When the race started we got to pass Mickey, Goofy, and Donald at the start line! They were kind of hard to take a picture of while jogging in the herd. The blurry pictures were in abundance. Once Bryn and I got started, there was no stopping us.
The first few miles were pretty uneventful. Bryn got her new running belt situated, we ran past a marching band, and through a pretty thick cloud as we took the exit ramp to the Magic Kingdom. It was great to see the glowing Magic Kingdom sign in the distance and run towards it for a while. It was also great because the road got really wide and we had some room to spread out. We managed to snap some action pictures along the way.
I was reaching out in front of me to prevent from plowing into somehow if they happened to stop in their tracks for a photo op. Off to the left there was pirate ship aglow and with dancing characters. It had the moth to the flame effect but Bryn and I kept right on running. We really weren't too far into the race yet, maybe two and half miles. See how we glow?? Yes, the moisture was very present. Humidity was at like 99%. I was sweating profusely. And even though I was sipping my water like I did in training, it wasn't nearly enough to keep up with the sweating.
Even though we passed under the sign, we were still miles from the Castle. We looped by the race track and through the Ticket and Transportation Center. It was great to see the crowds lined up along the route at the TTC. Bryn and I almost flattened a girl who stopped in her tracks when she saw her family, or the bathroom, I can't remember which. As soon as we left the TTC we could see the glow of Space Mountain and the top of Cinderella's Castle in the distance. I was so excited to see it and I was feeling pretty good overall.
Near the Contemporary Hotel we had some slight ups and downs as the road made its way towards the park. It was very weird running so much in the dark. It was most definitely day light when I ran through this area during my first race. The hill coming out of this underpass was a slight ass kicker, but it was nothing compared to what was to come.
When we entered the Magic Kingdom, I experienced that awesome feeling of accomplishment. The race could have stopped right then and I would have been perfectly happy. It was the Cinderella's Castle still lit by Christmas lights. It was Main Street U.S.A. It was Disney World. MY Disney World!! All that training and we had made it to the Castle!! We tried to keep a watch for Bryn's mom in the crowd but it turns out she had left before we got there so she just missed us.
We made our way through Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, and through the castle. Exiting the castle we hit a bit of a bottleneck but we were soon on our way through Liberty Square and Frontierland. The sun was coming up and lighting up Splash Mountain as we passed. I could clearly tell it was closed for renovation. Insert sad face here.
They had the train steaming at the tracks as we entered backstage. My picture didn't come out. But with the sun coming up, I got a somewhat in focus picture of the route passing the 3 o'clock parade float!!
When we exited the Magic Kingdom I really began to realize I was in for a very long second half of the run. I felt absolutely drained and dehydrated. I tried to drink more fluid and down a second Gu. The second Gu did not sit well with my stomach. It was very hard to get out my own head and think about anything other than how drained I felt.
The returning stretch from Magic Kingdom to EPCOT is a blur. At one point I picked up some Powerade or something from an aid station. The electrolytes helped out some but my gut was still churning. I just kept telling myself to keep going. Bryn was in the zone and I fell in step behind her and watched her shoes for a few miles.
As we got within a few miles of EPCOT we had to go up an exit ramp and up and down a few other ramps while entering the parking area for the park. Those hills took whatever I had left in my tank. Hills, hills, hills! They were rough. I was in pathetic shape and knew that I couldn't stop with Spaceship Earth in sight. As we entered EPCOT and passed the ball, I looked at Bryn and said, "I've got nothing left!" I was in some weird out of body mode just running and not knowing how I was managing it.
As we looped back towards the ball I knew that I was so close very close to the end. I just had to pass the ball and run to the finish. It was an unbelievable relief to see the finish line. I remember raising my arms the best I could to celebrate and make sure I ran past every timing mat on the pavement. It's a good thing I didn't stop at any other point during the race because when I did stop running and tried to walk my left leg seized up and I kind of hobbled towards the left while fighting for my leg to do what my brain was telling it to do.
We worked our way through getting our medals and having our pictures taken. Then we got food and drinks. Food and drinks!! I don't even remember what I ate but I ate. Bagel or banana or whatever. And I downed some Powerade and tried to stretch the best I could. After some stretching, I started to feel somewhat human again.
Getting back to our hotel bus was way more work than we originally planned. In addition to the walk to the start and the 13.1 mile run, we made multiple trips around the huge EPCOT parking lot looking for the bus. It was good to stay moving but it was frustrating because we wanted to sit down and get back to the hotel for ice baths!!
I didn't expect the race to go quite like it did. The humidity drained me way more than I expected it to. I should have been drinking way more at the start. And I think I learned my lesson about using more than a few Gus during a run. I need to mix in something more solid along the way. Maybe some graham crackers or something.
I'm proud of what I accomplished. Even though it was tough, it was still a great race!! But I know I can do better, and I will.
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