Poor Unfortunate Soles: A 2013 Marathon Weekend (5K, Half and Full Marathon) Trip Report!

Ariel484 · Jan 28, 2013

Kristia said:
Yeah, I think that sounds right. It was really crowded as soon as we started...it was two lanes I think leaving the Epcot area. Once the field kind of spread out, it wasn't too bad until we condensed down going right into the MK. MK and leaving MK were horrible with the one lane road. That was where the worst congestion was for me.

Okay, thanks. I remember thinking that the best part as far as space was running under the MK entrance gates...until I tripped over the speed bump.

MKCP 1985 said:
Aww, thank you Shannon. I am enjoying your report! Bring on marathon Sunday.

Thank YOU again for the advice!

Brian Davis said:
Doesn't matter to me, in that this was my first, so my only goal was "cross the finish line upright". Actually, I was flexible on that... "cross the finish line crawling on bloody knees" would have been a reasonable option!

I don't yet - I need to find time to sit down and edit it some. Video taken from your head while running is... slightly bouncy, so I'm finding good bits and running them through a video stabilization. I have taken frame captures (actually just screenshots) of a bunch of the signs, and composited them together into one image:

(and since I'm not sure that that will display correctly, here's the URL to the picture on FB:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4810634217476 )

Yeah, I can understand the concern.

I think the intimidation factor might have gotten to me had I tried for it this year. But... well, my first marathon was the 20th at WDW. It would be really nice to have the Goofy anniversary as well.

Very cool picture!

My favorite spectator sign of the weekend was near the TTC (Mile 4) during the half: "Halfway done (bad at math)."

I know a lot of people do Goofy as part of their first marathon, which I think is...interesting.

Personally I am SO glad that I did the marathon by itself first. I felt like training this year was not as intimidating because I'd already been through the training before and had completed the distance...it was just so different the second time around in a better way. And having done the marathon at Disney once before I knew a lot of the course already, so that helped a lot. Even though I was nervous during the weekend itself, I cannot IMAGINE how terrified I would have been if I was running not only my first marathon, but a half the day before as well. So that's a long, drawn-out way of saying that I think you did the right thing running the marathon only and NOT Goofy just yet. People can disagree with me but I'm so glad I didn't go Goofy last year.

Ariel484 · Jan 28, 2013

We didn't hang around the finish area very long (and didn't get a picture together with our medals! Darn!

). Princess C headed back to the CBR bus stop and I made my way back to the monorail station at the entrance to Epcot, weird little runDisney snack box in hand. They were making runners that wanted to get to the monorail go through security along with the park guests that were arriving just after Epcot had opened for the day. I'm sure they didn't appreciate having to share the security line with the sweaty runners.

Waiting for the monorail and looking back toward the starting area...

I think I got on a monorail at about 9:15 and was en route back to the Grand.

It was a Simpsons kind of weekend.

Will met me at the monorail platform and we quickly headed back to the room. Now remember how I mentioned earlier that I didn't want to hear people talking about the heat and freak myself out over it? One other thing I didn't want to overthink was recovery between the half and full marathons. I read up a bit online and people were talking about ratios of macronutrients and drink this just after the race, do these stretches, walk for at least 15 minutes each hour, etc. Eventually I stopped reading about it and stuck with what the method that worked best for me, which I'd figured out during training - as awful as it sounds, take an ice bath after the race, followed by a glorious bit of sleep.

I felt GREAT after the half - no soreness at all - but I didn't want to take any chances with the marathon the next morning. I took about a 5-6 minute ice bath (probably should have been longer but I was in a hurry), showered and rolled my quads a bit with The Stick. I also very carefully removed my Goofy bib and laid it out for the marathon the next morning. Goofy runners use the same bib for both races and if it gets bent the bib tags won't properly record the race times...I definitely didn't want that to happen.

We headed over to the Polynesian (I think we took the boat) and checked in a few minutes early for our 10:40 ADR at Kona Café...which was totally SWAMPED. Seriously, that place was a mad house. As we were checking in we ran into @Kristia and Dan again (twice in one day, booyah!) and we marveled at how crowded everything had been that morning - the half AND at Kona. My best guess is that lots of runners stay at the monorail resorts for the race and Kona is right there...and it's a great place for a celebratory breakfast.

Mom mom's friend was joining us for this meal and no one was there yet. We took our pager and waited.

We got seated after about 10 minutes and the rest of our party arrived. This was our first time eating at Kona for breakfast and I was SO excited - I love breakfast food!

Will and I ordered the Kona pressed pot to share. SO GOOD.

(Please note my giant glass of ice water. Still gotta hydrate!)

Will ordered the Samoa I think (?) and everyone else ordered some kind of eggs...I know my brother got steak and eggs. I got...

...any ideas???...

Ariel484 · Jan 28, 2013

TONGA TOAST!

Now, certain food things (yep, food things...food items?) at Disney are so overhyped that by the time I get to try them I am disappointed (i.e. - and flame me all you want for saying this - Dole whips and Boma)...but OMG. This stuff totally lives up to the hype. It was soooooo good. I think it flirts with being a little too sweet (especially with the strawberry sauce) but wow, it was awesome. I think the key for my liking it is that the banana flavor isn't too over-powering, because I don't normally like bananas mixed with other things...but this was incredibly delicious. On a normal day I don't know that I would be able to finish the entire portion by myself, but after the half I wolfed it down, no problem. And this is a weird thing to say, but I was quite excited about the bacon. I feel like most bacon on Disney property is thin and, well, kind of crappy...but the Kona bacon was thick and quite good!

Everyone agreed that the food at Kona was fantastic, but the meal took a long time. I really think Kona was caught off-guard with the post-race crowds and wasn't prepared to handle it, so everything was just a little slow. And my family was being a little, well...difficult

...so Will and I decided that we needed an afternoon alone.

We paid the check, said TTFN to the fam (who were planning on heading to the Magic Kingdom for the day) and headed out to the Polynesian bus stop. To the Studios!

After our long brunch we arrived at the Studios at about 1:15.

The Studios is our least-favorite park (we're determined to explore it more fully on our next trip because we're sure there’s more to love that we just haven't yet discovered) but we had a couple of things we wanted to do here that wouldn't take very long, so it seemed like a good pick for the afternoon in between the races.

First on the list, one of our favorite things to do at WDW...drawing class!

We got in line right before being let in to the class. The animator was one we've had before (she helped us draw Minnie in June 2011) and I think she's just so darn cute. She makes a big speech before the class about how everyone's drawings are good and there's no eraser on the pencil so don't get frustrated and how we want to make a messy, sloppy sketch, etc. It's adorable and makes me want to hug her. She'd make a great kindergarten teacher.

Just like last year, she had the character we were going to draw picked out ahead of time and wanted us to start drawing without knowing who it was. Whoever guessed the character would get the animator's drawing once class was over. One girl right in the front of the room was NOT happy about having a pre-picked character. For whatever reason she thought that SHE should be able to pick who we draw. Um...how about shut up and let the class get started?!

Eventually the animator whispered the character to the girl and she was like, "Oh, that’s a good one...I approve!" So obnoxious.

So then the animator draws one line on the sheet of paper and the guy next to me yells out, "STITCH!" like he's able to guess who the character is already. He wasn't right...yet he continued to guess STITCH every few minutes. Seriously, 5-6 times. It went from being funny the first time to making me want to stick my pencil - with no eraser! - right into my eye.

I ended up using my pencil for drawing only and I present to you…Dale!

And I came away from class asking myself the same question I have after each drawing class I've attended...why is it so hard to draw a circle?? WHY??

So far in class we've drawn Pluto, Minnie, and now Dale. I think this class is such a fun activity and really a perfect example of something you can only get at Disney. It's really one of the highlights of the trip for us each time we participate.

After class we checked the wait for Toy Story Mania (too long...shocker!

) and headed to Sunset Boulevard for the best ride EVER...the Tower of Terror. I think we waited about 15 minutes. It was awesome as usual, but I am ashamed to admit that after that one ride I was DONE.

I needed a nap, pronto.

We made one last stop before leaving the Studios - Starring Rolls to purchase our third and final cupcake of the weekend

- and caught a bus back to the Grand Floridian. Before going back to the room I showed Will where the race course passed the Grand Floridian in case he wanted to watch part of the marathon. When we got to the room I took a glorious nap. Ahhhh. I think Will alternated between playing on his phone and dozing off as well during this little break.

Ariel484 · Jan 28, 2013

I think I got up from my nap at about 5PM and made a bee-line for that cupcake I'd gotten from Starring Rolls.

Red Velvet Cupcake:

Of the 3 cupcakes I had that weekend, this one was by far my favorite. The cake was super moist, and in my book you really can't go wrong with cream cheese icing. I had about 3/4 of it and Will had the rest.

After the cupcake I took a few more photos from our windows…

We had an awkward amount of time to kill before dinner, so just like after the 5K we popped into the Magic Kingdom for a bit!

And now for a mini-rant...I thought I'd finally picked the correct race shirt size this year (small instead of medium) but they seem to run larger now. I can definitely see that in the above picture. RUN DISNEY, IF YOU'RE READING THIS (psssshhhhh HAHA yeah right): Throughout the entire weekend - at the expo, at the races, even on your blog and Facebook page you kept mentioning how over half of the runners participating in the races were women...would it kill you to start producing women's-cut race shirts?? Men get men's-cut shirts for the Princess Half and Tinkerbell Half...where's the love for the ladies???

Also, runDisney, if you’re reading this...HIRE ME!

/rant over.

Anyway, this was pretty much an exact repeat of what I did after the 5K - just a leisurely stroll along Main Street. Except the Magic Kingdom was SUPER crowded on this day, so it wasn't quite as relaxing as we would have liked.

No more Dreamlights:

We didn't stick around very long - just a little over an hour I think. It was time for dinner!

Ariel484 · Jan 28, 2013

We left the Magic Kingdom and caught the resort monorail back to the Polynesian. Our reservations for 'Ohana were for 7:05 and we checked in at about 6:50. I'd been texting with my mom and they were making their way over from the Boardwalk. She said it would only take a "5 minutes" for them to drive over.

Right...

This reservation was...challenging. Way back in July I woke up at the crack of dawn to get our ADRs set and this 'Ohana dinner was the first one I made. That was back when the trip was going to just be me, Will, Craig and my mom. On December 29 - exactly 2 weeks before our 'Ohana dinner - my mom texted me that her friend was coming on the trip, and could I add her to this reservation? This stressed me out more than it should have - at the time the only reservation available for 5 was at 9:40...not happening - but I knew all I could do was make a back-up reservation for them and keep hoping for a cancellation. It sounds callous, but I made a reservation for 2 at the Grand Floridian Café for mom and friend. I had been very deliberate about the restaurants I picked for the pre-race dinners - they had to be places both the bro and I had eaten at that had NOT made us sick, and they also had to be places I thought people would like. Via Napoli and 'Ohana fit the bill. I know 'Ohana has been popping up in that "overrated at Disney" thread, but we think the place is awesome and I’d done the work to get the reservation - I was NOT going to give it up. I checked the dining system a few times per day and on New Year's Eve there it was - a reservation for 5 at 7:05PM! I snatched it up, canceled GF Café, and all was well...and then my aunt decided to come on the trip 3 days before check-in day. Luckily I was able to just call Disney Reservations and make the switch (going from 5 to 6 is a lot easier than 4 to 5). My mom thanked me profusely - she knew everything I'd done to plan the trip and the dinners. I was happy to do it, of course, but I'd be lying if I said it hadn't stressed me out a bit.

So Will and I checked in at 'Ohana, got our pager and waited. We were called to be seated pretty quickly...but the rest of our party wasn't there yet. They wouldn't seat us until everyone had arrived, so we were put back into the queue. Meanwhile my brother is texting me that the GPS is steering them in the wrong direction AGAIN and they've already made 3-4 u-turns. At this point Will was livid – I'd had to change the reservation so many times and now they were late?! I was mad too and was starting to get what Will and I call "panicky-hungry" - where you're so hungry you start to feel a little ill and, well, panicky - but eventually I decided (and told Will pretty firmly) that we would NOT be angry about this. They'd get there, we'd eat, and we'd just go about the day. Because the way the weekend was going I had already had the stressful arrival day, the full-of-complaints day at Epcot, and now this. This was not how I was going to remember this trip. We both calmed down pretty quickly, and I don't remember what time everyone else arrived, but I think we ended up getting seated at about 7:30.

We were seated at a table for 8 and ended up configured in such a way that Will and I were sitting together sort of facing everyone else. Oddly appropriate given how the weekend had been going up to that point

...anyway, this was the one instance where there were NO complaints at all.

Shocking! Everyone was very impressed by the food (for the most part), but I'd like to think they also reigned it in a bit because they felt bad about being late. Who knows.

The one downside of eating at 'Ohana the night before the race was that I felt the need to eat less dessert than I normally do, thus I didn't gorge myself on the amazing bread pudding quite as much as I wanted to. So sad. I did get wild and order a Coke to go along with my water (hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!) though.

Despite the fact that I tried not to stuff too much food into my face the night before the marathon I still felt like my stomach looked like this guy’s when I was done:

No food pictures – it's was way too dark for anything to come out. But everything was great and the service was really good. Love that place.

We finished dinner at about 8:30 (I'd heard the soundtrack to Wishes! being piped in but we were too far away from the windows to see the fireworks) and Will and I were outta there in record time. We headed back to the Grand and took a stroll around the lobby before heading back to the room.

Once we were back in Conch Key I replied to a congratulatory/good luck email from future roommate Holly ( @HollyBelle – thanks!!

), checked all of my stuff for the marathon again and was in bed between 9:30 and 10. My same 3 alarms were set: phone at 2:45, wake-up call at 2:55 and iHome at 3:00. Third and final race report coming up next!

LindsayLoves · Jan 28, 2013

Ariel484 said:
And now for a mini-rant...I thought I'd finally picked the correct race shirt size this year (small instead of medium) but they seem to run larger now. I can definitely see that in the above picture. RUN DISNEY, IF YOU'RE READING THIS (psssshhhhh HAHA yeah right): Throughout the entire weekend - at the expo, at the races, even on your blog and Facebook page you kept mentioning how over half of the runners participating in the races were women...would it kill you to start producing women's-cut race shirts?? Men get men's-cut shirts for the Princess Half and Tinkerbell Half...where's the love for the ladies???

Also, runDisney, if you’re reading this...HIRE ME! /rant over.

I am totally with you on the shirt thing. I got a small but felt an x-small would've have been more to my liking. I tried to switch it at the expo but the kind volunteer told me that they didn't have ANY x-smalls to swap out and that if I really wanted one to come back with about an hour left in the expo on Saturday afternoon because they assume people won't be coming at that point and open up all the remaining bags for change outs. I clearly did not want a smaller shirt that badly. They apparently have 5-10% no-shows for each race, how you pay so damn much for a race and don't even go pick up your swag is beyond me. That is what I would do if I got injured (knocks on wood) before a race like that.

Your Kona pictures are killing me, that coffee was amazing (the first *good* coffee we had during our trip) and don't get me started on Tonga Toast. I had Dole Whip for the first time this trip and I just couldn't do it, it tasted too similar to the Lip Smackers pineapple chapstick I had when I was 7. I had two bites maybe and I could not get past the mental block that made me feel like I was eating that LipSmackers.

runDisney hire me too!!!

Kristia · Jan 28, 2013

1 - Tonga Toast!!! My absolute favorite breakfast anywhere, ever!
2 - The Animator's Class is something that I haven't ever done before, but have always wanted to. Guess I have to make a point to do it one one of these days. I stink at drawing though!
3 - Another thing I MUST do next time is get a darn cupcake! Missed having any cupcakes this time around.
4- We were probably at the MK the same time as you! We got there earlier (prob around 2 pm) but stayed till about 6:30 or 7 pm.
5 - I had kind of the same problem as you last time we went to Ohana. I made reservations with my friend and her family and then people kept wanting to be added. Then when it came time to actually go, most of them cut out and didn't come anyway! It is so much easier when it is just Dan and me!

Ariel484 · Jan 28, 2013

LindsayLoves said:
I am totally with you on the shirt thing. I got a small but felt an x-small would've have been more to my liking. I tried to switch it at the expo but the kind volunteer told me that they didn't have ANY x-smalls to swap out and that if I really wanted one to come back with about an hour left in the expo on Saturday afternoon because they assume people won't be coming at that point and open up all the remaining bags for change outs. I clearly did not want a smaller shirt that badly. They apparently have 5-10% no-shows for each race, how you pay so damn much for a race and don't even go pick up your swag is beyond me. That is what I would do if I got injured (knocks on wood) before a race like that.

I think I could have gotten away with an extra-small too...

I'm really surprised they haven't started having a women's-cut option yet.

LindsayLoves said:
Your Kona pictures are killing me, that coffee was amazing (the first *good* coffee we had during our trip) and don't get me started on Tonga Toast. I had Dole Whip for the first time this trip and I just couldn't do it, it tasted too similar to the Lip Smackers pineapple chapstick I had when I was 7. I had two bites maybe and I could not get past the mental block that made me feel like I was eating that LipSmackers.

runDisney hire me too!!!

It was killing me too to look at them again!

That breakfast blew me away. SO with you on the coffee...the stuff in the room was okay but this press pot was awesome. We avoid the Nescafe like the plague.

LOL and comparing Dole Whips and LipSmackers...!!! OMG I loved LipSmackers. Ahh, to be back in elementary school...

Kristia said:
1 - Tonga Toast!!! My absolute favorite breakfast anywhere, ever!
2 - The Animator's Class is something that I haven't ever done before, but have always wanted to. Guess I have to make a point to do it one one of these days. I stink at drawing though!
3 - Another thing I MUST do next time is get a darn cupcake! Missed having any cupcakes this time around.
4- We were probably at the MK the same time as you! We got there earlier (prob around 2 pm) but stayed till about 6:30 or 7 pm.
5 - I had kind of the same problem as you last time we went to Ohana. I made reservations with my friend and her family and then people kept wanting to be added. Then when it came time to actually go, most of them cut out and didn't come anyway! It is so much easier when it is just Dan and me!

I think Tonga Toast may be my new favorite breakfast ANYWHERE! YUM.

You guys should totally try the drawing class. It's just such a unique experience, really relaxing and fun. I love it every time, even this past time with the other obnoxious guests.

YES, get yourself a cupcake...or 3 like I did.

Where are you and your sis staying in August? I forget...anyway, check the QS place at your resort! I think they all have cupcakes.

I bet we seriously walked right past each other like 5-6 times throughout the weekend...LOL!

So lame that you family friends ditched out on 'Ohana...was that before the fee was applied? I told my mom MANY times that if they didn't show up I was going to get charged a no-show fee. That would have been infuriating...it was annoying enough just having them be late when I was hungry enough to want to eat my own arm off.

"It is so much easier when it is just Dan and me!" - I HEAR YOU. I'm so looking forward to our next trip to WDW...just me and Will! Bliss.

Kristia · Jan 28, 2013

Ariel484 said:
I think I could have gotten away with an extra-small too... I'm really surprised they haven't started having a women's-cut option yet.

It was killing me too to look at them again! That breakfast blew me away. SO with you on the coffee...the stuff in the room was okay but this press pot was awesome. We avoid the Nescafe like the plague.

LOL and comparing Dole Whips and LipSmackers...!!! OMG I loved LipSmackers. Ahh, to be back in elementary school...

I think Tonga Toast may be my new favorite breakfast ANYWHERE! YUM.

You guys should totally try the drawing class. It's just such a unique experience, really relaxing and fun. I love it every time, even this past time with the other obnoxious guests.

YES, get yourself a cupcake...or 3 like I did. Where are you and your sis staying in August? I forget...anyway, check the QS place at your resort! I think they all have cupcakes.

I bet we seriously walked right past each other like 5-6 times throughout the weekend...LOL!

So lame that you family friends ditched out on 'Ohana...was that before the fee was applied? I told my mom MANY times that if they didn't show up I was going to get charged a no-show fee. That would have been infuriating...it was annoying enough just having them be late when I was hungry enough to want to eat my own arm off.

"It is so much easier when it is just Dan and me!" - I HEAR YOU. I'm so looking forward to our next trip to WDW...just me and Will! Bliss.

We are staying at Wilderness when we go with my sis. Luckily my sis and BIL are laid back so there shouldn't be any drama with meals. Better not because Dan and I are going to babysit so they can have a date night!

Can't wait to try the waffles there!! My 'Ohana experience was before the no show charges thank goodness!

Kristia · Jan 28, 2013

Ariel484 said:
I think I could have gotten away with an extra-small too... I'm really surprised they haven't started having a women's-cut option yet.

It was killing me too to look at them again! That breakfast blew me away. SO with you on the coffee...the stuff in the room was okay but this press pot was awesome. We avoid the Nescafe like the plague.

LOL and comparing Dole Whips and LipSmackers...!!! OMG I loved LipSmackers. Ahh, to be back in elementary school...

I think Tonga Toast may be my new favorite breakfast ANYWHERE! YUM.

You guys should totally try the drawing class. It's just such a unique experience, really relaxing and fun. I love it every time, even this past time with the other obnoxious guests.

YES, get yourself a cupcake...or 3 like I did. Where are you and your sis staying in August? I forget...anyway, check the QS place at your resort! I think they all have cupcakes.

I bet we seriously walked right past each other like 5-6 times throughout the weekend...LOL!

So lame that you family friends ditched out on 'Ohana...was that before the fee was applied? I told my mom MANY times that if they didn't show up I was going to get charged a no-show fee. That would have been infuriating...it was annoying enough just having them be late when I was hungry enough to want to eat my own arm off.

"It is so much easier when it is just Dan and me!" - I HEAR YOU. I'm so looking forward to our next trip to WDW...just me and Will! Bliss.

We are staying at Wilderness when we go with my sis. Luckily my sis and BIL are laid back so there shouldn't be any drama with meals. Better not because Dan and I are going to babysit so they can have a date night!

Can't wait to try the waffles there!! My 'Ohana experience was before the no show charges thank goodness!

Ariel484 · Jan 29, 2013

Kristia said:
We are staying at Wilderness when we go with my sis. Luckily my sis and BIL are laid back so there shouldn't be any drama with meals. Better not because Dan and I are going to babysit so they can have a date night! Can't wait to try the waffles there!! My 'Ohana experience was before the no show charges thank goodness!

Nice! We're also staying at Wilderness Lodge on our next trip (renting points). I think you will be very pleased with the waffles...I'm definitely planning on getting the strawberry ones again, and I'm sure I'll order the chocolate ones at some point too. YUMMM

Ariel484 · Jan 29, 2013

Day 4: Sunday, January 13, 2013

In the weeks leading up to Marathon Weekend I can truthfully say that I wasn't ever nervous about completing all of the races. No, the thing that freaked me out was knowing that I would have to wake up at insane times of the "morning" three days in a row. So it was quite a relief to wake up on time on Sunday and not have to worry about it anymore.

Once I was up I did the same routine as the previous 2 days - turned off alarms, took the wake-up call, got dressed, sunscreen'd up, etc. - and left the room by 3:15. Now that the waking up part was over, for the first time I started to get really nervous about actually completing the marathon. Physically I felt fine (no soreness or anything) and I think I knew I could do it...but despite how many times I told myself, "it's just running...it's just running..." I couldn't calm myself down.

It sounds ridiculous - because seriously IT'S JUST RUNNING - but by the time I caught the monorail to the TTC (3:20) I was actually shaking a little bit. I kept trying to figure out what exactly I was scared of – running alone? Hitting the wall? Feeling sore at some point? The heat (which wasn't a big deal during the half because I'd finished by 9AM...but today I'd probably be out there until noon and it was already 63 degrees with 98% humidity at the start)? - but I could never really pinpoint exactly what it was so that I could talk myself down.

We switched monorails and I was on the second one by 3:30 (luckily it was another quiet ride). Again I saw the Magic Kingdom lit up, the pirate ship, and mile marker 26 in Epcot.

This was really happening.

Our monorail arrived at Epcot by 3:40. I made a *REAL*bathroom stop again and headed to the start area. Walking helped calm my nerves a little bit, but just like before the 5K I had trouble getting part of my breakfast (a granola bar) down. It actually almost came right back up at one point.

Ugh.

I got to the starting area and immediately headed to the lettered tents...it was time to put the nerves aside. I had an important meet-up at 4AM, and today I was actually on time!

And you know what letter falls in the above range?...W. As in WDWMagic!

L-R: Brandi ( @Texas84 cousin), me (again with pointless throwaway clothes), Mark ( @Texas84 ), Steve ( @Mad Stitch ), Lindsay ( @LindsayLoves ), and Michael ( @LindsayLoves brother).

Very excited to meet these folks after chatting on the Marathon Weekend thread over the last year! To anyone who didn't make the meet-up...we missed you!

(We should have made a sign or something...)

We waited around for about 20 minutes to try to catch any other WDWMagic members, but after the weirdness with getting people to the corrals the previous morning I decided I wanted to start heading over. I also decided that being alone wasn't going to help my nerves any, so I asked Lindsay and Michael if I could tag along like a little lost puppy since they were in Corral C as well. They kindly allowed me to hang out with them...thanks!

We parted ways with the other WDWMagic-ers and made our way to the corrals. The Fairy Godmother was out for pictures along the way, which was different...I'd never seen a character out before the race NOT in the holding/Family Reunion area.

Ariel484 · Jan 29, 2013

The three of us made it to Corral C at about 5:10.

Once we were in the corrals and the start was getting closer the nerves were starting to kick in a bit more. By now I found that the best way to get that nervous energy out was to "dance" (which for me is just bouncing up and down and pumping my arms stupidly) and sort of babble. Thanks again for putting up with me, Lindsay and Michael!

Just before the race start at 5:30, another Disney vocalist sang the National Anthem...I think he was the best of the 3 over the weekend. The wheelchair racers started, then Corral A, then Corral B. We inched closer to the start.

Finally it was our turn to start running at 5:47. 3 2 1 GOOOOO!

I said thanks, good-bye and good luck to Lindsay and Michael and lost them almost immediately. Once I started running the nerves were gone...in fact I don't really remember much of those first few miles before the Magic Kingdom. I think I was just on auto-pilot. Plus, with the course changes this year the first 8 or so miles of the marathon are EXACTLY the same as the half, so after having run in this area the previous morning there just wasn't much thinking required. This course change was disappointing to me, not just because of the lack of variety (especially for a Goofy runner) but also because they took out the early-morning loop through Epcot that I'd liked so much in 2012.

Bummer.

Just like the half, the first couple of miles were crowded and humid.

And when I say that the first portion of the course was exactly the same as the half, I don't just mean the route...lots of the character meets (Jack and Sally, pirates, etc...I don't think Chip and Dale were out at the Speedway) and entertainment (flags) were identical to the previous day's, which I had kind of expected...but it was a bit of a letdown.

Fievel · Jan 29, 2013

Ariel484 said:
Day 4: Sunday, January 13, 2013

And you know what letter falls in the above range?...W. As in WDWMagic!

L-R: Brandi ( @Texas84 cousin), me (again with pointless throwaway clothes), Mark ( @Texas84 ), Steve ( @Mad Stitch ), Lindsay ( @LindsayLoves ), and Michael ( @LindsayLoves brother).
Very excited to meet these folks after chatting on the Marathon Weekend thread over the last year! To anyone who didn't make the meet-up...we missed you! (We should have made a sign or something...)

Sorry we didn't come to the meet-up. My nerves had really gotten a hold me that morning, and I really didn't want to talk to anybody. I just wanted to run at that point. I kept repeating over and over "I just want to start", as I knew once I started the run, the nerves would settle out and would channel into my running.

Tiggerish · Jan 29, 2013

TakeMeThere81 said:
Epic finish!!! Track Suit Mickey and a PR!! Woop! Beautiful medal too. Sad Craigy couldn't race on Great job to both of you in the half though!!'

I have to agree with this. Shannon, you looked great at the finish of the half--it hardly looks like you'd been exerting yourself for 3 hours...

Katherine · Jan 29, 2013

Ariel484 said:
This course change was disappointing to me, not just because of the lack of variety (especially for a Goofy runner) but also because they took out the early-morning loop through Epcot that I'd liked so much in 2012. Bummer.

While the verdict is still out on which course I liked better. I did miss the early Epcot loop. There was always something so magical running through there when it was still dark out and you could look out over WS Lagoon and see everything lit up but empty. Plus it was a great early spectator spot since they could be at the Epcot entrance and then catch the monorail to MK. That said I did like having the Speedway loop to break up the endless stretch from MK to AK, so it's a trade off.

Glad you didn't let your nerves get the best of you! I remember my first 2 marathons (both Disney) I kept thinking "Why am I doing this? No sane person does this" and "Why am I doing this AGAIN?" ... haha.

Kristia · Jan 29, 2013

I was disappointed about the change too. I love to run through Epcot in the early morning. Even though we got to MK faster, it is nice to almost start in a park. It would have been nice too if there were some little differences out on the course in those first miles too. I like surprises and it keeps me more engaged especially since I don't run these courses with music. Maybe it was because I wasn't feeling well, but I was kind of like "Yeah, saw that...yeah saw that too yesterday."

Katherine · Jan 29, 2013

Kristia said:
I was disappointed about the change too. I love to run through Epcot in the early morning. Even though we got to MK faster, it is nice to almost start in a park. It would have been nice too if there were some little differences out on the course in those first miles too. I like surprises and it keeps me more engaged especially since I don't run these courses with music. Maybe it was because I wasn't feeling well, but I was kind of like "Yeah, saw that...yeah saw that too yesterday."

True. Yeah it made it a lot easier to run past the characters knowing I had gotten them the day before. I guess we'll see what they do next year...

Tiggerish · Jan 29, 2013

All caught up now...

I totally LOVE those two photos from DHS in your post, they're gorgeous. And your Dale drawing came out so good!! Really, I think there should be some kind of medal for not smacking guests who need it...

And more glorious photos from GF and MK. And cupcakes. I'm not even fond of red velvet, and that photo makes me want to dig in.

So excited for the start of the marathon, and great group shot! I love WDWMagic meet up pictures!! Hi, everyone!

Ariel484 · Jan 29, 2013

Fievel said:
Sorry we didn't come to the meet-up. My nerves had really gotten a hold me that morning, and I really didn't want to talk to anybody. I just wanted to run at that point. I kept repeating over and over "I just want to start", as I knew once I started the run, the nerves would settle out and would channel into my running.

No worries!

I totally get it.

Tiggerish said:
I have to agree with this. Shannon, you looked great at the finish of the half--it hardly looks like you'd been exerting yourself for 3 hours...

Aw, thanks.

Stopping for lots of pictures helped!

Katherine said:
While the verdict is still out on which course I liked better. I did miss the early Epcot loop. There was always something so magical running through there when it was still dark out and you could look out over WS Lagoon and see everything lit up but empty. Plus it was a great early spectator spot since they could be at the Epcot entrance and then catch the monorail to MK. That said I did like having the Speedway loop to break up the endless stretch from MK to AK, so it's a trade off.

Glad you didn't let your nerves get the best of you! I remember my first 2 marathons (both Disney) I kept thinking "Why am I doing this? No sane person does this" and "Why am I doing this AGAIN?" ... haha.

Epcot's probably my least favorite park but I LOVED those first few miles, and I liked that it was a route specific to the marathon to give the courses some variety. Overall I think I liked the old course better...I'm so crabby.

I TOTALLY have those thoughts before races...I completely understand!

Kristia said:
I was disappointed about the change too. I love to run through Epcot in the early morning. Even though we got to MK faster, it is nice to almost start in a park. It would have been nice too if there were some little differences out on the course in those first miles too. I like surprises and it keeps me more engaged especially since I don't run these courses with music. Maybe it was because I wasn't feeling well, but I was kind of like "Yeah, saw that...yeah saw that too yesterday."

Good point about starting in a park. It's a great way to kick off the race...there was such a buzz in the air, everyone was so excited. Running up World Drive it just seemed quieter.

And I get that they don't want to set up new things between the races for Goofy runners since there were only 10,000 of us, but it would have been cool to get some different stuff...

Katherine said:
True. Yeah it made it a lot easier to run past the characters knowing I had gotten them the day before. I guess we'll see what they do next year...

Me too! That definitely helped my marathon time.

Tiggerish said:
All caught up now...

I totally LOVE those two photos from DHS in your post, they're gorgeous. And your Dale drawing came out so good!! Really, I think there should be some kind of medal for not smacking guests who need it...

And more glorious photos from GF and MK. And cupcakes. I'm not even fond of red velvet, and that photo makes me want to dig in.

So excited for the start of the marathon, and great group shot! I love WDWMagic meet up pictures!! Hi, everyone!

Thanks! Out of my 3 drawings I think my Pluto from 2011 is best, then this Dale, then Minnie. i take those classes way too seriously...

I do think that people over-hype red velvet, but this one was really good! Might be my new favorite cupcake at Disney.

I love WDWMagic meet-ups too! So fun...and can't wait for the BIG one (i.e. THE CRUISE!!).

The countdown is almost in the 100s!!

Poor Unfortunate Soles: A 2013 Marathon Weekend (5K, Half and Full Marathon) Trip Report!

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