January 2010 seems so long ago! I realized that I never posted pictures or thoughts from my big day. Disney World Marathon Day!
I crossed these gates at 3:45 a.m. in 16 degree weather. I chose to run a marathon in Florida so that the weather would be a bit more agreeable. How was I to know it was the record coldest weekend in Florida? While we had to be there before 4 a.m., the race didn't start til 6 a.m. And since it started by corrals, and I was in one of the back corrals, I didn't actually start running until 6:35ish. So I sat, or rather did jumping jacks, rubbed my hands together, and shivered for well over 2 hours. I remember standing at the start line unable to feel my feet. Thankfully best friend Amanda had brought bathrobes and Dad had donated a jacket and gloves.
We ran from the EPCOT parking lot into the transportation center then into EPCOT. Imagine my delight and surprise when I got to see my family right off the bat at mile 3! As we got into EPCOT, around mile 5.5, Amanda and I stopped for a potty break and immediately after that, I realized I had a problem. Pretty sure I was experiencing my first UTI. Yippee...perfect timing.
We ran around EPCOT, into Magic Kingdom. I had to stop and use the rest room every few miles. It really killed my spirit and time for a bit. Up until mile 14 was a struggle. I was pissed about the bladder pain and the porta potty situation. We ran over Disney highways, in their back lots, through Animal Kingdom, behind Animal Kingdom.
Here's Amanda and I at about mile 13. Notice how Amanda and I are still bundled up! Hats, gloves, jackets! It was JUST at this point we were ready to ditch our robes. Thankfully my family was there to take our beautiful robes that we'd become attached to.
Finally, at mile 16 Amanda and I decided to "screw it" and just make this all about having fun. And guess what....it WAS the MOST fun 10 miles I've ever run!
My amazing family was there along the way to yell out their shouts and cheer me on. I really needed this and it means so much to me that they were up at the crack of dawn going all over Disney World to find me at different mile stops. I will always appreciate this. It was COLD for them. It was NOT fun, but they were there for me.
Mommy's almost done!
Mom surprised me by being in EPCOT around mile 21. This is when we really needed her. During a marathon mile 22 can be the hardest. The runner's high starts to be overwhelmed by the physical pain and the exhaustion. When I saw mom's smiling face, it made it all better. It was the shot of adrenaline I needed.Coming up the finish...Amanda and Amanda....friends for 26 years and 26.2 miles.
And finally...
Talk about a high! I was super disappointed in my time, but hearing Dad say, "I'm so proud of you, Mandy" made up for it!Turns out I didn't have a UTI. The pregnancy (I was 13 weeks pregnant the day I ran this race) was causing stress between my uterus and my bladder. Apparently Scar Tissue is to blame. Sure enough, I did experience this pain again on subsequent runs. I learned how to ignore it better during my half marathon in March!
I know, it's well overdue, my marathon photos. I'm really sentimental these days. I really miss running! And I absolutely, positively, can not WAIT to do this race again in just 7 more months!
