A Very Goofy Race Report

Before the Donald

Oh, what an awesome weekend it was! Papa Runner and I flew to Orlando on Thursday the 10th and headed straight to the Expo to get my race bib and goody bag. I got three long sleeve t-shirts, one for the Half, one for the Full, and an additional one for doing Goofy's Challenge. I bought a cool technical jacket, too, with the Goofy's Challenge insignia (in pink!) and a new sports bra to try (review to follow once I've worn it a few times).

We spent Friday relaxing and enjoyed spending some time with relatives in the area. We ate at the hotel restaurant and headed to bed early.

One downside to races at Disney is they start so early in an attempt to beat the heat. Step off is at 5:30, and they recommend planning to arrive by 4:30. We got up at 3:00. Of course, being in the last corral meant I didn't actually start until almost 6:30.

The half marathon was very crowded. Because I'm an interval runner, there is a lot of passing people during the running portion and being passed back during the walk. Also, almost everyone around me was also an interval runner, so there were a lot of watches beeping. I had to keep checking to make sure I wasn't supposed to be switching pace.

Day one done, one to go!

Disney puts on a great race. There's lots of entertainment. I know for myself, though, I can't stop to get pictures with the characters. If I stop to wait in line longer than a couple minutes, I cramp up.

The Half course starts at Epcot, goes past the Richard Petty race track, then on to Cinderella's Castle in Magic Kingdom, and back to Epcot.

I had made a strong race plan. I'd trained for 15-minute miles. I was to keep to that for at least 8 miles, then I could slow down and save my energy for day two. That's exactly what I did. By the end, I was just strolling in. I finished in 3:22:23, which incidentally isn't my worst time. I finished the Disney Princess Half in 3:22:24!

Lots of stretching, rehydrating, and some time in the cold pool at the hotel was on the agenda for recovery. Then we had supper at Olive Garden, and another early bedtime before getting up at 3:00 for Day Two.

Ready for Day Two

One of the hardest things about this race, oddly enough, is that the pre-race entertainment is so good. I love to dance, and it was a challenge to restrain myself so as not to burn all my energy before I even started. The other big challenge was the heat. Once the sun came up, the temperature quickly rose to mid 80's.

The Full Marathon started with the same course as the Half. Once we got out of Magic Kingdom, though, we headed onto the Richard Petty track rather than going around. That was fun! They had lots of classic and current muscle cars as well as Lightning McQueen and Mater. After that, we headed to Animal Kingdom. You go in through a back gate next to, according to a guy near me, the T-rex paddock. (Actually the elephant paddock, but it did look a lot like Jurassic Park.) By that time, the parks had opened to the public. Most of the guests were supportive, but a few were annoyed they had to wait for runners to move through before they could walk where they wanted to go. I told a few of them they should run next year so they could annoy others.

Next up was the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. They have a lot of high school competitions for various sports there, as well as the spring training complex of the Braves. That ended up being one of the hardest parts for me. By then the heat was in full force. Disney did its best to keep us cool, passing out wet sponges and having people at the water stops dumping water over everyone. It was great that Papa Runner was able to take a bus down and meet me at mile 19 to take my crown (I was so over it), refill my water bottle, and dump some water over my head. It was just the encouragement I needed.

Like the day before, I had planned to maintain my 15 minute mile pace until mile 20 and then relax. I was able to stick to that pretty well. Once we left ESPN, everyone had slowed down a lot. Even though I had slowed off my usual pace, I was still faster than most of those around me. Big thanks to my TeamUp coaches and friends for training me so well.

Last up was the World Promenade before heading back into Epcot. I got a little teary as I passed mile 23, the point where I had to quit in my last race. It was also around that point I saw several people being treated for heat exhaustion. This was the worst race I've been to for that.

Check out the bling!

After three races at Disney (Princess, Half, and Full) my absolute favorite spot of course entertainment is the Black Southern Baptist Choir about .2 before the finish line. You can't help but feel joyful when you've got three dozen people clapping their hands and singing Hallelujah! And then you turn the last corner and there's the finish line! Final time: 6:41:18!

Goofy's Challenge has been my Crazy Impossible Goal for almost five years. It was absolutely amazing to achieve it! Now I need to start planning my next CIG.

One last order of business: Shirley gets the Cold Stone gift card for the Half, Melodee for the Full. Thanks for the encouragement, ladies! I'll get your cards to you soon.

Goofy Race Weekend, Contest

My Christmas Present: Race Shirt

It's finally here! I'm dropping the kids off at Grandma's today, and Papa Runner and I head to Disney tomorrow. I feel ready, but I'm the tiniest bit nervous about the course time limit.

I've run at Disney before. They do a wave start, and then the Sweeper Team starts a few minutes after the last wave. The time limit (3:30 for the half and 7:00 for the full) begins when the sweepers cross the start. As long as you are ahead of the sweepers, you will get your medal and official finish time even if you go over according to chip time. So someone who starts in an early group who, say, sprains an ankle and limps in with a 4-hour half will still get a medal. I've also heard that once you get past the final checkpoint (it's around 10.5 miles in the half, not sure for the full), you'll be allowed to finish even if the sweepers pass you.

Here's the potential problem. First, I'm starting in the last wave, so I have very little cushion between me and the sweepers. Second, I have to be under the course time limit according to chip time in both races in order to get my Goofy medal. If I finish in, say, 3:35 and/or 7:05, I'll still get my Donald and Mickey, but not the Goofy. I've been training for a 3:15/6:30 finish, but that doesn't give me much of a window if I struggle, especially for the half. Plus, the key to this race is energy management. I can't go out too fast day one and expect to have enough energy day two. I have to be in that 3:15-3:30 window in the half in order to have hope of 6:30-7:00 in the full and my medal trifecta. MUST! FOLLOW! the PLAN! I WILL do it, and it'll be AWESOME! (but prayers and positive thoughts are appreciated.)

And with that, it's time for another Guess My Finish Time contest. Once again, Price is Right Rules, closest to my official chip time without going over. (My sisters had quite the rivalry with my Little Rock race, one was over by just a few seconds and technically closer, the other won.) You are always so encouraging, telling me I'll be much under my stated goal, but this time I really do have to be between 3:15-3:30 and 6:30-7:00. So don't underbid too much.

Just leave a comment with your guesses for the Half and the Full. The two winners (one for each race) will receive a $5 gift card from Cold Stone Creamery. Not the healthiest, but hey, I'll be there anyway celebrating my accomplishment (positive thinking! See the crown; be the crown!) so it'll be easy to pick up the cards. Guesses must be submitted by start time the day of the races, so 5:30EST Saturday for the half and 5:30EST Sunday for the full.

The Flaw in the Plan

Well, I've found the flaw in my training plan. My kids have swimming lessons on Friday afternoon. The younger three are together in a beginner class with 10 students and 1 teacher. It wasn't going to work, so I volunteered to assist. After 30 minutes, I'm exhausted. And of course, swimming is between my short-long run Friday mornings and my long-long run Saturday mornings. I was so tired this morning, I forgot to turn around and ended up doing an extra quarter mile! Oh, well, on race weekend when I *don't* have to swim between runs, I'll be that much more prepared, right?

Now for some good news: I haven't had any discomfort in my foot during my last three long runs! I think it's finally healed. Just in time, too, because I'm heading into high mileage. I did 7 miles yesterday and 14 today. Only 8 weeks until race day(s)! And now I think it's time for a nap.

Lighting a Candle

*Note: I intended to post this on October 15 for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Rememberance Day. Better late than never, right?

Last night I heard a friend is pregnant. My first thought was to wish her a long and boring pregnancy, but I wasn't sure she'd get what I meant. Another friend is in her 41st week. She might consider my blessing more of a curse at this point. :) But anyone who has known the heartbreak of a non-boring pregnancy that ended too soon can relate. Being 41+3 weeks pregnant and miserable sounds pretty good to me!

Speaking in general terms, it seems our society doesn't handle death very well. We expect the bereaved to keep a stiff upper lip, put on a brave face, and get on with their lives. We definitely don't want to be reminded of our own mortality or be made uncomfortable in any way. This is bad enough when someone has lost an adult friend or family member, but it's even worse when a child dies. Children aren't supposed to die.

As for losing a child before birth, well, for too long that just wasn't talked about. Things have started to change, but pregnancy loss is still taboo for a lot of people.

I want to tread carefully here. Some women (like me) choose to be very open about their pregnancy losses and grief. Others choose to grieve privately. Still others don't feel much grief at all, especially if the loss was very early. All of these responses are okay. There is no one right way to grieve, and I would never presume to tell a woman how to feel. I expect the same consideration. I fear there are many women who suffer in silence not because that's how they prefer to grieve but because it's what is expected of them.

On October 15, I lit two candles for my angels, Grace and Ian. I wish peace to all mothers (and fathers, too) who are missing babies.

Running in the Rain

Today was a perfect running day. All of my best runs, training or race day, have come in rainy weather with just a bit of wind and temperatures in the 40s and 50s. As I headed out this morning, it had been sprinkling off an on. It started raining around mile 2 and kept getting heavier and heavier until around mile 6 it was a torrential downpour! I loved it, couldn't stop smiling and laughing. Yeah, I know I'm goofy. I have to be, right, to be training for the Goofy Challenge?

This weekend was my second of back to back long runs. Last week, I did 3 miles on Friday and 6 on Saturday. Yesterday I did 4 with another 8 today. Next week I plan to do 5 on Friday and 10 on Saturday, followed by a "cut back" rest week.

Nine Years

Nine years ago today, the course of my life changed forever. I went to the OB's office that afternoon to follow up on what we thought was an allergy attack. Instead I was diagnosed with preeclampsia. He wouldn't even let me drive myself to the hospital, asking a nurse to take me instead. Once there, we found I had cerebral edema (brain swelling) and was at very high risk for seizure or stroke. I was also in heart failure and struggling to get oxygen even with a mask on. My liver was heading toward failure, my kidneys were struggling, and my blood cell counts were dropping quickly. Long story short, I would die unless my baby was born in the next 48 hours.

My baby and I both survived, for which I praise God. She will be nine on Friday, and has grown into such a lovely young lady. As for me, I have become active with the Preeclampsia Foundation, raising awareness so others can get the care they need and raising money for research into better detection, treatment, and maybe even prevention/cure. If you had told me 10 years ago that pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding would be my passion I'd have thought you were crazy. But here I am, all thanks to that moment nine years ago.

It's Been a While

A lot has happened in the 7 weeks since my marathon, and blogging has temporarily fallen by the wayside. The biggest thing is that I had surgery 2 weeks ago. This happened rather suddenly (went from no symptoms to debilitating pain in 5 weeks) and has set me back in a lot of ways, but I'm heading in the right direction again. The surgery was unrelated to my foot injury, by the way, but a silver lining is that I've been mostly off my foot for a while and has improved a lot. I still get a twinge or two when I run, but no outright pain.

I started back with light training this week, walking 2 miles on Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday. I'm planning another 3 tomorrow and, if all goes well, 5 or 6 Saturday. I think I can keep ahead of the Disney Goofy cutoff time (16min/mile pace) even if I just walk, or with just a little running built in. I've already paid the money, so I'll do whatever I need to do to get those medals!

I hope to be more active again on the ol' blog. I've got a couple posts mostly written, just need to touch them up a bit. To look for this month: another bra review, thoughts on Pregnancy and Infant Loss Rememberance Month, and issues of informed consent.