2005 Jan 9 - Florida, Disney Marathon #13.
Time 3:20
Thanks to a "stringent" program of non-exercise and a plentiful preceding Christmas
vacation (with resulting 6 pound weight
gain), the ankle injury that had
occurred in Japan a few months back was now pain-free and only slightly swollen
- well enough for participation. In contrast though, the hostile temperatures forecast for Orlando well marathoners, who's finishing times
would stretch well into the hot morning.
On the previous Friday
evening I'd taken part in a pleasant meeting with other members of the Disney Dead Runners,
followed by Disney's 5k Family Fun Run early Saturday morning and the Dead
Runner's own pasta carbo-loading dinner that evening.
This year being my 3rd Disney marathon, getting up
for the race in the dark on Sunday at 3 a.m. seemed quite "normal", especially for jet lagged
European participants like myself. "Dark" is of course a
relative term here, given Disney's ability to summon millions of powerful lights
to turn the darkest night into blindingly bright day.
Dreams of qualifying for the next New York Marathon in November with a sub 3:15,
or at least a sub 1:30 half distance were stubbornly refusing to shut-up, despite the adverse situation. Today's qualification strategy was to
rush headlong for a sub 1:30 at the half, and somehow carry on at a slower pace
for the final part of the race.
At exactly 6 a.m. a dazzling array of
fireworks signalled the race start, and I sprinted off at full speed. But the
inevitable tiredness quickly set in, and despite an all-out effort, the half way
mark was reached 30 seconds late.... After that the race became an increasingly
difficult struggle, ending with a disappointing 3:20. I was quite whacked, and
the back seat of my car parked nearby offered a most welcome place to crash out
and recover.
The subsequent visit to Disney's Epcot park
enjoying the warm sunny day, cheering on the runners (many by now red with
sunburn),
lunching with Kris Kozuch, meeting Stan & Sheila, going to the Bragathon
meetings and not least having an ankle that performed well - all contributed to
a weekend that was special.
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