Official Disney Race Report

Wake up call at 3:20am, gotta love those early Disney races!

I was feeling pretty confidant about the course, since I ran it last year at the half marathon in January. I had brought throw-away clothes, but the weather was gorgeous. I was perfect in my running skirt, t-shirt & Pink CEP socks! 

After my usual toast with PB & banana breakfast, we headed to meet our taxi. The Valet told us, they changed their mind and now there was a shuttle for us to the race, hooray! It was still pitch black when we got to Epcot.

early morning pre-race pic!

We checked our bags, and I tried to find Kayla from Running:My Antidrug, and Leslie from Racing it Off, but it was just so crowded, it was practically impossible. We finally made it to our corrals, me in corral B, and my friend A in corral A. 

I had decided that I would not stress about time. I was going to take my time and stop for lots of pictures, since I got my PR in New Orleans. I warned my mom, Kevin & friend Barbie that when they got my super slow text alerts, not to be worried, I was having fun!

Soon, Fairy Godmother was counting us down, the fireworks went off, and corral B was on the course! Mile 1 was fairly uneventful, a few bands and people cheering. I clocked in at 10:55, right on target for my typical pace, which I was suprised at because of how much dodging I had to do! Even mile 2 was right on track at 11:00. Along the way to mile 3, must be where I stopped for my first sets of pictures. 

Pirates of The Carribean

so dark, and the Disney lady did not Zoom!

and the Princess' men!!

LOVE this shot!

This miles time? 18:05, yikes! I had a really hard time accepting the slow times. Even though I had told myself before the race start that I wasn't concerned with time, I would be waiting in line for a picture thinking of how long this was keeping me, and thinking how would I make it up. More than once, I had to remind myself that I was doing this race for fun & had to stop worrying about my time.

Next few miles were a little lonely on the Disney highway, I plowed through at 11:09 for mile 4 & 10:38 for mile 5. I think it was around here that I noticed my mileage to be significantly off from the official race signs. Not sure if it was due to line waiting, running on the outside, or a quick bathroom trip, but I actually ended up with a course length of 13.49. Mile 6 I think was where I stopped for the bathroom inside magic kingdom leaving me at 11:56. My mile 7 time was atrocious  at 20:28. I'm pretty sure this was about when I was waiting FOREVER in line for my picture with Mickey & Minnie!

And in front of the castle!

Running away from Magic Kingdom, I started losing momentum. I don't think the time spent waiting in lines helped me. Mile 8 I stopped for a picture with Belle & Gaston & ended with a 15:18 mile.

You can tell I dragged the rest of the race. I may not have stopped for any more pictures, but I needed a few rest breaks. There were a few killer hills near the end, putting me at 12-13 minute miles the rest of the race. Even though I wasn't concerned with time, I really wanted to cross the finish line in under 3 hours. Just barely....

Rounding the corner at Epcot!

2:58:00!

This time was only 15 seconds slower than last year's Disney Half with my brother. I called him to joke that I guess we should have stopped for more pics since we were going so slow!

Finished!

For the first time ever, I really just focused on having a fun time, and I'm glad I did. I haven't "not-cared" about a time since I first started running, and while it was difficult, it was refreshing. Suddenly I had more energy to thank all the volunteers, to cheer on fellow racers, and to stop for a picture to remember the moment without caring! Not sure when I'll do that again, but it was a blast!

The next part of my dramatic race weekend, is what happened to A, and the rest of our vacay which will be another post shortly. Stay Tuned!