A very STRONG sense of deja vu accompanied preparations for the full *M*ickey marathon. Same head cold - BUT NO WORSE, so far no fever, and all symptoms are neck and up. I may just be OK, after all.

  I did very little after the Half. The day before a marathon, to my mind, even Goofy as I am, is a day for taking things easy. 26.2 is a pretty long trip to making - it's better to be relaxed and rested.

So I quickly got the Half's used race wear, bibs, and whatever else OUT OF SIGHT. Focus. The key now is FOCUS. One step at a time.

  Refueled, re-hydrated. Salted nuts and chocolate milk. Hot-potted can of Campbell's Chicken Soup for lunch. I set up again, this time with the best of my race-clothing. The MOST comfortable running shoes, the hat, sunglasses, gloves, gels, and set number two of throw-away sweatpants and sweatshirt. Tomorrow's weather is still expected to be cold at 4 am, and two hours in the cold prior to race start is difficult. No reason to think it'll be otherwise tomorrow.

  Once again, Nancy & I met with a small group of friends for dinner. Linae had finished her journey that morning with a PR in the Half marathon, Nancy and I who still had a distance to go before bringing home the Golden Goofy. I've got to admit, I was a bit too tired to follow all the conversation, and I was COMPLETELY ready to go back and prepare for bed immediately after the meal. Now that the Half was over, I was feeling less nervous, but I was TIRED, and not looking forward to another early morning.

  The alarm went off, after I'd spent the night up and down and back and forth to the bathroom, relieving myself of my post-race re- hydration! "Are we having FUN yet?" I asked Nancy in what I hoped was a comic moan as we once again rose at 0GoofyHundred to set out for the start of the FULL.

  I wasn't looking forward to that raucous DisneyBabble, nor the chaotic crowd, but at least I knew better than to get bottled-up before spotting the proper baggage tent!

  Surprisingly, this was a TOTALLY different scene this morning.

Like a county fair atmosphere at the staging area. Better lit, less congested. Sarge was back, barking his over-amplified instructions at us, but Nancy and I took the bull by the horns and went right up to him and took pictures! That'll show HIM! Eh? We met up with a local runner from back DC-way at the massage tent, where many runners were sheltering from the cold. In all my layers, it was too warm in here, so I wasn't dismayed when the Disney Staff called us to begin the exodus to the corrals.

  It was cold, but not as windy today. Much, much better than Saturday! Nancy and I stuck together, splitting up only for a quick trip to the bushes before corralling. Again, I'm struggling with clothing during the National Anthem. I'm just too nervous before the Start to be able to focus on the singing, but it sounds like the same singer from yesterday. The count-down. Then we are moving toward the Start mats, a huge marathon mass. My left sneaker is too loose! I pull out of the line, onto the grass to retie it, then retie the other as well. Re-joining the crowd, I try to find Nancy again, pulling ahead of the shuffling soon-to-be starters around me.

Nope. Too late. I've lost her. I'm on my own.

  But it's MARATHON Day! I LOVE marathon day. I laugh over the mats into the dark of predawn morning, the get a little weepy from excitement! I don't even bother looking at my pace-band today, although I am wearing TWO. My Goal Pace: 5:30 marathon. And my "It's All Fallen Apart" Pace: 6:15 marathon. Any slower than that, and it's just keep moving time.

  I love the long dark run. I love it when the light slowly begins to grow around us. I hear the speakers announcing arrival points, but can't make sense of it. Then I realize RED Start/BLUE Start - I'm on the OTHER route than the one that is being described. No worry...my journey is underway!

  When it's time to throw away the keep-warm sweat-shirt, I start to cry again. It was my Mom's. It's too wide for me, and too short in the torso, so although I have worn it for the five years since her death, it really isn't a useful sweatshirt to keep any longer. It has kept me warm for the last time. It is not my Mom, it is a sweatshirt, and I am tossing it for the Disney staff to clean and give to charity. It will keep someone else warm now. I hug it, and say, "I love you, Mama." And toss it into the grass. Beside me, another runner, a younger woman, pulls off her sweatshirt and calls, "Good-by, sweat-shirt, I love you!!" as she throws it grassward. I laugh and wipe my eyes. Marathon emotions. They're bursting forth all around me.

  I loved seeing all the World Showcase sights. Christmas lights and faraway lands, miniaturized and Disneyized. Easy marathon pacing within my giant herd.

  I had fun seeing the costumed runners. I was just as happy NOT to need to worry about extra costume pieces myself, but I enjoyed the runners who dressed for Disney Success as Tinkerbell or Minnie Mouse.

  The "boring parts" of the course were beautiful! Frost-laden grass and heavy mists obscuring the trees. Runners ahead and behind me disappearing into the fog. Lovely. I feel fine. A little stinging now and then from one of yesterday's blisters, but I feel strong and hopeful. Go with the flow. It may get difficult at any time, but take it as it comes.

  I enjoyed the portions where the marathon looped over and under itself. Crossing over a bridge with farther ahead runners underneath, later looking up and seeing runners now where I was THEN. Waving, laughing.

  And the Characters!!! More fun than ever! I stopped at times for photos, other times I just went on, depending on whim of the moment.

The course is unwinding before me. An Asian Minnie Mouse is going about my same pace. At every mile marker, she stops and has someone click a photo. I catch up, mile after mile, as she creates her photo- journal!

  Through Tomorrowland, I sing "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"

with Donut Man. (He heard someone calling "You're Doin' it! You're Doin' it" over the loudspeakers, and said, "What? I'm a DONUT??" to which I replied, "Well, you are what you EAT...That makes ME, a MUFFIN!" We continued together for a short time, calling, "I'm a Donut!",  "I'm a MUFFIN" at intervals. Goofy. Just plain Goofy. But we were having fun!)

  I keep waiting for the "unraveling" to begin. I'm feeling too good. This is TOO easy. I am running consistently AHEAD of my pace- band. 15 seconds AHEAD of pace. 19 seconds ahead of pace. Mile after mile. I may make this a 5:30 marathon today!

  I was glad to see that the banana peel hazard was NOT back for the Full marathon. (Yesterday, in the Half, there was a fluid/food stop with bananas, which runners were eating then dropping the peels ONTO the COURSE! Like some wacky Three Stooges episode...runners skidding and slipping amid a road full of slick, slippery banana peels. NOT a good idea, bananas on course!)

  I continue. The day and I warm up enough that I have removed my gloves, tied my jacket around my waist, put my headband in my pocket. I am still a bit warmer than I wish, but because of the bright sun (I'm allergic to sunscreen) I don't want to take off the Donald Half tech-shirt I am wearing. At least it covers my arms. So in Animal Kingdom, when I finally come upon a port-o-pot with no line, I duck inside. There I take "care of business", and while I'm seated, I pull my INNER layer tech shirt out from underneath Donald.

In the pocket of my jacket. Now I feel PERFECT! Back on the road, and only a few minutes spent futzing with TP and gear! Someone hands me a wet sponge. Oh, what a FABULOUS idea! I use this as I run, to keep my face cool.

  I must say, some of my favorite parts of this marathon were the ones I'd been worried about: the long, dull stretches between the theme parks. No worry! I thought they were wonderful: pine trees and mosses, grasses, and runners runners runners all around me on their journeys. There were points in the No Man's Land sections where long shouting crowds of spectators were lined up, with noise-makers, and cheerleaders and clackers. I didn't need any of it, and found often it simply took me out of my running groove. I loved the energy INSIDE the parks, but I was happy as a clam for the more sedate portions of the course, as well.

  I had one moment right around Mile 14, when I thought, just for an instant, that it was going to be too much. I was feeling like I could go on forever, then suddenly was tired. How could I keep on going for 12.2 more miles? But someone said "HALFWAY THERE!!!" and I replied, "No, I'm GOOFY. I'm two-THIRDS of the way there!" And my energy returned! No "unraveling" yet!

  Highway out-and-back. I love watching runners coming from the other direction. The hills? Eh...nuttin' compared to Baltimore! I do my walk breaks and my running. I see the 5:30 pace group ahead!

Balloons! I work to catch up, because I know I can relax and just follow the leader home if I reach them. It doesn't take long. I can take my walk breaks and still keep pace with them as they RUN!!! I pass them. Piece of cake! JUST keep it up!!

  I run through a gel stop, and a volunteer hands me an already- opened gel pack. I take it, then see ORANGE slices. AH, the DELIGHT of winter marathons in Florida!!! YUM YUM! Fresh orange wedges. I am eating oranges, and discover I've gooped gel from the opened packet all the way down my jacket still tied around waist, all the way down my running tights! UGH!!! NO WAY is this going to be in my Finisher's Pics!!! A volunteer hands me a cup of water, and I run around behind the table to use my sponge from somewhere back there to clean myself off. I rinse the sponge and keep it with me. I LOVE this runner's tool!

  On to Epcot. I never do see Linae, can't even remember where she's supposed to be except for "See you at Epcot". I am well on the way to beating 5:30 (it'll make this my second fastest marathon of my soon-to-be SIX)! I am going for the Finish.

  Except when I see good photo ops. Well...it's DISNEY, folks! Why waste THAT?

  And then I'm THERE. Clock is about 5:35, but it took me about 7 minutes to cross the Start mats, way way back there in the cold dark Disney am. I BEAT my goal. GOOFY-STYLE!

  And then I got my MEDALS first. MICKEY!!! MINE!!! (I watched for a medal-giver who would put it around my neck for me!) A sweet wonderful woman unties my chip for me, and I laugh and talk as she unknots my double-tied laces to free it. GOOFY MEDAL!!!!! MINE!

MINE! MINE!!! My race bag second. Water. PORT-o-POT stop. I am in line, and a Disney staffer is resting on the ground outside the tent. I look at him and start to laugh! I'm DONE! I DID IT! I DID IT! He smiles at me! Massage next. The woman is EXCELLENT. She gives me a mylar blanket to take out of the tent with me.

  I go for the FOOD. Muffin! Oranges. Wedge after wedge. YUM YUMYUMYUMYUM. And then I stand in the sun, wondering who to ask to take my picture near the Goofy Tent. And YAY RAH WHOOOOOPIE!!!!!

Here comes Nancy Toby!!! Goofy Gals are TRIUMPHANT!!! Pics! Laughs!

Goofiness!

  Then Nancy went to go REST. I hung around for pics with Mickey and Minnie, Donald and Daisy, and Goofy. Well...it IS DISNEY after all.

AND I'M GOOFY! Caught the last "special" bus back to the Polynesian.

Just me and a happy bunch of Goofiers from Little Rock, the driver in good spirits as the Arkansans guided him toward our resorts.

  What a weekend! What a DAY! Nancy and I had room service for dinner. And packed all our MEDALS to fly home tomorrow. One last 0GoofyHundred rise and shine! And boy, oh, boy...was it ever WORTH IT! :-)

  *jeanne in chesapeake beach*