I must start out by saying I had an absolute blast
doing the unofficial Dopey and would do it again in a
heart beat! I took the races slow and absorbed the
entire Disney experience x 3!! So here's the long
version of my 2005 Goofy experience!!
THURSDAY: Off to the Expo, wanting to come out
with just a Goofy Challenge T-shirt, in addition to
the race packet stuff. Last year my husband and I
spent $800!!! Yes, you read that right! So this year
with both of us not needing ANY running clothes, we
came out with $200 worth of stuff! And really it was
only a few things!!! With bracelet on, race numbers
and chips in the bag, it was off to Ohana for our
traditional first night dinner.
FRIDAY: Woke up in the morning to find my
bracelet in the bed!! It was back off to the Expo we
went. However, the bus ride over made me wonder how
the weekend would pan out!!! Our driver got lost!!!
Yes, that long drive from Pop Century confused him! I
was actually concerned he was in need of medical
attention (stroke, diabetic issue...) Then, the bus
started to stall!! We stopped right in the middle of
the intersection! This was once we did an 18 point
turn to get back in the right direction!) My husband
has his CDL and I was trying to get him to move the
bus out of the intersection! But of course
legalities! We finally drifted out of the
intersection and the driver was able to suck a little
more life out of the bus and get us up to Wide World
of Sports. Chris said it sounded like the bus was out
of gas!!!!
So here I am at the Expo with my ID to get a new
bracelet, and they want to see my race number, which
is back in the room!!! I told them just to look my
name up on the same list as yesterday, but the lady
seemed confused. She said I had to show her my
number! I was wondering how many people would try to
"jump in" on the Goofy! Finally, she just said 'fine,
here' and put another bracelet on me without taking my
ID! As quoted from a woman in the hot tub at PO
Riverside holding up her wrist, "This is the mark of
an idiot!" I was begining to wonder how smooth the
whole process would go!
Dinner at Wispering Canyon. I had never been, and
quickly fell in love with the place! My husband was
sold at "all-you-can-drink milkshakes"! I ate way too
much!!! I was not even thinking pre-race meal! I had
been so slack with worrying about the races that
honestly I forgot!! Last year I thought about the
marathon every hour from the time I left home, until
it was over!! This time, I actually had hardly
thought about them! I was planning on running them
completely in my comfort zone and not push my self at
all, so I guess I just considered it a long slow day
with entertainment!
Back to Pop Century to pin my numbers and put my
chip on my shoe. I pinned the 5K under the 1/2 number
so all I had to do was peel off the top number! In
August I ran the Annapolis 10 miler. With the race
packet they included a velco chip holder that you
weave into your laces. What a great freebie!! It's
easy to get the chip in and out of, and it's very
secure!! During the marathon, around mile 9 Bill
Jones and I saw a chip on the ground!!! I couldn't
imagine completeing the marathon and dicovering it
missing!
SATURDAY: Wake up call from Mickey and Stitch at
0215!!! UGH!!! I had gone to bed the night before at
9pm, so I actually felt pretty good! A quick shower
to wake up, breakfast, layers of throw down clothes
and I was off!! Met up with Bill Jones (another Dead)
as we planned on running together. My husband walked
with us to the start and waited in the cold with me to
keep me warm. I don't know how he did it. He was
unable to run the Goofy because of bilateral patellar
tendonitis. I would not have been able to hang around
the runners. When I couldn't run two years ago
because of two stress fractures in my pelvis I was a
bear to be around. There was no way I could do what
he did. He must love me!!
I couldn't believe I was in Corral A! I have
never been that close to the start!! It was nice be
be able to see the big screen close up! I was very
tight at the start of the race because of the cold,
but by mile 3 I had shed my layers and was almost
completely warmed up! It was smooth sailing the rest
of the way! I was a little bored on the course
though. Chris suggested running from EPCOT to and
through MGM and back through EPCOT next year. That
would be great! Running through the Magic Kingdom was
great, but short lived. It didn't make up for the
rest of the race. A nice easy 2:02 finish.
Collected my bag, drank and ate, and stood
freezing my keester off waiting for the 5K. I had
packed only a jacket in my bag. No dry clothes. Not
too smart, but I figured it would have been warmer by
them!
Chris ran the 5K with me. Or should I say, I
tried desperately to keep up with him! He took off
like a rabbit and it was all I could do to get my
tight muscles moving! I was so glad when he finally
slowed around Germany!! So much for a leisurely
Family Fun Run!! I guess with this being his only
run, he gave his all! My little 5'2" was trying to
keep up with his 6' stride!!!
Off to the showers and a massage at the Beach
Club. Wow was that great!! I was suprised how tight
my muscles had gotten! She worked them all out and I
felt revived and ready for another day!!
Early dinner and off to bed by 6pm!!!
SUNDAY: Up again at 0215!! I felt rested and
not sore or tight! I still hadn't gotten nervous
about the marathon! I showered, had breakfast and
layered up. My ears froze on Saturday with just a
baseball cap, so Chris bought me a doggy T-shirt to
wear around my head! It was wonderful! My ears were
so warm! The woman at the counter tried to sell me an
$18 knit hat, but I was quite content with my $7 doggy
t-shirt! Hopefully it is keeping some homeless doggy
warm!
Standing around in the cold did not do my muscles
well! The first mile of the marathon was sheer agony!
I was so tight, and I had this stabbing pain in my
right knee, that stayed the whole time, and is still
slowly going away. But by mile 5 I was warmed up and
had shed my clothes and doggy t-shirt, and was
cruising right along!
For mile 5 on I absolutely loved the run!! I was
taking in all the sites, sounds, smells (behind the
scenes tour of Animal Kingdom - behind being the key
word!!!). I was eating a Power Gell with caffeine
every 5-6 miles. In Animal Kingdom I grabbed a
strawberry GU from a volunteer. That was nasty but I
choked it down anyway! And wow the effect! Instead
of caffeine, I think it had something illegal in it!
I was all jacked up!! I felt like I could run all
day! I had that feeling the whole rest of the way! I
was just so excited to be there and everything was
going so well that I was on cloud nine. I must say I
have NEVER felt that good in a marathon!! I actually
didn't want it to end. When I got into MGM (my
favorite part) I was trying to savor every second. I
started to get sad entering EPCOT knowing it would
soon be over. I started to pick up the pace out of
excitement. I didn't realize it until Bill told me I
picked it up and had a very endearing term for me!!
I, of course, denied that I had picked it up!! Then I
got the urge to sprint! I ran past the gospel singers
for the last surge of joy and then took off!
Finishing time 4:29. I was still 'bouncing off the
walls' hours after the race! I would sign up again in
a heart beat!! I have to see what next year holds
first. The next Goofy I'm doing is for time! Now
that I know I can do the distance without problem, and
how to train, I'll push my training more for time and
not just distance. WOW! What a rush I had!!
Now the next day is a completely different
story!!! All my body parts were checking in very
pissed off at me!! My feet hurt terrible and were
swollen for three days!! I usually run on a trail or
the treadmill, so all that blacktop killed them!! My
knee was excruciating and my muscles were shot!! But
by Thursday I made it out for a slow jog for 20
minutes and by Saturday I was doing weights in the
gym. I will lay off running for awhile to give my
stress fractures time to heal. It's the pool, the
bike, the eliptical (yuck!) and weights for me!! I'm
still waiting for my knee to finish healing!!
So congratulations to all you Disney athletes!! I
hope everyone enjoyed it even half as much as I did!!
All you guys out there swearing never to do the
Goofy... We'll see! You'll give in to Disney
magic!!!
ERIKA BEYNON
MARYLAND
