Thank you to everyone for the fantastic support you have given me over the past few months! You all made me feel so loved! So, here's how it all went down!
Brian and I were up by 2:15 a.m. to get ready to get the bus. We had been told the day before that the lines to get on the shuttle buses would be long and to get there early. So, we were in line by 3:00 a.m. along with many other people! It was dark and fairly chilly (though not the chilly of the North, the chilly of "hey! It's FL and I'm shivering!"
We reached the staging area about 3:15 a.m. and had to wait around. There were so few people there at that hour! LOL! Guess we overestimated a bit. ;-) But, it was good to just know I was there. We took the time to take some photos
and decided where to meet after the race. With 16,000+ signed up to race, finding each other after wards might not be so easy.
About 4:30 a.m., I headed off to the start line...which turned out to be a long walk along a dark road. Seriously. I believe we walked about 20 minutes to the start line. It was something no one was happy about. And once at the start area, it was a long wait.
It was a wave start, which was fine. I was in the last wave, so had the opportunity to see everything as it went down. The first to head off were the wheelchair racers, which turned out to be one person. The half marathon began with the Fairy Godmother magically opening the race and fire works lighting the sky. We were all impressed with the fireworks. And as those of us in Corral F waited, there were lots of bantering among those on the platform. The one thing I remember is a joke the Fairy Godmother made - Why does Peter Pan always fly around? Find out at the end of the post! ;-)
What we of Corral F were thrilled with was that each wave started off with fire works. It was great to know that all of the racers had that fabulous start. As I got closer to the start line, I got nervous for the first time all morning. I was happy the nerves only lasted a little bit. I think it was because I met a lovely lady who was also running her first half marathon...and her first race ever. She was so sweet and we just had fun chatting before the race! And before I knew it, the Fairy Godmother was starting our wave and the fire works were going off.
The start was a mess. Too many people in too small an area. My first mile was awful time-wise because I just couldn't get past people. At times, I would just run on the grass to get moving. The first mile was rougher than I thought it would be and was really disappointed with my first mile time. But, I kept moving and hoping for the best.
The course was fun from the start. Lots of characters and music along the course. There were great high school bands who played some great up-temp music and then the characters started. The first one I really remember is the pirate boat and pirates from Pirates of the Caribbean. And wow did Jack Sparrow look like Jack Sparrow! The pirate ship was very popular with the ladies. LOL! (I'll be honest, I don't remember every single character, so when I talk about characters on the course know that they aren't all-inclusive.)
I remember crossing the 3 mile mat for timing purposes and thinking, "just 10 miles to go!" Shortly after crossing the mat, I got totally excited. Up ahead was Lilo and Stitch! I hadn't stopped for anything yet and in the back of my mind, I wasn't going to stop. But, IT WAS LILO AND STITCH! I stopped. :-) I didn't take many, but there was no WAY I was skipping Lilo and Stitch.
And off I went again, sending a quick text of the photo to a few people. I did have a qualm about sending it since it was early...though I really had no idea what time it was.
The heat started kicking in. It was a decent start, as the race began before dark and it was chilly. A bit humid, but decent. Then the sun rose and the lack of shade was killer. The change in temperature from training in 30 degrees to running in 65-70 degrees hurt. Bad. But, I kept running.
Shortly after Lilo and Stitch was the entrance to the Magic Kingdom...which was deceiving. I never realized how far away the car entrance was to the actual park. We were all sorely disappointed when the park didn't appear quickly. As we reached a part of the entrance of the Magic Kingdom, I saw Brian for the first time. He made it to the area just past mile 4 and it was so fun to see him there!
We ran around the parking lot until we started into the park. I anticipated coming in the front gates, but nope. We came in through a side road and then up Main Street towards the Castle. It was amazing seeing it there in front.
As we went up Main Street, we took a right into Tomorrowland. It was fun running through and there were more characters in the park, including Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum, which I thought odd. And it was nice as we ran through the park that so many cast members came out to cheer on the runners. We wound our way through the park until the reached the back of Cinderella's Castle. The approach to the Castle was fun - off to the side was Minnie, Mickey, and Prince Charming for photos and above them were two heralds who blew their horns as you headed through the castle. It was impressive. We came through the other side and down the right side of the path and down to Frontierland. Then it was through the park and into a back area used for storage. IN that area were three parade floats that once again we available for photographs. One was for Aladdin with the Genie, one was for Cinderella, and one was a pirate ship.
At this point, I knew I had passed the 6 mile mark in the race. Sadly, I thought to myself that I was halfway done, then I did the math and realized not quite. LOL! It was ok though. I felt good and I kept moving forward. The fun part of the race was over though, as the rest of the race was along the highway until reaching Epcot for the final approximate half a mile. They did try to help out with more characters and such. I saw Jasmine, Sleeping Beauty and Prince Charming along with a bed (which was freaking hilarious! You could get your photo taken with the bed as well and many people jumped on it for their photo!), Donald Duck dressed in golf attire on the golf course. I stopped one last time to be photographed with Cinderella's Carriage and a footman. He was so sweet too actually. As I walked up to him, he said "I like your red hair. It reminds me of Ariel." LOL! He actually was very sweet and made me smile. Which at this point was a tall order!
I saw Brian again just past mile 8. He almost missed me as I ran by though. I saw him and waved. Just before I started to yell, he looked up and saw me. It was fantastic seeing him again. Even though he said he would be out on the course, I wondered if we'd really see each other on the course.
From there it was a struggle. I was excited when I hit the 10 mile marker, thinking I only had a 5k to go. Which was the way I thought in all my training runs. Break it down into bits that you have done before and it always worked. Well, this time it was tough. I chalk it up to two things - 1. the heat and 2. having not run more than 10 miles in training. It was also at this point that many of the people who were running started walking more, making it much more difficult to keep going. Constantly having to run on the grass or having to slow down because the person in front of me randomly stopped. It was a struggle.
Around the 11 mile mark we hit a tough hill. You ran around an entrance ramp (which at the middle of the curb had an army Sargent from Toy Story there for photos. When I came around the bend, I heard the last bits of Hogan's Heroes playing, which totally made me smile.) and then the hill. Oh it was not fun, but I had heard about a hill at mile 9 that would be rough and I figured this must have been it as there was no hill at mile 9. And maybe it was the mile they were referring to. On the other hand, when we hit about mile 12 there was another hill. Which just seemed mean. Once over the ramp, there was a live band playing music as you entered the parking lot to Epcot. Hitting Epcot lifted everyone's spirits as the finish line was just past the park. On the way in, we saw the mom from The Impossibles (I think, I'm not as up to date on the new Disney movies) and Mulan. Then it was into the park. Around the ball to the lake, then back again. As we left the park, with less than a quarter mile to go, we made a turn and there was a full gospel choir smiling and singing us on. It was great!
From there, a few more turns and I could see the finish line. It was the best thing in all the kingdom! :-) Seeing the world FINISH ahead lifted a weight from my shoulders. I knew I had it then. I knew I could finish. As I approached the finish line, I saw Brian cheering me on. It was great seeing him so close to the end as we had no idea if he would be able to get to the finish line and be there in time to see me cross.
Cross the finish line was a crazy feeling. Relief. Happiness. Pain. LOL! As I continued forward, there was a nice woman who beckoned me over to place my amazing medal around my neck. That was a feeling I would love to relive again. :) Then it was off to the finish area to grab snacks (blueberry muffin. Yes! A blueberry muffin! and Poweraid). I headed to out to meet up with Brian and tell him everything I've written down here.
Thank you again to all everyone who has said an encouraging word throughout this whole crazy process. I honestly had no idea if I could manage it or not, and everyone's unwavering support sure made it easier to get through some of the rough miles along the highway. THANK YOU!
Oh, and why does Peter Pan always fly? Because he can Never Never Land. ;-)
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