it will be sooner than never. I need redemption. But I also may stick to shorter distances for a while and save the marathon for a few years. I guess time will tell.