Hardest. Race. EVER!

Okay, so that’s not entirely true. The half marathon portion of the Goofy Challenge was actually rather easy. The weather pretty much cooperated (although it was quite humid in the early hours) and I felt strong throughout. But therein lies the rub. BECAUSE I felt so strong I ended up running faster than I should have. Sure, I “met” my goal of a personal worst (I wanted to run between 2:15 and 2:30; my actual time was 2:15:21). But knowing what I know now, next time (and yes, there WILL be a next time!) I will keep my pace to at least 2 minutes per mile slower than what I’m capable of.

While some may say I’m Goofy for running the race, what truly makes me Goofy is the fact I signed up for the challenge before I had even run my first marathon. I read about the race in the same Runner’s World article as the Marathon du Medoc. When I saw Marathon Tours was still offering entries at the end of July, I jumped at the chance (the race sold out to individual entries in February). Somehow I managed to corral my darling as well.

Once our entries were confirmed I signed on to the Disney Running Forum for training advice and other tips. As race day approached, the level of excitement intensified on the board. I found it incredibly amusing to read how into Disney many of the forumites are (they’ve obviously been drinking the Kool-aid), but with just a couple of weeks to go I found myself acting like the little kid in one of the Disney commercials who exclaims, “I’m too excited to sleep!”

I knew we couldn’t take a trip to Disney World without visiting at least one of the parks, but I wasn’t sure when would be the best time. I knew we’d spend the entire day on Monday, but I had considered purchasing yet another day. In the end I decided to just buy a one-day advance ticket, then we’d play it by ear. This turned out to be a wise decision.

We arrived at the Pop Century Resort at 8:30 Friday morning, only to discover our room wouldn’t be ready until as late as 3 p.m. D’oh! So much for trying to get to a park that day. We washed up and changed clothes in the rest room, stored our luggage and headed to the expo to pick up our race packets. In addition to our free shirts (one for the half, one for the full, one for Goofy), I picked up a short-sleeved half marathon shirt to wear during the full (I’m a real stickler about NOT wearing a race shirt until I’ve run the race).

One of the perks of staying at a Disney resort is the free transportation, from the Disney Magical Express at the airport (our driver’s name was Rockland Steel; if that’s not a great porn name, I don’t know what is), to the air-conditioned coaches whisking us to and from the expo, to the shuttles to each of the parks. In fact, after hearing our room still wasn’t ready after lunch, we contemplated riding around on the expo buses since they had comfortable cushioned seats that reclined. However, we decided to head to Downtown Disney instead.

We downed a couple of liquid carbs at an Irish pub and checked out the merchandise at World of Disney. I bought a couple of t-shirts, but refrained from getting a princess make-over from the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique (I didn’t want hairspray melting into my eyes). Our room finally became available, so we headed back for a much-needed nap. Knowing we’d have to arise at Oh-God-Thirty the next morning, we decided to have dinner at the Pop Century food court. After noshing on mediterranean chicken flatbread, Greek salad and hummus, we headed back to the room to crash. However, pre-race jitters kept me tossing and turning until the wee hours.

I jolted awake to the 2:30 alarm. I already had my race clothes laid out, but I peeked outside to see what the weather was like. The air was thick with warm moisture, so I decided not to bring my throwaway cotton shirt. We had already purchased breakfast items the night before, but had to stop by the food court again for coffee (we are Seattleites, after all). While I wore my fuel belt, I decided not to carry water bottles since it looked like the race would be well supported. But I strapped on several Clif Shots and tucked my camera into the pouch.

We arrived at the staging area a little after 4 a.m. where we met up with a few folks from the Disney forum. A live band helped sweep away the final cobwebs in my sleep-deprived brain and I started getting really excited. We had just enough time for a port-o-potty stop before we were ushered to the starting corrals. I had submitted a 2:03 half marathon time, which put us in wave B (I didn’t want to submit our Medoc time since I knew we could do better). At 6 a.m. sharp the fireworks went off, and so did we.

Because we had to wait in the corral for so long my bladder started talking to me once again. We saw several men taking “le pipi rustique” ala Medoc, but when I spied a couple of women doing the same, I decided to join them (fortunately it was still dark). Sweat started pouring down my neck and back from the get-go, so I knew I’d be stopping at almost every water station. They were indeed plentiful, and the crowd support was also spectacular. We were serenaded throughout by both live bands and recorded music and were greeted by several Disney characters in Magic Kingdom (unfortunately I didn’t stop for pictures during the half).

The race course was pancake-flat, save for a couple of freeway overpasses. While I heard a few runners grumble upon reaching the overpasses, our legs appreciated having to work different muscles (besides, they were no match for the terrain we encounter during our Seattle runs). While we tried to keep our pace reasonable during the first half of the race, since we felt so good during the latter miles we found ourselves picking up speed. A live gospel choir greeted us with just a quarter mile to go, so we sailed through to the finish. We picked up our Donald Duck medals, grabbed some bananas and Clif bars and headed back to the hotel.

We returned to the Irish pub for a lunch meet-up with some Taper Madness folks and yet more liquid carbs (remember, we’re Seattleites). By 3 p.m. we were ready for a nap, so we bid adieu to the Tapers, promising to meet up with them again before the marathon.

Next up: the long, hot slog

I probably don’t even need to post — the picture says it all (it’s a pretty funny contrast to the finish photo from the half!). But despite my pain, I truly had a fabulous time.

The alarm once again jolted us awake far too early (although we set it for 15 minutes later from the previous day). Our routine was basically the same: quick shower, eat some breakfast, lube up the feet and anything else that might chafe, grab some coffee and get on the bus. It was obvious it would be another muggy day, so I once again left my long-sleeved throwaway shirt in the room (although I did grab the space blanket that was handed out at the end of the half).

A live band was again there to greet us, but the crowd seemed much heavier than the day before. We met up with some folks from the Taper Madness forum (Michele, Mark, Toby and his wife Laura) and did some preliminary stretching. Because we were both feeling a bit creaky, we decided we’d do a 5:1 run/walk throughout the race (I think I was inspired after listening to Jeff Galloway’s talk at the expo). Michele wasn’t looking forward to running solo, so she decided to slum it back in the C corral with us (she too was doing a 5:1 run/walk).

Despite the humidity, I felt great the first few miles. Our pace was perfect, and the time flew by as we chatted with Michele. However, my darling was feeling pretty bloated, and unfortunately the potty breaks provided no relief (it didn’t help knowing Michele and I were standing outside waiting for him). As we got to mile 7 my legs really started to tire; I knew our running pace was too fast for me, but I was determined to keep up. However, I found myself falling farther and farther behind (although I’d catch up during our walk breaks). I felt bad for Michele as she and I waited for my hubby during our second port-o-potty stop. I got pretty anxious seeing all the runners pass us, but she was very gracious, saying she preferred the company.

Our rule was to only take walk breaks outside the parks; the only time we’d stop inside was for pictures:

 

 

 

 

By the halfway point I knew my goal of a 4:30-4:45 race was shot; in fact, I’d be lucky to finish under 5 hours given it took a little over 2 1/2 hours to reach 13.1 miles. By then I told Michele and my darling I had to keep our running pace to 10:15-10:30. That worked for a while, but by mile 15 I knew I had to slow things down even more if I were to finish. We bid adieu to Michele and soldiered on.

They say the marathon is as much a mental race as it is a physical one, and by mile 16-17 I had to use all my mental faculties to continue. My darling had to take one more potty break, and as I was standing outside waiting for him, watching all the runners pass us by, I started to get irritated. “I’d probably be able to beat 5 hours if it weren’t for his darn breaks,” I muttered to myself. But then I had to slap myself silly. Who the HELL was I to complain about him? I was the one to rope him into this, and considering he’s a MUCH faster runner than I am, the only reason he was with me was to BE with me. Here he was suffering and all I was doing was grumbling (I’m SOOOO sorry, Pooky).

I somehow managed to rally through Animal Kingdom, speeding up to a 9:30-9:45 pace during our running portion. But then the sun started taking its toll, and I slowed down again. I stopped to walk through each water station and was overcome with dizziness each time. But I made sure to drink both Powerade and water, as well as take a couple of electrolyte pills.

We reached milepost 20 and a band was playing “Jump” by Van Halen. As the lead singer was singing, “And I know! Baby just how you feel” I yelled back “NO YOU DON’T MUTHA F@#KER!” (I clearly was starting to lose my mind).

The stretch between Animal Kingdom and MGM Studios was by far the toughest: few spectators, no music, just the sun beating down on an open road. By the time we hit MGM I was getting tunnel vision; I barely acknowledged the spectators along the boardwalk (although I grabbed a few pretzels being offered around mile 24), I just focused on getting my butt across the finish.

Once we passed the mile 24 marker I vowed to keep running to the finish, but when I saw the last water station just before mile 25 I decided to take one last walk break. I did, however, manage to run the final 1.2 miles (the choir once again provide some much-needed inspiration). I staggered across the finish line in 5 hours, 7 minutes, 26 seconds — a PR!

I hobbled over to the Goofy tent for my medal, then collapsed in a heap in the parking lot. A 15-minute massage provided some relief, but the two-hour long nap later that afternoon (and the pre-nap Corona) were the curative elixirs I truly needed.

 

So, will I do this again? HELL YA! It won’t be 2009, but we’re trying to get a bunch of friends together for 2010. Next time I’ll definitely take the half slower (at least 2 minutes per mile slower than what I’m capable of), plus I’ll do most of my picture-taking during the half. But nothing compares to hobbling around the parks post-race wearing your much-deserved Goofy t-shirt!

Ummm…

You know how I said we’d be back for Goofy, but not until 2010? Well, there’s been a slight change of plans.  Let’s just say my credit card is now $500 further in debt.