January 30, 2020
Oh. My. Goodness! I did it! I still can’t believe it! I’m a Marathoner!! It’s still sinking in a little bit. All that time getting prepared and then it was here. And now, I’m a MARATHONER!
The nerves had been a plenty the weeks before the event. I didn’t feel properly trained due to my stupid hip. I had only gotten in a 15 mile run and after I was cleared from the doctor, my longest was an 8 miler. Needless to say, confidence was not oozing from me.
The before…
Packing time came around and normally, I’m an early packer. But for some reason, I was pretty low key on this packing situation. I don’t know if it was because I’m currently working from home with a couple of side jobs or what but it was out of my normal OCD self.
It wasn’t that I was scared or didn’t want to go. I was dying to get down there. To see the tone of Walt Disney World Marathon weekend versus Princess weekend. Also, to spend some time with my family and get to that start and ultimately the finish line.
We’re in Disney!
We arrived at The Contemporary super late and arrived to a lovely dessert plate! It was so yummy and an awesome way to start the weekend. Twinkletoes and I slept in the car so we were a little out of it but Mr. Man was wide awake. Naturally, we slept in the next morning.
This was the most chill trip we’ve ever taken to Disney. Having a teenager that loves to sleep will really cramp your Disney style. But we love her and have to gently coax her to get up some mornings.
The Expo!
We hit the expo on Friday morning and it was pretty relaxed and not too crowded. Mr. Man was just in it for the beer cups. No beer, just the cups. Did you know that you can buy the cups with no beer? Well, you can!
I didn’t need much from the expo part. Just some compression sleeves. So we wondered around a little bit and headed over to the RunDisney merchandise. Thankfully, that building wasn’t crazy busy either. I got my usual merch, wine glass and magnet. But the ornament was super cute so I got that too. We were all hungry due to no breakfast so to Hollywood Studios we went!
Glorious Food!
Y’all, I love food. We snacked everywhere while at Disney. A little here, a little there. One night, we hopped on the monorail and had appetizers at different places at the Contemporary, the Polynesian, and the Grand Floridian. If you haven’t been to the Enchanted Rose at the Grand Floridian, check it out. It’s beautiful!
My favorite places are right across the sidewalk from each other, The Boathouse and Wine Bar George. They’re both located at Disney Springs and totally different but equally AMAZING!! So naturally, we hit those up too!
The night before the marathon, we at Terralina Crafted Italian. Boy was it packed with runners! We had a 5:45 pm reservation and needless to say, they were running behind. But dinner was good and I was full. Ready to get to bed!
Galaxy’s Edge
We didn’t just eat! I know it sounds like it but we rode both Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run. Saturday morning, we got up at 5 am to try and bet some road closures to get to Hollywood Studios. Well, that didn’t work. We took the monorail to the Ticket and Transportation Center and then walked to where they had busses set up to take people to the studios.
We got into the park at 6:40 and waited in the masses with baited breath. Phone in hand, My Disney Experience opened. This was the norm around us. Everyone was trying to get a good boarding group for Rise of the Resistance. I had read a tip to make sure you turned your WiFi off so I did. It was finally time and here we go. Boarding group 21! All I can say is…AMAZING!!
The Marathon!
This is what I was waiting for. I thought I’d be more nervous but I wasn’t. But, I was excited! I met my friend Carrie and her husband at the monorail at 2:30 am and we headed to Epcot. I had my Fly Girl LipSense on and I was ready to go!
After starting about 25 minutes or so late (not the 5:00 am start time as we were all expecting) we were off! I started out with Carrie and felt awesome. Our intervals were perfect and we made our way into Epcot. After leaving there, we headed our way to the Magic Kingdom. The crowd experience was exhilarating as we made our way past the Ticketing and Transportation Center.
I was getting excited because I knew that I was about to see Mr. Man and Twinkletoes and they had a bagel for me before I went into the park. They were right in front of the Contemporary and I was smiling ear to ear! That was the best bagel I’ve ever had!
On into the Magic Kingdom. One of my favorite and invigorating places to run through. There’s nothing like running down Main Street USA and through Cinderella’s Castle! I was a little sad that the castle picture was so far forward this time. I look like an ant in front of a huge building. Oh well!
Leaving the Magic Kingdom was always something that I dreaded during Princess half. It was narrow and bottlenecked. But not this time. Whew! Now we were headed to the Animal Kingdom. This part was a little boring but I don’t know how you would have made it much more exciting. That park isn’t close to anything!
Heading into the Animal Kingdom, cast members had some animals out including my least favorite, a snake. Yuck! We ran past the monkeys on the way to Expedition Everest. Then we were on our way to Dinoland. My family was there with more food for me!
It was hot, y’all!
Y’all it was so hot, I was downing Powerade at every water stop along with water. I’m a Florida girl. I’ve trained in the heat. But people were falling out on the side of the road and getting IV’s. It was crazy. So, when I was headed to Blizzard Beach, we were merged and the course was modified. My brain really didn’t like it but my hip was ok with missing that 1.5 miles.
So, on to Hollywood Studios and our brief stint in that park. That was a blur. I don’t remember where we went in but we headed to the walk path along the water. Since we merged with runners that were ahead of us, it was crazy crowded. I was so happy to make it to the Boardwalk.
Then World Showcase. I was almost there. I was about to complete this course. My hip was hurting and tight. I was walking as fast as I could. There was no more running on it. I was getting text from my friends and family. Wonderful words of encouragement. What a feeling!
There it was. The finish line. It was .2 miles from me. Donald was there before I crossed the line and gave me a high five. Then…I DID IT! I wish I had an actual smile on my face. So many emotions going on inside me. Was I didn’t know if I was going to cry or laugh? I think that was the look on my face. I got my medal and my ears and headed to meet my family. And get my champagne!
Now what…
Twinkletoes asked me yesterday if I’d ever run another marathon. I looked at her and said yes. Now, I know I can do it now. I actually enjoyed it. Is it my distance of choice? Probably not. Do I like the long training process? No. Do I like the feeling of accomplishment? Heck yea!
My next race is the Birmingham Wine 10k in March. Possibly a half in April. Then who knows!
What’s your favorite race distance? Did you run the WDW Marathon? If so, what did you think about the new route?
Until next time, keep on truckin’!