Let's Set the Stage.
My sister and I had completed the "half" and now it was time to focus on the main event of the Disney Marathon weekend, which was of course, the Marathon. For 2024 sign ups, my sister had stood firm on her one and done marathon policy, while I am glutton for punishment and apparently wanted more. She being the amazing and supportive best friend that she is, decided she would support from the sidelines.
After the glitter of the half marathon had started to wane, night before race day jitters kicked in. I was DEFINITELY questioning all my life choices that led me to the decision to go for a 3rd marathon. This was absolutely the most nervous I have been before a race. Even though I had completed a very respectable amount of training miles, I didn't do the full trial run with 26 miles like I had the previous year plus I had ended training runs with one run where I had hit the wall and another not much better. My confidence was shaky as I began pre-race routine.
Pre-Race Routine.
We followed the same routine as we did the night before. Pasta dinner first, next I set out my Goofy running outfit and gear, then alarm set for 2:30 AM and finally in bed by 8:00 PM.
It felt like morning came earlier than the day before. We double checked the weather, no visible chance of rain on our app, so I removed the poncho to minimize what I was carrying. We hustled to get out the house to make sure we were at Epcot when they opened the corral gates. Parking again was super easy and the walk up the the pre-race area helped warm me up.
We took our photo with the ball for luck, the finish line to help keep the end goal in mind from the start and parted ways at the corral gate. My sister said sending me off by myself, felt like sending a child to school for the first time, which of course she captured in a photo of me walking by myself into the waiting crowd. Then it was just off to corral D for the long wait until "Go".
I found my way easily enough to corral D, and sat myself down with my fellow front of the corral besties and was so bored at first I started reading a book. My solo corral game needs some practice, but not sure who really wants to talk to me that early in the morning who doesn't already love me. Fair warning, I cannot be held responsible for the things I say before being fully caffeinated.
Meanwhile my sister was out in the pre-party area living her best spectator life. She even had a jogging jack sighting! For any runDisney newbies, I know he looks legit, but he's not a Disney character. He's a fellow runner, who is surprisingly fast for the detailed costume he runs in. Also stays in character the WHOLE time! Turning into a bit of a run Disney celebrity now.
While waiting and during last call to join corrals, we had a bit of a scare in corral D. It started off as a couple people yelling, but it was hard to understand what they were saying. Then more and more joined in and it turned into a loud panicked yell of "Medic!". I wasn't able to see what the source of concern was, just heard mumbling someone was "down". It was a pretty scary couple of minutes and when the medics arrived I could feel a surge of relief surge through corral D. The person was ok and was rolled out of the corral.
Things progressed pretty quickly from there. Corral C still seemed enormous compared to previous years; however, things seemed to move faster than the day before. Before I knew it, we were at "3, 2, 1, Go!" And I was off to try to complete my 3rd marathon.
The First 5K and That I Can Run Rorever Feeling!
A lot of runners break up the marathon distance into smaller, more digestible distances, myself included. First goal of the run was to hit that 5K mark. Started at my normal slow run for the first 5 minutes or so until the pack spread out, then started following my internal. Still opted for a 2 minute run 30 second walk interval. I changed things up though and was relying on my Apple Watch interval setting for notifications instead of my separate interval app. I always had plenty of watch battery at the end of my runs, so was feeling confident about my switch. Things were good. I was feeling strong and my pace was feeling easily and effortless. I felt like I could run like this forever!
While I happily trekked along, my sister was doing some moving too. She was planning on cheering me on at Main Street and wasn't sure what kind of crowds she would need to contend with for a prime spot. So she made her way straight over to Magic Kingdom after I was off. Let's be honest, if you were spectating isn't that where you would rather be too? Castle or parking lot? The choice isn't hard.
The First 10K, I Got This!
I had left Epcot and was on the road to Magic Kingdom. Remember when I said we checked the forecast and no rain was indicated? Well, at my mile 4, I had some drops. Wasn't concerned though, this was Florida and the humidity was high. No big deal. Kept on going,
I never found mile marker 5 or 6, but at least got an encouraging text my sister at the 10K letting me know I was a full two miles ahead of the balloon ladies and my pace was staying consistent.
To the Halfway Point and Beyond!
At mile 7, I was getting excited. Almost to the most magical part of the race. We hit the parking lot then had to make the backstage journey to Magic Kingdom. About this time, the rain drops starting getting bigger. I had my trusty Houdini jacket with me at least, so unrolled it and put it on. Then sent my sister a quick text to see if there was anything on the radar. Of course there was a small cell right over us and she confirmed it was raining on her in the Magic Kingdom.
That small little rain cloud would have made Eeyore proud. It rained and rained until I got to the entrance to Magic kingdom. For those wondering, yes it did suck as much as you think it would, but what was I going to do? We were in the middle of Disney nowhere, turning back was worse than continuing forward. Just had to keep my chin up, put one foot in front of the other and hope the rain would stop quickly.
When I arrived at the ticket area, I was soaked. The Houdini is great, but not for Florida pop up thunderstorms apparently. I was really regretting not leaving that poncho in my pack. Definitely a lesson learned there, never leave home in Florida without a poncho.
Bottom line I made it! It was magical. Having someone you actually know in the crowd was such an incredible feeling. The surge of adrenaline I got running through Main Street and seeing my sister at the same time was the best runners high I have ever felt. At that small moment in time, all bad things just melted away and my world felt right.
After the castle, reality quickly set in and my soaked self realized I needed to do re-adjusting. I stopped at a bathroom near Tron to regroup, put my Houdini away and dried off a bit. I lost a bit of time doing this, and attempted to use the surge of adrenaline to gain back some ground.
Once out of Magic Kingdom, it was on to the lush route to Animal Kingdom. My sister also attempted to meet me to switch out some wet gear for dry gear, but the monorail was not her friend that day and we just missed each other. She then had to begin to make that magical spectator journey back to Epcot for the finish line.
At this point I decided to start running with a pace group. I was still a bit concerned about recovering the time I had lost, regaining a comfortable rhythm and was mentally trying to push through the psychological blow the unexpected rain had given. The pace group was running a 30/30 interval I think, and while different than my training, I was confident I could hang.
To keep up though, I had to forego the mile marker photos. I also did learn pace groups don't stop for bathrooms, character stops, or single rider opportunities for Everest. They barely slow down for water and fuel stops, then speed back up to overcome that little time lost. They also make it very hard to send text messages to your sister while running. Loved her encouragement but while I was in the pace group she just got a lot of hearts from me. It's all the energy I could spare.
Joining the group was just what I had needed to get my rhythm and focus back. Definitely appreciative of the energy the pace leaders and group provided. Highly recommend leaning on one if you need a little support in your race. If my solo career would continue, I would definitely consider proactively training to match intervals of my intended pace group for future races. Ultimately I pulled away from the group and switched back to my 2 minute running 30 second walking interval and carried on alone.
Final 10K, What Have I Done?!
This is where it gets brutal. You definitely have come too far to stop, but doubt can start creeping in between mile 20 and 22. For me, I had technical difficulties. I have read and I know better than to try something new on race day. So what in the world possessed me to try to run intervals on my watch for the first time during a marathon will forever remain a mystery.
So, at mile 18 I got a low battery notice. I did all the things to try to conserve battery, but still it gave out at mile 21. For some, you may be having a panic attack just reading what happened. I mean, if your watch doesn't record the run, did it really even happen?
I definitely called my sister panicked and had some colorful language for myself and my early morning decisions, then had to shift gears quickly to contingency plan. I started back up my tried and true interval app and kept on going. I survived the dreaded Blizzard Beach parking lot, which to me didn't seem as bad this year, by just focusing on one foot in front of the other. My pace group started to catch up as well, so I turned that into a competition to keep ahead of them. Just had to make it to Hollywood studios then it was downhill from there! Runners famous last words right?
Final 5K, So Close and So Far!
I was looking forward to arriving at Hollywood Studios, because I remember the dark chocolate Dove candies given out the year before seemed magical. I'm a milk chocolate fan, but those little dark chocolates at that exact moment almost converted me. Key word of course being "almost". So when I arrived and received my precious dark chocolate sweets, I was relieved and disappointed they didn't have the same life changing taste they did previously. Milk chocolate lover status re-secured! The run through Hollywood studios, while a big momentum lift, is so short you will miss it if you blink.
Up next, boardwalk where the crowd is overwhelmingly supportive. If you aren't a happy crier, this spot may make you one and is always a very uplifting portion of the race for me. Then finally back to Epcot! I was still competing with a pace group in Epcot, as I didn't want to finish at the same time. I was really hoping for some good finish line photos and to beat my previous time, since this was going to be my last marathon. The last stretch was more serious and focused, which I think made it seem harder than the previous year.
Last Mile!
The amazing news is I had still had plenty of energy going into that final mile. I was digging deep, but I hadn't hit the wall. I also headed in to the home stretch excited to have my best friend cheering for me in the stands. I think I smiled the full mile to the finish line.
Finish Line Feeling!
Did I cry? Nope! Way too excited! I felt great afterward and walked away with respectable finish line photos. Got all my medals, my hat, and my box of goodies and headed out to the reunion area. I wasn't sure where to meet my sister so found the nearest poll, plopped down, called my sister and played a game of out of water Marco Polo to find each other.
When she found me, we celebrated together. I'm not going to lie, the win was a bit bittersweet without her crossing the line with me. I still insisted she take the "I did it" photos with me, because she was there every step in one way or another.
The marathon is a beast of a race. The feeling of accomplishment is like no other. I believe if you put in the work anyone can achieve their dreams. This was supposed to be my last marathon as the training time it takes is just SO much. However, my watch didn't capture all the stats for me to fondly look back on. Maybe I do have at least one more in me? Guess we will see!
The end of the Marathon completed the Goofy Challenge and was the beginning of runDisney bucket list item, the Coast to Coast challenge. I hadn't thought it was going to return anytime soon, but it did, I chased my dream and ended part one of the challenge with an overwhelming sense of achievement.
One final chapter to cover in the tale of the first weekend of the Coast to Coast Challenge is the victory lap at the parks. Check back in to see how we celebrate post race!
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