Day 3, Part 2 - The Race
I felt really good once I started running. The cold didn't bother me (Hey! Title!) and I tried my best to settle into a pace I felt comfortable with. Without my headphones, I was running based on feel rather than shooting for a specific time, which is what I wanted.
That said, I did have a few goals for the race:
- Finish
- Finish under 5 hours
- Finish closer to 4 hours
The first few miles were a breeze and, despite not much by way of scenery, really fun. I saw a few characters and some runners dressed as the Dapper Dans, which was hilarious. But, I think it was really fueled by my desire to get to the Magic Kingdom, which I had been really looking forward to.
As we got to the TTC, I heard someone shout "Ranger!" I turned around and saw my friend and fantasy baseball colleague, Josh. I knew he was down to see his wife run, but I wasn't sure if I'd see him on the course. I pointed and shouted, "Padre!" (The Lone Rangers and Who's Your Padre? are our fantasy baseball team names.) It gave me a huge boost and was one of my favorite moments of the race.
After the TTC, we ran up through the service entrance and into the Magic Kingdom. Words simply do not do it justice. The park was still decorated for the holidays and there were dozens, if not hundreds, of people cheering us on. I got the first of many "Go, Cap!" cheers I would hear during the race.
I am not an overly emotional guy, but running down Main Street, USA, with the castle ahead of us and so many people cheering for us had me on the verge of choking up. Main Street, USA is "home" for me, despite only a handful of trips to WDW, and this felt like an incredible homecoming.
We zipped through Tommorowland and Fantasyland. At the castle, I saw Anna, Elsa and Kristoph talking with a runner. Anna made a joke about the man - in a bright yellow vest - being a yellow snowman.
I ran through the castle. Another memorable moment. What do you think, was I having fun?
From the castle, the course continued through Liberty Square, Frontierland and out the the park. The backstage area was really cool. You could pose with the Maleficent dragon float and I also saw the riverboat, which was under refurbishment.
Around Mile 6, just outside of MK, I decided to take a couple of my extra strength Tylenol. I would later find I was running a sub-9 minute mile pace at this point, but my knee pain was starting to creep up. The plan had been Tylenol at Miles 6, 12 and 18.
I pressed on, though this part of the course was fairly uneventful. I had taken off my hat and when the sun came up, I rolled up my sleeves on my long-sleeve short. I kept my gloves on. We passed a point on the course where several retired ride vehicles (Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) were on display. That was pretty cool.
I had been grabbing water at every stop at this point, occasionally grabbing a cup of Gatorade. My energy level and hydration were good, but the knee pain was really flaring up. I could tell from the pain there would be some walking on this run - which I was OK with - but I really wanted to hold off until I made it to the halfway point. Finally, at the out and back around Mile 11, I walked a few steps, maybe 20 second or so, before continuing on. I took two more Tylenol. For the rest of the race, I would have to walk sporadically to save my knee. But, my running app tells me I bounced back from a 9:34 Mile 11 to have a 8:52 Mile 12. There was definitely gas in the tank.
From here we went through Animal Kingdom. Lots of people stop for Expedition Everest. I had weighed the entire trip doing rides and stopping for characters versus just going for the race. I decided for my first marathon, I wanted the race to be the focus.
Animal Kingdom, a little less smiley, but I swear I was happy to be there!
The next few miles were fairly tame. I had a rough Mile 15 (11:16) and I took the rest of my Tylenol and ate half of my Clif chews while I walked for maybe a minute. I bounced back with a 9:19 mile on 16, though that would be my fastest mile for the rest of the run. No negative splits for me!
Around Mile 17 or so, we entered the ESPN World of Sports complex. This place would prove to be the bane of my existence the entire trip and during the race. It's a perfectly nice area and, at this point, it was pretty warm, but you just wind around sports fields and tracks and it (in my opinion) starts to feel terribly long and tedious.
At some point, we entered a baseball field and I started to feel a little dizzy. I suspect it was all of the sugar and caffeine (I don't typically consume any caffeine). Despite being dizzy or maybe because of it, I'm regained my HMF - Happy Marathon Face - for a photo along the warning track.
Delirium never looked so good.
After the baseball field and upon exiting ESPN, a few things happened: I started drinking more water, I stopped feeling dizzy (though I did briefly have a cramp in my calf - another first!) and I came upon the 4:15 Galloway pace group. I have not done the Galloway run-walk-run training, but I fell in with them and it worked out pretty well.
I continued with the pace group into Disney Hollywood Studios, but lost them going up a quick incline. Looking at my splits, It's pretty clear Miles 24-26 are when I hit the wall. I still felt good - aside from my knee - but I struggled to maintain any sort of pace. It was mostly walking with spurts of running. Still, I got lots of cheers, but that's kind of the double-edged sword of running as Cap - you get lots of support, but it's tough not to feel a little bad when people see Captain America walking. Oh well...
Still mugging for the camera, though!
The last few miles were the Boardwalk resort - which is BEAUTIFUL - and Epcot. I had told DW that the entrance into the World Showcase would probably the best spot for her and DD to see me, but as I ran in, I never saw them. I worried a bit about where they were. DW hasn't had much experience navigating WDW on her own, let alone on race day.
Nonetheless, I trekked on, happy to be close to the finish line. I had read there is a choir just past Spaceship Earth and I expected to have another emotional moment as I passed them and knew I was so close to completing my goal, but ... nah. I think I was just too drained at this point.
Mustering up what little energy I had left, I ran on toward the finish line.
Official time 4:22:25. I had accomplished all of my goals!
Just after crossing the finish line and getting my medal, I heard someone call my name. I looked to my left and saw DW, DD and DW's cousin waving. I blew my wife and daughter a kiss and continued on to the finishers area, where I was given a box of food and a Powerade. I tore into the food box so quickly that I ate the tortilla chips without even realizing there was a cheese dip in there, too! I ate the Oreos and then was reunited with my wife and daughter.
My original pre-race plan had been to have a beer in the finishers area then head to Epcot for a margarita in Mexico. However, it was still pretty chilly and I was losing body heat fast, so instead I downed a cheeseburger before we got on the bus back to Pop.
I was a Marathoner.
Next...Post-Race (and more photos!)