2012 Walt Disney World Marathon Recap: Part III

Okay, it's taken 4 months, two posts and now a captive seat at 33,000 feet for me to finish this marathon report (a marathon, itself).

Sunday morning, race day! I was up way earlier than needed, but c'mon who really sleeps the night before their first marathon? Devin's coughing fits subsided enough for about 3 restful hours and she was out cold (thanks, codeine!) I took a quick shower and tried to eat something, but I'm not much of a breakfast person and my body was really fighting my attempts to get some food in it. So I downed a Powerade, ate some performance jelly beans and grabbed a bag of mini Chips-A-Hoy from our snack bag and headed out the door. It was early, like 3:05, early and like yesterday, the Wilderness Lodge lobby was devoid of any and all human life, save a few runners who had the same idea I did which was to get to the race early. We hopped on a somewhat full, but very quiet bus. Sensing the tension, the bus driver shut the door and said, "Off to the airport!" We all sat up in our seats and he said, "Just kidding!"

The trip to the race was very quiet, so much the voice in my head was screaming for me to hop out the emergency window and steal off into the night so as not to have to run. In a bit of a panic, I sent off (as I was expecting due to the hour of the morning) a feeble post on ROTE asking for "some love." To my surprise, a good many of ROTErs were online and shot right back with motivation (love you guys).

Got to the race, but there were just so many people, I couldn't find any ROTE folk, which bummed me out, but in the line for the bathroom found some nice folk from Chicago so spent some time with them. When it was time, I made the death march with everyone else to the starting line and noticed just the sheer amount of people running as I made my way to Corral A. The anticipation and excitement was simply too much and I just wanted to start the race immediately. No fanfare, no DJ chatter, just start the race!

Finally, the time had come and after seeing the fireworks shoot up into the air I was off, hoping the lack of training wouldn't lead the paramedics on a 500 foot trail of poop to a frozen corpse on the side of the road. My goal was to run a steady, easy pace for the 1st half of the race and then bump it up for the second half, but I was about 1 mile in and at that point, anything was possible. As we hit about Mile 2, I ran into Fundulidae and DeltaPilot (from ROTE) who were humming along at a good pace. We hung out a bit and then parted ways (Thanks for the kind words, guys).

The course led us into Epcot through the auto toll, where I encountered a wheelchair athlete in a standard wheelchair struggling. I wasn't sure what to do so I told one of the race people as I headed into Epcot. The course took us through Future World and backstage through Mexico, heading back around to where we started the race. After making the loop, we turned onto World Drive towards the Magic Kingdom through the TTC. I absolutely loved this part of the race, since it was really the first chance to get close to the folks who were cheering us on. Seeing them was more than inspirational, and quite frankly, I don't think there is a word in the English dictionary to describe the feeling a runner gets when first encountering a group of people cheering them on. So, I'll establish a word: Motivationarunneralabalous! Yes, seeing the people was Motivationarunneralabalous! It was so cool, I sped up to a 8:30 mile. "Holy shit!" I exclaimed, scaring the runner next to me , "I gotta slow down." As I motored through the TTC, I felt great and headed towards the Contemporary. Heading down the incline underneath the boat crossover, I started running backwards and sticking out my thumb to the passing cars, getting a bunch of laughs from all the other runners.

We were reaching Mile 11 and the point everyone single runner was anticipating, the magical run down Main Street towards the castle, and let me tell you, I was not disappointed. Making the turn onto Main Street and seeing all the people cheering, with the castle, I would be lying if I said I didn't well up with a tremendous feeling. And then it got better, running through Main Street, I caught eyes with the most gorgeous looking woman in the crowd and low and behold, it was my wife! She was there with my mom, and her parents. Let me tell you, that moment was über-Motivationarunneralabalous!!!!!!!!!!  At that, moment I felt like was I was going to shoot right into the lead and win this sucker (a fleeting thought for sure).

We headed to the right, through Tomorrowland, Fanatsyland and then that magical trip through the castle (which was amazing). We rounded out our Magic Kingdom visit through Frontierland, backstage through Gate 6, and left towards the Grand Floridan. I knew this would be the last place for awhile where there would be onlookers so I drank it in as much as I could. I knew right ahead of me was dreaded Mile 13 and the dark forest of nothingness.

Mile 13 was near the Hess station and banana distribution. I absolutely hate bananas, but knew I had to eat something, so I muscled it down and prepared to shift into the second piece of my strategy. My Garmin beeped Mile 13 and my mind shifted towards a new focus, "Speed. I am pure speed." I got a hungry look in my eye and looked to up my game. One problem, my legs never seemed to have gotten the memo. I was still running, but my run was something akin to your first car where it could never seem to cleanly find second gear. Grinding, straining, and with the occasional backfire, I was stuck in neutral and slowly losing time. Worse yet, we were at the sewage treatment plan, no man's land. So, I immediately came to grips with not hitting my goal time and figured I'd just do my best and leave it at that. Making out way though the back areas, Disney had some signs up to keep us occupied, the funniest of which being a sign that read, "If you believe in telekinesis,  raise MY hand." Clever.

The second half of the race was rough, and I was wrought with emotion. Sadness, anger, denial, depression, all the emotions every runner feels as they attack a marathon, but I kept moving forward.  It also helped that a few runners patted me on the back when I had to walk,  cementing my belief that runners are the most compassionate athletes. 

Passing through Animal Kingdom which the course layout was "meh" at best, we turned onto Osceola Parkway which was built for the sole reason of making runners die.  After being on OP for what seemed an eternity, we headed through the Studios, past the Boardwalk, Yacht & Beach and back into  Epcot. Running through World Showcase, it was just a mere 4.5 hours before I was jamming along feeling great. I motored through the Finish in a sad, but I guess respectable 5 hours, 1 hour past my goal time. Who cares, though? I did it! Adding to my 13.1 membership, I had just been inducted into the 26.2 club, and man, is that Motivationarunneralabalous!

Never been so tired and happy!

Highlights:
Running through the castle. Amazing!
Seeing my family along the route
Running into ROTErs
Course entertainment

Downsides:
Osceola Parkway

2011 Running Year in Review

Well, 2012 is upon us and with it a whole new year of miles and Disney trips, starting next week with the Disney Marathon. Due to Christmas travel and a cold I haven't run in a week and are nowhere near my training schedule for the marathon so I'm betting on being close to death upon finishing.

Looking back at 2011, I really stepped up my game and made it through quite a journey. Some highlights:
 - Setting new PR for the 5k (22:14) and knocking 5 minutes off my time.
 - Demolishing my 10 mile time (1:25:55)
 - Running 1 mile with the elites and nearly passing out
 - Breaking my leg
 - Running and completing my first half marathon 75 days later
 - Winning a race (in my age group)

Disney Royal Family 5k in Feb - Our 1st Disney Race

Champion 5k at ESPN Weekend - March

1st Place!!!

The result of trying to win. Womp Womp.

Can't race, but can cheer!

Disney Halloween 5k - Sept (W& D weekend)

1st Half Marathon in the books!

Here's to 2012 with more miles and prolly more injuries. Looking forward to the Spring thaw and more long runs. What are your running plans for 2012?

Disney World Announces A New Race.....

....well....er...sorta. You see, runDisney just announced (after their usual corny clue deal) starting 2012, the Tower of Terror 10 Miler would be back in the Vacation Kingdom on September 29th.  Well, wouldn't exactly be back. You see, the Tower of Terror 13k (~8 miles) had been a previous race which ran (from what I believe) from 2007-2009. For some reason it just vanished, much like the characters in storyline of the race's namesake. Ooooooooohhhhhhh scary stuff.

Anyway, I never had the chance to run, but I will be in 2012 and am excited to do so. If you have read my blog regularly (I thank you for your patience), you will have seen that I spent a great deal of my WDW tenure working within the Studios. You will also have known that the Studios kicked my ass during Wine & Dine. Well, it's payback. Granted, it's only 8 miles so it's a relatively quick race, but the park will stay open until 3am for us runners, that's a lot of Rock n Rollercoaster, Tower of Terror, and Great Movie Ride!

I'm really excited for this race as it will be a good last speed work exercise before Wine & Dine Half Marathon which has been moved back to November 9th (much cooler weather). Doing some interweb digging, I came across the course from the old ToT 13k. We'll see if it's the same.

Seems like during Wine & Dine we ran 8 miles all in the Studios. WWOS? Whatever.

So far the reaction to the news amongst the Disney runners is mixed. Most folks really wanted another half marathon, others wanted a Disneyland race. With it being so close to W&D and the race length (which should take about an hour), wonder how many folks will make the trip and pay the Disney premium?

RunDisney doesn't have much information yet, but I'll make sure to update this post as they update their info.

What are your thoughts? Are you psyched? Angry? Have you already cut a check to participate?

Walt Disney World Marathon is Getting Closer

Here we are in December, 30 days away from the Walt Disney World Marathon. My first full marathon to be exact. I can't say I'm counting down the days in excitement, rather counting the days to my inevitable collapse. Thanks to some rather severe knee issues I haven't been able to put in large mile chunks like I had wanted. Plus, the below freezing temps of the Midwest aren't making it easy for me. I'm really wishing I had signed up for the half like my wife. Well, I guess we'll see.

Anyway, the final instructions for the race are out, here are links:
Full Marathon
Full - Relay
Half Marathon
Goofy Challenge (If you're nuts) - Best of luck to my ROTE friends running this!

Plus, I'll be doing the fun run 5k. It's at Epcot and themed after the 3 Caballeros (bah)
Fiesta 5k

If you haven't gotten your waiver or bib# here's the link:
Bib # & Waivers

And if you want the official race program, well, here you go:
WDW Marathon Official Race Program

For those of you running, Best of Luck and one way or another I'll see you at the Finish line!

2011 Wine & Dine Half Marathon Race Recap - Part 3

Quick Correction - In Part 2, I mentioned the awful drinks as GU Gels. Actually, it was Cliff Shots and they were still terrible. On to the final chapter.

When I last left you I was in severe pain, miserable, and ready to start a fight with any costumed character that got in my way. There, did I miss anything? I had just passed  Mile 9 and was entering a lengthy zigzagging run through the Studios.

Mile 9 (continued):

I had just passed behind the Great Movie Ride onto Mickey Avenue and things were looking grim. I was doing everything I could do to keep my legs moving at my current pace, including talking out loud, pleading with them not to stop. Passing Toy Story Mania and a costumed Woody with a goofy grin I clearly would be happy to wipe off if asked, the inevitable happened, my legs stopped. My legs, after 9.8 miles, said no more and all forward locomotion all but seized. I was reduced to a brisk (meh) walk. With every bit of energy I could muster, I screamed at the top of my lungs in frustration (which I’m sure surprised runners in my proximity) and watched a bevy of runners I had passed now fly by me at exponentially faster pace. The wave of grief I experienced was humbling to my very core. Now, I understand never running a half marathon before, there would be points of the race where my body, under tremendous stress, would want to quit (even involuntarily), but not here. Not at the park where I spent so many days working as a gangster, a bandit, and multitude of other roles. I looked at the facades and soundstages, areas where I once used to be able to navigate nimbly at 3:00 in the morning for Super Soap Weekend, were now brick walls destined to keep me from finishing. I was heart broken, I was no longer a runner, I was dead.  Worse yet, I knew what a battle it would be to get back up to pace after such an intense pressure on my legs. But, I had to muster on, it wasn’t like this was my first long run. So, after about 45 seconds of walking I began chugging back up to pace. We still had a lot of Studios to go, but I just didn’t care. I wanted out of that place ASAP. The rest of Mile 9 took us through the Costuming Tunnel and backstage past my old production office.

Mile 10:

Mile 10 kept us backtracking to Perimeter Road nearly where we entered, which I thought was kind of ridiculous.  We continued down Perimeter Road until we hit Lights, Motor, Action where we ran through the show area. They had a stationary camera set up so we could see ourselves on the big screen which was a nice touch. We then headed up New York Street where many of the Osborne lights were illuminated. If I were in a better frame of mind, I may have enjoyed them, but really I was feeling pretty low. My legs were still burning and my heart just wasn’t in it.  We cut through the Star Tours gate and ran past Darth Vader who looked how I was feeling.

Mile 11:

This mile took us back onto Perimeter Road, past the castmember costuming building, back onstage, and then out the park through the overflow gate near Theater of the Stars (Beauty & Beast Stage Show). Thank God! I was out of the Studios and headed towards the Epcot resorts, the end was in sight. We followed the narrow walkway towards the Boardwalk which was tight, but not horrible. I was starting to feel a bit better, but still pretty down. The music on my iPhone just wasn’t doing it, even the Power songs I had put in there. In fact,  it turns out the volume was as high as it could go and I couldn’t even tell (which now leads me to believe I may have been experiencing some kind of weird fatigue condition). Not to mention, the same songs which I found so powerful before just sounded like garbage. There were 1 or 2 songs that were still working and I just kept playing them over and over again. Unfortunately, at this mile, I passed a runner who was hobbling so badly, it was clear there was serious damage. But, the person refused any help and just wanted to finish. I commend that.

Mile 12:

Mile 12 took us behind the Boardwalk and in front of Yacht & Beach. The course was littered with onlookers cheering us on which gave me a new burst of energy and positive spirit. I dug in just a little harder and upped my pace a bit. While feeling better, I was surprised to find myself feeling an odd kind of sad. Even though, this race completely kicked me around and spit me out, I was sad it was ending soon. All this work, dedication, broken bones, rehab, early mornings, late nights; it was all ending in 1 mile. I started to hyperventilate and needed to physically control myself so as not to let my emotions overtake me. I headed over the last incline to International Gateway and readied myself for the home stretch.

Mile 13:

The finale mile put us backstage adjacent to the rear of The Land. On the side of the road was a huge hot air balloon lying on its side. The pilot was firing flames into the canvas and I could feel the heat. Also, there were a ton of castmembers with signs that said “400 Yards to Go” and “One More Turn for Beer”.  My prerace concerns of no straightway finish were realized as we made a few cuts to a clearing where the Finish line lay. I closed my eyes, dug in for a weak mad dash for the finish, and then it was all over.

I had just run my first marathon in a respectable 2:11, 11 minutes over my goal time. It was okay, though. I did it. I was now member of a new club, the 13.1 mile club and it felt good. I walked over to the bag pickup and got my stuff (it was a breeze), then checked my phone to see if I could tell when Devin would be finishing. From the text alerts it looked as though she had about another 45 minutes to go. She came in at a 2:57 time. I was so proud of her. Turns out, she and Eileen stayed together the whole time, propping each other up when one would fall behind. I thought that was awesome.

We didn’t do much of the after party since it was freezing (even with our change of clothes) and Devin wasn’t feeling that great. We ended up walking back to the Beach Club and much needed sleep.

There you have it, my race recap. Overall, I was super happy with this race. With it being my first half, and being able to do it at Disney was just amazing. The course was good, not great. I wish there was a better way to get to the parks without the barren Osceola Parkway, but it’s not a deal breaker.

Good Points:

-  The Weather: It was perfect! Low humidity, and low temps, perfect running weather! So glad the cold front came in.

- The Course: I should caveat this with, “to a certain extent”. Wide World of Sports is a great place to start a race and Animal Kingdom at night was unbelievable.

- Bag check and pickup: Easy breezy

- The Expo: Well planned out (plus, we got to meet Jeff Galloway)

- RunDisney Merch

- Meeting a great group of ROTErs. Thanks guys!!!!!

- Cheddar Cheese Soup in Canada (of course!)

- Watching your wife cross the Finish Line in her first half-marathon (she liked it so much, she’s running the half in January!).

Areas to Focus On:

- The Course: There was just too much of the Studios. All that back and forth was kind of ridiculous

- Entertainment: I know there’s only so much Disney can do, so not too miffed.

- Cliff Shots: Please. Never. Again.

Did you run the W&D Half this year? Let me know about your experience.

Champion 5K at ESPN the Weekend

When I last left you I had just run my first Disney race, the B&B 5k fun run at Epcot. As I mentioned, the course around World Showcase was awesome (especially as a former Epcot cast member). But, after a week of relaxation it was time for the real race, the Champion 5k at ESPN the Weekend at Disney MGM (I will NEVER say Hollywood) Studios. This race was especially special for me since the majority of my Disney career was spent at this park (most of which at The Great Movie Ride). Not to mention, this race was actually timed so there was more incentive to give it my all.

We arrived at the parking lot to the Studios early and made our way to the prep area. I was surprised to see the running field as light as it was than the 5k a week earlier (most likely due to the B&B happening during half marathon weekend).

The fanfare was the same as other Disney races, a DJ played upbeat music and tried to motivate the tired masses (it was early), while Disney characters milled around for pictures. What I liked about this race was since it was ESPN the Weekend, where many professional athletes attend, some NFL players were in attendance and interacted with us runners. Greg Jennings, a wide receiver from the Green Bay Packers and Deangelo Williams from the Carolina Panthers MC’d and kept us in good spirits. I even ran into some old friends at the race who I hadn’t seen in a long time so that kept us busy until we queued up.

Once we were lined up to go, Disney played the national anthem, fireworks exploded and off we went. The course started out down the main entrance access road through the toll booths and then looped back towards the park. However, before we hit back where we started, the course shifted through a gate and onto Perimeter Road (the backstage access road that nearly encircles the park). From there we jumped onto the Backstage Pass tour road and to Lights, Motor, Action. This section of the race was really cool as we cut right across the front of the stage area where our faces were broadcast on the show’s large screens (I kept looking for my friend who is a tech there, but couldn’t find him). We ran a little farther up the tram tour road and around the Pearl Harbor airplane props (this area used to have the tank-like car from Armageddon). Next, we passed through the Costuming Tunnel and briefly through New York Street over to Muppetvision, past Indiana Jones and onto Echo Lake. Next, was my favorite part of the run as we went right past the Great Movie Ride and I felt a bit sad while remembering the amazing times working at that attraction. Unfortunately, there weren’t any GMR cast members out there when I ran past, but that’s okay GMR, I still love you. Heading past GMR, down Hollywood Blvd we turned onto Sunset towards the Tower of Terror, through the Rock n Rollercoaster courtyard and backstage.

Now, I should mention that when I run in races it’s always nice to find a person who runs at relatively the same pace and keep stride which is a good way to stay motivated throughout the race. Well, rounding the backstage area of Tower of Terror, I noticed there was someone pacing with me, who appeared to be Elizabeth Hasselbeck (talent from The View & QB Matt Hasselbeck’s wife). We paced for awhile together and then broke right before the finish.

After Sunset Blvd, we headed towards the entrance of the park but turned immediately right just before Sid Cahuengas’s and back onto Perimeter Road. It was fun to see all the long faces from tourists waiting for the park to open, as they had no idea what we were all doing. The final stretch put us back out into the parking lot where we had started. The one part I did not like was the finish line. It was super tight and appeared immediately after a blind curve. Since I always sprint the finish, I had to dodge slower runners (people, run THROUGH the finish, don’t just stop) and nearly ran into the stone wall that was Greg Jennings greeting finishers.

The medal was cool. I think it's supposed to be a ticket or something similar. At any rate, it's meaty and heavy, but cool since the race is now retired.



This was a very good race as it was somewhat sentimental to me, and I’m sad to see it go. I think the Studios is one of the best parks to just explore all the great Disney nooks & crannies, and hope they decide to hold another individual race there again soon (currently, the Studio is part of the Wine & Dine Half Marathon and Disney Marathon courses) outside the bigger races.