2014 WDW Marathon Recap - The Beginning of a Journey

With three other recaps of the WDW Marathon Weekend (check them out here - Day 1, Day 2, Days 2.5 to 4), it's finally time for me to recap what is undoubtedly one of my life's defining moments...that day I ran 26.2 miles. On purpose. Without stopping.

Warning - This is a pretty long post, but I really didn't want to break it up. At the end of it all, a marathon is a long event, so I guess it would follow that the marathon recap would be long, too...right?

Race Prep

As mentioned in my last post, I woke up a handful of times before the multiple alarms and wake up calls sounded; but when the clock said 2:30, I was up and ready to roll. After the following...

1. Get Dressed - Check
2. Compression Sleeves - Check
3. Shoes - Check
4. Huma Energy Gels - Check
5. Powerbar Energy Blasts - Check
6. Visor - Check
7. Sunglasses - Check
8. Phone and Ear Buds - Check
9. Garmin (Charged) - Check
10. Skin Strong Slather and Band Aids applied to protect multiple areas - Check
11. Trigger Point Therapy for lower legs and quads - Check

...I was out the door, where I met Mike and Roger, and the three of us were off to the bus stop by 3:15. Fortunately, it didn't take too long for the bus to arrive, and we were on our way to the Start. Although Mike and I chatted on the way, I have no idea at all what we talked about...keeping a thought in my head wasn't easy.

When we got to the staging area, we all noted that there was a bit of a different feel to the environment as we'd experienced at the half marathon staging the prior day. The runners seemed a bit more focused and serious, and although we arrived at roughly the same time, there were definitely more people here than there had been on Saturday. Now, I'm not an elitist runner by any stretch, but now that I've run a half and a full marathon, I will say that there is no doubt that I was more subdued (nervous, focused...scared) about the anticipation of the 26.2 miles that lay ahead.

After a couple of porta potty breaks, a picture with my PaceBook friends, and the following picture with Mike and Roger...

Two Experienced Marathoners...and a Goofball taking on 26.2 Miles  for the First Time!

...it was time to split up and head to our corrals.

After what I believe was about a mile walk, I made it to Corral J, the 10th corral in the line up. I don't know exactly, but I think it was about 5:00am when I made my way into the corral, which means that we had a half hour before the wheelchair athletes and first corrals would be on their way. I wasn't necessarily feeling antisocial, but I certainly was alone with my thoughts (in the midst of 25,000 runners); as such, I just took in the whole scene, listened to the music, laughed at the corny jokes of the Disney DJs, watched some of the "Faces in the Crowd" interviews as they were unfolding on the huge screens...and the next thing I knew, the Star Spangled Banner was sung, the fireworks were sending the first corrals on their way, and we were slowly making our way to the Starting Line.

At just a little past 6:00, I made a guess that we in Corral J were going to be sent off at 6:10, so since I had a goal to finish in five hours, I sent Michelle a quick text letting her know that if all goes well, I should be finishing at around 11:10...don't scroll down, but when you get to the bottom, remember this prediction...I was amazed at how close I came to being correct!

At about 6:05a, Mickey Mouse was counting down "3-2-1" (yes, Mickey Mouse was about twenty feet away from me, and he was sending us off), and the fireworks took to the sky...Corral J was on its way, and my first marathon had begun! I started my Garmin as I crossed the Starting Line, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel an overwhelming sense of relief that the time had finally arrived!

Now, I know that first-time marathoners aren't supposed to have any goals but to finish...but I sort of ignored that rule. I did have a time goal of 5 hours, which comes out to just under 11:30 per mile, and I also had a goal to run the entire course and walk only through the drink / food stations. 

From a race strategy standpoint, I decided to break up the day into six four-mile runs, which would get me to that point where I knew the crowds would get me to the Finish Line. As such, I'm going to break up the recap into these six-plus segments...

Miles 1-4 - Finding the Pace, Planning the Race

As expected, the first four miles of the race, which take place along a stretch of highway from EPCOT to the Magic Kingdom, were a little crowded - but actually better than I had anticipated - so it was my plan (1) to find that comfortable pace during this stretch and (2) to mentally plan out my hydration and food plans. For my long training runs, I had been "eating" gels or energy blasts every couple of miles, so I used this time to plan on when I would be "eating" my gels and energy blasts (knowing that Disney would have drink stations every 1.5 miles or so).

My Garmin stats for this first stretch were as follows:

Mile 1 - 11:57 Pace (definitely crowded for the first mile)

Mile 2 - 11:16 Pace (crowd opened up a bit, and I found a decent pace)

Mile 3 - 11:42 Pace (not really sure why we slowed down here...entrance plaza to Magic Kingdom?)

Mile 4 - 11:19 Pace (right where I wanted to be)

Miles 5-8 - Magic Kingdom, Grand Floridian, Polynesian

 

We ran by our first crowds of spectators (around mile 4) at the Transportation and Ticket Center, and as we headed to the Magic Kingdom, I was getting excited about the prospect of running down Main Street USA...well, it didn't disappoint. Roughly 5.5 miles into the marathon, I rounded the corner onto Main Street USA, listened to the cheering spectators, and had my eyes (which might have teared up a little bit) on Cinderella's Castle...besides the Finish, to me this was the highlight of the day.

After running through Tomorrowland and Fantasyland, we had the chance to see Main Street USA from a different perspective as we ran through the castle...

Strange look on my face, but I was definitely enjoying myself!

After the castle, we took a right, ran through Frontierland, exited the park through a side entrance, and were now running by the Grand Floridian and Polynesian Hotels...and, once again, the number of spectators at these venues certainly didn't disappoint.

Garmin Stats...

Mile 5 - 11:23 Pace

Mile 6 - 11:30 Pace (little bit of a Magic Kingdom slowdown)

Mile 7 - 11:17 Pace

Mile 8 - 11:06 Pace (spectators must have pumped me up a little bit)

Miles 9-12 - Richard Petty Speedway, Compost Waste Facility, Backstage at Animal Kingdom

During the 9th mile, we made our way through a tight-and-steep tunnel (downhill and uphill) that brought us onto the Richard Petty Speedway, which was an interesting part of the race. I didn't love the tunnel aspect, but around the track were owners with their classic cars, sports cars, race cars...oh, and the characters from the movie "Cars"...so the lap around the track was certainly entertaining.

After leaving the speedway, we had a few miles of running to take us to Animal Kingdom, so I had a chance to evaluate how I was feeling...and to be honest, at this point, I was feeling great! I had a few friendly conversations with some other runners, got to sing "Sweet Caroline" (at least the "Oh Oh Oh!" and "So Good! So Good! So Good!" parts) as it was blasting through speakers along the course, and after running by the infamous Waste Facility (it wasn't too hot, so it didn't stink) and to the backstage part of Animal Kingdom, I couldn't believe that I was already through my third four-mile stretch...and close to half way through the marathon!

Garmin Stats...

Mile 9 - 11:28 Pace (the tunnel slowed us down a bit)

Mile 10 - 11:23 Pace

Mile 11 - 11:13 Pace

Mile 12 - 11:15 Pace

Miles 13-16 - Animal Kingdom, Fastest Mile, Highway

I would say this was my strongest four miles of the race. Mile 13 was pretty much entirely through Animal Kingdom, and I was undoubtedly feeling confident as we made our way through this park...

Feeling Great in Animal Kingdom!

After exiting the park, we crossed the halfway point, and I realized that I had beaten my time from the Wine & Dine Half Marathon a couple of months earlier, so I guess that put some spring in my step because miles 14 to 16, which were parking lot and highway miles, were three of my strongest and steadiest miles.

Mile 13 - 11:12 Pace (pretty quick through this park)

Mile 14 - 10:54 Pace (fastest mile of the marathon)

Mile 15 - 11:15 Pace

Mile 16 - 11:28 Pace

Miles 17-20 - Wide World of Sports...and Wide World of Sports

While I continued to run strong and steady as we made our way through Wide World of Sports, this was actually the stretch of the race that I liked the least. I know that runDisney was trying to break up the monotony of highway running by winding us through this complex, but I guess I'm one of those people who would have liked the monotony of some highway running instead of running on sidewalks around sports fields and a competition Track & Field track. That said, I did like running around the warning track of the baseball stadium where the Atlanta Braves compete during Spring Training. That was the highlight of these four miles.

Mile 17 - 11:16 Pace

Mile 18 - 11:08 Pace

Mile 19 - 11:20 Pace

Mile 20 - 11:26 Pace

So I had made it through the first five of my six four-mile runs, and although my body was feeling tired, I was still feeling fairly strong. Until...

Miles 21-24 - The Ramp, Hollywood Studios, The WALL

Leaving Wide World of Sports, I knew I had a 10K to go, and I also knew that I was going to make it. Yes, I was starting to become very aware that my body was beginning to struggle, but I reminded myself that I was still running and still on pace to finish in under five hours...and then it happened.

After going up the ramp with the Green Army Men (from Toy Story) yelling at me, and after making my way into Hollywood Studios, it happened...I found out what the Wall is.

I can't pinpoint it exactly, but I think I hit it right around the 22.5-mile mark. We went through the famous "Candy Stop" on the course, and although I opted against the Fun Size Hershey Bars, I did take a bag of gummy Monster's Inc. candy...and I remember clearly that as I was opening the bag, my legs were feeling very, very heavy...and I knew I had slowed down a bit. I also knew that the last few miles were going to be a tough few miles, so I ate a few pieces of candy, had a quick pep talk with my legs, tossed the bag in the trash, and continued to plug along.

Hollywood Studios - Looking Much Stronger than I was Feeling!

Mile 21 - 11:43

Mile 22 - 11:54

Mile 23 - 12:04 (this is where I remember really feeling the Wall)

Mile 24 - 12:12

Miles 25 & 26 - Boardwalk, Yacht & Beach Clubs, EPCOT

Well, I had made it through all six of my four-mile runs, and now it was time to let the crowds take me to the Finish Line. With my legs feeling pretty much like two lead weights and the bottoms of my feet feeling every strike of the pavement, boy did those crowds get me through! While the Wall had slowed me down substantially, the sheer will to keep running and "finish this thing" (a phrase I kept repeating to myself) - coupled with the thousands of cheering spectators along the Boardwalk, Yacht & Beach Clubs, and EPCOT - like Forrest Gump, I just kept running...and nothing was going to stop me at this point...not even my legs of lead.

That Elvis/Rocky Balboa Look is telling me there is no way I'm stopping...No way!

Less than a mile to go...Just Finish This Thing!

Mile 25 - 12:22 Pace

Mile 26 - 12:18 Pace

The Last Half Mile & The Life Changing Moment

My Garmin distance for the race was actually 26.55 miles (because taking the shortest route possible is pretty much impossible), so this was the part of the race took place in the Future World part of EPCOT and out to the Imagine Parking Lot's Finish Line.

And boy did the crowds (and my last ounces of adrenaline) help! Although I knew at this point that I had missed my five-hour goal, I sped up to my mid-race pace of 11:18.

At the race's 26-mile mark (about 26.3 for me), I passed the full Gospel choir singing "How Great Thou Art" (and they weren't singing about me), and a few tears definitely welled up...in fact, they're doing the same right now as I write this.

Turning the corner to the Finish Line, although there were thousands of spectators, I saw Michelle, who had strategically gotten herself to the front of the crowd. More tears...

Heading toward the Finish, I was greeted by Donald Duck...so of course he had to get a high five...

Thanks for your support, Donald!

And then I could think of nothing else to do but this...

The Life Changing Moment!

And then I got one of these...

A Marathon Finisher!

And I got to share it with...

Now We're All Experienced Marathoners!

They Supported Me Through Every Step!

I think she's glad she has a marathon runner rather than an obese smoker for a dad!

Official Time...Came Close but Just Missed my Time Goal

When all was done, I missed one pre-race goal and made the other...and I absolutely and undoubtedly could care less! And even though I missed one goal by finishing in just over five hours (5:05:21, to be exact), and even though I made my other goal of running the entire race with the exception of the water / food stations, it turns out that this marathon was about finishing...and nothing else.

Oh, and the time I crossed the Finish Line? 11:11...just a minute later than my pre-race prediction to Michelle. Not bad for a first timer, huh?

Mickey Even Signed It!

Final Thoughts

While this is the end of one journey, it is but the first step (or many many steps) of the next one. As my sister Karen had put in an email to me after the race...

"What an amazing journey you've started!"

Started? Yes, started. This isn't the end, there is no need to rename this blog, and the full marathon I completed was not the end of anything. Yes, a fence post has been driven in the ground, and one can always come to this blog and find a complete "Couch to Marathon" story. But for me, there are so many more marathons to run, so many goals for which I am reaching. My sister was right. This is not the end. It's the beginning.


For now, though, let me just end this blog post by quoting myself. This is what I posted to Facebook a few hours after the race...


"Back on 11-11-11, I was a smoker who weighed over 275 pounds. Today, at 11:11, I crossed the finish line after running 26.2 miles in 5 hours and 5 minutes...100 pounds lighter and smoke free since 11-11-11. Life is amazing...I'm sore, tight, and tired (and hungry)...but crossing that finish line defines what it means to feel satisfied!"


Next week, I'm running my second Half Marathon here in North Florida. 


I'm shooting for a PR.


The journey continues...