My race experience began the day before. We had been running hard all week and I was feeling the effects. So when the family opted to go on a boat ride, I bowed out. I spent the morning relaxing, drinking tons of water and eating pre-race food. It totally paid off the next day.
That afternoon we headed to Disney to check into the resort. We had opted to stay at Jon's aunt and uncle's place during our stay. But they recommended getting a place at one of the resorts the night before because of the crazy traffic. So we settled into our room and then went out for a pre-race meal. If you ever get the chance to eat at the Sweet Tomato - go for it. That was some seriously good food.
My in-laws are the best ever! They were in another room and allowed my kids to spend the night with them so we could get a good night's sleep and because we needed to wake up so incredibly early. They kept them until we returned from the race later that morning.
The next morning Jon and I got up at 2:55am (this is 1:55am CST - my time at home) so we could be at the bus stop before 3:30am. Jon's cousin Melinda was also running the race. So Uncle Ken and Melinda's husband Rob also joined us.
Pre-race picture
On a side note - I had picked out my outfit for the race and Caitlin
begged me to change it. I'm not fond of this top because it makes me
look seriously pudgy. But she begged and I let her win. Seeing the
pictures made me wish I hadn't, especially since she never even saw me
in my running clothes. But oh well!
Melinda and I - pre-race.
It was a really neat race. It was dark for a large portion of the race. The fog was so heavy that it felt like we were being misted. This was nice the occasional time there was a slight breeze. But mostly it just felt muggy and sticky. But it was incredibly beautiful to run through Epcot and Magic Kingdom. The crowds of people cheering was such a rush. And seeing the mist over the castle as we ran around it and then back through it was truly magical.
It was nice running the race with someone else. Normally I run alone. But there are great benefits to having someone there to pull you and encourage you in a race. We have different racing styles, but I think it went really well and I had tons of fun.
The finish line about 20 minutes into the race start. The guys were sitting in the bleachers waiting on us to arrive. About 10 minutes out I sent them a text to let them know we were coming in soon.
But with over 25,000 people, Jon didn't get a picture of me crossing the finish line. This was the best he could get. Since I wasn't aware of where he would be sitting, I didn't know to look at him or wave.
But since this wasn't my first 1/2 I'm perfectly content to let this be all and not cough up $100 for the official pictures.
Finished!
Melinda and I - after.
It was my slowest time by a couple of minutes. But it was also my easiest race. I also felt the best after the race ended. I went back to the room and took a shower. After a couple of snacks we headed out for a day at Disney. I didn't stop until we dropped into bed around 10pm. So definitely not my typical dead-tired, muscles aching, slightly dehydrated normal. It was an awesome race!
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