I was excited--not really nervous about this one, because I knew what to expect. Jeff Galloway told me to save my legs. Walk most of the half---well friends, I am 5'4, and these chubby legs cannot walk a 16 minute mile pace. So, I knew I would have to run some. This would be my 4th half marathon, so I knew I could do it, and I knew what to expect.
I loaded the bus, decked out in my Donald Duck costume. I was hoping the bus would take longer to arrive, because I didn't want to be out in the cold long, just sitting in my corral alone. Disney is an organized, on target company, so needless to say we made it to the Race pretty quickly. I stopped for a quick potty break, and off I went to my corral. I was in corral L this time, and I was stoked. MUCH better than where I was last year, at O.
The race finally started, and we were off! I started at a nice steady jog, and kept with that for a while. I walked a bit, but never any longer than 30 seconds. I was proud at my steady jog. It felt good, not too strenuous but good. Those balloon ladies weren't going to get me today!
Speaking of balloon ladies---I am a member of a Dopey group on facebook, and earlier this morning, someone posted their bib numbers. So, being the balloon lady psycho that I am, I started tracking them through the same runner tracking that friends at home were tracking ME on. I wanted to see how much distance I had ahead of them!
The first few miles were on the highway. It was dark, and there were a few floats and sights to see. There was an amazing hot air balloon in the middle of the median which was pretty cool. But, you see I am all business during the half, so there were no time for photo ops!
We got to the Magic Kingdom around mile 3 or 4. It was still dark. I was excited, because I remember last year it was daylight when I hit the entrance. I must be a speed demon this year! ;D I made it to Main Street USA just as the sun was coming up. It was a beautiful sight. It was foggy, but beautiful. The amount of people cheering us on was insane. I always make sure to take out my headphones when I'm in a park or on Main Street USA so I can truly take it all in. The sight would bring tears to your eyes. It's really magical. I took a few selfies, had a few random people take my picture, and I ran towards the castle. And then, it was breaktime.
As we got to the castle, we were at a standstill. Literally not moving. Thousands of people, it seemed were trying to get through. Faster runners were pissed, I was confused as to what was going on, and was enjoying just standing and not running. Finally about 7 minutes later, we were through the Castle. I stopped for a famous Castle photo, and tried to do a jump shot---but it turned out absolutely ridiculous, so I kept going.
A little passed mile 5, I had to go to the bathroom, so I took a quick detour into Frontierland to do my business. Washed the hands, and headed back out on the trail.
As we left Magic Kingdom, it was elbow to elbow traffic again. You literally were forced to walk.
Back out on more highway, we ran. And we ran. I started getting a little tired, but I knew I had it in me to finish.
Before I knew it, I was at mile 11. I stumbled upon my new friend Jennifer that I had met the day before. She informed me that we were safe! So, when you are "safe" it means you can walk more if you like and you won't get swept. I HATE the last few miles of the course, because it's an on-ramp and one leg is up higher than the other and it's just uncomfortable. I walked a little bit, and jogged some more because let's face it---I was ready to finish this thing and head to Hollywood Studios!
I stopped for a photo with the Genie at mile 12, because again, I was "safe."
3 hours and 48 minutes later, I finished the Walt Disney Half Marathon. I was a little stiff and sore, but didn't really exert myself too much. Last year my time was 3:37 and I was busting butt to even finish---so on the grand scheme of things, I feel like I did better this year because it was more of a leisurely stroll, instead of a race. After all--you DON"T go to Disney and do a race to get a PR!
After a little breakfast, and a shower and a nap, the husband and I headed to Hollywood Studios for the day. We knew we couldn't stay long, because I had to be in bed by 7 or 8 that night. I was extremely stiff from the half. I was sore. I was sick to my stomach, because I knew I had 26.2 miles ahead of me early in the morning.
What the heck did I get myself into?
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