Walt Disney World Half Marathon Recap

A year ago, when I signed for the Walt Disney World half marathon, I did not officially consider myself a runner. I’d never competed in a race (triathlons, yes, but running events, no), I had only run about 8 miles as my PDR, and I was in awe of people that could actually complete a race of that distance.

So today, even though I had some disappointments along the way, I am proud to say that I not only did the half marathon at Disney, I gave it my all.

Originally, I had hoped to set a new PR — basing my goals on my performance at the OUC Half Marathon in December, I was shooting for under 2:10:00 and even possibly under 2:05:00. But when I woke up to this:

I knew that just finishing the race would be a success. Yeah, that’s sleet. In Florida.

But I had a wonderful message waiting for me as I got dressed:

and to brave the weather, I piled on the layers:

• Ski leggings
• Running pants
• Balega socks
• Ski turtleneck
• Wicking, long-sleeved shirt
• Track jacket
• Sweatshirt
• Two pair of gloves
• Neck warmer
• Hat

I took a moment to tweet a picture of my rockin’ orange hair extensions:

Then headed out to Epcot to run! I did not stay on property, so I had a 2am wakeup call. Before you feel too bad for me, you should know that Lucas — who was not running — was facing the same wakeup call and weather. He came to support me. What a man, huh?

My friend Carolyn flew down from Buffalo to run the half marathon — I hadn’t seen her in a year, so it was great to catch up with her before the start of the race and for most of the course.

We had a long walk down from the parking lot to the corrals, then had to wait there for about a half hour. It was c-c-c-c-c-cold! We caught up on news and gossip, listened to the national anthem, stomped our feet and FINALLY — time to go!

The run started off pretty well — after battling through the group start, we found some clear running room, and settled into a decent pace. At this point, I thought I would be able to PR. The start of the race was a long, cold, dark straightaway — Carolyn and I could feel the sleet bouncing off our foreheads, and see what sure looked like snow in the lights! And in a moment that was both cool and defeating, as we ended the second mile of our run, we could see the leaders on their way back to Epcot. The winning man finished in 1:07!

The rest of the race went like this:

• Miles 1-3: Feeling good! We bounced between paces but stayed steadily under 10:00. Since we’d never run together before, this was a good chance for us to settle in with each other, get to a comfortable pace, and find some room to run. We moved up some spots, weaving in and out a bit, but getting into a groove.
• Miles 4-6: Feeling great! We kept our nice, steady pace, continuing to move up. Somewhere in here, I ditched the sweatshirt and took off my gloves. The air was still cold, but I had definitely heated up at this point. I still felt very comfortable here — my legs felt fresh, I wasn’t breathing hard and I was really enjoying the time through the parks.
• Miles 7-9: Struggling a little, but still feeling strong. We continued to maintain a sub-10:00 pace and I thought I’d still have gas in the tank for a final kick. We lost quite a bit of time behind some very slow runners and walkers, and also really slowed down through the parks because so many people were stopping to take pictures, etc.
• Mile 10: The race-killer. Carolyn had warned me that there were a few hills toward the end, and I thought I was ready. I was not. The hill — really, an on-ramp — was a looooong, steady climb. I felt my resolve whoosh away from me about halfway up. My pace had dropped, my legs hurt, I was mentally tired of running, and I just didn’t have anything left to give. I felt the cold, I felt every injury I’ve ever had, and I gave up a little. Carolyn was still rocking it, so I told her to go ahead at her own pace.
• Miles 11: After the hill, I got back into the race, mentally. I knew that I only had 2.1 miles to go, and I tried everything I could to get my legs back up to speed. But when I saw a second hill approaching, and the rain was still coming down, I went into survival mode. As long as my legs were moving, I considered it a success. I knew my pace was over 10:00 and I just told myself, “give it what you have and that will be good enough.”
• Miles 12-13.1: Slow and mentally painful. The kick I was counting on just never came. I felt empty as I passed the 12-mile mark, and the same when I hit 12.5. The sprint to the finish line never came and I crossed with a final time of 2:12:17. (My PR for this distance is 2:11:01)

The best moment: Hearing bugles and trumpets herald me as I ran through Cinderella’s Castle at Magic Kingdom. That is a moment I wish I could have frozen in time.

The worst moment: The hill at mile 10.5. Not just the hill, the realization that my mind was giving up faster than my body.

Overall? I will have great memories of this race. I ran with a friend, in an event that attracts people from all over the world, in Florida sleet and I still had a time that doesn’t embarrass me.

Did I have fun? For 10 miles, I sure did. But when I crossed the finish line, for the first time, my mind was not on the race, or the glory…it was on the pain and emptiness I felt at the end.

Don’t get me wrong — this is not a negative, depressing post. I think it’s a sign that I need to take some time off and let my body rest. I’ve ignored some pretty serious overuse injuries for the last few months, and I paid for it today. I love running, and I love fitness, and I will never stop pursuing either. But I do want to get back to having fun at these events, so I need to figure out how.

After the race, Carolyn and I took a quick picture:

Then we all headed to breakfast, and (thank goodness) coffee! Lucas, the rockstar husband, indulged in a bagel platter, while I had an egg white omelet.

My appetite is still off (the norm for long races) so while this was delicious, it was a bit of a chore to force down. After breakfast, I hugged Carolyn goodbye and stuck around at the restaurant for the big blogger lunch/meetup that Ashley planned! I’ll recap that later…for now…

ZZZZZZzzzzzz….

P.S. If you want to learn more about my race history, I keep all the recaps and reviews here!

P.P.S. I am so proud of all the men and women running the full marathon at Walt Disney World tomorrow…I can’t wait to see how they all do and hear/read about their experiences!

Tagged as: Food, half marathon, Injury, race, Race Recap, recap, Running, Silly Tater Tot, Walt Disney World