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Sunday, January 31, 2010

under the wire!

Went for a long brisk walk today with Wil and Ike (who helped me realize that, yeah, I'm not ready to run with the big dogs...), and made it to my mileage goal. Heck, I walked most of the first 39.3, so why not the last 4? I'm ready to recommit to running... even if I feel a bit stiff and sore after yesterday's little run, after which I clearly didn't stretch enough. Still, ready to commit to 50 miles in February... and to signing up for a May 1/2 marathon...

Eugene, or Vancouver...

Decisions, decisions... what to do on 5/2?

Saturday, January 30, 2010

I ran!

FINALLY managed to make myself get out and go for a little run. We're looking after RE&M's beasties this weekend, see, and I had this idea that it might be great to take a doggie for a run... until I remembed that, of course, I don't even know how to walk a dog, let alone run with one. And I also realized that Ike is a pretty big, strong, energetic dog. Wil pointed out that I have this romantic idea of taking a dog for a run, but that I'm really not aware of all the issues involved. Too right.

So instead, we went over there, played with the pooches for a while, checked to see that Adventure the Hamster moved to a new spot, and checked to make sure Tilly had eaten. Then Wil went home with his poorly knee, and I went for a little run, to the lookout and back.

As usual, when running alone I haven't developed the discipline to pace myself. So after warming up for 5 minutes, I took off way too fast. But on I ran, feeling strong and really surprisingly good. I guess a 3-week rest is good for the body sometimes! It wasn't a long run, but it put me closer to my 50-mile point for the month. Might try to squeeze in a little run tomorrow to hit goal.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

still no running...

It's been a couple of weeks since the marathon.. and I still haven't run. I had really hoped to run at least a mile on the ship (if only to see what the Garmin did with the GPS tracking -- what would it look like, running laps on a moving ship?) and also to run the Castaway Cay 5K. But I did neither, as my leg was still really bothering me.

Fast forward a week and a half, and I have a cold. Nothing too major, but I spent Monday sneezing and sniffling at work (yeah, coworkers, I'm sorry....) and today stuffy headed at home. I still had this idea that I would lace up my shoes and go for a run, but I just feel too tired.

I've still got 10.7 miles to do this month... which would have been three very easy runs, or two standard runs. We'll see how I feel tomorrow... I hope I feel up to running soon.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

WDW Marathon Race Report

Marathon day dawned pretty similarly to half-marathon day -- COLD. Actually colder than the day before. I had managed to get a bit more sleep, I think, and felt pretty rested when the alarm went off at 3 again. Since I hadn't discarded any clothing on Saturday, I put on essentially the same stuff. Spread cheese on another bagel, grabbed some Powerade, and we were off to the buses again.

Saw some familiar faces -- and heard people chatting about how every scrap of warm clothing had sold out from the expo yesterday, and than even local shops like Target, Costco, and WalMart had sold out of anything remotely warm. Was glad that we bought such warm stuff at our local Goodwill before going down.

Even though the temperature was a couple of degrees colder, it wasn't windy, and it was dry. Of course, no one dared speak those words, for fear of jinxing us all. Again we found a place to sit in the starting complex, and then trudged to the corrals. We had requested a move up to the D corral, based on our Run Like Hell half marathon time. This meant that we would start with the first wave in the red start, right behind the elites again. (My favorite!) I was feeling a little weird -- my left leg was already hurting, but I was thrilled that we had even been able to get ourselves to the starting line, so I was feeling pretty confident.

I felt the music was less interesting this time. We heard the Cuban Shuffle (?) each day, once in the starting area and once when we were in the corrals. We also heard the Black Eyed Peas song that always makes me think of the Oprah/myTouch flashmob. Both days. Maybe they only had one loop? But again, we sent the wheelers off to some fireworks, and then it was our turn.

Wil and I started off with a little run -- which actually felt pretty good. We ran for most of the first mile, and then decided we would run for 5 minutes after each mile marker. But then we started to worry that maybe that would tire us out too much -- that maybe we would crash and burn at mile 15 or so. So we settled back into our brisk walk and kept our eyes on our (awesome!) pace bands, which would get us across the finish line in 6:55, in time for a medal. (Actually, for two!)

I love the red start -- you get to run into Epcot, under Spaceship Earth, all lit up and sparkling, and then a loop around part of the World Showcase, which is lit by flaming torches. Then a turn backstage, and then the merge with the blue start (who also get to run around part of the lake... just not under the Spacehip) and we were back on the highway where we started, essentially. This year, in the starting area, there was a big sign that said "trail to viewpoint", which I hadn't noticed before. It took people out to the roadside at mile 1 for the blue start or mile 4 for all of us. It was really nice to have people at that point -- I seem to recall it being pretty dead last year.

Then it was just highway for miles. Enjoyed the cloverleaf overpass/underpass at mile 6 where you could see thousands of runners in front of and behind us. Also passed a very cool hot air balloon being inflated -- a balloon version of Spaceship Earth. Veered inward past the racetrack at mile 8, and again saw some wheelers and a couple of the elite runners headed the other way at mile 14, and we all whooped.

A few more turns and we hit the "Goofy celebration" bit -- unchanged from the day before. For some reason I thought it might change up a bit, but given that only 7500 of us would have seen it before, I guess it wasn"t that important. I was also a little surprised that Goofy himself wasn"t there.

After another little stretch, we hit the Ticket and Transportation Center again, and the screaming crowds. Then under the water again, and into the Magic Kingdom. This time it was much brighter, so we stopped and took a picture with the castle behind us. It shows two people dressed as if for snowboarding, looking very cold.

The Magic Kingdom was essentially the same as the previous day -- same characters in the same spaces. Another glimpse of the hippos backstage, dancing pirates, etc. Then we were back out of the park and headed down to Animal Kingdom. We passed Mickey and Goofy in full golf attire, messing around on a golf course and posing for photos. A little while later, when we ran past the wedding complex near the Grand Floridian, they had a guy who could only be described as a stereotypical Wedding Singer out by the road, singing wedding karaoke. As we approached, he started singing "Sweet Caroline", and everyone -- I mean EVERYONE -- joined in for the "bomp bomp bomp"s. Fantastic!

At some point we were joined by a firefighter in full uniform. He was suffering quite a bit because he was racing in his firefighter boots -- not that conducive to running! We caught up with him around mile 13 and were near him for the next 5 or so miles.

These miles seemed to pass pretty quickly. Suddenly we were at the outskirts of Animal Kingdom, which was a pleasant surprise for me. No animals alongside the course this time -- too cold? -- but once inside, we saw Rafiki jumping up and down, and danced past the drummers. I was in quite a bit of pain at this point, and when Wil headed off to the bathroom, I told him I would keep moving and he could catch up with me. So I went through the park mostly by myself.

Because we were so much slower this year, it was later in the morning, and there were more people in the park. Again, Disney was good about controlling the rest of the guests and keeping paths clear for runners. The sun was up, it was starting to warm up a little, and I was happy with where I was -- even if I was limping.

I found myself in the midst of a group of Canadian women. One was telling the others about a movie she had seen, and describing it in detail. I can't remember what movie it was, but the story was obviously fiction -- perhaps something about aliens, or about talking animals, or something. And one woman turned to the speaker and said, "Was it a true story?" "No, Agnes. Don't be an idiot." It was all I could do not to laugh out loud.

Wil caught up with me just outside of Animal Kingdom, and just past the point where they were handing out sponges. Hmm... not many takers this year... Still, I remember how awesome they were last year, when it was 50 degrees hotter...

Then back onto the freeway for the "out and back". This was the weirdest point -- all of a sudden, nearly everyone around us seemed to be wearing Goofy hats, Goofy beads, and Goofy shirts. Clearly, we had found our tribe. A big group of people dressed as Goofy came trotting up behind us, whooping and dancing. I suddenly realized that, here at mile 21, we were going to finish.

Then turned to head toward Hollywood Studios. I spotted the point where, last year, my knee popped out and I had to start walking. On we went, into the park, where we were too late for candy, and were offered boxes of raisins. Ewwww. The park had opened, and there were a few people milling around, but most of them were actually there to cheer for us -- nice.

Then we went along the water, through the Boardwark resorts -- much emptier this time, but again it was freezing cold -- and into Epcot. By this point I was in a lot of pain, and we had slowed down considerably (having "banked" a lot of time over the course of the race). I saw a guy ask a castmember if it was okay if he stood along the course and cheered. He was just visiting, hadn't known about the race, but thought it was cool. Sweet.

The slow circuit around World Showcase -- which last year had felt like a victory lap, and we actually sped up during -- this year felt like a death march. It finally really dawned on me that we had nearly completed the races. But my pace was slowing, I was dragging my left foot along, and I was still cold.

Finally we passed Spaceship Earth and headed backstage past the choir -- a little less ecstatic today. Then around the corner, and into the finishing area. We saw Goofy dancing around just before the finish line, and we hustled over as best we could to high five and then group hug with him. I think Goofy was a little overwhelmed by two adults essentially assaulting him, but, hey, it had been a long couple of days. We said goodbye to him, turned, and finally crossed the finish line in 6:40. I was happy-crying and we were embracing and saying how proud we were of each other.

I will always remember the sensation of taking a cup of Powerade from a volunteer and discovering it had turned to slush. It was so cold that liquids were freezing in the cups. In addition, the roads around the water stops had turned into ice slicks by the time we passed through them, which meant you had to inch your way across them so you didn't fall.

I also remember the hot air balloons, the surprising lack of characters, the exuberant cheerleaders bundled up, the accordionists under deck heaters, and the Epcot lady who I saw both days who said "I just love those ears!" Oh, and I remember the dismal state of the porta-potties at the end of the second day -- I guess that's one reason to run faster.

During the course of the race Wil actually took off some of his layers -- one of the jackets, his fleece trousers, his gloves. I only discarded my jacket late in the day. At least the sun was out during the full, even if I didn't think it warmed up very much.

After crossing the finish line, we got our Mickey medals, our mylar blankets, and then headed to the Goofy Challenge tent for our Goofy medals. They were huge, but sadly had been redesigned for the anniversary... in a design that clearly wasn't approved by focus groups of runners, they put a jumping Goofy on a large "5" background... thus making it look way too much like an overly elaborate 5K medal. Oops. But the volunteers were gentle and enthusiastic and congratulatory, which was nice.

We picked up some food and drinks (Wil and I made a beeline for the volunteer with the small tray of cold Diet Cokes) and stood in the sun stretching and snacking. After a little while, we picked up our bags and limped to the buses -- stopping at the merch tent and considering buying the "medal" t-shirts, but knowing we would never really wear them. Then quickly on the bus, and home to Pop Century, where we showered, rested, and then made our way back to the parks.

In the intervening two weeks, people have asked me if we're going to do this again. Last year I got up at 6am the day after the marathon to register for the Goofy. I was that determined and excited to do it. This year? Well, I'd like to do more marathons, just not back-to-back events. I also don't know if I need to run at WDW again. The race fees are really high, it's a long way away, and clearly it doesn't guarantee winter sun/heat. At least for us, the grey weather gods...

However, I did a little search for January marathons in the U.S... there happens to be a marathon on Maui the same weekend as WDW. And Wil has never been to Hawaii, and I've never run there...

But for reference, here's a link to the WDW Marathon course map.

WDW Half Marathon Race Report (finally!)

Let me remind you what exactly I had on at the start of the WDW Half Marathon: a jog bra, a short-sleeved top, a long-sleeved top, a lightweight fleece jacket, a heavy fleece jacket, a thin rain shell, running tights, heavy fleece trousers, an ear-warmer headband, a hat, and big gloves. Oh, and a black garbage bag on over all that. And I was still cold.

Our plan for the race was to conserve energy for the marathon, but to finish in the allotted 3.5 hours. As such, I printed out pace bands for a 3:25 finish so that we could easily track our progress. Let me just say that pace bands are the best thing ever. No thinking, no wondering "Am I on pace?". You just start your watch as you cross the start, and then, at each mile marker, check your watch and your pace band. Fantastic.

So we set off -- oddly enough, with some other Goofy challengers -- at a brisk walk. Wil had his Garmin on, so could see our pace as we walked. And we walked ... but pretty fast. We were near a woman who was, shall we say, oddly shaped. Unfortunately shaped. She was running... at the same pace we were walking. We spent almost the entire race near her.

The course took us around the outside of Epcot and then north towards the Magic Kingdom. Somewhere between Mile 3 and Mile 4, when we were near the Richard Petty Driving Experience track, we glimpsed the first of the "wheelers" zipping along in the other direction... 4 or 5 miles ahead of us. Ouch. We ran through that weird parking area, where, instead of the "choose your music" paths from last year, we had "a tribute to Goofy" with lots of big pictures of Goofy in his athletic endeavors and jazzy swing music.

Then we approached the Ticket and Transportation center, and the screaming crowds, which I always enjoy. A little weird this year, given that we were walking, rather than running, which felt odd. But lots of cheering, lots of cowbells, lots of nice signs. Some more quiet roads, and then we headed down into the tunnel under the canal between Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon. Every time I see the map of the course it surprises me that we go underwater.

Then out of the tunnel and past the Contemporary -- now joined by the new tower, which I frankly don't remember from last year. That's when I had my first glimpse of Space Mountain and the spires of Cinderella Castle. We entered Magic Kingdom backstage, and then went through the gates and onto Main Street USA -- which was, I was happy to see, still decorated for Christmas.

It was funny to be at the Magic Kingdom at only mile 6 -- it's around mile 10 during the full, so it was disorienting. It felt as if there were fewer characters out, though we did see Lady Tremain and the ugly stepsisters near the castle, along with the castle heralds. And once through the castle and across the bridge to Frontierland, we saw Donald, Mickey, and Goofy in their wild west gear. Oh! And we saw Princess Tiana, which was nice. WDW did not, however, put princesses out on the carousel, which would have been a very nice touch. (Perhaps the only thing Disneyland does better in their race...)

We crossed the train tracks and went backstage behind Splash Mountain, going past the Black Pearl, Jack Sparrow, and a lot of singing and dancing pirates. Best sighting backstage: two "hippos" from the Jungle Cruise out of the water for cleaning and restoration. Very nice.

Then all too quickly back onto Floridian Way and the backroads towards Epcot. The Sharpie signs were funny again -- lots of new sayings, some I remembered from last year. No characters, I don't think. That felt strange. And very little music for a long while. But on we trudged.

Wil was keeping us at a very good pace -- we were gaining a minute or so per mile. I kept my garbage bag on for miles and miles.... though I can't remember when I finally tore it off. But I didn't discard anything else... and I'm not sure I ever felt "warm".

We hit the 10-mile marker and could see Epcot in the distance -- hooray! At this point we started chatting to other people. We saw a group of Goofy challengers, one of whom said he was just conserving his energy -- that he wasn't even waving. (Oddly enough, we saw him days later -- he saw our medals and said "I've got those, too" and Wil recognized him, said, "Yeah, we saw you out there both days -- you were conserving your energy" and he laughed.)

Even though Disney had made a point of brining the water stops so they wouldn't freeze in the cold weather, they started to get slippery. Not very fun. But we did make a point of drinking a small cup of powerade at each one. Also, I had started to get a sharp pain on the front of my left shin. See, walking and running use very different muscle sets. And the constant toe-lift required to walk briskly wasn't something I was really prepared for. So by about mile 11 or 12, I was limping. This didn't bode well for the next day, but, hey, one day at a time, right?

The closer we got to Epcot, the noisier it was. People lined both sides of the course, cheering and shouting our names, willing us to finish. We entered Epcot and did a strange little loop around Spaceship Earth and out-and-back to the lake. As we approached a photographer, a guy came sprinting past us and stopped directly in front of us -- thus stealing our picture. The photographer was waving him off, but the guy just stood there posing. Weird. We moved around Mr. Inconsiderate, and kept going... only to have him replicate this act two more times as we ran out to the lake. Very, very odd.

Then back under Spaceship Earth, backstage, past the ecstatic dancing of the gospel choir, and around the corner to the finish. I think I gave Donald Duck a high five as we strolled across the line in a very slow 3:12. But, hey, all we needed was 3:30. And we had a lot of miles ahead of us the next day!

Got our medals, mylar blankets (which we clutched desperately around us in the cold and drizzle), and then headed to the Goofy Challenge tent to exchange our silver band for a blue one. It all felt a little surreal. We grabbed some food -- bananas, a bagel, some drinks -- and then made a beeline for the buses. Unsurprisingly, very few people were standing around -- everyone was just trying to get on a bus. We waited while three buses filled up in front of us, but then we were on, out of the cold, and headed home.

Once back at the resort, we got some ice, took hot showers, and then had a little nap icing our various sore spots. Later that day we went out to Epcot for a little walk, decided to cancel our dinner reservations and just eat at the hotel, and basically tried to balance the need to walk the stiffness out with our desire to stay off our feet. Sunday was going to be an even longer day...

When I think back to the half, I almost draw a blank. I remember the other Goofy challengers; a guy with a shirt that said "Disney Hates Me -- I ran the half, I ran the full, but I didn't get the Goofy"; the big "moon" lamps along the highways; the steeply cambered on- and off-ramps; the vanilla Clif Shot at mile 8; high-fiving the suffragettes on Main Street USA; and having lots of opportunities to thank the volunteers, and being thanked in return. Most of all, I remember the relief I felt when we crossed the finish line without all that much trouble. Not fast, but finished.

And here's a link to the course map.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

WDW Half Marathon Pre-Race Report

Our road to marathon weekend was extra bumpy this year, and we honestly weren't sure that we'd get to the starting corral, let alone the finish line. But we were determined to do our best, whatever that meant.

Friday morning we went to expo to pick up our bibs and race swag. I thought that, since it was a weekday, it wouldn't be too crowded first thing in the morning. Nope. I was wrong. Packet pickup was relatively efficient -- they had a separate pickup area for Goofy runners, arranged by marathon bib number. My line only had a few people in it, but Wil's had several. So we got in our lines and waited. The volunteers had to tell us a lot of special information, so things went extra slowly.

First they opened our packets and showed us our two bibs -- each a different color, but clearly marked which day was for which. They were also different from the standard half and full bibs -- they were roughly shaped like a 5, in honor of the fifth anniversary of Goofy's Race and a half Challenge. We also had some fun little things in the packets -- temporary tattoos, orange shoelaces with the race name printed on them, orange party beads -- and a lot of information sheets.

The volunteers put a glittery silver wristband on our wrists and told us that we had to wear that band through the end of the half marathon. When we finished that race, we would have to go to the Goofy Challenge tent, where the volunteers would check our time, cut the silver band off, and then put a blue wristband on. We would then have to wear the blue band through the end of the full, go to the Goofy Challenge tent, have our times checked, and THEN we would receive the coveted Goofy medal. If we made it that far.

While this was being explained to us, we heard the clang of a cowbell, and all the volunteers whooped. That's because someone in the line of volunteers was helping someone who was Perfectly Goofy -- they had completed the previous 4 challenges and registered for the fifth. It was a nice touch -- there are only about 100 people who have accomplished this, so Disney went out of their way to celebrate them. In addition to the standard race swag, they received special bibs and what can only be described as princess sashes -- orange "satin", with the words "Perfectly Goofy" printed on them in blue. Fantastic! In the days following the race, we saw two people wearing their sashes and it was like glimpsing a rock star. Seriously.

Packets collected, we then went over to the other building to get the swag bags. It was already getting packed, even though expo had only been open for 30 minutes or so. This year Disney did a better job with the bags -- since they were the bags you had to use if you wanted to check a bag on race day, and since the Goofy challengers need to use the bag for two days, they had a lot of complaints about just being given a cheap plastic drawstring bag. So this year we got inexpensive but much more durable drawstring mesh backpacks. Each has a zippered pocket printed with the marathon weekend logo -- or at least MOST of them did. The first ones we were given were missing the printing, so we had to go back and ask for different ones. Wil's pretty sure that the volunteer had noticed and was just trying to get rid of the blank ones, but they swapped them out with no issue.

Then we went to the Disney merch area -- which was rammed with people. It was difficult to move, and Wil and I got separated at one point. But I found a basket and methodically moved through. This year's Goofy training top was glittery. What's with the glitter, gang? The warm clothing was already starting to disappear. I got a black long-sleeved tech top with a running Mickey and a pink stripe down the arm, but, yes, I also picked up the glittery blue Goofy top. Sigh. Wil got a running Mickey sweatshirt -- largely because the Goofy sweatshirt was powder blue. Really, who decides this? We also picked up Goofy pint glasses to add to our marathon glasses collection, but decided against also getting the full and half marathon glasses. (We figured we didn't need 6 new glasses...) A few other cool items -- pins that look like the medals, a magnet, keychains, and, best of all, Vinylmation marathon toys. They had 3" toys for both the half and the full race, and an 8" toy for the Goofy challenge. Simple but cute design -- they had "bibs" where you could write in your race number on the front, and your time on the back. Nice work.

So we got out of that shop, spending way too much money, and moved more quickly through the rest of expo. ASI (the race photographers) were giving out scrapbook paper -- nice touch as it meant that I visited their booth. We also got new little race belts that hold a few things *and* your race number -- which we knew would come in handy on cold race day morning. We also stopped by the Sharpie booth and made a sign for our window at Pop Century.

Then back to the hotel, where we dumped out the swag bags, got all of our stuff laid out for the race. Satisfied that we hadn't forgotten any essentials, we then went to Disney's Hollywood Studios for a little walk around, and a late lunch at the Sci-Fi Drive In. (Very cute place -- you sit in these convertible 50's cars and eat while watching a loop of sci-fi movie clips and old refreshment stand adverts. Decent food, too.) We tried to stay off our feet as much as possible, but went on a few rides, poked around a few shops, but then headed back to the hotel pretty early.

As usual, I tried to sleep early -- but wasn't very successful. I think I was awake between midnight and 2am. But when the alarm went off at 3, I was asleep, so I must have gotten a little rest. Got up, slicked my skin with Body Glide, and started putting the layers on: running tights, jog bra, short-sleeved tech top, long-sleeved tech top, "disposable" fleece trousers, "disposable" fleece jacket, rain shell, ear warmers, hat, gloves... I also put some cheese on a bagel, stuffed my down jacket into my bag, along with a bottle of Boost.

A short walk through the resort, with a stop to fill up our bottles with Powerade from the dispenser. The food court was surprisingly crowded -- but I think people were just delaying the cold as long as possible. We, however, just went out and got on a bus for the ride to the start. Funny to drive again in the dark towards Epcot, and realize how close it is to our hotel... and knowing that we'd be running on those roads later that day.

Got off the buses -- again, well organized -- and were welcomed by a man in a Donald Duck hat to "Disney Alaska". It was bitterly cold, 29 degrees, and there was a strong breeze. We found a place out of the wind to sit and get off our feet. Amidst the high-energy music and lots of jittery nerves, we just sat quietly. We weren't feeling very confident, but all we could do was do our best, right?

Around 4:45 we were asked to move to the starting corrals. The same long walk down a back road, but this time they had huge lights along the path so it wasn't quite so spooky. At some time around this point we decided to don our garbage bags for wind protection. We weren't alone -- lots of people had either garbage bags or those cheap ponchos on. Others were gathering around the lights, which were giving off plenty of heat. But we trudged on and out to the starting corrals.

Disney collects discarded clothing along the route, washes it, and gives it to local charities including Habitat for Humanity. They put big cardboard boxes marked "CLOTHING" out to make collection easier. As we headed out to the corrals, we saw the boxes -- all lined with garbage bags -- sitting under an overpass. I don't know if it was the wind or what, but the boxes weren't next to the corrals. Suddenly, it started to snow -- little wet ice-chippy, sleety snow. So I suggested we just wait under the overpass, next to the boxes. Standing there was strange -- people who hadn't dressed for the weather suddenly got the idea that they should take the garbage bags out of the clothing boxes. And then there was a bit of a frenzy. Wil and I, semi snug in our black garbage bags and layers of fleece, watching people in shorts and tank tops desperately searching for an unclaimed bag. Kinda creepy. We stood there until 15 minutes before the start, but then we had to get into our corral.

We were in Corral D, which was going in the second wave. The half only has one route -- as opposed to the full, which has a red and a blue start to cut down on congestion. But they start the half in large waves... so we were a little farther back from the front than I expected us to be. Still, we got in our corral, listened to some music, and did a little grim dancing. A few speeches -- including one from the head of sponsor CIGNA, who was actually running the Goofy Challenge for the first time. Then Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald came out, gave us a pep talk, and with a flash of fireworks the wheelchair racers started off.

A few minutes later the first wave -- corrals A and B, plus the elites -- headed out to their own fireworks. Then it was time for C and D to move up to the starting line. Some more fireworks and... we were off...

Sunday, January 10, 2010

we did it!

It wasn't fast, and it wasn't at all pretty, but we did it! Wil was super brave and kept us moving, both days, at a good pace. In the end, as I predicted, I was the one sniveling. :) Will write a full report after a nap and some ice packs... Post race photo and a glimpse of our windburned faces on our Flickr account.

RaceDay Alert

WIL HOLDER @ 20 Mile in 04:58:41 (NET). Pace: 14:56. Predicted: 6:31:33. Walt Disney World Marathon present by CIGNA, Disney Destinations LLC

RaceDay Alert

SUNNY DELANEY @ 20 Mile in 04:58:41 (NET). Pace: 14:56. Predicted: 6:31:33. Walt Disney World Marathon present by CIGNA, Disney Destinations LLC

RaceDay Alert

SUNNY DELANEY @ Half in 03:12:22 (NET). Pace: 14:40. Predicted: 6:24:44. Walt Disney World Marathon present by CIGNA, Disney Destinations LLC

RaceDay Alert

WIL HOLDER @ Half in 03:12:21 (NET). Pace: 14:40. Predicted: 6:24:42. Walt Disney World Marathon present by CIGNA, Disney Destinations LLC

RaceDay Alert

WIL HOLDER @ 10 Mile in 02:25:31 (NET). Pace: 14:33. Predicted: 6:21:31. Walt Disney World Marathon present by CIGNA, Disney Destinations LLC

RaceDay Alert

SUNNY DELANEY @ 10 Mile in 02:25:32 (NET). Pace: 14:33. Predicted: 6:21:34. Walt Disney World Marathon present by CIGNA, Disney Destinations LLC

RaceDay Alert

SUNNY DELANEY @ 5 Mile in 01:10:33 (NET). Pace: 14:06. Predicted: 6:09:56. Walt Disney World Marathon present by CIGNA, Disney Destinations LLC

RaceDay Alert

WIL HOLDER @ 5 Mile in 01:10:32 (NET). Pace: 14:06. Predicted: 6:09:51. Walt Disney World Marathon present by CIGNA, Disney Destinations LLC

Saturday, January 9, 2010

1/2 done, 1 to go!!!

RaceDay Alert

SUNNY DELANEY @ Finish in 03:12:49 (NET). Pace: 14:42. presented by CIGNA, Disney Destinations LLC

RaceDay Alert

WIL HOLDER @ Finish in 03:12:46 (NET). Pace: 14:42. presented by CIGNA, Disney Destinations LLC

RaceDay Alert

SUNNY DELANEY @ 15K in 02:15:12 (NET). Pace: 14:30. Predicted: 3:10:10. presented by CIGNA, Disney Destinations LLC

RaceDay Alert

WIL HOLDER @ 15K in 02:15:12 (NET). Pace: 14:30. Predicted: 3:10:10. presented by CIGNA, Disney Destinations LLC

RaceDay Alert

SUNNY DELANEY @ 10K in 01:29:20 (NET). Pace: 14:22. Predicted: 3:08:27. presented by CIGNA, Disney Destinations LLC

RaceDay Alert

WIL HOLDER @ 10K in 01:29:19 (NET). Pace: 14:22. Predicted: 3:08:25. presented by CIGNA, Disney Destinations LLC

RaceDay Alert

SUNNY DELANEY @ 5K in 00:43:18 (NET). Pace: 13:56. Predicted: 3:02:41. presented by CIGNA, Disney Destinations LLC

RaceDay Alert

WIL HOLDER @ 5K in 00:43:18 (NET). Pace: 13:56. Predicted: 3:02:41. presented by CIGNA, Disney Destinations LLC
Bundled up in the starting area... snow flurries sighted?!?!

Friday, January 8, 2010

Wil bundles up for the Antarctic Marathon. No, wait, Disney World. In Florida. Chance of ice pellet storm. We are truly gray weather gods.