35.

happy birthday, to me. i can't believe i am the age i am. i am told all the time i don't look my age, which is a good thing right? i don't feel as "old" as i am. i am not at all where i thought i would be in life, at this age, but then, who ever is? that is a random occurance to follow your life plan and actually be where you "think" you should be. sorry, life has other plans. so here's to wishes that my 35th year is blessed with health, fun, and happiness. those are what matters anyway. i hope 35 is as good to me as 34 was to me. it's wierd to even have written either of those numbers in that last sentence! happy birthday to me.

(picture taken at Chef Mickey's at wdw)

the disney half.

the half marathon started very early for me! the race was held on saturday, january 9. disney wants you there early, early, early! thankfully, we stayed at the polynesian resort, which is on the monorail line, so i didn't have to deal with buses. i got on the monorail at 4 a.m., (i woke up from a broken night of sleep at 3 a.m.!). the ride over to epcot was quick and we arrived there by 4:15 i would say. the forecast was 30 degrees with a 25 degree windchill, which got worse with time, with a chance of sleet, snow (it did, watch the video posted in an earlier post), and rain. the sun never came out that day. i had on so many layers i did not check my watch, i was cold, a little nervous more so over the wait to come in the very cold, and i couldn't find my watch underneath my layers! got off the monorail and made the trek to the wonder parking lot at epcot where the marathon festivities were. i got there to thousands of people just sitting around, some dancing to the dj to keep warm, and very cold air! note to self, the race retreat could be a good investment with the chance to wait indoors! so i found a spot and just stood and people watched. i had on a garbage bag over my toss away clothes over my running clothes! this is how i was layered: running tank top, long sleeve running shirt, long sleeve running jacket, 2 pairs of gloves, a sun visor (for my face to keep out the sleet and rain predicted), head band to keep my head/ears warm, toss away arm warmers (men's tube socks), lined running tights, toss away fleece jacket, toss away sweatpants, and a garbage bag! i got my toss away clothes from the thrift store and spent about 4.00 on it all! disney donates tossed clothing to charity. anyway, we waited in the cold, and snow (yes, it did snow!) for about 2 hours. it was a good 15 to 20 minute walk to the corrals. i was in corral e. corrals went from a to g. the first start was wheelchair/masters at 5:35, and then wave 1 at 5:40. I think my wave started at 6. each start started with a countdown by mickey, minnie, donald, and goofy along with fireworks, it was quite exciting! started to run and was warm by mile 2 and i tossed it all. i thought, this isn't bad! i had my camera in my hand, and i had a waist pack on, but it was easier to hold it to snap a pic real quick! there were high school bands and cheerleaders, a "lounge" type of singer who was just funny, and even an accordion player, all over the route, as well as fun mile markers, and character photo ops. along one road even little signs to make you think and keep your mind occupied. it was fun! it sleeted the whole time! it was just about sunrise when i got to the magic kingdom, and it was magical to run up main street looking ahead to the castle. it was also where i saw my mom and aunt. i did not cry! i was too busy being in the moment of it all. i had envisioned this moment through many training runs. it went fast but was awesome! as i ran through tomorrowland (stopping to see stitch) and into fantasyland to the castle i kept thinking, "this is it! after all these months, it's for real i am running through the park!". another great but fast moment as i ran through cinderella castle! it was awesome! we headed out of the magic kingdom by way of frontierland, back to epcot. there was entertainment of some sort during each mile, which was so nice, b/c i was beginning to get cold. it felt like it was getting colder as time went on. if it weren't for the obvious disney signs, i would have thought we were back in ohio! some points were so crowded that i couldn't get around the people in front of me, so i had to slow down. i think b/c of that and the stops for pictures, my time was slower than anticipated. when we finally entered epcot around mile 12, it was just as exciting, you knew the end was near! at the 13 mile mark i got choked up, i realized that was my first 13 mile marker ever! at the 13th mile mark was the gospel choir that i had heard is at every race, at that point, and you know you don't have much further to go. that is when i got a big lump in my throat, and it got bigger as i ran past my mom and aunt with their signs ("run maggie run", and "maggie's magical triumph"). i crossed the finish line with a time of 2:50:48. i was so excited, and teary! i did it! all that work paid off. it was hard to believe it was done. the next thought was i am so cold. the shaking started not long after stopping, and did not stop til a couple hours later and a hot shower! so my first half was so fun, and what i had hoped it would be, i did not hurt, i made it through and had fun! i am ready to try it again, and i hope the weather will be better! it was my magical triumph and i did it. i dreamed, believed, achieved!

below are my pics from the race, come run along with me.

{just about to cross the start line}

{mile 3, the clock was about a half hour or so ahead of me}

{running past the road sign to mk parking}

{fun photo ops abound in this race}

{mile 5 in front of the contemporary resort}

{entering main street from "backstage"...and yes it was still all "holidayed up" at the parks}

{something i envisioned all year....running up main street toward the castle}

{the castle...sigh....}

{heading into tomorrowland}

{me and stitch!}

{had to potty! it was nice to use the park bathroom rather than a porto!}

{the mad hatter, tweedle dee, alice, and the queen....who scolded me?!!}

{fantasyland....running past dumbo}

{by the castle....thumbs up!}

{taken after running through the castle}

{the country bears}

{this was backstage, just past splash mountain.....pirates ahoy!!!}

{captain jack.....for aunt linda........and his mateys, including barbosa}

{where the parade floats are kept}

{having a blast! look at the wet drops on me!}

after mile 7 i seemed to have stopped taking photos....i think i was starting to get colder and needed to focus more....also i know i took gu and that was hard with camera in hand, those few miles were the more "boring" of the race...

{just entered epcot past mile 12...almost finished!}

{ran past spaceshipe earth to the turn around at the epcot christmas tree}

{just about to cross the finish line....i was teary here....as i saw my chEARleaders}

{sooo cold, but soo happy!}

{had to get my photo with donald the next night at dinner, with my donald medal on!}

{cards from cousin marla, and my mom and aunt}

{along with the card from my mom and aunt, was a gift card to use in the parks, and a necklace}

{the necklace says..."remember the magic"....and i will!}

{my medal}

{i did it!}

posted below are 2 short videos i took while running....they uploaded out of order, so to view them, view the bottom one first(in fantasyland approaching castle), then the top one (running through castle)!

so i did it. a year later after deciding to take on this feat, 12 months after i started running consistently, this non athletic person ran 13.1 miles in a sport i hated to do. and now i love it. it was worth the wait, and i want to do it again! i challenged myself and didn't give up. i won. i kinda feel like i can do anything now! i may not be ready for a marathon, but i know i can do the half! disney made it so magical, i am hooked! i was a part of disney race history with the weather for this race.

i will always remember the magic. it is not something i will soon forget.

thank you to all those who supported me through this, gave encouragement, especially when i needed it, and never gave up on me, even when i did. thank you from the bottom of my heart.

disney marathon expo.

after arriving in florida, and checking into our resort/eating lunch, we headed to the disney marathon expo held at disney's wide world of sports complex. it was our first visit to this place and it was fun to finally see it! it's a very nice complex which hosts many sports events and activities, including the spring training home of the atlanta braves.

::entering the expo::

::official program::

::holding my goody bag, which included a donald duck (he is the half marathon mascot) half marathon running tech shirt::

::bib number pick up::

::my bib for the donald half marathon::

::my mom and aunt pick up their chEAR squad gear::

::the vendor part of the expo::

::the chEARleaders set to go::

belated wishes.

happy birthday a day late, dear mama!!!

at disney, we celebrated her birthday along with mine, it was fun!

happy happy birthday! :)

disney race video.

someone posted these 2 videos on youtube of the 2010 disney half and full marathons.....(this guy did the goofy, which had you do both races!)....the videos give you a good look at the process, and the fun. this guy, at least in the half, was an earlier group....he had a bit of space and less congestion of co-runners than i did). i get a lump in my throat as i watch them. can't wait to do it again, it truly was a magical experience.

a rookie view of a half.

i read a disney message board like it's the daily paper. it's not all disney related, but most of it is! someone posted their "rookie" thoughts on the half this year. i think this sums it up nicely. and funny.

First of all, I finished. I’m not fast, but I finished. I thought I could make it between 2:45 and 3 hours, but all bets went out the window with the sleet, rain, and freezing temps.

I finished in 2:59:31. Yes I’m slow. If you have ever either:
a) Finished a half or full marathon at a faster pace,
or
b) kept your body in continuous aerobic motion for 3 hours, please feel free to make fun of me. If not, sit down!

The first 20 minutes of every run sucks. Then it gets better.

The terms “record freeze” and “Marathon weekend’ should never be uttered in the same sentence.

Layers are good – I waited outside for 2 hours before the race started wearing running tights, sweatpants, long sleeve running shirt, long sleeve t-shirt, fleece, sweatshirt, blanket, trash bag, 2 headbands, gloves and hand warmers.

Port-a-potty lines are much longer when it is cold. See layers above.

A yard size trash bag is “ball gown length” on a 5’2” person and “tea length” on a 6’ tall person.

Dance party at 4-5am is fine since it is not technically morning – it is still party time.

High school friends – remember the reasonably athletic girl who almost failed the 12 minute run in 10th grade? Yeah, that’s me.

I’m glad I didn’t carry my room key with me. Running past Bay Lake Tower at mile 4 just might have been too tempting.

Pot holes are bad.

People with funny sayings on the back of their shirts are good.

Thank goodness for bright red nail polish. I think I have at least 2 black toenails.

Volunteers are awesome. They had to have been really, really cold, but they were still out there. Same with the spectators.

Dressing in Tinkerbell colors helps. I don’t know why, but it does.

Always, always, always skip up Main Street – even if it is mile 6.

Fun-size Snickers make great “energy bars”.

The lounge singer set up at the end of the Grand Floridian driveway may be the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. Come on Baby Light My Fire.

Knowing the exact location of every restroom in every Disney park is a distinct race advantage.

Thank you to the gentleman on the side of the road playing the accordion during a particularly boring part of the course. And his wife who held the umbrella.

Highway on ramps are very, very bad. I will never look at the ramp to EPCOT the same way again.

“Keep it together, M.” moment #1: running behind two women wearing shirts with “Run for Our Sons” on the back…right past their family cheering section including two teen boys in wheelchairs.

At least once in your life, you should go to the finish line of a local half, full, or triathlon. If you do that, you will realize that Finishers come in all shapes, sizes, ages, and speeds.

Take candy from strangers. I am thankful for the lady with Twizzlers at mile 12.

Every race should have a gospel choir .1 mile from the finish.

“Keep it together, M.” moment #2: crossing the finish line.

If you are even at Disney World during Marathon Weekend, don’t mind the person shivering on the monorail. I probably looked like I had rickets or something.

There is an advantage to having a husband who is fast. Our room was a toasty 80 degrees when I arrived.

Never ride Space Mountain the day after a race. It is impossible to get out of that car.

I’m not a runner. I will never be a runner – but it is good to set goals and even better to achieve them.

Yeah, I’ll do it again next year.

Who else is in?

13.1

i am back! i did it! i ran my first ever half marathon, and 13 miles. let's not forget the .1 too! i had so much fun. disney does it up right! we had to be at the race very early (it officially started at 5:40 a.m., my wave started at 6ish), but we were there hours before. i got to be a part of disney half marathon history, by having it snow and sleet at the race! in florida!!! crazy, crazy! it was cold. i was shaking while we waited. once we got going, i was ok. sitting out for 2 hours in the cold (wind chill at 25 and dropping the entire day) was long, but the race was fun! warmed myself up quickly and was good to go by mile 2, having shed toss away clothes. choirs and cheerleaders and lots of family and friends cheered us on the entire time. in the parks there were character stops and photo op's. a definite magical memory despite the weather. i had so much fun! i had my camera in my hand 99 % of the time! afterward was hard, i got so cold i was shaking for hours later! not the florida weather we had hoped for! but it was so fun, i felt good during the race, and had a blast. it was fun to see my mom and aunt on main street in the magic kingdom, and at the finish line. running into the magic kingdom at dawn was so awesome. i didn't cry, i didn't have time to get upset. i did choke up near the finish line when i saw my mom and aunt (the chEAR leaders).....you guys deserve a medal for standing out in that weather just watching and waiting! I felt choked up over seeing them, and proud to have made it, and proud that I stuck with this whole idea and didn't give up, esp. when i felt like it was impossible, and for having done this (training and the race), alone, with no one else but me and a plan i found over a year ago. i'll post pictures later, but just wanted to say what fun that was! i am hoping to do it again next year, and hoping for warmer weather, it is florida after all! it was a great vacation, albeit the chilliest and coldest disney world trip we have ever had. fun none the less though! (i was able to stay a bit longer than my chEAR leaders, and by the end of my trip, it was back to normal temps for this time of year....highs in the 30's/40's were the norm on this trip, which is nuts....for florida!) thanks to all for the support and encouragement over the last months/year. i truly appreciate it and am so grateful. now onto the next half! official time 2:50:48. (which would have been less if I didn't "play" so much along the way!)

dream. believe. achieve.

for christmas, my aunt gave me a bracelet with charms on it with the words dream, believe, achieve. she gave it to me with the half marathon in mind. i think those words are perfect for it. as i run, i will recite those words in my head. outloud if i have to! i won't wear it while i run, it's too dangly to run with, but i will wear another bracelet i got on my last disney trip. it's an elastic style bracelet and has the word believe with a mickey mouse head next to it. i got it to remind myself, exactly what i was working toward. i have worn it on harder training days and it helps to glance at it and remind me of what is to come! i have tried to take a photo of it, to post here, but the pictures don't turn out right. so "believe" has always been my motto for this race. so the bracelet i recieved for christmas is quite fitting to my "motto". this is the poem that came inside the box with the bracelet.

dream, believe, achieve

dare to dream

whether big or small

believe in yourself

and you can achieve all

fairly fitting for myself going into this race. actually for life in general. i never thought i would be doing something so "crazy". i don't see myself ever doing a full 26.2 marathon, to me, this half marathon is crazy enough.....don't have the will or patience for a full. at least now. you never know though!

i wonder if i'll cry. out of relief, knowing i did it, and/or just pure emotions. on a lot of my training runs i think of a certain moment in the race, whether it is seeing familiar faces along the way, running up main street or through the castle, or the finish line, whatever, and sometimes i get teary! we'll see. i might be too focused to worry about tears! i hope to get some photos along the way too, i hear the characters are out in full force and makes for a fun time. one reason i chose this race, for the fun along the way, and the whole destination vacation!

so off i go, to run the half this saturday, and to spend time with mickey and his friends. my mom and aunt are tagging along as members of the disney "chEAR squad"....they get all the gear to go with it! i also have a friend who is coming down as well, to run the full, so i'll get to cheer too! i'll try to post while i am away, but if not, i will when i get back, in just over a week! and i will have pictures for sure! legs don't fail me now!!!!!

dream. believe. achieve.