Okay, here it is! The final chapter in the race reports from the 2014 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend: the Marathon, and the end of the Inaugural Dopey Challenge. Check out the first four parts HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.
So, we had been in Disney for five days
already; I had already run 22.4 miles and walked who knows how many more. I’d been lucky enough to feel amazing through
the first 3 races and had followed my race plan exactly as I had laid it
out. Today, though, was different. It was the marathon. This is a no-joke distance that had quite honestly
given me a lot of trouble. I have never
run the marathon even close to my “projected pace” based on my half marathon
time. I have never really been proud of
my marathon times. I know, I know, just
finishing is a huge accomplishment. Yes,
it definitely is! But as I continue to
run and work hard at this hobby, I was really wanting a success as I would
define it. I had secretly hoped for a
marathon PR; no, my previous time wasn’t great, but still, who would hope for
that as part of the Dopey? I think I had
mentioned it in passing to my hubby, but that was really it. I had outwardly set out my goal to be “just
to finish” (just…yeah right…that’s 48.6 miles…no “just” for sure!).
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| I look terrified! |
My morning routine was the same…I’m sure
you’ve read enough about peanut butter and jelly. This morning, though, our room was very
quiet. The bus ride was very quiet. The walk to the bag check was very
quiet. I was scared. Really, really scared. Like, almost in tears, scared. I had worked so hard for this moment; I don’t
think I can do this again if I don’t succeed.
My hubby took some starting area pictures quickly and I went straight
through to the starting line. The bus
was a lot later this morning and I was feeling rushed. 2 port-o-potty stops and the fireworks were
being released. I only got into my
corral as the race started. No extra
time this morning! I think this is a
function of this race being heavily local.
People just don’t get there as early and it’s just more congested.
Once corral G got off (pretty quickly,
just like the day before), the course was the same as the half marathon to
start. Streets around Epcot, running in
the dark. My race plan for today was a
3:1 run/walk ratio. Again, I’m not
usually a run/walker, so I had to squash the urge to run that first mile. My head was filled with the voice of Jeff
Galloway saying “You’ll be passing people the last 6 miles with a smile on your
face.” I wanted to be that person, so I
did it. I started slow. I stuck to my intervals. I squashed the urge
to run to get out of the crowd. It was
also much cooler this morning, almost perfect marathon conditions. I was sweating early, but it didn’t feel too
bad. 
Our first stop, just like the day
before, was the Magic Kingdom. I was
really pushing my running intervals to stay on pace (my Garmin may have been my
favorite Christmas present in a long, long time…I love knowing my pace at any
given time). I was keying into my music
and quietly watching runners around me.
I talked to a few people, one of my favorites was a woman with Autism,
running as part of Autism Speaks. WOW—she
was awesome! We entered the Magic
Kingdom through Main Street USA, same as the day before. Still magical. No matter how many times you do it. As we went through the castle, I saw my mom
and hubby cheering as part of the ChEAR Squad.
I slowed for a moment, but they didn’t see me. I was right on pace and it was too early to
stop the momentum. We were out of the Magic
Kingdom quickly and on the road again.
We passed by the Grand Floridian, my
favorite hotel that we stayed at many times when I was a kid. I have so many amazing memories with my
family there. Someday Bill and I will
splurge and stay there (we are actually thinking about a 10-year anniversary
trip). There were still parts of the
course that narrowed here, and I tried my best to signal for my walk breaks and
stay to the right side.
Quickly, we were at the Speedway. Actually, it was really quickly. I hadn’t missed an interval, and was
maintaining the same pace, feeling great!
Just like in Disneyland, the cars aren’t my favorite part, but it
definitely broke up the course. The
owners of the cars were there, and some of them were very spirited. It was a lot of fun!
After the speedway, we were off to the
Animal Kingdom. On the way in, I met
another runner in the same costume. We
chatted a bit, but she was doing the pictures/experience thing (I did that last
year during Goofy) so I ended up losing her within the park. I love talking to people on the course, but
sometimes I get a little shy J I will say it again, the Animal Kingdom is
not my favorite park to run through. I
don’t like the uneven surfaces and the up and down of the course. I feel like that park is a love/hate
relationship with many, and I know of a ton of people that LOVE it. I’m just not one of them. On the way out of the park I saw Ali Vincent’s
mom waiting for her to come through (she must have been pretty close behind
me). I love Ali Vincent—I got to meet
her last year at Disneyland and she is an absolute doll; so inspirational!
Back on the road, and we were halfway
there. I felt good, but I knew that this
is where the race started for me. I feel
like I’m at the point where I can run a half marathon any day, but 13.2, that’s
HARD. I had to keep pushing, even though
my head was starting to drift. At the
front of the park, there is a lot of narrowing of the course, so I had to slow
down a bit, which just meant I had some time to make up. More miles on the road. I knew our next stop was the Wide World of
Sports, and I knew I’d see my family.
We entered WWoS around Mile 17, I
think. We wound through a bunch of
fields. It was a great distraction. I knew my family was at the baseball stadium
and was really looking forward to seeing them.
This is also around the time you get the wet sponge/towel…ahhhhhh…it
felt so good. This year I decided to
keep it on my neck so I could continue to cool myself down. Sooooo, this is where it gets emotional. I looked at my Garmin. I was doing it. I was on pace to crush my previous PR. I mean…crush!
It was that moment that you hope no one is looking, because I totally
got the ugly cries. Get it together,
there is still a long way to go! I had
to actually do self-talk because I was having trouble catching my breath, trying
not to cry. I finally took the sharp
turn into the stadium, and I saw the great signs my mom made. I couldn’t stop smiling, and I could tell
they knew how amazing my run actually was going. I was feeling so strong (and for the record,
yes, I’m tearing up again even as I’m writing this). 
After the stadium, you loop around to
hit mile 20 and start to see the waves of runners entering where you just
left. Those runners looked awesome and
it was great to cheer each other on. I
know this course well and knew that mile 21 was tough (it’s a killer overpass),
and I also could hear the words of many saying “the race starts at mile 20.” I was running strong, and must have looked
good too, because even the green Army men said so! We were on our way to Hollywood Studios, I
kept my intervals, and I passed the straightaway that had given me a ton of
trouble on previous races.
Hollywood Studios flew by. To be honest, I don’t remember most of it
(darn…should have written this sooner).
Yes, I was starting to get tired, but I kept up on the intervals, even
if I slowed a few times. We ran out the
front of the Studios and the crowd really perked up. I cannot thank those who show up to cheer on
these mornings enough—it’s a great pick-me-up.
As I ran, passing people, I couldn’t help but hear Jeff Galloway’s voice
again…and he was right! I was passing
people all over the place. People were
cheering and were excited watching me fly by.
Wow…I must really look good! Okay,
ugly cries, ugly cries. Yes, it happened
a few more times. I was keeping on pace.
Yacht & Beach Club, then the final
leg: Epcot. This was really about to
happen; I was about to finish the Dopey Challenge. Yes, you guessed it, the ugly cries, and this
time there were tons of people around.
Hard to hide it. The countries
ticked by and we were off to the finish.
What is that I hear? The Gospel
Choir. YES! This was it!
The finish is just around the corner.
There is was: the finish line. I tried to catch my breath and gave it all I
had to cross strong. I stopped my
Garmin. Try to hold it together,
Aly. YOU JUST PR-ED THE
MARATHON!!!!!!! Holy *&^% (this is a
G-rated blog, but be creative). My final
time: 4:42:12. Yes, that is a 26-minute
improvement over my fastest marathon. (For
the record, my PR was from my first marathon in 2005) No, I’m not qualifying for Boston or
anything, but this was amazing for me.
Talk about trying not to cry too much.
I still can’t believe it.
I really rushed through the finish chute
to get to my family. I collected my medals,
thanked every volunteer I could find, and hugged the volunteer who put the
Dopey medal around my neck (while apologizing for my sweaty, smelly self). I collected my bag and met up with my hubby
and mom. Yes, I cried when I saw them
too. They got it. My husband has spent many weekend mornings
alone while I pounded the pavement. My
mom had to listen to me obsess over training during our daily phone calls. My hubby kept snapping pictures; I guess I’m
not one to show emotion too often, so he had to document this event. I took many pictures with my medals, and with
two of the many people who had supported me on this journey. I posted on Facebook. I checked official results, just to be sure
that I wasn’t dreaming.
I could really go on forever; this was
one of the best experiences of my life. I
felt amazing through all four races, and I have to give one person credit:
myself. I know that sounds a bit
conceited, but I think it’s an important message. I made this happen; I made this dream come
true. It was a lot of hard work, but I
would not have done it any other way. To
be able to get to that finish was amazing.
To feel great at the end was even better. To be able to walk away with a PR and
memories to last a lifetime; it’s indescribable. To sit here, writing this post, and still
tear up, that speaks volumes to how much this experience has meant to me.  |
| Being a bit Dopey! |
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| My hard-earned BLING! |
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