Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon May 5, 2013 – Where Pigs Fly

The Flying Pig Marathon was something I anticipated for months and months, then weeks and weeks, especially after Boston.  I had my mind set on breaking 3:30, even if it was by one second.  I had looked at the course map, the elevation, and really didn’t think too much of the hills everyone had warned me about.

I went to the expo on both Friday and Saturday because it was amazing!  I don’t think I have ever been to an expo that was so big and had so many quality vendors.  Everything was themed “Flying Pig” from the decorative pigs to the pig shaped balloons.  By the time I got to the end of the expo to pick up my t-shirt, poster, and cooler (great race swag), my plastic bag check bag was already full of great free expo stuff.  I went back on Saturday 'just to get a t-shirt' and ended up with arm sleeves, three tech shirts, a stuffed pig, magnets, oh, and a t-shirt.

Any Saturday before a marathon is what I deem to be very lazy time.  It’s about concentrating on eating the right things, nothing new, and making sure that there is enough, but not too much, fuel in the tank for the marathon.  Since the Hyatt restaurants were under construction, they had a make-shift, all you can eat, pasta bar.  I think I would have failed on the all you can eat part, but I took it to go and made it dinner for Saturday and Sunday nights. 

The morning of the marathon is always full of anxiety for me, but I was much, much calmer at the start of the Flying Pig than I was at the start of the Disney Marathon just a few months before.  For instance, I didn't doubt that I could run and finish the course in the time I wanted, and I didn’t almost start crying 10 minutes before the start (but after knowing the course now, maybe I should have).  

The pre-race tribute to Boston with Amazing Grace being played on the bag pipes was very moving and I think it reminded all of us why we were there and that we can do this, overcome, and stand strong as a running community.  We are runners, nothing will stop us.  Suddenly, the gun went off to start.  I started in Pig Pen B, so as I inched toward the starting line, I could hear Sweet Caroline playing, and took off. 

The first mile was deceiving because it was flat, but shortly after, there was a turn onto a bridge and then it’s Kentucky.  So I guess I ran a marathon in two states in one day, right?  The next turn I remember was a turn on another bridge to go back to Ohio, and then it was a slow uphill on that bridge until the course flattened out for the next few miles. 

The fan support running on 7^th Street just at mile 5 and beyond, was constant and it was one of the best miles of the marathon, probably because it was before all the pain of the hills that were just around the corner - I had no idea what was coming up ahead.

OMG the hills!  Even at the expo when I watched the hills and talked about them with some of the people at various booths, nothing could have prepared me for the hills.  Biggest lie – after the hill around miles 6-8, it’s flat until the finish.  There must have been about 5 or 6 hills after that.  I do enjoy the going down part, but the up really trashed my legs.

The mile 6ish hill was long and steep, and then there was a turn onto another shorter, steep hill.  I have never walked so early in a marathon before, ever, but I didn’t want to completely blow it at mile 6.  I was able to get back on track once it flattened out at the top of the hill, and regained my normal pace.  I crossed the half mile mark at about 1:41, which is on long run pace for me.

It was about the 13 mile mark when the 3:25 pace team caught up with me.  For about the next 5 to 6 miles, I ran either ahead, or with this pace team, which allowed me to stop thinking, stop looking at my watch, and just keep pace.  I kept thinking that if I stuck with them, even if I dropped off a few minutes, they would get me to my goal pace and get me to Boston. 

One of my things that I really like when I am running is seeing all the dog fans that bring their humans out for the marathon.  At about mile 17, I saw an Old English Sheepdog, and thought of my Dublin and Abbey.  Seeing their little faces in my head helped me push through the next few miles.

I started struggling a bit at mile 20, and struggled more at mile 22 when it started raining.  Most of this part of the course was flat, but things started hurting, so I walked through water stations and took water to calm things down.  At mile 24, I my knee started to feel awkward – a little pain, but some indication it was my IT band – and my thighs were just thrashed from the hills. 

From mile 24 to about 25.5 I was doing a run walk because of the pain.  Mentally, I was losing it because I didn’t know where the finish line was and the miles just seemed to get longer and longer.  It was then at about mile 25.5 when someone came from the sidewalk, grabbed my hand and ran with me.  When I thought I couldn’t go any longer, she kept telling me what I great time I had and that I was almost there.  Then she told me to finish, and I was doing great.  Her name was Candace and she’ll never know how much she saved me at that moment.  It goes to show that our marathon spectators are so awesome, and Cincinnati did all spectators proud. 

When I finally made it to the finish line, I was greeted by a man in a suit that shook my hand and congratulated me.  Then I got my medal, my awesome Flying Pig Marathon medal!  

Overall, I did not hit my goal of 3:30 or better, which means back to the training schedule and trying to fix what went wrong – HILLS!!  I didn’t know what to expect in Cincinnati, but the reception from everyone in the city, especially for us crazy marathon runners, was overwhelmingly positive.  I don’t know if I will ever be back to Cincinnati to run this again, since there are so many other marathons on my bucket list and so little time, but I would definitely recommend this marathon to other runners – just train for the hills.

And…shortly after finishing all of the above while waiting at the airport, a guy sits next to me, sees my big black box that contains my poster and asks me how I did.  I told him I was shooting for a 3:30, but was happy with 3:35:50 after all the hills.  He said that no one comes to Cincinnati to qualify for Boston, it’s a tough course.  But…I did get a BQ time, so I am still really, really happy with my time.

On a side note, the money spent on compression socks for recovery is so worth every cent.  I can’t wait to train and run in them!  And hopefully, more pictures to come...

36 Seconds…

I missed qualifying for the 2013 Boston Marathon by 36 seconds.  As I was watching the marathon this morning, I was tearing up looking at the course, and seeing all the ‘normal’ people getting ready to run.  I could have been there…I should have been there.

Now, even an hour after hearing that bombs went off at the Finish Line, I can only think that those 36 seconds might have saved my life or my dad’s life by neither one of us being there this year. 

We runners are a strange grouping, but a family like no other that is not only made up of runners, but our extended family of spectators, volunteers, and those that support us daily.  We will not quit, and I will be at Boston in 2014 – stronger than ever.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims, their families, and friends.  God Bless.

More Bitter than Sweet – Boston Marathon 2013

I would never have considered myself a runner until I completed the Disney World Marathon in 2012.  Even then, it was hard to believe that someone who had previously been allergic to the sport, was now a runner.  That marathon was my first full marathon, and I had run my first half about four months before.  The Boston Marathon was seemingly an impossible task, and the ultimate goal.  How was I supposed to go from a 4:19:21 marathon time to under 3:35?  And not get injured?

Yet, after the Disney Marathon, I knew it was not the end.  After taking a few weeks off for recover, I set my sites on the Green Bay Cellcom Marathon (Wisconsin) to try to qualify for Boston.  I ran a half marathon in between with a time under 1:45, so I knew it was at least possible to get under 4:00 and just try to keep getting better. 

However, the Cellcom Marathon was a disaster.  In May, in Wisconsin, there was a heat advisory at the temperature at the start of race time was already about 70 degrees and climbing fast.  I did not think I went out too fast, but when the full and half marathoners start at the same time, it’s hard to know who you are pacing with and what race they are pacing. 

The first half of the marathon was fine, but at about mile 14, it all started to fall apart.  The temperature was getting hotter, and there was little shade to hide from the hot sun.  The water stops started to have ice delivered for the water, and very few people were not stopping for water.  I remember very little from miles 16 to 20, other than the bridge in De Pere was very long, there was a little girl handing out Coca-Cola to runners, and the hot blacktop trail from miles 17 to 20+.   There was more than one time on this blacktop trail that I thought I was going to pass out, and I started walking in the sun areas and running in the shaded areas.

This was only my second marathon ever, and I did not know that marathons could be cancelled until I got stopped and pulled off the trail at mile 19.90.  One of the volunteers said the marathon was cancelled and we were to get back on the bus to go back to Lambeau Field and the finish line.  So I stopped, and looked around confused.  There were still people running and not stopping, so I got back on the trail to run to my dad who was waiting at mile 20.  He said that if people wanted to continue they could, so I restarted my Nike + and walked the last 6.2 miles.  At some point, my iPhone died, so I will never know my time, but at 20 miles, it was 3:06.  I think it took at least an hour and a half to two hours to walk the rest of the race because I could not accept the medal if I did not finish.

As mad as I was that the race was called, I am sure it was the right decision (though it still ticks me off a little bit the way it was handled).  But something happened during those 26.2 miles that pushed me, motivated me, and made me more resilient.  Someone made the decision to tell me (and the other runners) that they could not do something.  I don’t like being told no and I don’t like being told that I can’t or something that I worked for is not possible.  The training for the next marathon began the next week, and I had one focus – Boston.

After several short distance races – 5ks and a 10k – and a half marathon at Disneyland, it was time for an emotional Fox Cities Marathon.  I will always consider this marathon and half marathon something that my mom would have and could have done if she were still alive.  Since this marathon is very close to the anniversary of her death, I decided that Boston will happen when it’s supposed to happen, but this marathon was for my mom. 

It was a chilly September morning in Menasha, Wisconsin for the start of the Fox Cities Marathon in 2012, but I was focused and very excited to be running through my city and an area familiar to me.  The first half of this marathon was great.  The fan support, the relatively flat course, and even the weather, were all perfect.  At about the 12 mile mark was the cemetery were my mom is, and running past that spot, and seeing my dad and pup Dublin lined up on the sidewalk, got me though the next difficult hilly miles.

After the first half, the marathon course started to go against the wind, and it was getting tough with little fan support on some of the country roads.  By mile 20, things started to hurt and pushing forward was getting harder.  Just past mile 23, my calf muscles were so tight and sore that they felt like someone had poured cement into my legs, and I had to stop and stretch them out.  I looked at my pace at this point and realized all I had to do was a 10 minute mile or better and I would qualify for Boston.  I kept pushing on, doing a run/walk, but my the pain in my legs was awful.

With one mile left, I was getting very disappointed in myself as it all seemed to be slipping away.  It was hard to run for even two straight minutes, but when I saw the finish line, I gave it a final push, but it was not going to be enough.  I missed qualifying for the 2013 Boston Marathon by 36 seconds, with a finish time of 3:35:36. 

However, this was a bittersweet moment.  At 34 years old, I was at the last age of the age bracket that had to get 3:35 or better to qualify for Boston.  So as someone turning 35 in 2013, and I will be 35 at the 2014 Boston Marathon, I do qualify for 2014.  Missing Boston and making it at the same time, again, bittersweet.

I know there are others that miss the qualifying time by seconds or minutes, but those 36 seconds pushed me through the 2013 Disney World Marathon to get a better time of 3:33:43.  Now I get to register in week one.  Sometimes things don’t always work out the way we want them too, but in the end, they work out for the best. 

Good Luck and Best Wishes to everyone running the 2013 Boston Marathon!  See you in 2014!

St. Pat’s 17k race recap

St. Pat’s 17k and 5k – Kimberly, Wisconsin; March 17, 2013

So everyone knows that Wisconsin is cold, but in March, it is usually at least in the upper 30’s, low 40’s, and last year, even made it up into the 70’s.  When I signed up for this race about two months ago, I knew it could be cold, but not freezing.  The temperature for the start of the race was a warm 13 degrees.  At that moment at the starting line, I thought of about 50 things in a 2 minute time span that I would rather be doing or where I would rather be.  I do not run in the cold.  I have a treadmill and it works for me, so this cold thing was going to be a shock.

Pre-Race...still warm

Even though it was cold, I was so excited to run this race.  It was my first race post-Disney Marathon, and probably my last until the Flying Pig Marathon.  I needed this long run race to gauge my training and how fast or slow I was really running.

The race course started at a bar, and went through a local community out to the trail along the highway.  I had been watching that trial all week since it had been snow and ice covered all winter, but the race organizers did a great job at breaking up the ice, shoveling/plowing the snow, and salting the icy areas that could not be broken up. 

The one thing I always have to remember about any race is that I’m a distance runner and my first one to two miles I just have to find my pace.  The first mile really sucked.  Every breath was cold and my face was freezing, but it went away towards the end of the first mile.  Since there were also 5k runners that started with the 17k runners, I was very happy to split off onto the trail so I could pace myself with the longer distance runners.

Finish Line! 

The first part of the trail was a little slick and I lost some time so I wouldn’t slip.  Eventually, I caught up to near the front of the pack and started to pass a few of the girls that were ahead of me.  I knew there would be a loop that I would be able to see and count the amount of girls ahead of me to know where I could place in age or overall.  I really wanted to place – there had to be a reason to be awake at 5:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning and freeze.

Once back on the trail and heading back to the bar to the finish, I passed another girl, so by my count, there were about 5 girls in front of me.  It was about mile 8 ½ when I realized that I not only had about 2 and ½ miles to go, but I was running by myself.  I could see one person in front of me, about 100 yards, and the guy I passed was about another 100 yards behind me.  My biggest thought was – don’t get lost.  Yet again, the course was so well marked, this was not possible.

After getting off the trail again, the next stop was to go down a few more streets to the finish.   The finish line area was not as icy as it was at the start, so I could actually run on it.  I finished in about 1:21.  The list and times were on the wall and I counted the number of girls ahead of me and their ages.  I was 5^th out of all the girls, and I thought 2^nd in my age group.  I was going to get a trophy!!

I got a little trophy :)

The awards for the 17k were announced in my age group, 31-34, and I heard 3^rd place, and then 2^nd place – but it wasn’t my name.  I had a moment of panic.  Did I count wrong?  Then I heard 1^st place was me!!!  First place in my age group, seriously?!

Even though it was freezing, and I thought my face was going to fall off and my head was going to explode after the race, having the little trophy made it all worth it.

Shout outs to my Green KT tape for holding my IT band together once again and my new Team Sparkle Skirt.  Also to my recently retired running shoes that came out of retirement for one last race.  They are double Boston Marathon qualifiers, one half marathon 3rd place age group finishers, and now one age group first place finisher.  They are now permanently retired!  

Disney’s Wine and Dine Half Marathon 2012 Recap (Flashback)

Why was I so incredibly excited to run this race?  Well, it would be run at night, and I really like to run at night.  I was just coming off a good half marathon time at Disneyland and a good Marathon time, so I had a chance of doing really well.  Finally, I wanted to finish the year off on a positive note – I wanted to place in my age group. 

2012 was the first full running year I had.  It felt like I spent 2011 just training for this year and getting through all the bumps in the road to get me this far.  After two fourth place finishes and two top ten finishes at my last four timed races, I was done with just missing out on an age group placement.  I was going to go all out for this half, try to get a new PR under 1:40, and try to get in the top five for my age group.

While I was excited for the half, I was just as excited to attend my first Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT.  For the first time in 2012, there was a special vegan booth.  Seriously?  Is Disney finally getting on board the vegan bandwagon and realizing that there are vegans (or people that don’t eat meat and have dairy allergies) that visit their parks?  The vegan booth did not disappoint, and the fake-meat and dessert was great.  I just wish it was a daily offering at all the parks. 

One of the best things about running at Disney is the massive Expo.  While the Wine and Dine Expo was a little less crowded than the marathon expo, I am a lover of free stuff, especially food items.  I always enjoy a free Clif bar sample and applesauce in a squeeze pouch…wonderful creation for the wait time on the night of the half.

There are two races over the weekend, or on Saturday, the 5k in the morning and the half marathon at night.  I signed up for both, for no other reason than I really liked the name of the 5k – the Jingle Jungle 5k through the Animal Kingdom.  There was already Christmas everywhere at Disney in the beginning of November.  The 5k race went so fast.  Since it is untimed, I do stop to take pictures with all the characters, who of course were Christmas themed.  It seems like it’s almost a race to get from one character to the next just to see who it is.  The 5k’s at Disney are over far too fast, and before I knew it, I was slapping mittens with Minnie and Mickey at the finish line.

Finish Line of the 5k - slapping mittens with Mickey and Minne

Once the 5k was over, the wait began for the 10 or so hours until it was time to board the bus for the half marathon.  Some people spend the day in the parks, or relaxing at their resorts, but since I hit the elliptical to make sure my legs were lose and that my muscles weren’t tightening up.  Then it was food time, and nap time.  I have never prepared for a night race before, so I didn’t really know what to do.  But there was a lot of pacing around the hotel room, a lot of listening to “Run This Town” and A LOT of nervous energy. 

All I could think of on the walk from the hotel to the Boardwalk to catch the bus was that I was here to accomplish something and even if I didn't place, I was going to try my hardest.  Once the bus got to the Wide World of Sports complex (WWoS), and there were so many people, it does get overwhelming.  But standing at the start line, almost on top of the start line, I knew I was ready to either run the race or get it over and done with - and hopefully, not get run over by the thousands of people behind me.

The fireworks went off and the race started, even in the dark, the course was so well lit and there was so much to see.  The road from the WWoS to the Animal Kingdom was not the most exciting, but there were still Disney characters on the route.  The worst part was entering into the Animal Kingdom park.  Once inside, the path was lit up by fluorescent lights in the shape of tusks, but it was still dark and the footing was a little bit difficult.  I don’t know the Animal Kingdom as well as I know the other parks, so after this short path, I had an anxiety attack as something went through my head that I didn’t know where I was or where I was going.  It was hard to stay in the mental moment that I was running and had to keep going. 

Once I recognized the entrance, or exit, from the Animal Kingdom that I had run earlier that day during the 5k, things calmed down a bit…well, until I saw the lit up alligator at the side of the road.  I didn’t enjoy that at all and may have screamed.  I don’t like alligators. After the Animal Kingdom, and running on the road around the parking lot, it’s back on the highway to Hollywood Studios.  Again, this road is pretty uneventful, but I had found my happy pace and was focused on keeping pace and getting to the next park.

After running on Hell Highway, it was into Hollywood Studios.  The route in the park was different than the route for the marathon course as it went down the street in front of the Tower of Terror instead of behind.  Then once at the big blue hat, the course again turned to go somewhere…but I could no longer see any one in front of me and I had no idea where I was supposed to go.  I just kept following the road until there were finally yellow cones to show that I was to go past the Toy Story area, and I saw the guy that had been running in front of me.  The last thing I wanted to do was get lost on the course.

The time spent in Hollywood Studios seemed to take forever.  I’m pretty sure we ran past every attraction, went down every back road, and around every possible curve to get all the miles that we needed to get.  Not that it was bad, but I was anticipating the finish.  After mile 10, we were finally running out of Hollywood Studios and onto the path to the Boardwalk/Yacht and Beach Club resorts. 

The entrance into EPCOT is again different from the marathon as the entrance is near the former Figment Attraction (now Caption EO I think), but it also means that the finish line comes sooner.  Running into EPCOT was an amazing experience as there were spectators lining both sides of the walkway all the way to the big EPCOT ball.  The cheering was so loud and I had a huge smile on my face.  It was almost over, I looked at my phone and knew I was going to break 1:40, but I didn't know by how much.

Leaving EPCOT and racing to the finish line, I shut off my ipod to hear “Firework” by Katy Perry as I was running through a tunnel of light (wondering where in the world the finish line was since I didn’t see the mile 13 marker).  After the tunnel of light, there it was the finish line.  I crossed it, shut of my GPS, and turned around to see my time.  I really did it as I saw the 1:39 flash on the time clock.  My GPS recorded 1:38:58, so I knew it was close.  All that mattered was that it was a new PR by at least a minute. 

The medal from the Wine and Dine is one of my favorite medals and it was so good to finally have it in my possession, especially to wear at the after party.  But, the after party for me was hoping EPCOT would be open long enough for me to walk to the Swan since immediately after the race my legs cramped up.  What made it even more interesting was that I had a checked bag that I was lugging (or dragging) with me that weighed about 5-7 pounds. 

The best moment from the night, or the early morning of the next day, was sitting in the garden behind the UK waiting for the band to play.  It was 1:52 a.m. on Sunday, when I saw the results on my iphone and started crying.  I got third place in my age group.  Finally, I placed.  This is what I had come here to do, and I did it (which is a whole new meaning to my pink Wine and Dine I Did It t-shirt). 

Of all the events from the weekend, the Food and Wine Festival, the expo, running the 5k, and running the half marathon, the details will eventually fade.  But the feeling at that one moment…I hope will never get lost.  

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.)