Even thought there will probably
be about 20,000 other recaps about the WDW Marathon weekend, this is mine and
we all have a different story.
Just getting to Orlando from
Wisconsin was like a mental, stressful marathon with cancelled flights, delays,
no sleep, and wondering if there would even be a way to get there. After sitting in an airport for almost five
hours, watching and waiting for a flight to come in from Atlanta, hope seemed
to be diminishing. When I saw that the
flight from Atlanta was cancelled, and the time of departure for our flight was
changed back to the original departure time, I started crying. A minute later came the announcement that the
Atlanta flight was cancelled, BUT they had a spare plane and a spare crew to
get us to Atlanta and be the only flight to leave the Appleton/Green Bay area
since that Saturday (it was Tuesday when we left). Finally arrived in Orlando and got to the
hotel at 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday, just in time to get a very few hours of sleep and
get to the expo.
I got to the expo at about 11:00
on Wednesday and it was so empty, mainly due to the long, long, long, lines of
people waiting to get runDisney New Balance shoes. Already knowing my corral placement for the
marathon in C, the lowest I have ever been, I was a little nervous about my 5k
and 10k placements. When I got my 10k
bib and saw C, I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry right there in the middle
of the expo floor. Not only had I been
training for this marathon, but doing many Friday 8 mile runs at my 10k speed
to try and place. I knew there was
little to no chance of changing my corral, but I had to try.
First person at Runner’s
Relation that I talked to was very short with me, looked me up in the computer
and saw I had no proof of time, and would not help. When I said that I probably had no chance of
placing now, she said I was probably right.
Got back in line to talk to another person, who was much nicer, and she
told me that she couldn’t do anything, but to go upstairs to the other RR
booth. When it finally clicked that I
did send proof of time and I could have the e-mails to prove it. But, after searching and searching on my
phone, I could not find any of the e-mails except the ones for Wine and Dine
proof of time. I knew when they were
sent, I even knew the name of the person I e-mailed with – which really
helped. Eventually, they agreed to
change it to A, but it really is frustrating.
I said it so many times over the
first few days, but it really sucks when the dishonest people ruin it for
everyone else. This includes those that
lie to get placement in a better corral that they have no business being in,
without thinking of anyone behind them that might get hurt by having to pass
them or really, without thinking of anyone but themselves. I know a lot of people weren’t happy with
their half marathon or marathon placements, but I think it was better overall
than in years past.
Next up was the 5k on Thursday
morning. I was in Corral C, but snuck
into B because I didn’t want to get hurt by tripping over someone or getting
cut off. I am that person I complain
about that cuts into another corral. I
was still mad that I was in B and not A, so I ran the race mad, which was not a
good idea. Usually for a 5k I am in the
front of the pack and can stop at all the character spots for pics without a
line. But, by the time I got to any
characters, the lines were crazy long and I just wanted to finish. After I got past all the walkers from corral
A, I finished with the middle of the A corral.
Running a 5k, that was not timed and just a fun run, in under 23 minutes
when I still had a 10k and a marathon do to, was not in my plans. But, I have my rubber Pluto medal from
running the 5k.
Next up on Friday morning was
the 10k. After all the drama of getting
into Corral A for the 10k, I felt that I had to run the best I could and try to
place. All I wanted was the chance, and
starting in C would not have given me the chance. The morning of the race, it was really hot
and humid, like running in soup. Since
it was a new course, I didn’t really know what to expect. I found the first three miles that were out
of the part to be rather boring, with not really too much to look at other than
the road. After mile 3, the turn off on
the road went into EPCOT, and at this point, I could feel the runners that were
around me start to slow down, but I just pushed on because there were only
three more miles left.
Once inside EPCOT, the route
became familiar – go around the countries, turn left to the International
Gateway, once around the Boardwalk/Yacht/Beach Club resorts and back to EPCOT
that would be going in the same entrance as the end of the Wine and Dine
course. One thing about the 10k’s at
Disney, there is always the question of who is going to show up and how fast
they are going to be. If I would have
known that I was in second in my age group with a minute and a half to spare, I
would have stopped by one character stop, but I still got four of them after
the race. When in line for Minnie Mouse,
I got the text from my friend Kacey that I was in second in my age group. I almost started crying. All I wanted was the chance, and sometimes it
pays to fight for yourself to prove that you are capable of taking that chance
and doing great things.
Saturday was a rest day, a big
rest day. After very little sleep during
the week up to that point, I think I slept for about ten hours. I don’t think I left the room for a long
period of time since I was trying to rest up for the marathon and make sure
everything was recovered from the 10k before Sunday.
After only three hours of sleep
Saturday night, the wake-up call at 2:00 a.m. for marathon day came way too
soon. I was on the very first bus at
3:00 a.m. to get to the race retreat.
The previous two years, I had gone to the race retreat, sitting at a
random table and hoping that someone would talk to me to calm me down since I
get so nervous before marathons.
However, this year was different.
For the first time, I was not alone.
I had a table of familiar faces and wonderful people to talk to, which
was such a welcome change of pace. I
didn’t have any goals set for myself for this marathon, and my dad kept saying
that I had nothing to prove. I had
already qualified for Boston 2015, so for this marathon, I didn’t have to push
to get that qualifying time. It was
refreshing to have people tell me before the race to just have fun because it
really helped take the pressure off.
I am a race perfectionist. I have had a Boston Qualifying time in the
four prior marathons before this one, and didn’t really know if I could even
put the thought in my head of not getting another BQ time. I put a lot of pressure on myself and
sometimes feel that if I don’t get a certain time or if I don’t live up to
certain expectations that I fail. Sometimes
it is a burden to be known as a fast runner because if you don’t get the right
time, or get the right placement, it feels like a huge let down. I don’t know why I run fast and I don’t know
how it happened. I don’t know what type
of race I will have on a given day, which makes running this big unknown.
However, the day of this
marathon, I felt different and that the pressure was off. Nothing to prove.
Starting in Corral C was a whole
new thing for me. Never have I been
below B, but I was also with Kacey, who I’m sure had never been in C before
either. I knew we would not run the
first half together since I go out too fast, but I thought she would catch me
and we would run the second half together.
The first few miles are always tough as I try to find my pace and adjust
to the road. I knew by the time I got to
Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) that I was off pace from the previous year,
and I think that played with my head a little bit, but seeing all the fans at
TTC was just amazing.
The down and up hill by the
Contemporary Resort is always a little tough, especially going up, but it isn’t
nearly as bad as some of the monsters I had conquered in previous months. Next up was the Magic Kingdom, and I was so
ready for the first park because I was just feeling a little off.
In the backlot of the Magic
Kingdom, “Miracles Happen” started playing on my ipod and it gave me so much
energy that I ran into the Magic Kingdom with my arms up and screaming. The crowd went crazy. I ran down Main Street slapping hands with as
many spectators as I could before making the turn into Tomorrowland. Then I saw Tigger, and if there would not
have been a five person line for him, I would have stopped. I got so excited when I started running
towards the back of the castle. Once
inside, I yelled “okay everyone, arms up!”
The guy next to me looked at me a little funny before reluctantly
putting his arms up – he’ll understand when he looks at his castle pictures.
One of the things I remembered
when I was running out of the castle was the picture in front of the
castle. When I ran in 2012, my dad went
to the Magic Kingdom to watch me and told me to get in front of the castle for
a picture. However, I refused and kept
on running. This year, I saw a girl in
front of me run over for a picture, so I did too. In my absolute marathon crazy mind, I jumped
in front of the castle, something I would probably regret a few miles later,
but I finally got my picture in front of the castle during the marathon.
I’m always a little disappointed
that the time in the Magic Kingdom is so short.
It seems like we just get in and minutes later, it’s all over. I wasn’t enjoying my time on the road from
the Magic Kingdom to the Disney Speedway.
It was dark, the road was black and there were car lights on the right
that were playing tricks with my eyes.
But, still pushing on and waiting for the Speedway to have something
else to look at.
Then it happened. I think what is any runner’s worst fear
during any race, an injury. At exactly
mile 7, right when I got to the mile 7 marker, I felt a very sharp pain in my
left knee and I knew immediately it was my IT band. I didn’t stop running, but there were so many
things going through my head very quickly.
What if I couldn’t finish? If I kept going would I make it worse? If I
quit I wouldn’t get my medal. If I quit,
I would be a quitter. About half a mile
later I passed buses that would be taking people to the finish line if they
were to get swept. For a second I
thought about getting on the bus, then I thought about how disappointed I would
be and everything changed.
I had to keep pushing on. I knew that if I completely fell apart, at
some point, someone would see the orange MM bib on my back and would help me
finish. I knew that I was not a quitter
and I would get through this, and I had the words “we are blessed to be doing
this” running through my head. But there
was no question, I would be running the remaining 19 miles in pain.
Once I hit the flat part of the
Speedway, things started feeling a little better. I set a new goal in my head to finish in
under four hours, so I took the pressure off of trying to get a BQ time and had
it in my head to have fun. I could
either complete the next 18-19 miles in pain, and be miserable; or I could be
in pain and have as much fun as a person in pain and running a marathon can
possibly have.
Right after the Speedway, I got
locked into about a 7:45 pace with another runner who would run with me until
we got to Animal Kingdom (AK). We ran next to
each other, looked for each other when someone cut between, and for those fourish
miles, we were totally in sync – until my AK bathroom break. I have one planned break in this marathon,
and it is the bathroom right before Everest in the AK because it is the best
bathroom on the whole course. I think I
really took my time, even fueling up outside the bathroom before getting back
on course – probably a total of about 2 to 2 ½ minutes. Oops!
It was necessary.
I started to have a bit of a
hard time on the highway heading to Wide World of Sports (WWoS). I had some walk breaks, and water breaks, but
still kept going forward. I had known
that Kacey would catch me, and she did with her pace group just before mile
15. I ran with them for a few minutes,
as long as I could, but I couldn’t keep a consistent pace with a group and when
I dropped back I yelled to her to go be amazing (and she was).
Running through the WWoS was a
little difficult. For one, I had some
guy that kept on getting in front of me, like right in front of me, and cutting
me off when there was no one else within ten feet of us. And, running in WWoS takes forever. I do like the change of surface when running
on the track and the softer gravel. It
was a wonderful for my legs to have something more cushiony to run on. I do like running in Champion Stadium and
always remember the many Braves Spring Training games and all the great
baseball players I had watched over the years play on the field. I wanted to touch the outfield wall where the
Braves logo was, but there was a big puddle in front of it.
Running out of WWoS and near
mile 20, my left IT band started to hurt all the way up to my hip, and my right
ankle, that had been bothering me for weeks, was throbbing. I just kept thinking that it was almost over,
and I had come this far – no quitting.
Then came the turn onto ‘Hell Highway,’
the highway stretch on the way to Hollywood Studios that seems to claim
so many runners year in and year out. As
always, the Green Soldier was at the corner to motivate all runners to keep
going. I am always so determined not to
let this stretch of road beat me, but I did have to take at least one walk
break (but so did many others).
After making the turn into
Hollywood Studios (HS), there was a new pain in my right hip, the one that
usually hurts. At that moment, I thought
of an attorney running friend, a cancer survivor, who has run many marathons
and I’m sure in a lot of pain. Yet, he
always shuffles through, keeps a steady pace, and finishes. There was no way I could stop when I know
that there are runners out there, and those that can’t run, who are in much
more pain than me everyday. Keep
smiling, keep having fun, push through.
I saw a lot of people during the
course of the marathon that were struggling or maybe having an off day, and if
they started walking and I ran past them, I would make sure to ask if they were
okay. When I was in a tunnel at HS, two
runners were holding up another runner who was not looking good at all. I ran ahead to the end of the tunnel and saw
two volunteers. I yelled to them that
there was someone in the tunnel that needed help, and about 100 yards later, I
saw two medics running back in that direction.
Never want to see anyone get hurt or be in poor health during a marathon
– I knew he would be well taken care of, but it rattled me a bit to see someone
struggling that badly.
Finally, seeing the hat and
knowing that HS was almost over is a great feeling since HS is always park
since it falls on miles 22-23ish of the course.
When running out of HS, I passed the point by the bathrooms where in
2012 I had such bad pain in my right IT band, I screamed and almost fell to the
ground in pain. I shook my head this
time and said that I might be in pain, but you are not getting me this
year.
The crowd at HS and going to the
Boardwalk path was a little thin this year, but the fans that were there
cheered as loud as they could. I kept
running on as much as I could and was not even thinking about taking walking
breaks. I wasn’t even looking at my pace
at this point, I think I stopped about mile 18.
I just knew I was almost at the end and had to get going.
There was a moment that sticks
in my head, and I don’t know why I thought it, but just after the Swan/Dolphin
bridge and making the right turn onto the boards at Yacht Club, I thought, ‘I
am so glad that my parents taught me not to quit.’ I don’t know where it came from, but thinking
about it later on how many times I wanted to quit piano and guitar lessons to
have more time to spend with my friends that weren’t tied down to lessons and
practicing, but the answer was always no.
There was no quitting. It was one
of those things where parents say – you’ll thank me later. Well, it came about twenty something years
later, but the thank you came.
Flashback over, back to the
marathon. I got so excited when I got to
Epcot – just ONE mile left. I tried to
run as much as I could, and just before my iPhone died, I knew I was doing
about an 8:12 pace, which was crazy. I
wasn’t shuffling, I was freaking running.
Well, running, with a few walk breaks since the pain was pretty
intense. Then I saw him…Duffy the Disney
Bear. My favorite made-up Disney
character! There was no line for Duffy,
so I ran to him with open arms. If there
was ever a character to have an ‘oh crap’ moment, I think it was Duffy when I
ran at him as fast as I could, almost knocking him over when I hugged him. I was so excited to get my last character pic
with Duffy before making my way to the finish.
I ran out of EPCOT with the
biggest smile on my face I could have.
As soon as I saw the crowd, my arms were pumping and I was screaming and
they were cheering. It’s the best
feeling ever. There was a huge smile
running to the finish line, and a huge feeling of accomplishment. I finished with a time of 3:44:38, while in
pain and injured. It wasn’t a BQ time,
but I felt pretty bad ass. I had so much
fun on the course.
I had thought I would have been
so disappointed if I failed to get a BQ time, but looking back on the race, and
knowing what I pushed through and battled through physically, it felt like I accomplished
so much more. I keep thinking in my head
that if I can run 3:44 injured, just imagine what I can do when I rest and
heal.
In a few days, I will start the
next cycle of training for a marathon, but this time it will be different, I
will be training to run my first Boston Marathon. Because of all the events surrounding the
marathon this year, it feels like the whole world will be tuning into an event
that I will be running. No pressure,
right?
What I did not put into this
recap are the things that happened before and after the races and meet-ups with
the most amazing running faMMily ever. I
am not going to name any names or even our faMMily name, but without these
wonderful people, I would not be able to do what I do. The support that we give each other by far
surpasses anything that could come from a running group. We laugh and cry together, and I think that I
know more about them than I do my own family.
It doesn’t matter who is fast or slow or somewhere in between, because
we care about each other as people, not as runners. Running is just one of the main things we
have in common and it brings us together.
I love my faMMily and feel so blessed to be a member.
Walt Disney World 5k, 10k, and Marathon –
mission complete.
Next up…Boston Marathon. I’ll be ready.
