Disney Marathon Recap - Part 2

Okay, I had hoped there would be more Disney photos at this point, but there seems to be a snafu with the company that provided photography, so I can see my photos but I can't get them.  Still, as my husband reminded me, there were thousands and thousands of participants, so they may just be experiencing a backlog.

I left off the last recap after running through Cinderella's castle.  That was really the high point of the Magic Kingdom for me.  Animal Kingdom was the next park, but there were a few miles between the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom.  We ran past the water treatment plant - luckily, in the cool air the smell wasn't completely overpowering.

There was something to see at just about every half-mile, so even though the roads between the parks were a little boring, you weren't bored for the whole length.  Plus, I got lots of entertainment from the folks "watering the bushes" - they'd peel off, run toward the woods, and then others would be rejoining the race after they had taken care of the foliage!

The folks from Animal Kingdom brought out some animals to the race - they had a hawk, and an owl, and a rabbit, and a couple of ferrets, and a couple of sheep.  I had to stop and pet the fur-babies - I couldn't help it! Of course, petting the hawk and the owl wasn't an option, but the ferrets, the rabbit and the sheep seemed to like the attention!

Animal Kingdom had a few good characters - Rafiki, from the Lion King, and Safari Minnie Mouse were two that come to mind. We ran past the Tree of Life, and you could see Everest in the distance. About Mile 18 I started to notice my back.  It wasn't hurting, exactly, but it started to feel tight and sore.

Then a few more miles between Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.  There was an out and back loop at about Mile 21 (or so) and they had a Jumbotron at the turnaround point so you could see all the runners ahead of you, and then you could see yourself making the turn!

I actually enjoy out and back loops on races - I love to see the people ahead of me as I run out and then the people just behind me as I run back. As slow as I was during this race, there were still a few thousand behind me, so I knew I wasn't in any danger of getting picked up by the bus!

Mile 22 was a small hill, and this is the point where my lack of training caught up with me.  The exit ramp felt enormous, even though it was really not very bad. My back started to seriously ache at this point, and I slowed down even more.  But I knew I had it, at that point - I knew I could finish four more miles.

We got to run through the costume design area and I had to slow down a bit to see it.  There were big glass windows and people sitting at sewing machines, working away.  There were giant bolts of lovely fabric and miniature costumes - it was fascinating.  I would definitely pay for a backstage tour of that area!

Mile 24 was near a lake, so we were running along the water.  I love running along the water, but at this point I was starting to hurt pretty badly.  I decided that I was just going to walk in the last two, so I took a walk break and drank some water from the water station - I think I walked for maybe 2 minutes and then I couldn't stand it anymore.  I knew I only had about 20 minutes left, even if it hurt, so I started running again.

Then Mile 25 was back to Epcot - I called my husband at this point to let him know that I'd be at the finish line in ten to twelve minutes.  He was waiting for me, so that cheered me up.  That last mile was all mental - I just put one foot in front of the other.

And then, there was the finish line.  Donald Duck and Goofy were there for a high-five, and a volunteer congratulated me and put the medal around my neck.  I got a bottle of water and a banana, and the finish line photo, and then I called my husband because the finish line was crowded and I couldn't see him.  I found him and we headed back to the resort for a shower.

Let me just say that the post-race shower is the best thing ever, followed by the post-race hot tub soak (which I indulged in after we spent the afternoon at Epcot).  I have no idea how many miles I covered that day, but I'm guessing it was more than 30, because we walked through Epcot (slowly), then back to the room for the hot tub (wonderful!), and then we hit Downtown Disney for dinner and souvenir shopping.

And, there you have it - Disney in a Nutshell!  And, even though I whined like a little girl about training in December, I think I might do the Goofy Challenge next year.  So, yeah, it's a disease, this running thing... :)