Sunday was the big race (there will be another post on our visit to Florida :) ). Again, I was up at the asscrack of dawn to get ready and head to the start line. While I was getting ready, Ronnie texted me good luck. You know, he just melts my heart sometimes.
Now Disney has one helluva transportation system -- caught the bus in front of the hotel and was at the start line area about 20 mins later. Not too shabby, Mr. Mouse. Soon after arriving, my friend Liz (who I also ran the Seattle Half with) texted to say she had arrived. Yay, a friend!!!!
We walked to the corrals together to keep each other awake. After all, it was 1 am in our West Coast brains. I started in a later corral than she did, so we said our goodbyes and parted ways. Before I knew it, the anthem had being sung, the fireworks had gone off, and it was time to get a move on.
So, my only complaint to this race was that it was CROWDED! There were people in my corral that didn't run my pace. I felt like I was either running over people or getting ran over myself. Not good when you're on a one lane road. I saw too many people running in the grass and on medians. I also saw people who didn't observe good race etiquette. Like don't walk 5 wide. And if it's time for a walk break, get to the side. Who knew, I was one of those sticklers..... but it was highly irritating. Or maybe it was because of the time of morning.
Of course, running at Disney has it's perks. Disney does a great job putting entertainment out on the course. Kites and pirate ships and heroes and villains. All sorts of characters were out and the music was thumping. The sights were awesome too!
When we were running through the castle, there were Heralds trumpeting our arrival!
And like that our run through Magic Kingdom was done, but it was time for another great sight: my girls and my mom (my in-laws were somewhere around there too) were waiting for me at mile 8. Quick hugs and kisses and I was on my way to Epcot and the finish line (so were they).
Mile 10 is always a great sight for me to see, but this time not so much.... I strained my hamstring pushing up the hill. Not good when there are a series of overpasses you need to run over. I walked up the rest of the hills and when I crested near mile 11, I spotted it - a medical tent. A big handful of BioFreeze later, my hamstring was feeling a little better and it was time to get a move on. I could see the Epcot ball in the distance and knew I still had a few more miles to go before this race was done.
I pushed through the last few miles, enjoyed my jog around the Epcot ball and then turned for the finish. Finally, I crossed the line. And at 3:14, it was another PR. Not too bad for a 13.1 mile fun run. I collected my pretty blingy medal and headed to find my babies and family.
So all in all, it was a good run, albeit crowded. Now, I'm focusing on getting into the Disneyland Half in September so I can earn my Disney Coast-to-Coast medal. Registration for that opens in a few weeks!
NOTE: I now realize that I am a runner.... I'm already planning more runs before I even start to recover from the one I just finished.
