Hey Y'All,
Disney was just a week ago but already seems like much longer than that.
We've been back since Tuesday but this is the first chance I've had to write
a quick report. Fist congratulations to everyone out there. I've enjoyed
reading all the reports and hearing of everyone's experience. Such a great
group this is!
Out trip started with a 3AM wake up to drive to Dayton for our early flight
down south. Airfare out of Cinti is always unreasonable (rated highest in
the country in 03) so we usually have long airport drives to make it
economical. Got to Orlando on time but they didn't have our room ready at
Boardwalk and wouldn't until late in the afternoon. After heading to the
expo where we ran into dead Mike Lozano we headed back to BW hoping for a
room and a much needed nap before finding our way to the APD. Well the room
still wasn't ready and by this time we were starving so we ended up going to
Downtown Disney and having a lunch/dinner there and ended up missing the
APD. I was kind of bummed about this but we were so beat by that time we
just wanted to get back and get into our room. We ended up crashing at
about 7pm which was just right for the 3AM wakeup call for the marathon.
Sunday morning we head down to catch the bus at about 3:45 and run into our
old pals Dave and Eileen Lawrence and new DD friend Julie Miwa. We all then
proceeded to Epcot and the D-tent finding Bart, Sheila-Stan and a few others
as we stood in the chilly wind and tried to keep warm. Was hoping to see a
few more deads in the A corral but never did. It was nice being close to
the front though as the race started and I crossed the line just about 10
seconds later. This is where "the good" part starts. About 1/4 mile into
the race speedy and perfect 10 dead Mike Lozano spots me and we get the
opportunity to run some miles together. Turns out Mike and I have a good
deal of our professional background in common and we had a nice conversation
for about the first 9 miles, keeping the pace between a 7:30 and 7:45 - just
about where I had planned. Unfortunately at mile 9 nature called and I
would have to let Mike go as I headed for a quick stop in the potties at the
transportation and ticket center. Lost a couple of minutes there but I
thought I might be about to catch back up to Mike by late in the race. It
wouldn't happen. Ran well until about mile 14 when (here's "the bad" part),
both my calfs cramped badly forcing my quickly into a med tent for some
massage and bio-freeze. That helped but my speed was gone and I quickly
went to running 8 min miles and soon 8:30's. At this point the time goals
were shot so I decided to try and make it a fun run and do the best I could.
Hung in there OK until just past Wide World of Sports when the cramps
returned and I found myself back at the med tent for more of the same. By
now it was all I could do to run a 9 min pace and it just went downhill from
there. The final two miles turned into "the ugly" as I realized that in all
the fooling with and worrying about the cramps I'd neglected to take any Gu
since about mile 14. Ooops - big mistake! I ran out of gas and slugged in
the final couple of miles but was quite glad to be finished when I crossed
the line. At the half I was on pace to run about a 3:20 race, but finished
with a 3:46 including about 10 minutes of med tent time. Not quite the race
I was hoping for.
I've now run 7 Disney's (out of my 28 marathons) and have never once run
particularly well. I think I've come to the concluding that training in
Cinti in the winter for a January marathon just doesn't work. The quality
went out of my training this year in mid-November when the weather turned
nasty (plus a bout with the flu). Hmmm - maybe I should quit running Disney
each year.... oops, too late! Colleen and I already registered for the full
for next year :-) (Looks like I'm going to be a walker once again though
and accompany my lovely wife around the course in a sub-6 hour effort.
How's that for nuts - we've already got a time goal for a race 12 month
away!)
As usual the rest of the trip immediately shifts back to "the good". The
weather turned nice. Ran into my longtime virtual buddy Dave at MK on
Sunday but, having never met before our encounter was much too brief. (His
new little on Max though is something. All smiles and quite a good looking
boy.) Monday AM we had a great "morning after" encounter with time to catch
up with many old friends and make a few new ones. (I've got at least one
good digital picture if anyone wants a copy. Just e-mail me.) My legs seem
to have recovered nicely and got in a few 5 mile runs during the week and a
couple a little longer this weekend. So another great Disney Marathon trip
for the Laux gang. As usual we're already looking forward to next year.
Next up on the marathon calendar for me is Boston and then two weeks later
The Flying Pig. I think my buddy Adam Rojas is going to make it back to
Cinti so we can run the Pig together (sub-4 Adam). Eileen and Ellen
Druckenmiller still have a belated date with the Oinker and quite a few
other deads have come here for the race. So consider this the first of many
invitations to come to Cincinnati in the spring to run your next marathon.
A new course promises to get all the hills done early in the race and the
hospitality is sure to be good. If we get a group I'd love to have our own
pasta party this year at my house (just 15 mins from downtown). Start
thinking about it now... but hurry! Early registration ends of January
20th!
Tom Laux
Cincinnati, OH
