I am a marathoner?
That sounds so sureal. I just have to keep telling myself over and over...
I AM A MARATHONER.
I can't believe it is over. All of the training and all of the preparation. The hours and hours of planning and chatting about pre-race pasta, race day game plans, running dates with the mouse, etc. I have got some fabulous memories and I was lucky to share the weekend with some equally fabulous friends.
Jere is a re-cap of the weekend along with a few of the professional Disney Pictures. I will add some of Kennys tomorrow!
Friday, January 9, 2009
The expo was much better this year, Number pick up was great and the vendors were pleantiful. Kenny and I visited the expo once for my number and then we were lucky enough to hit the expo a second time with Tim and Mandie once they arrived in Orlando. Tim was running and Mandie is a super spectator like Kenny who also happens to like photography. They get along very well. After the expo the 4 of us headed away from Disney to UCF and we hit up the enfamous Ale House. Oh how I miss that place. I had hot Zingers and some broccoli while Tim and Mandie destroyed the chicken nachos. A quick run to the Wal-mart Marketplace and then we decided to head back to the hotel from some rest.
Highlights of Friday: Almost being in a 20 car pile up because apparently people in Orlando know less about driving than people in Atlanta. It gave the 4 of us something to laugh at all the way to dinner. Having my picture taken with Jeff Galloway. Tim discovering the Super Protein Shot at the grocery store and then chasing everyone around with it!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Our original Saturday plan was to hit up the UCF area to visit friends but unfortuntaly it didn't quick work out that way. Instead we decided to hit up the outlet malls in search of Chamilia Beads. (More on this in a post later this month). It was a pretty relaxed day. Subway for lunch. No major damage done on the shopping end of things.
The evening was a blast. We met up with my buddies from the Macon Tracks Running Club and a few running friends from the Tampa running club for Dinner at the Macaroni Grill. I love this place and it is another restaurant that I miss bunches. We had about 12 people total at our table and the restaurant was full of runners. I enjoyed the build your own pasta. I could eat tons of that stuff. My mouth is just watering now.
Highlights of Saturday: Discovering that KB Toys was going out of business and was selling their silly string for only $0.89. Writing on the table with my running friends and making predicted finish times based on the weather/humidity.
Sunday, January 11, 2009- Race Day
Kenny and I woke up at 3am to start our day. I was very suprised not to be nervous. I don't know if I just felt calm or if there was not time for nerves, but it was odd to wake up and not feel like my heart was about to jump out of my chest. I was a good little runner and I had set out all of my running stuff the night before so getting ready was simple. We were out the door by 3:30am and on the road to Epcot. Pulling into the Epcot parking lot is eerie at 4pm. All you see is the glow from one massive light over the prep area. Music is pumping, friends are gathering, and the morning begins.
Realistically once we pulled in the parking lot, there was little time to spare. We spent about an hour standing around with friends, snapping a few photos, making sure all of the Gu's were in place, setting up the ipod, etc. At 5am I left the group to make my way to the corrals with Troy. We both made our way through the baggage check area and heade d in different directions for a potty break. After the potty break I begin the mile walk to my corral. I got to my corral with about 5 minutes to spare.
5...4...3...2...1... and we were off. Still no nerves. AMAZING! The first parts of the race are in the dark and to me were very calming. Sure you are running with 15,000 other people and everyone is chatting but there is just something calming about the morning humidity and darkness. I tried running with the sunglasses on my I kept fogging. This would be an issue until mile 10.
We passed through Epcot for the first time in the dark and then made our long run to the Magic Kingdom. After running the Half Marathon last year, I knew a bit of the course. I felt really good in these early miles. I was keeping an excellent pace and was pleased with my progress. At mile 2 I do remember thinking that I was sweating way too much. Dang Florida and their 80% humidity! :)
Passing the Ticket and Transportation Center and then making the path to Magic Kingdom is always special. You know you are gettig closer to a lot of spectators and you can't help but smile. All during this time I kept trying to use the sunglasses but they were of no use. At mile 9 I made a call to Kenny to let him and Mandie know that I was about to head inside the park. They were waiting infront of the castle as the official Macon Tracks Photographers for the day. I made sure to smile and wave at all of the photographers as I passed through Main Street and then through the back of the Castle.
A quick stop in front of the castle to hand Kenny my sunglasses and snag a kiss and I was off. Here are three Pics from Mainstreet and the Castle.
After a quick potty stop in Frontier Land, I made the long track to Animal Kingdom. I will admit that I was going great on pace until the half way point. From that point on I really struggled. The temperatures soared up to 80+ degrees and it just japs your energy. However, I figured there was a good chance of this happeneing so I did have a game plan to keep myself going.
1) Always put one foot in front of the other
2) When you can't think about running, think about what motivated you to get here.
SO thus I ran the entire race for other people/things. Starting at mile 3, I dedicated a mile to a person or an idea that has helped me. I can't remember everything/everyone who I ran for but here is an abbreviated list. If you are on this list... you have a speical mile in my heart. I tried to list the mile markers for those who had specific meaning.
They say the Race really begins at mile 20 when you hit the wall. I hit the wall at mile 18.5 and then I hit it again at 22.5. Mile 20 was a breeze LOL. I know I hit it at 18.5 because it was a mental game at that point. My longest run had only been 18 miles so my mind said "No more". I pushed through that one all on my own. By the time I hit wall #2, I had to resort to my back up, the iPod. I am very proud to say that out of the entire race I only used my iPod for 2 miles, 22.5-24.5. This was over a section of Hollywood studios and the boardwalk. I needed a distraction.
Coming back into Epcot was bittersweet. I wanted the race to be over in a bad way but I also didn't want the meories to end. Secretly however, I was wishing I had tucked away some money so I could have bought a margarhetia in Mexico to carry across the finish line. I crossed the line with an end time of 6:47:48. Obviously I had hoped for better but I know that was pretty accurate of my training. Just before crossing the line I spotted Kenny, Tim, Mandie, Toby and Sarah all cheering me on. It was a perfect end to my race.
Highlights for Saturday: Making it to the finish line and seeing all of my friends cheering me on. Finally getting my Mickey Medal. Being covered in silly string by my friends. Having the worlds tastiest meal after the race. (it wasnt anything exceptional... I was just that hungry!)
So yes I am now a marathoner. How cool is that?!?!?! I know there will be more in the future but I have definitely decided that the half marathon is my favorite distance. Once I can progress on my running form, endurance and speed, I might re-evaluate that! :) I will probably wait until Bartram in November to attempt the marathon distance again. Until then I have memories to carry me.
Thanks to everyone who made this possible. I couldn't have done it without you. And thanks for putting up with an obnixously long blog. I promise not to do it too often!
I AM A MARATHONER.
I can't believe it is over. All of the training and all of the preparation. The hours and hours of planning and chatting about pre-race pasta, race day game plans, running dates with the mouse, etc. I have got some fabulous memories and I was lucky to share the weekend with some equally fabulous friends.
Jere is a re-cap of the weekend along with a few of the professional Disney Pictures. I will add some of Kennys tomorrow!
Friday, January 9, 2009
The expo was much better this year, Number pick up was great and the vendors were pleantiful. Kenny and I visited the expo once for my number and then we were lucky enough to hit the expo a second time with Tim and Mandie once they arrived in Orlando. Tim was running and Mandie is a super spectator like Kenny who also happens to like photography. They get along very well. After the expo the 4 of us headed away from Disney to UCF and we hit up the enfamous Ale House. Oh how I miss that place. I had hot Zingers and some broccoli while Tim and Mandie destroyed the chicken nachos. A quick run to the Wal-mart Marketplace and then we decided to head back to the hotel from some rest.
Highlights of Friday: Almost being in a 20 car pile up because apparently people in Orlando know less about driving than people in Atlanta. It gave the 4 of us something to laugh at all the way to dinner. Having my picture taken with Jeff Galloway. Tim discovering the Super Protein Shot at the grocery store and then chasing everyone around with it!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Our original Saturday plan was to hit up the UCF area to visit friends but unfortuntaly it didn't quick work out that way. Instead we decided to hit up the outlet malls in search of Chamilia Beads. (More on this in a post later this month). It was a pretty relaxed day. Subway for lunch. No major damage done on the shopping end of things.
The evening was a blast. We met up with my buddies from the Macon Tracks Running Club and a few running friends from the Tampa running club for Dinner at the Macaroni Grill. I love this place and it is another restaurant that I miss bunches. We had about 12 people total at our table and the restaurant was full of runners. I enjoyed the build your own pasta. I could eat tons of that stuff. My mouth is just watering now.
Highlights of Saturday: Discovering that KB Toys was going out of business and was selling their silly string for only $0.89. Writing on the table with my running friends and making predicted finish times based on the weather/humidity.
Sunday, January 11, 2009- Race Day
Kenny and I woke up at 3am to start our day. I was very suprised not to be nervous. I don't know if I just felt calm or if there was not time for nerves, but it was odd to wake up and not feel like my heart was about to jump out of my chest. I was a good little runner and I had set out all of my running stuff the night before so getting ready was simple. We were out the door by 3:30am and on the road to Epcot. Pulling into the Epcot parking lot is eerie at 4pm. All you see is the glow from one massive light over the prep area. Music is pumping, friends are gathering, and the morning begins.
Realistically once we pulled in the parking lot, there was little time to spare. We spent about an hour standing around with friends, snapping a few photos, making sure all of the Gu's were in place, setting up the ipod, etc. At 5am I left the group to make my way to the corrals with Troy. We both made our way through the baggage check area and heade d in different directions for a potty break. After the potty break I begin the mile walk to my corral. I got to my corral with about 5 minutes to spare.
5...4...3...2...1... and we were off. Still no nerves. AMAZING! The first parts of the race are in the dark and to me were very calming. Sure you are running with 15,000 other people and everyone is chatting but there is just something calming about the morning humidity and darkness. I tried running with the sunglasses on my I kept fogging. This would be an issue until mile 10.
We passed through Epcot for the first time in the dark and then made our long run to the Magic Kingdom. After running the Half Marathon last year, I knew a bit of the course. I felt really good in these early miles. I was keeping an excellent pace and was pleased with my progress. At mile 2 I do remember thinking that I was sweating way too much. Dang Florida and their 80% humidity! :)
Passing the Ticket and Transportation Center and then making the path to Magic Kingdom is always special. You know you are gettig closer to a lot of spectators and you can't help but smile. All during this time I kept trying to use the sunglasses but they were of no use. At mile 9 I made a call to Kenny to let him and Mandie know that I was about to head inside the park. They were waiting infront of the castle as the official Macon Tracks Photographers for the day. I made sure to smile and wave at all of the photographers as I passed through Main Street and then through the back of the Castle.
A quick stop in front of the castle to hand Kenny my sunglasses and snag a kiss and I was off. Here are three Pics from Mainstreet and the Castle.
After a quick potty stop in Frontier Land, I made the long track to Animal Kingdom. I will admit that I was going great on pace until the half way point. From that point on I really struggled. The temperatures soared up to 80+ degrees and it just japs your energy. However, I figured there was a good chance of this happeneing so I did have a game plan to keep myself going.
1) Always put one foot in front of the other
2) When you can't think about running, think about what motivated you to get here.
SO thus I ran the entire race for other people/things. Starting at mile 3, I dedicated a mile to a person or an idea that has helped me. I can't remember everything/everyone who I ran for but here is an abbreviated list. If you are on this list... you have a speical mile in my heart. I tried to list the mile markers for those who had specific meaning.
- Cristal Weeks- For rocking out the Disney Half Marathon with me last year and for being my biggest supporter, ever from 1000 miles away.
- Sarah Goddard- Mile 13 for competeing her first Half Marathon and for having the courage to sign up for #2
- Toby Gruber- For driving Sarah and himself all the way to the finish line just to see me!
- "If You Can Believe it, You Can Achieve it" - OLDSCHOOL RHA
- My In-Laws- Jim and Nancy
- My Dad and Stepmom
- My Mom and Stepdad- For being at the finish line, Just to say congrats!
- My Grandparents
- My Health and fitness progress in the last year- Yippie for loosing 22 pounds and running a marathon
- Tracy Tilley- For being my running inspiration
- PCC Gals
- My Blog Readers
- The Anomymous runners who shout words of encouragement
- Macon Tracks Running Club
- Tim Cook- Mile 20 -For helping me attempt my 20 miler
- Deb Botkin- Mile 18- For running with me during my 18 mile training run
- Bartram Forest Runners- Mile 16- For making my 16 mile training run, the best ever!
- Mandie Cook- For keeping my husband sane while I run and for not forming a running hate club with Kenny for all the hours we spend running
- And of Course Kenny- Mile 25- I wanted to run the last mile for him because I knew I would need that last little bit of encouragement.
They say the Race really begins at mile 20 when you hit the wall. I hit the wall at mile 18.5 and then I hit it again at 22.5. Mile 20 was a breeze LOL. I know I hit it at 18.5 because it was a mental game at that point. My longest run had only been 18 miles so my mind said "No more". I pushed through that one all on my own. By the time I hit wall #2, I had to resort to my back up, the iPod. I am very proud to say that out of the entire race I only used my iPod for 2 miles, 22.5-24.5. This was over a section of Hollywood studios and the boardwalk. I needed a distraction.
Coming back into Epcot was bittersweet. I wanted the race to be over in a bad way but I also didn't want the meories to end. Secretly however, I was wishing I had tucked away some money so I could have bought a margarhetia in Mexico to carry across the finish line. I crossed the line with an end time of 6:47:48. Obviously I had hoped for better but I know that was pretty accurate of my training. Just before crossing the line I spotted Kenny, Tim, Mandie, Toby and Sarah all cheering me on. It was a perfect end to my race.
Highlights for Saturday: Making it to the finish line and seeing all of my friends cheering me on. Finally getting my Mickey Medal. Being covered in silly string by my friends. Having the worlds tastiest meal after the race. (it wasnt anything exceptional... I was just that hungry!)
So yes I am now a marathoner. How cool is that?!?!?! I know there will be more in the future but I have definitely decided that the half marathon is my favorite distance. Once I can progress on my running form, endurance and speed, I might re-evaluate that! :) I will probably wait until Bartram in November to attempt the marathon distance again. Until then I have memories to carry me.
Thanks to everyone who made this possible. I couldn't have done it without you. And thanks for putting up with an obnixously long blog. I promise not to do it too often!