Eat Drink Run Woman

Boy, I sure have some catching up to do, don’t I?  In the past two weeks I’ve run two — yes two — full marathons, plus a half.  While I could bore you with the minutiae, I figure all you’re really interested in is my report for the 2009 Goofy Challenge.  However, there is some background information that’s pertinent, so I’m going to catch you up in the quickest way possible.  Here’s my first two weeks of the new year in haiku:

The First Call to Run
10th marathon overall
3rd in 20 days.

Cold, thick slush on trail
Only Maniacs would run
Of COURSE it was fun!

That said, body hurt
Pelvis not feeling so hot
Must recover, stat.

Planned 2-day time off
Then nasty stomach bug strikes
Toilet is new home.

Severe cramps for days
Is Goofy in jeopardy?
Say it isn’t so!

Finally, relief
Immodium does its job
Orlando or bust!

Because Alaska Air no longer offers a red-eye to Orlando, we didn’t arrive until 5 p.m. on Thursday.  We hoped to have enough time to get to the expo that evening but were disheartened to see the horrendous line to catch the Disney Magical Express to our hotel, Port Orleans-French Quarter.  After checking in we ditched our luggage in our room and boarded a bus to the expo, arriving about 45 minutes before it closed.

I kept my word and only purchased one item — a Goofy running hat.  We were a bit disappointed in the shirts this year — long-sleeved white tech shirts for the half and full, gray for Goofy.  You would think given the cost of running this race they’d have better shirts (or at least more interesting colors).

The next morning we stopped at the hotel food court for some beignets (fried doughnuts with powdered sugar) and a yogurt parfait with berries and granola.  I enjoyed the parfait so much — it was loaded with ripe, juicy strawberries and raspberries — that I grabbed another one to put in our fridge for the next day (I figured there’d only be limited service at 3:30 a.m.)  We then headed to Hollywood Studios, where we caught the Indiana Jones stunt show, Muppets 3-D, the Great Movie Ride and the Aerosmith Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.  (I spent 45 minutes in line for the roller coaster, only to keep my eyes glued shut the entire time!)  We had hoped to catch the Tower of Terror but had to get to Downtown Disney to meet up with some Maniac friends for dinner (besides, I don’t think my heart could have handled it).

Speaking of friends, this trip provided an incredible opportunity to meet many of my blogging/forum buddies in person.  In addition to Maniacs Marie and Lauri, we met several Taper Madness forumites for dinner on Saturday, a slew of Disney Running forumites on Sunday and Monday, and Laura of Absolutly Fit (she ran the full).  But one of the nicest surprises was to meet up with Keith, aka the pink tutu guy.

We originally met Keith in Medoc; considering most of the runners run in costume, we didn’t think anything of the tutu.  It wasn’t until we read about him in Runner’s World that we realized he runs ALL his races dressed like that.  We saw him Saturday morning making his way to the first corral of the half marathon, then saw him again drinking a pint with a couple of friends at our favorite Disney pub, Raglan Road (one of his friends also ran Medoc).  We chatted with them a bit before heading out to dinner and invited them to share another pint with us when they’re out for the Seattle Rock ‘n Roll Marathon.

As we were getting off our bus at Downtown Disney on Sunday I spied another woman who looked familiar.  Just as I was about to ask her who she was I saw her friend’s shirt — the Medoc race shirt!  They too were part of our group.  My darling also met up with a couple of folks he knows.  On our flight to Orlando we were making our way down the aisle when he heard his name called.  It was a guy whose picture Matt had shot a few months back (he had had a double lung transplant 15 years ago and was running his first marathon).  We also caught up with one of Matt’s former co-workers from the UW Daily (the student newspaper).  We gathered everyone together hand-in-hand and joyously began singing “It’s a Small World After All.”

(Just kidding.  Back to the race).

While Disney provides transportation to the race start, they force you to get up at Oh-God-Thirty to catch it.  Our alarms jolted us awake at 2:45 a.m. and we blearily set about getting ourselves together.  The yogurt parfait that tasted like heaven the day before wasn’t going down as easily (I think it was just too early to eat).  But I managed to take several bites knowing I’d need the sustenance.  We sipped the weak hotel coffee with hopes of getting things moving through our systems (mine still wasn’t back to normal) and were out the door by 3:30.

I had decided to forego the throwaway shirts this year (we hadn’t needed them last year), but once I stepped out the door I regretted the decision.  I wore a sweatshirt to keep the chill at bay, however, that would be going into my checked bag so I’d be standing around in the cold for quite some time.  I don’t remember what the starting temperature was, but it felt like it was in the mid-40s.  We stood around shivering with teeth chattering talking to a couple of Disney Running forumites until we finally heard the announcement to head toward the start line.

After walking for what seemed like almost a mile we arrived at our corral (ironically the start was just across the highway from the entrance to our hotel; however, they make it difficult to get there).  Once again we stood around shivering as music blared from a huge video screen.  As the wheelchair athletes took off the crowd surged forward and many people started discarding their warm clothes.  We still had another 10-15 minutes before we were to start, so my darling grabbed a discarded blanket and threw it around our shoulders.

Soon the fireworks went off signaling the start of the race.  Since we were toward the front it didn’t seem particularly crowded, however, we made our way to the side as we both would be running slow (although we knew it would be a long shot, my darling was going to try to BQ during the full.  Therefore, my job was to keep him at a slow pace for the half).  I also wanted to keep my pace slow since I didn’t want to aggravate the pain in my groin.  I had to run a full the next day and didn’t want to suffer the fate of Frayed Laces.

Remember how I said I was irritated with my darling for having to take so many potty breaks last year?  Well, it was payback time.  I visited the port-o-potties a couple of times before the race started, then managed to make it about five miles before the urge to go struck again.  Fortunately we were at a “real” bathroom just outside one of the parks.  I figured that would be the only stop I’d need, but my colon told me otherwise.  Nothing was urgent; I simply had an uncomfortable feeling in my gut that slowed me down.  After the third stop in the race I felt my system was finally voided and I was able to speed up.  My darling bid me adieu after mile 10 (we figured he could afford to speed up at that point).

Earlier in the race I was running just behind three women in tiaras.  While I wasn’t feeling particularly speedy, I decided I didn’t want to be beat by these princesses and jokingly said so as I passed them (but I also acknowledged there was a chance they’d be passing me later in the race).  Sure enough, they had caught up with me after my last potty break and I saw them about a quarter mile ahead of me just before mile 12.  But by now my pace had increased to about 9:26 (where it had been in the 9:40-10:00 range).

Just as I was about to pass them for a second time my darling pulled up next to me.  He had spied me as he was running over one of the overpasses and decided to backtrack and finish the race with me!  By then I was feeling great; no urge to potty and my groin felt fine.  I ran mile 12 in 9:16 and mile 13 in 8:40.  By the time I ran past the gospel choir with about a quarter mile to go I was flying.  I sprinted across the finish line in 2:13:04 (more than two minutes faster than last year).

Back at the hotel we stopped for more beignets and a couple shots of espresso.  After napping and showering we caught a ferry boat to Downtown Disney for lunch.  Since we were meeting up with the Taper Madness folks in DD for dinner, we leisurely strolled back and forth, stopping once again for a pint at Raglan Road.  After a hearty plate of pasta with roasted veggies at Wolfgang Puck, we caught the boat back to our hotel and headed to bed about 8:30.

Yet another 2:45 a.m. alarm, but this time we felt more refreshed.  Breakfast was cold cereal with milk and a banana, which went down much better than the yogurt.  The temperature had warmed considerably from the day before, but just in case I grabbed the space blanket they had handed out at the end.  We boarded the bus about 3:45 and chatted with several other bleary-eyed runners.

Disney attracts a lot of first-time marathoners and it was fun to feel like the “experts.”  We got a real kick out of telling people we’d be running our second marathon FOR THE YEAR.  Upon hearing that most simply shook their heads, telling us we’re crazy.  (No, we’re Maniacs!)

The crowd was considerably larger for the full.  While I had no need to visit the port-o-potties, when I saw how long the lines were to drop off bags I immediately stood in line.  As I was handing the volunteer my bag I spied a Maniac singlet to my left; it was Absolutly Fit Laura!  She walked with us to the start, then we split off in our respective corrals.  At first I thought we had been gypped; despite providing our fastest marathon times we were put in Corral D.  However, it was the first corral of the red course, right behind the elites.  (Disney divides the race into two courses — red and blue — for the first three miles.  We then merge).

Although he didn’t think he had a BQ in him, my darling felt good about the race.  We met up with Maniac Lauri again and waited for the fireworks to go off.  I kissed my darling goodbye, wishing him a speedy race.  I settled into a slow but steady groove, averaging a 10:28 pace for for first 13 miles (my slowest mile was 11:44, my fastest was 9:55).  I again had to stop a couple of times at the port-o-potties, but my “bathroom issues” weren’t as severe.  The race started getting tough about mile 15-16 as the heat intensified.  This is a rather boring portion of the course that goes along the highway.  But by mile 17 or 18 we were heading into the Animal Kingdom where the spectators and cast members gave us a much-needed boost.

This was also the point where my marathon training paid off.  While many runners around me started walking, I was able to keep up a steady pace.  I still took walk breaks through each water station, but I was able to soldier on.  In fact, my pace quickened slightly (I averaged a 10:17 overall pace for miles 14-26, although I ran my slowest mile in 12:42).  I saw Laura during the out & back between miles 20-21 (she was ahead of me), as well as several other Maniacs.

The heat really started getting to me around mile 22, so I took an extended walk break to shake off the dizziness.  But once I started running I was determined not to stop.  I thought about really speeding up, but given the heat and my dizziness, I feared I’d pass out with just yards to go.  So I slogged on, slow and steady.  We hit the Boardwalk just after mile 23 and once again the crowds spurred me on.  By now I was passing a ton of folks, which was a terrific boost.  I passed Laura just after mile 24; I could tell she was hurting but she ended up finishing just a couple minutes after me.

Going into the race I had several time goals: the first was to finish in under 4:30, but lacking that I would then shoot for the time it took us to fly from Seattle to Orlando (4:33:03).  If that goal didn’t seem possible, the next one was to finish in under 4:45, then sub-5, then under 5:07 (my time from last year).  In the end I couldn’t muster up a mad dash to the finish, but I’m happy with my 4:36:07 time.

We spent the rest of our trip partying with the Disney Running forumites and drinking our way around Epcot.  We coughed up a lung when we saw how much they’re charging for next year’s Goofy Challenge — $285 EACH — but considering it’s the 5-year anniversary we’ve already ponied up (guess we’ll be eating Top Ramen for a year).

So there you have it, another incredibly fun Goofy Challenge.  As for what’s transpired in the seven days since we’ve returned?  I think another haiku is in order:

Sick again, dammit
Energy sapped, no running
I want my mommy.