Scheduled Distance: 13.1 Miles
Actual Distance: 13.1 Miles
RPE: 7
Time: 2:45
Pace: 12.6 min/mi

The first leg of The Goofy Run was an easy half-marathon. In theory, the run should be easy when compared to the training runs that capped out at 18 miles. In practice, this particular run was a medium difficulty for me.

I arose at 3:00 a.m. in order to make the 4:00 arrival time at the staging area. At the Disney World marathon things begin at EPCOT, one of the parks. EPCOT makes for an ideal staging area for 15,000 people because it is one of the largest parking lots in the universe. I had no difficulty driving to the staging area. In fact, I made it there much earlier than last year. The bus driver from last year didn’t know the Disney layout too well and we didn’t arrive until close to 4:00. Driving in was a lot easier than I had imagined.

The largest obstacle for this race, which became apparent immediately upon stepping out the door, was the extremely cold temperature. I walked out to 35 degree cold, with a medium strength wind. This made if feel like 30 at times.

The real trick with cold weather running (and I learned this on my first 18 miler) is the layering technique. Once you get going, you tend to warm up. If you have too many layers, sweating can result. When the sweat begins to soak your clothes, and the temperature is approaching freezing, this creates a dangerous situation. Hypothermia can result from too much clothing. I had on a heavy cotton, long sleeve t-shirt under a medium fleece. I also had my athletic pants on. I also used a heavy cotton winter hat and my gloves.

I found that I had over dressed for this run. I began to sweat a lot around mile 5. Thankfully, the run was only 13 miles and I could handle the brief cold that accompanied my mistake.

A half marathon is about a third as hard as a full marathon, in my estimation. I claim this because the human body can handle distances under 18 miles with out much difficulty. It’s when we get into the 20+ mileage that unavoidable damage begins to show up. It’s commonly said that the second half of a marathon begins at mile 20. This is because, for many runners, “the wall” sets in around this time. The process of pushing through this mental and physical fatigue takes a lot of energy, arguably as much as it had took to get to mile 20. That being said, the half, to me, was relatively easy.

The course took me from EPCOT (the park with the big silver golf ball looking thing) to the Magic Kingdom (the park with the castle) and back to EPCOT. This course was flat and easy compared to the training courses I devised. There were two “hills,” if you could call them that. The two highlights of this course were running through Cinderella’s castle and finishing at EPCOT.

As I came in to the final mile, I only had one thought “Is this it?” It was. I didn’t find this hard at all. However, the real question remained: Had I reserved enough energy for tomorrow?

Scheduled Distance: 26.2 miles
Actual Distance: 26.2 miles
RPE: 10
Time: 5:38
Pace: 12.9 min/mi

Total Combined Distance for both races: 39.3 miles

The second leg of The Goofy Run comprised a full marathon. In and of itself, a marathon presents difficult endurance challenges. Secondarily to that, having had run a half-marathon the day before without proper recovery time presented even a greater challenge. I succeeded. And, I almost beat my time from the year before with the added exertion of a half marathon from the day before.

I awoke at the same time and in the same manner as the day before. The only difference was that I modified my attire to accommodate the extreme cold. On this day, it was three degrees colder at the start…hovering at freezing. Also, I had my brother Joe to keep me company during this run. I have to say that running a race by oneself is really boring. I’m glad that Joe and I did well to stay together for most of the race.

It’s really hard to stay warm when you have to stand around in the cold for an hour. That’s how the corralling system works at these things. You get loaded in your corral at around 5 a.m. and then just wait around. Sure, you can opt to arrive closer to race time, but the optimal position in the corral disappears with time. Also, there’s lots of sneaking out of the corral to pee. With all the water that’s served to you during and before these things, it’s no surprise that the public urination laws are lax for these few hours.

The starting gun went off at 6 a.m. I made idle chatter with a few people around me…something I usually don’t do. If someone initiates conversation and they seem mildly interesting, I’m usually into it. I had a Goofy tag on, so everyone around me knew that I had run the half the day before and was trying for the first ever Goofy medal. I met a few people who were running a marathon for the first time. I offered words of encouragement.

Joe and I did well through the first two legs of the race. These portions took us from EPCOT to the Magic Kingdom. The only difference between this course and the half course was that there is a longer stint in EPCOT than before. I liked how we got to run around the world showcase in the dark with the globe alit. That was nice. Running through the castle is always a fun thing. I’m glad that I got to do that twice on this trip.

We hit our first signs of fatigue at the half-way point. I felt some severe blistering coming on in my feet. And, we both felt some general soreness in our knees and leg muscles.

At the Animal Kingdom, my other brother, Jay, met us and took some pictures of us. He also took some of our clothing with him. We had shed our gloves and hats. Most people just threw their clothes on the ground, but I happened to want to hang on to my stuff. I liked Animal Kingdom better this year because there were more animals out. Last year it was too hot for most of the animals to come out of their cages. This year it was just right.

After mile 18, things started to get even more difficult. We tried to focus on what we were doing, but things were just not making much sense. We were hitting severe fatigue. The trip through the Disney MGM studios was quick, but pleasant. I particularly enjoyed seeing Jafar and the Queen from Snow White. One of the things Disney does during the Marathon is have characters out on the course. I thought the characters in MGM were the best.

At mile 24, Joe opted to take the slower route by extending his walking break. I opted to continue. I have never found it this difficult to run. I passed scores of people, but it was like running in sand. The last mile took me around EPCOT’s world showcase. Then, before I knew it, I was done. I wasn’t able to sprint this year because I was already going as fast as I could. At the end, I felt like I had to keep running.

I had filled myself with some real doubt as to whether or not I’d be able to finish this race after having done the half the day before. The reward for this, of course, was the first ever Goofy medal. Everyone was awarded Mickey medals first and then the Goofs were directed to a special tent to receive their prize. It was the inaugural Goofy run so there is no year on the front of the medal. There is an inscription on the back with the year on it, though.

And, it is with this achievement that I am retiring from marathoning. I enjoyed the challenge of the first one last year and I especially liked the challenge of running the Goofy Run. I think a marathon is something that everyone who is in good health should try. But, I don’t think a lifetime of marathoning and running is a particularly healthy lifestyle. Sure, it’s better than being a couch potato. But, it still has some inherent risks. Someone died at this event. It was during the half-marathon, but still, someone died. Even that lady who’s parachute didn’t open a few months ago survived.

Another malady intrinsic to long distance running is unhealthy eating habits. During long runs, it is necessary to eat more to replenish caloric depletion. There were times after my long runs in which I had an insatiable appetite. I could eat a whole pizza and still be hungry. And, it didn’t matter that it was pizza because it still wasn’t enough calories to replace what I had worked off. The biggest surprise I found last year in this whole subculture is that there are a lot of overweight/borderline obese people who are able to complete these races. I think it’s great that they are able to walk/run these distances. But, I think their overall health could benefit from a well rounded fitness program and a balanced, limited diet.

One other thing that’s hard for me to stomach is running culture itself. I saw a t-shirt this weekend that said “Running is my Prozac.” Hmm. So, you need a good long run to feel good about yourself? Is that what that means? I disagree with that mentality. I think we are all beautiful and blessed people. I don’t think a dependency to an activity should define one’s well being. If it does, how is running different from smoking cigarettes or drinking? It might be healthier on the surface, but an endorphin addiction is still an addiction.

Also, it’s hard for me to show off my achievement without appearing arrogant. There is no subtle or polite way to tell someone that you’ve just run 39 miles. Strutting around with medals on your chest isn’t exactly a modest statement either. The last thing I would do is put one of those 26.2 stickers on my car. Sure, I’m a card carrying member of the marathon club, but I really don’t care if anyone knows about it. If you want to know about how I designed my training program and my thoughts on my experience, I’ll tell you. But, I’m not going to shove it in your face. Well, maybe just tonight I will when I go out to eat. But, that’s it. No more after that.

On the other hand, one could argue that running a marathon serves as an inspiration example—living proof that if you set your mind to something and go through the right steps to get there, you can do just about anything. Also, there are a lot of groups out there who raise a ton of money by having participants in these races do extensive fund raising in order to participate. In that way, marathoning is a good thing. Team in Training, for example, is an organization that raises money for Leukemia and Lymphoma research.

Because I value core fitness and a balanced nutritional program, the next fitness motif in my life is going to be a return to basics. I enjoy weights and cardio. I like how I feel when I eat for quality not quantity. And, I’m realizing in all this that a workout doesn’t need to be any longer than 45 minutes to have a lasting health benefit. Marathoning sometimes requires runs that last 4 hours in length.

And, with that, I close this strange and interesting chapter of my life. Thanks for reading.