Run, Walk, Crawl; Finish!

Disney Marathon Weekend - we were there. 

What an adventure! 

Some of the things that we learned while there:

1.)  You have to get up VERY early to make it to the race in time.  We were up at 2:45 AM to take a shuttle to Epcot.

2.)  Walking from the drop-off location to your starting corral is a lot like herding cattle.  There were 27,000 people there, and the conversations we heard during this walk were priceless.
(E.G:  "It's sort of like the death march.", "And what are you going to do after you finish the half marathon?  I'm going to Disney World! - Crap, I'm already here.", "After this, I want meat, Shepherd's pie, and bourbon".)

3.)  If you don't like port-o-potties, there's always the option of peeing in the woods along the side of the road - even ladies!  (Not me, though.)

4.)  The opening/starting line experience was really cool:  fireworks, music, Disney characters, Meredith Vieira, Al Roker (yes, he ran it too), and fiery torches. 

5.)  For the first 2-3 miles, whatever strategy you had for a quick start, just forget about it.  There are too many people to do whatever you were planning:  clothes being discarded everywhere, elbows being jabbed your way, lots of different paces, etc.

6.)  Disney provides lots for you to see during the race:  Characters, hot air balloons, bands, entertainers, and of course the theme parks.  We saw characters that we haven't ever really seen in the parks.  There were a lot of behind the scenes moments during the run (on roads that say "Cast only").  Running through Cinderella's castle was the highlight for me.  We weren't quite sure how people had time to stop and take pictures though, our paces were slow enough as it was - lol!

7.)  The first half wasn't bad.  We had moments when we were tired, but we didn't complain too much.  The second half was really, really tough.  By the time we got to mile-marker 10, we really understood why people were wearing certain funny shirts that said things like, "I thought this would be fun", "Run, Walk, Crawl, Finish", and my favorite:  "The Happiest Place on Earth, really?"  The other funny sign we saw was "You were just passed by a 79 year old woman."  And no, we couldn't pass her, or the fat Mr. Incredible either (lots of people wore costumes).

8.)  There is so much trash on the road during mega-races like this.  Imagine running through tons of energy gel.  It's sticky, slippery, and not very good-tasting either.  Pair that with all of the random clothes thrown everywhere, the energy bar wrappers, and the empty drinking cups, and it's sort of crazy-looking.

9.)  You would be amazed by how many different fitness levels you will see out there. 

10.)  No one ever told us the toll that a long-distance run like this can take on your body.  Every time we saw a fellow half marathoner yesterday in the airport, they were limping or walking really slowly (just like us).  Thomas has purple toenails today, I feel like an 80 year old, we are both ravenous and exhausted, and the feeling of satisfaction as we were able to show off our Donald Duck medals is just awesome.

Was it worth it?  Yes
Would we do it again?  Maybe (Ask us again when all of the muscle soreness is a vague memory.)
Would we train more next time?  Definitely

Official times:
3:36:26 (Running Chip Times) - Yes, we tied (holding hands as we crossed the finish line).
4:15:29  (Clock time for me)
4:15:30 (Clock time for Thomas) - I think this means I beat him by a second? :)

Places:
Me - 21,187
Thomas - 21,188

Signed, 
Tired, Hungry, Sore, & Happy 1/2 Marathoner!!! :)