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

Happy Birthday Horizons

It was on this day you were open to the masses. You amazed, you educated, and most importantly you let two guys run around and take pictures of your insides.

I miss you Century 3.



Thank you George McGinnis. Thank you Hoot & Chief. & Thank you EPCOT Operations for letting me work at the best ride in Epcot.

....And huge thank you to whoever created this picture.

The Future Has Arrived.....well, sorta.

You hear the boarding announcements as you enter the queue. Folks heading out to Sea Castle, Brava Centauri, and Mesa Verde better hurry up as their respective flights are leaving. Of course, there’s only one destination for you and that’s of course, the future. As much as your own flight is amazing and fanciful, there’s always that wonder of the other destinations as well as the trip getting out there. So, are we destined for those destinations or will they always be held in the imagination of George McGinnis? Guess what? They’re no longer visions of the future. Tomorrow’s Horizons are here, today! Here are a few glimpses that reach toward the future to bring you a tangible Horizons experience.

Mesa Verde - The most advanced desert reclamation complex in the western hemisphere invites you to explore its wide range of career possibilities. Mag Lev Express service to Mesa Verde leaves every thirty minutes.

“Our little girl is doing wonders out in the desert.”



Mesa Verde was the vast stretch of desert that was slowly beginning to take shape as food producing farm (is that orange I smell?) of the fabled L’oranges (lime + orange). This show scene illustrated new methods in agriculture can bring barren deserts to life.

How exactly are we to turn deserts into fields? Enter Desert Control. Desert Control uses the latest advancements in desert reclamation technology to bring food producing plants to life.


Desert Control is turning deserts into Farms

The main challenge to making deserts sustainable has to do with sand. As you know sand is a loose particle that is susceptible to wind and terrible at moisture collection. What Desert Control does is treat the sand with a substance called Nano Clay. This clay packs the sand together to form dense pieces of land that maintains moisture and is less impacted by wind storms. In turn, seeds can be planted and crops grown. Currently, Desert Control is holding tests in Africa and Asia, both which have some of the largest non-fertile deserts as well as severe food shortages.


NanoClay helps to retain moisture & protect from wind erosion


Brava Centauri - Newest of the exciting Centauri Series of space stations. Offers remarkably rewarding opportunities in Earth support locations. Come up to Brava. Space shuttles depart daily.

“Mom, mom!”

Living in space, what an experience! Unfortunately, on this world of over 6 billion, only a handful have done it. But imagine the possibility of taking summer vacation in a fully habitable synthesized space city. Here, we get just a few glimpses what traveling past Earth’s atmosphere to sleep among the stars.



Well, that’s still pretty far away for most of us. But, with advancements in the International Space Station’s tenure in space at least we are giving it the “ole college try”.

There’s also another possibility.

Virgin Galactic, owned by billionaire adventurer Sir Richard Branson, aims to take folks on an interstellar joyride. Albeit, a short and expensive joyride (~$200,000 US for a 2.5 hour flight).



How does it work?

Well, 6 passengers and 2 pilots will board SpaceShip Two and be connected to the Virgin Galactic mothership WhiteKnight Two. WhiteKnight Two will take the passengers to about 50,000 feet (~9.5 miles) above sea level. From there, SpaceShip Two will undock from WhiteKnight Two and fire up its engine to reach altitudes in excess of 360,000 feet (~68 miles) above sea level. Once the trip is complete, SpaceShip Two will use the Earth’s gravitational force to safely glide back down. To put things in perspective a normal NASA space shuttle mission can reach about 350 miles and most commercial flights travel ~35,000 feet (~6.5 miles). That being said, 68 miles above Earth is nothing to scoff at.


For $200,000 I would expect a little style and this has it.


I can see my house from here!

Virgin Galactic is not yet commercially available and is cost prohibitive to most of us. Also, there’s another reason this may be out of reach for awhile; all maiden voyage reservations are completely sold out for first year of operation.


Sea Castle - The newest and most exciting floating city in the Pacific invites you and your family to come away with us to the sea. Convenient daily departures by sea train and skylift.

“How often do we check our gills? Every 10 minutes.”

Or more often.



Arguably the coolest set of scenes in Horizons, sea life civilizations depicted what it would be like to travel in your own sub down to your undersea house, restaurant, or office. I like to think this was so popular due to the fact that the sea was something everyone was familiar with. You didn’t have to hop on a space shuttle, you just had to drive to the beach. Plus, everyone loves the sea.

In relation to the above destinations, undersea resorts are abundant with more being drafted as we speak. While the first resorts were somewhat primitive and needed all parties to be scuba certified, new resorts are more advanced and offer conveniences similar to that of five star hotels.

Deep in the Emerald Lagoon of Key Largo, Florida sits Jules Undersea Lodge named after the grand old man himself, Jules Verne. The resort actually is the La Chalupa research laboratory created to research the continental shelf off of Puerto Rico’s coast. It was purchased in 1995 and renamed Jules Undersea Resort. This 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom resort sits 30 feet below the surface. Look around, it has all the creature comforts of home as well as scuba room service from a “mer-chef".


Notice the "5 Fathom Club" sign? Nice.


Ugh, I always get a room right next to the pool.


Spacious eatery. Reminds me of my freshman dorm.


I don't feel like going out tonight. Let's stay in.

If you’re more about luxury and less about diving check out the Poseidon Resort Mystery Island off the coast of Fiji. This resort takes passengers to their underwater “pods” by elevator (think Living Seas’ Hydrolaters) 40 feet below the ocean’s surface. Once on the ocean bottom the guest will have the option to stay in one of 20 standard pods, a luxury suite, or a themed-suite, as well as, bars and restaurants. Rumored pricing starts at $30,000 US for a party of two per week, or rent the whole thing for $3,000,000 US per week. Slated to open in early in 2010, Poseidon is already 15 months past schedule. But, its postponed opening gives you a chance to save your pennies. Also, if you are staying 40 feet below the ocean for a week do you really want them to cut corners?


They look like escape pods.




What's that fish starring at?

And then there’s Hydropolis.

Hydropolis is slated to be a vast undersea luxury resort in Dubai (hey, it’s all Dubai these days) 66 feet below the Persian Gulf. There isn’t much information on it as of yet, but rumor has it will cost about $5,000 US per night. There are also rumblings that Hydropolis is in talks with Disney to produce an underwater show for the resort. This resort was supposed to open in 2006, so take it all at face value.


It looks like the spaceship from the Abyss.


Hmm, that veranda looks like the Living Seas.

These are just a few of the prophecies told by Horizons (an attraction that was designed in the late 70’s mind you). Try googling things like Mag Lev and Hovercar and you’d be surprised how much you can find. Not to mention the countless automated products already found in your home. Hopefully, we will continue along the path of Horizons to make the world more enjoyable.

Thoughts?


Photo Credits are of their respective parties.
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Mickey's 10 Commandments

Marty Sklar (if you don't know who he is stop reading) came up with a list of commandments Imagineers (more importantly, Disney top brass) should follow to maintain the high standards of storytelling Walt set forth. These commandments are how Disney distances itself from other "amusement" parks and the reason guests continue to come back. Do you think that these are still valid? Does Disney Parks still live by these standards (both creatively and business operations)? What do you think?


1. Know your audience - Don't bore people, talk down to them or lose them by assuming that they know what you know.

2. Wear your guest's shoes - Insist that designers, staff and your board members experience your facility as visitors as often as possible.

3. Organize the flow of people and ideas - Use good story telling techniques, tell good stories not lectures, lay out your exhibit with a clear logic.

4. Create a weenie - Lead visitors from one area to another by creating visual magnets and giving visitors rewards for making the journey

5. Communicate with visual literacy - Make good use of all the non-verbal ways of communication - color, shape, form, texture.

6. Avoid overload - Resist the temptation to tell too much, to have too many objects, don't force people to swallow more than they can digest, try to stimulate and provide guidance to those who want more.

7. Tell one story at a time - If you have a lot of information divide it into distinct, logical, organized stories, people can absorb and retain information more clearly if the path to the next concept is clear and logical.

8. Avoid contradiction - Clear institutional identity helps give you the competitive edge. Public needs to know who you are and what differentiates you from other institutions they may have seen.

9. For every ounce of treatment , provide a ton of fun - How do you woo people from all other temptations? Give people plenty of opportunity to enjoy themselves by emphasizing ways that let people participate in the experience and by making your environment rich and appealing to all senses.

10. Keep it up - Never underestimate the importance of cleanliness and routine maintenance, people expect to get a good show every time, people will comment more on broken and dirty stuff.

Martin Sklar, Walt Disney Imagineering, Education vs. Entertainment: Competing for audiences, AAM Annual meeting, 1987

More Horizons pics

As promised, here are a few more Horizons pics from closing day.




Better shot of the Hidden Mickey




That's our daughter the desert dweller. She's doing wonderful things out there in the desert. (She also has a ginormous booty as seen in previous blog post).



Old Uncle Jules may not have had all the answers, but his space capsule sure smelled like animal dung. (No privacy at all 'round this place).



This picture speaks for itself. Somebody on the Imagineering team was a fan of the ladies.



...and someone was a fan of the fellas. (Aw, now that's really lovely. Practical too. Practical indeed).



Love this pic.



Oh, the irony. Tom Fitzgerald fixing a sub. Subs get sunk in the water. Fitzgerald sunk Imagineering. Ironic.



This poor guy's been waiting over 15 years for his wife to show up. Unfortunately, she's off with her "other" family.



See.



A feat of engineering if you really think about this show scene.


Hope these photos have helped to give you a sense of how wonderfully detailed this attraction was. Can't seem to think of any new ones this detailed. Of course, if you count a ton of tv screens as detailed, well then, I guess today's rides are detailed. :(

Was Billy Mays the Model for Horizons?

I'm just sayin...........