My 3:00 wake up call came and I rolled out of bed.
3:00 AM? Dang. My wake up was 2:00. I think at 3:00 I was sitting on the bus. No wonder I didn't see you.
I had this headband custom made for me from someone on Etsy and I love it.
He took this picture of me that shows I was losing my mind a little bit.
See I look a little crazy.
I think most of us look like that before the start of a full marathon. Seriously, we
must be insane to want to run 26.2 miles. Here's a link to my one of my favorite Garfield comic strips (Oct 18, 2010 strip if this link takes you to the current strip instead)
http://www.garfield.com/comics/vault.html?yr=2010&addr=101018 I think most people feel that way about running in general and that we really are nuts to want to do 26 miles at once!
So that's what the front looked like. I was in Corral B, right behind that front wave. I think I stepped off at 5:43.
This is an old map from back when they used 2 starts. This year they just did 1 starting area so we all ran the Red Start.
I was in Corral B both last year and this year so last year I ran the Blue Start - which no longer exists as you just pointed out.
I don't know if it was b/c last year was not only my first Disney marathon but my first marathon ever, but I prefer the Blue Start. I saw several "old timers" comment on how this year those of us in the upper corrals (minus the Elites) would finally get to run through the front of EPCOT and how much we'll love it. Me? Not so much. I really liked last year's experience better. You had to run around EPCOT more on the old Blue Start but you were in the World Showcase longer on the Blue Start and I
loved running through the World Showcase in the dark with those torches lit.
So I decided pre race that Id try to only stop if the lines were short and if they were characters I didnt normally get to meet.
Going in to a race I *think* like this but when in the race I just can't seem to make myself stop for a picture. So me, having run two WDW races now, = zero character pictures. Yup. Zero.
Kinda cool. I was just really glad we were well past the real Epcot ball at this point.
Mile 7 hit.
Last year this hot air balloon threw me. Like I said, with the old Blue Start it seemed like you were running around EPCOT
forever. Every time I turned there's Spaceship earth
again. I saw this hot air balloon last year but when I first saw it the Mickey hand was turned away from me and I couldn't see that part. It looked like I was heading toward Spaceship Earth
again! I remember turning to a guy running next to me and was like "Again?!?!" and he was like "Oh crap!" Then we got closer and could see that it wasn't the real Spaceship Earth.
This year I could tell from first sight that it was the hot air balloon, the hand was turned toward me and I was also expecting it this year.
Id just left the TTC and was on my way to the Magic Kingdom
I managed to avoid the port-a-potties this year!
I stopped at the TTC and then again at DHS. Both bathrooms were deserted. It was so nice to be able fully wash my hands and feel clean. Were you so lucky?
This reminded me of the previous January when Liz and I stayed here. Last year when we ran by during the half it was cold and sleeting. I remember thinking, Lets just bag this thing and head up to our room. Im grateful the weather was much better this year. In fact it was pretty much perfect marathon weather. Id say it was in the upper 40s to mid 50s throughout most of the race. That may sound chilly, but when you are running that is about perfect.
The weather was perfect. I was so worried going in that it would be too hot. At work there'd be low 70's temp days and someone would make a comment about how lovely the weather is and how I should go for a run that day. I'd try to explain to them that 70's is way too hot for distance. I don't know if a non-runner will ever understand that. I didn't until I started running distance.
Can't wait to read more and see all of the awesome character photos that I never took.
Can't wait for more 
