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2006 Walt Disney World Marathon Report: Carrie
My First Marathon 
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| Well, didn’t sleep much prior to that 3 am alarm, but I don’t think anything would have helped that. Made our way to the bus stop at 3:30 and got on the bus right away. WDW at 3:30 am is surreal. 14,000 people getting ready to run a marathon at that time is also surreal.
I was really afraid of the change in temps. 34 at the start was not a problem for the MI girl, but ending in the 60’s?? That’s quite the change. We started to get a little cold waiting for the 6 am start. Good thing is wasn’t windy, but an hour and a half in the same place gets a little cold. There was some entertainment, but the jumbo tron looked like a micro tron from as far back as we were. The start came before we knew it though. Shed the sweat pants and headed for the line. It took about 3 to 4 minuets just to get to the starting line, but things went pretty quickly after that. Miles 0 – 2.5 Pretty much just in awe of everything. The people the lights, glimpses of SE. Wow. Miles 2.5 to 3 Around the World Showcase lagoon with all the lights. Amazing. The hardest part was that we passed the 25 mile mark in here. That made my brain go into overdrive, but there was so much to see, my mind recovered quickly. 
Keep in mind that I’m not a great photographer, but these were taken while running. Miles 3 to 4.5 Continued to loop around the outside of Epcot. I took pics at every mile marker as they had a different character and saying. At mile 4, had a bit of a mishap when the pavement grabbed my toe (maybe a reflector, who knows). Went down pretty hard and scraped my knee and shin, but didn’t really seem to hurt anything. (like father like daughter, dad took a spill in Epcot too, but he got a FP to Saorin' for it.) Helped a lot that I saw my family shortly after that. I never thought we’d find them in the crowds, but it was so great to see them! (Got to give them the first upper body layer we shed too) Miles 4.5 to 9 Long trek to MK. The loop to go from W to N was cool. 
Look! We’re not last! Being Disney, they brought in cheerleaders, bands, drum cores, and even hula’ing retirees to cheer us on. That helped pass the time a lot. Miles 9 to 10 We’re on our way! TTC was cool and the Tag team cheering squad was awesome!!!!!!. It’s amazing to hear your name in such crowds. (I kind of fed on that too. Needed all the help I could get.) Under the water bridge 
Past contemporary and ahead to MK. Wow, it’s getting cool now!!! Mile 10 to 11 MK!!! We entered on Main Street and my family was right by the Christmas tree. Wow. Worlds just can’t describe it. Plus, I could shed my last layer. Turn the corner and there’s the castle. 
Through Tomorrowland, quick stop to take a pic of Mr. And Mrs. Incredible. Very appropriate. As I went by, Mrs. I stuck out her hand for me to slap. That was way cool. Right behind her was stitch to slap my hand. Did I mention that they were playing colors of the wind, then Tiki Room? I danced through MK!!! Miles 12 to 16 were tough. Luckily Tag team caught us on Floridian way and gave me a boost. Hearing that I was half way at 13.1 was not a big perk to me, though. I was feeling pretty bad by the time I hit AK. |
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Miles 16 to 18 Well, as we came to AK, I could hear Phil singing from Tarzan. A favorite singer and a favorite sound track. That helped. Passed Rafiki on the Jumpin’ Jungle parade platform and that was another perk. Then I heard my Pooh-bear singing. Oh, you could have cut he excitement with a knife. Turned the corner and there were Pooh and Piglet.
Then around the next corner were Baloo and King Louie. Mad dh get a pic with them. Baloo’s his fav. Caught some nice views of EE. Wow. Then it got hard. The pavement there is less than spectacular to run on, especially when you’ve already done 16 miles!! I was warned about this, but I don’t know that it made it easier. I also was not looking forward to the stretch after AK. Miles 18 to 22.5 These were tough. The crowds were nice, but they weren’t my group and it was all straight road (and over passes). Plus miles 20 and 21 were a straight out and back by WWoS. Very hard mentally. Did get a laugh at the beer offered at mile 20, but didn’t drink it. I wanted to die by mile 20. It was the farthest I had run in training and I had 6 miles to go. DH was having a tough time too. Luckily, our tough times were not at the same times! I don’t think that I could have done it by myself. I just kept thinking that I could make it to MGM. There would be music and characters there. Then BW would have a WISH cheering team and Epcot would be the home stretch. Boy, it sure did take forever to get there though. Miles 22.5 to 23.5 MGM was cool. They rolled out the red carpet for us. Nice touch, but it stunk to run on. By the time we got there, it was puckered and seemed to stick to your shoes. Got off that quick. Characters weren’t so thrilling here, although seeing someone in a Wings sweatshirt helped. There were a lot of little steep hills that killed me. I knew I was getting close to BW, though and I knew that would help. Mile 24 to 25 Made it to BW, but I was dying. Luckily the WISH team (including our very own Chimera) made themselves known well and I got revved again. Just needed to enter Epcot and I was golden. Too bad that last high only lasted about 30 seconds. This is when my leg started hurting from my fall. Thank goodness I had 20 miles before it bothered me! Miles 25 to 26.2 Made it to WS lagoon. It wasn’t as cool as the lit up version and there were very few people cheering. The CMs there seemed tired or were trying to get ready to open as it was right around 11. That ball seemed soooooo far away. 
People were cheering that we were almost there, and usually the last mile I cruise, but I was tired and those bridges were killing me. Next I heard that I was almost there and the gospel choir was right around the corner. Huh???? Well,… 
Hallelujah!!!! Yup, I needed that. We were in the bleachers area now and the finish was in sight. DH told me to go ahead, but no way. He never left me in training and I was not going to do it then. (Not that I think I could have at that point) We did finish pretty strong though. I still can’t believe I finished, but my Mickey medal says I did. Wow.  |
| Better late than never...
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