My Running Journey

When I was in grade school, I was one of the slowest runners in my class.  I hated running and used to “cheat” on counting laps on days we had to run a mile.  Even having to run laps in basketball practice, I used to miscount a few times (a lot).  By the time I was in high school, I hated running just as much.   During my full year of gym classes Sophomore year, I would do just about anything to get out of running on mile Thursday.  I was in dance and always pretty active in sports, as long as it didn’t have running involved.

It wasn’t until my Senior year in college when everything changed.  A coaching change for dance meant that I did not make the team.  At the time, I felt like I lost my identity.  After 5 years of dance, it suddenly was no more.  I don’t remember why I started running but by the end of that year I was running about one to two miles in the morning.  Even when I graduated, came home, and started my Master’s program, I still ran about two miles every day for about a year.  I stopped running while I was on vacation in Paris and had a terrible pain in my leg, which was later determined to be a stress fracture in my left tibia.  I was convinced that if I ran, I would get hurt, so I stopped.

For several years I still kept up with cardio workouts on elliptical machines and the Gazelle (anyone remember that wonderful piece of equipment?).  Then when I was in my second year of law school, I started speed walking on a treadmill to release stress and sometimes to read outlines and note cards.  After law school, the speed walking turned more into a speed walk/run for about another year.  Until, once again, I had a stress fracture in my ankle and had to stop.  I didn’t have a lot of confidence in my legs that I would be able to start again.

Two years later, in 2009, I registered for my first running even, the local July 4^th 5k in my city.  One of my friends from college and her husband also signed up and I even convinced my dad to register, so at least I wasn’t going to be doing this by myself.  I had no intention to run this 5k and instead walked the 3.1 miles.  However, I remember seeing the runners at the start line in the bright colored shirts and tight fitting shorts and tanks, and thinking that runners are crazy.  I thought that these people are clearly not in their right mind and I hope that I never become one of those crazy runners. 

The following year was one of the most chaotic years of my life.  I signed up for the same 5k that I ran the year before, with the same intent to walk the entire race.  I trained for walking the race, and had even walked parts of the route prior to the race.  When the gun went off to start the race, I was walking, and saw all the people that were running past me.  Once I got up the giant hill about half a mile into the race, something happened and I don’t know what made me do it.  I started running and ran the rest of the race.  It was so liberating and all the stress that had been building up was gone for that short period of time.  It was also the first time I finished in under 30 minutes.

Later that summer and into the fall, I signed up for three more 5ks and wanted to keep getting faster and getting a better time.  Yet, the only ‘training’ I was doing for these races was on the elliptical machine, and I would just show up and run on race day.  After every 5k, my times were getting better and better.

In August of 2010, I made a decision that I was going to run a half marathon, but not just any half marathon, the Walt Disney World half marathon in 2012.  I didn’t know it then, but it was a decision that changed everything.  By the time registration rolled around in March of 2011, ironically while I was at Disney World for the Atlanta Braves Spring Training, I changed my mind about the half marathon.  If I was going to do this, I was going all out, so I signed up for the full marathon.  It was during this vacation in March of 2011, outside of the back doors of Disney’s Swan Hotel, that I first started training for something and that I felt like a runner.

In April of 2011, I ran my longest distance I had ever run, a 10k race in the unpredictable Wisconsin weather of a sleet/rain/snow combo.  In the beginning June, I ran another 10k, and had a setback that had previously deterred my desire to run – a stress fracture in my left foot.  The biggest mistake I made was continuing to run for an additional two weeks, even through the pain.  I stopped when I was on a running trail and started screaming as my foot collapsed beneath me.  I started working with a chiropractor, and after several pity parties with my BFF and vegan ice cream, I knew I had to overcome this. 

By the end of August, I was given clearance to run again – nice and easy.  The same day that I was given that clearance, I did a nice and easy 6.2 mile run.  I had been walking and doing other training exercises the weeks before, but that is not what my chiropractor meant.  At this point, I had about four weeks to train for my first half marathon – with my longest run only being 6.2 miles.  I only had three ‘long’ runs before the half –  8, 10 and 12 miles; a very condensed training program.  I still managed to run that half marathon in just under two hours, which was my goal was going into that race. 

After the half marathon, I took a week off from running.  My foot hurt, but I think it was more mental and fear of another stress fracture than anything else.  After the week long running vacation, I started training for the Disney Marathon, and never stopped.  Throughout training, I had knee pain, a strained nerve in my back, and hip/knee pain, but was determined to do this marathon – injury or no injury.

Making it to the start line of the marathon was almost a victory in and of itself.  In the days leading up to the marathon, I ran around parts of the resort and did the Disney 5k, and my leg and knee hurt.  I had no idea what was wrong, but I was going to run through it.  Once the gun went off for Corral B, and the marathon started, I made it to mile 1.85 before my leg started to hurt, but there was no way I was quitting.  I also knew that if I stopped to walk, I wouldn’t be able to finish.  I sucked it up and made it to somewhere between mile 23 and 24 when I took a bathroom break just before leaving Hollywood Studios.  When I started running again, just around the corner leaving the Studios, I screamed in pain and thought I blew out my knee.  I walked around the corner, saw the crowds, and ran through the pain to the finish.

My goal for the Disney Marathon was to finish in under 4:20, which I did, just barely at 4:19:21.  Yet, I was walking funny for about two days.  Once I returned home and got back to my chiropractor, I first learned about IT band syndrome and that I had it.  It was a little depressing since I couldn’t run for a few weeks, but once I started again, I knew I wanted to run more marathons and half marathons.  Somewhere along those 26.2 miles at Disney World, I not only found something that I loved to do, I found myself.  I found somewhere where I fit in, where I belonged.

A year later – 2013 Disney World Marathon – I had come full circle.  It went from a decision to a way of life.  I love the medals, crossing the finish line, the feeling of accomplishment, challenging myself to be better, the competition…everything.  I know there will be setbacks and there will be and are times I want to quit or question why I am doing this, but it’s more than just running.  It’s about strength, determination, and doing something that I was once told I was not good at or motivated enough to do.  But more importantly, it’s about turning around that little voice inside my head that used to say ‘why me?’ Now that voice says, ‘why not me?’

2013 Disney Marathon Recap

What are you afraid of? How bad do you want it?

Two questions that seemed to keep going through my mind in the hours leading up to the 5:30 a.m. start time for the Disney Marathon.  I kept thinking about my time, the medal, finishing, and the humid weather.  After all, it was just two days before the marathon that I had one of my worst 5k times in years - and it wasn't just stopping for character pics.  The weather was hot, humid, my shoelace that never comes untied came untied...but at least it was only a 5k that wasn't timed.  This was the marathon!!

For me, marathon morning starts with a bus ride from the Swan Hotel to the start line.  Even though I was on the first bus that left that morning, I was nervous and anxious that I was going to be late.  It was only 3:00 a.m., but it's like being on the bus of doom, wondering what have I gotten myself into...AGAIN!!!  Once the bus arrived in the EPCOT parking lot, it was time to go to the race retreat and get stretched out before making the long walk to the start line.  I was only in the race retreat tent for about twenty minutes, after eating my Clif bar and just starting to use my foam roller, when the announcement came for all Coral A runners to make their way to the start line. WHAT???!!!!  I was so completely not ready, but I quickly packed up and dropped off my bag, and got in the big gob of people walking to the corals.  

The distance from the race retreat to the start line seems to take forever, it must be at least a mile (or two).  The temperature wasn't awful, but I still had my throwaway blanket with me, courtesy of Delta airlines.  But I was still so incredibly nervous.  Somewhere along that long walk on the highway full of runners, I made the decision that I just wanted to get a PR (personal record) on the course.  My time the year before for my first ever marathon was 4:19:21, and I was certain I could do better than that.  As I made my way into Coral A, I still get the feeling that I don't belong there, yet very proud that I do.  I got as close to the front as I could possibly get, which was about three to four people behind the starting line.  At least I've overcome my fear of getting run over if I'm too close to the start line.

There was still so much running through my head.  What if my Fox Cities Marathon time of 3:35 was a fluke? What if I get hurt again? What if I can't finish? What if it gets too hot and the race is cancelled (Cellcom)? What if I forget how to run? And the came the announcement that the wheelchairs were starting in one minute...and Coral A five minutes after.  It was time!!!  I threw the Delta blanket into the throwaway area, got my iPod ready with an acceptable first song (Some Nights by Fun – one of my favorite running lyrics “I sold my soul for this”), and got the Nike+ app ready on my iPhone.  Ready or not, this was going to happen.  

Once the few wheelchair races took off, the five minutes turned to thirty seconds, to five seconds to the fireworks going off and Coral A starting.  Every fear that was going through my head suddenly melted and my feet, legs and brain took over to do what they were trained to do - run fast.  The first few miles seem to be the most difficult as some people start out very fast, faster than they should, and everyone is trying to find their pace.  I always have to remind myself that I have to run my own race at my own pace, which would have been easier to do if I did not get caught up in the 3:05 pace group at mile 3 and they just would not seem to go away until about a mile later.  

Through the castle

The race route was new this year and the Magic Kingdom was at about mile 5 or 6 instead of mile 11 or 12 in years past.  Entering the Magic Kingdom is one of my favorite parts as the race route goes under the monorail tracks in almost complete darkness to the MK backlot to Main Street.  As 22 by Taylor Swift came on my iPod, I ran into the Magic Kingdom, had it in my head that every spectator was there to see me as I could hear the cheers over the music, and ran my fastest time of the whole race.  Running down Main Street, through Tomorrowland, to Fantasyland and through the Castle, was amazing.  

As the race continued through Frontierland and out of the park, it was still very dark, and while the forecast called for a hot, humid day, there was a slight cool breeze on the road leading up to the Disney Speedway.  In as many trips to Disney World that I have taken, I had never been to the Speedway so I didn't know what it looked like or how to get there.  The entrance to get into the race track was a very steep decline followed by an equally steep inclining hill, and on the declining hill, my knee buckled.  Thankfully, it took only a minute or so to correct itself, and the track on the inside was very flat and very fast.  

The next part of the race is pretty boring, running on Disney back roads and highways to get to the Animal Kingdom, but it was the first and only time that someone cut me off.  A guy in blue with Venezuela printed on his back was weaving in and out and cut in front of me on a part of the highway, not bad enough to break my pace, but enough to tick me off.  I know that I did pass him later in the race and I am pretty sure he finished behind me.  It just upsets me when someone who starts in the first coral doesn't know race etiquette.  

The road right before the Animal Kingdom runs through the sewer treatment part of Disney and it smells so bad.  As much as I want to hold my breath on this road, I can't. In my opinion, it is the worst part of the course, but there's no way to avoid it in order to connect the race with the parks.  Yet, by this time, the sun was just starting to provide a little bit of daylight to show that Animal Kingdom and the awaiting sheep were just ahead.  

Animal Kingdom - Expedition Everest

To be clear, except for the Jingle Jungle 5k during the Wine and Dine weekend, my experiences running through the Animal Kingdom has been nothing but an epic failure.  In the 2012 marathon, the sun was so bright that I could not see where I was going and I struggled on the uneven surface.  In the 2012 Wine and Dine Half marathon, it was so dark that I could not see where I was going, had an anxiety attack at about mile 4, and thought I was going to blow the whole race.  So, I am not usually too excited to see the Animal Kingdom, but the marathon was approaching the half-way point, and this was the last park until mile 23 at Hollywood Studios, so the Animal Kingdom was the perfect time for a quick bathroom break in a real bathroom.

  

For me, the best part of the Animal Kingdom is when it's over and I make it through the parking lot and onto the highway.  The entrance of the WWoS was about mile 17, I was getting excited for two things - running through Champion Stadium, the Spring Training home of the Atlanta Braves, and the mile 20 celebration.  

I had never before run through WWoS before, but I was at least familiar with the baseball fields that I had been visiting since the late 1990s.  When I saw the stadium, and the door that was open for where the players usually go in, I couldn't believe it was really happening...I am going to run on the same field the Braves play on.  Yes, I've been to Turner Field, sat in the Braves dugout and for a brief moment stepped on the field, but this was different.  It was on this field that I saw my first Braves game where John Smoltz pitched against Roger Clemons (pre-drug allegations), and where I first saw Chipper Jones, Bobby Cox, and had returned over the years to get many autographs and bake in the heat of the Spring Training games.  

Running on the Braves warning track

The first step onto the warning track was a little odd.  I had been running on pavement and hard surfaces the whole race, and the track was soft and took a few steps to get used to.  But, it was wonderful.  Running past first base, then home, then third base to the outfield...dream come true.  I had the brilliant idea that I had to run my hand along the outfield wall, which I did, but it was very cool and wet, and then I had a very wet hand.  There still was excitement ahead for the mile 20 celebration...and it was so close...and it was Disney so it had to be something great.

I could see the mile 20 sign up the road, then some puppeteer Disney characters along the side of the road, and Mickey and Minnie waving from atop a raised platform.  As I ran under the mile 20 arch, I am pretty sure I was thinking what everyone else was going to think...seriously, that was it?  All the build up to the mile 20 celebration surprise and that was it?  Not even a band or fireworks?  That's all?  Though at mile 20, all I was thinking about was my very affectionate name for the upcoming road to Hollywood Studios - Hell Highway - and getting to the finish line.  

Running out of WWoS and back onto the highway it started to sink in that it was almost the end, and just keeping it in my head that this was fun and not to give up.  At mile 21, the turnoff came for Hell Highway finally came.  It was at this point in 2012 when I started to see runners drop to the side and either stretch or drop out of the race and my IT band really started to flare up.  It starts with a slanted highway hill-like ramp before leveling out to a downhill stretch to a flat, even road, to a slow uphill before another sharp ramp corner just before Hollywood Studios.  It wasn't as bad during this race as the flat part of the highway was shaded by trees, but it was the point where everyone's pace seemed to be slowing from under an 8 minute mile to just a little over an 8 minute mile.  

When I got to Hollywood Studios, all I could think of was the finish, but I couldn't remember the route for the marathon.  The Wine and Dine half marathon spent forever in HS, but I thought the marathon was quicker.  All I remember about this part of the race was the backlots, the big blue monster from Monsters Inc., and my legs starting to cramp up.  Going back to the Fox Cities Marathon in September, my legs cramped up at mile 23 and I had to walk/run to the finish line.  Since that time, I read up on what I needed to do to not let that happen.  So just after mile 23, I unzipped my Spi-Belt and pulled out my delicious packet of salt.  I do carry water with me when I run, but it had run out somewhere in WWoS and was long gone by this point.  I had no choice but to down a packet of salt to stop the cramping, and it tasted awful.  There was a bubbler (Wisconsin term for drinking fountain) a little while later, but that taste didn't go away so easy.  However, it worked!!!  The leg cramping stopped!!

The 2012 Disney Marathon was very painful for me as I had a strained IT band, but didn't know it until after the race.  By the time I was in Hollywood Studios, the pain was pretty severe.  After a bathroom break just before the exit to the park, I started running again, but screamed in pain as I thought I blew out my knee.  I was still able to finish, running even, but that spot just outside HS had haunted me.  So this year, when I got to that point in the race, I knew I was stronger, better prepared and not injured.  As I turned the corner and saw all the spectators cheering, the pain of the year before was a distant memory.  I ran past the spectators, raised my hands to get them to cheer louder, and made my way to the trail to the Boardwalk - again a cool shaded path.  

When I saw mile 24 on the Boardwalk path all I could think of was, "I have this, I'm not going to blow this again."  Back to the September race when I missed qualifying for the 2013 Boston Marathon by 36 seconds, yet qualified for 2014 - it was still a disappointment that I didn't want to repeat.  Things were starting to hurt a bit, and I made the decision to walk up the two hills - one on the way to the Yacht/Beach resorts and the other on the way to EPCOT.  I also made the decision to have my one water stop on the course in the EPCOT backlot just before entering the park.  I wanted to conserve energy to finish the race and I was still on pace to finish under 3:35.  I felt that everything I was doing was necessary to get to the finish line.  

It's Dopey!!!

Once in EPCOT, and past mile 25, I just wanted to focus on the end.  When I saw the big EPCOT ball across from Japan, it seemed so far away.  I  focused on getting from one country to the next, and I can remember being so happy - the whole race was happy.  I didn't hit the wall and this was the best race on earth.  Then, it happened.  I saw Dopey at the Germany pavilion.  I have never stopped for a character photo during a timed Disney race, but I was so overly happy to see Dopey that in my 25 mile mind, it was necessary.  After all, most days, we have a lot in common.  I gave Dopey a big, sweaty hug, got a picture and ran on.  

I was suddenly past all the countries and waving at Duffy the Disney Bear who was blowing air kisses and waving at me.  The EPCOT ball was now really close and I knew I was going to get under 3:35.  I ran past the big EPCOT ball, past the choir that is at about mile 26 to a bigger chorus of spectators at the finish line.  There it was, just a little over 3 and a half hours later...the FINISH LINE!!!!  

I shut my iPod off to hear the announcer say my name and the spectators cheer.  I saw Minnie and gave her four and crossed the finish line.  But most important, I remembered to stop my Nike+ GPS.  I looked back at the clock and saw 3:34, then I saw my dad on the sidelines and I began to jump up and down screaming, "I'm really going to Boston!!"  My Fox Cities Marathon time wasn't a fluke, and as the tears came to my eyes, I was just so incredibly ecstatic and proud.  

Finish Line!!!  Net Time 3:33:43

The Mickey Marathon medal was huge and so well worth the wait.  I was ushered to an ice area and had ice put on my knee, but I don't know why because my calf hurt worse.  It was probably something in my post-marathon brain that thought it would be a good idea.  There is also usually a lot of post-marathon ideas that seem good at the time but make absolutely no sense at all. 

This year was a good year though since I found my way to the race retreat and didn't get lost like the year before, got my pretty red Mickey marathon socks, and made it to the right location to pick up my bag.  Sitting down in the race retreat tent was a huge mistake as my legs immediately cramped up.  It felt so good and so bad at the same time.  I pulled out my post-race food from my bag - Golden Oreos and orange soda, but Diet Coke sounded better.  I don't think there was ever a point in my life that Diet Coke tasted so incredibly wonderful.  

Sometimes I wish I wasn't so competitive and that I wasn't always trying to beat my best PR, but it's who I am.  It's always a competition with myself.  There is no race like a Disney race, and without the goal I had to run the Disney marathon in 2012, I may never have taken up running at all.  I'm a Disney girl and I love running, which makes runDisney the perfect combination.

Most people think your life changes forever the second you cross the finish line.  Runners know that your life changes forever the second you decide to go to the starting line.

 ( I know this might be long, but I'm very new to this blogging thing...so maybe shorter and sweeter is in my future! And I like to paint a picture - I blame my high school and college English teachers for that.)