Short Version:
Ended up cold & wet but ran a 2:38 at the split and finished at 5:44. Just
one second in front of Lou Goetz (my father in law & running partner).
Long version:
Finally made it into Orlando airport at about 10:45 p.m. on Friday (only a
few HOURS late). Thanks to weather in Newark & Atlanta. By the time our
bags made it off the carousel & we made it to Coronado Springs (our hotel for
Friday), it was after midnight. Needless to say, we missed all the fun at
Dixie Landings.
Got a really good nights sleep & decided to wander around the hotel for a
bit. It really is a pretty place to stay. Had a fabulous breakfast buffet
at the Maya Cafe (ate way too much) and went back to our room to pack up &
move onto the other hotel we were staying at (Old Key West). Went out to the
Expo to pick up our bib & chip. I was really disappointed in the Expo this
year. It probably has something to do with Track Shack running everything.
We spent the next few hours walking around Downtown Disney. My wife wanted
to buy a bunch of stuff for the upcoming baby, but i told her that since she
doesnt want to find out what we are having, she has to wait to buy a bunch of
Disney clothes. She didnt like that idea much.
Finally got checked into the hotel at about 3:30. Didnt have much time to
relax before heading to the APD. As always, Macaroni Grill did a great job
(with a few mistakes). I think everyone had a good time. I got to chat with
Jeff Armstrong & William (sorry I didnt get your last name). Jakson's friend
May was also a pleasure to chat with. But Holly, you were sorely missed. As
were Tom & Colleen and Stan & Sheila. After dinner, it was an early night,
because an early morning was just around the riverbend =)
Got up at 4:00 a.m. feeling very refreshed and ready to roll. Had a bagel
(big mistake) and some coffee. Then we were off to Epcot. Rolled into the
Epcot parking lot at about 4:45, so we were able to spend about 30 minutes in
the nice, warm car. At about 5:15, Tiffany (my wife) and Alice (my mother in
law) took some before pictures of Lou & I so that we would remember what we
looked like. Found some portapotties on the way to the start (thankfully
they were semi-clean).
The start kinda caught us by surprise because they sent the wheelchairs off
and then the runners about a minute later. Lou & I agreed to stay together
throughout so we did the 1st mile in 11:21, using the Galloway method of 10
minutes running, one walking. Mile 2 was 11:25 and Mile 3 was 11:56. The
run through Epcot was great. It was a little chilly, but overall was nice.
The next mile was a slower 12:38 (due to some necessary water & potty stops).
Mile 5 was back down to 11:28 and 6 was about 11:55 (more water stops). We
also switched to 9 minutes walking and 1 running. We did mile 7 in 12:34 and
mile 8 in 11:28. We saw Tiffany and Alice at the Contemporary Resort and got
a tasty banana. Mile 9 was 11:45 and mile 10 was 12:01. Mile 11 was 11:53,
mile 12 was 13:50 and mile 13 was 11:41. The weather felt really good and I
was down to just my singlet. By this time we had started 8 min. running and
2 minutes walking. Mile 14 was run in 12:10 and mile15 was 12:57 Then we did
a slow mile 16 at 13:21 Then the downpours began and we ran through the
Animal Kingdom. Mile 17 was 16:27 (hid under cover for a few minutes), but
mile 18 was back down to 14:01. By this time the ran had died down, although
we were already soaked. We ran mile 19 in 14:33 and mile 20 was 15:08. Just
past the mile 19 marker, both Lou & I stopped to have drinks from the red
cups. That was probably not the greatest idea since I had just popped some
Motrin, but between that and the beer, I was feeling no pain. The remaining
miles were uneventful (probably due to beer & painkiller) and we did 21 in
14:04, 22 in 14:46, 23 in 14:36, 24 in 15:03 and 25 in 14:28. When we got
into Epcot, we really stepped it up and ran mile 26 in 13:37. That is when we
saw Tiffany and Alice. We crossed the finish line at 5:44 and got our
Mickeys.
The next few hours were spent in the hot tub at Old Key West, soaking our
muscles and knocking back some cold ones. Slept for a couple of hours
watching some football on the tube before getting ready to head to Wilderness
Lodge for the annual Bragathon. As always, the Bragathon was a great time.
Got to swap stories with Bob Larson, see Bart, hi wife & their little baby;
and spend some time with my buds, Stan & Sheila. Had a good time talking
with everyone, catching up on the past year. Lou, Alice, Tiff, myself,
Sheila Stan & their friend Jim, all went to Coronado Springs for some good
Mexican food. Dropped them off at their hotel & crashed soon after getting
back to ours.
Spent today (Monday) sitting in the hot tub some more. It really helps when
you wake up tight. Went to Wide World to get our certificates and then it
was off to the airport for the flight back to Hotlanta (where it is 35
degrees).
As always, the annual trip to Disney for the marathon was a success, in no
small part to having some many friends to share the time with. Cant wait to
see you all very soon. Going for another Mickey in '03.
...Adam
