So, the saga continues!
The Disney Marathon has been part of my yearly vacation ritual and I'm hoping that after I PCS we can still do this with ease.
I usually book my timeshare and then the plan begins. This would be the second year I ran, but this time with one of my besties! She is becoming an ultra-athlete...I'm still pretty much a couch potato but I've been getting out more.
Anyway, the race is always the first weekend in January. YEP, right after New Year's! Can't beat that! What a way to start off the year!
So, the journey begins. I pack the car with my son and all our stuff...food, luggage, his homework, games and stuff to keep him busy and we drive south to meet up with my friend in North Carolina. Once we get there, we unload all our "stuff" and spend the night with her so we don't have to make the 12 hour trip in one shot!
The next morning...at the crack of dawn...before the birds are awake, we get up, get ready, pack her car with all our "stuff" and then off we go. Usually we stop to get coffee and water. We begin the 8 hour track south to Orlando full of excitement and anticipation. This is a great way for us to talk about life, love, disgust and anything else the moon and stars sets in sight for us to discuss.
Well, after 8 hours of driving...sometimes more with stopping and eating...we arrive to the Marriott Resort. We unpack..blah blah blah and then we of course eat!
This particular year added a little bit of misery to our trip when it came to the weather. It just so happened that when we arrived, it began to turn cold and then the cold factor multiplied times 10! It became miserable but we tried to have as much fun as we could.
Saturday arrives and it's time to prep for the run in the morning making sure we had what we needed for several hours of pounding pavement.
Let's see what we had...hmm...
Ok, so it looks like we are prepared for the run and to enjoy the scenery! Lovely!
It was 28 degrees Fahrenheit! BELOW FREEZING!!! In Orlando of all places! The mainland's version of swaying palm trees and 60 degree weather in the winter and it's BELOW FREEZING! How insane is that!
Not to mention that we woke up at 0300 to get our stuff together, get in the car and go to Epcot where the race begins. We have to get there early so that we can park and beat the other 20K runners that are running.
So, we arrive in the stillness of night and we begin walking around trying to find a way to stay warm. We realized there was a VIP tent! Would have been good to know that ahead of time, we could have gone in there to hang out, drink coffee, eat a small breakfast so we weren't famished by the noon finish!
Nope, we didn't know, extra cost that doesn't bother us now! You have to pay to go inside and get treated like...well...like a little running princess! There are massage therapists in there (a little extra cost) there's coffee, water, bananas...the runners dream tent awaiting our arrival...ahhh but we didn't know about it until that dreadful cold weather we had.
Now, every year, we go ahead and save up a few extra dollars so we can enjoy all the comforts of a running princess prior to the start of the race. Makes getting up so early to get there a little more bearable!
But, I digress..
Well, we begin the run and what a sight! The race starts with an incredible firework display and the announcers are really entertaining! Off we go, we run through Epcot and under the "Ball" but before that, we pass the Christmas tree...it's enormous but left up for this occasion and it's really a beautiful sight.
Ok, we now continue to run around Space Mountain and then onto the next parks on the course. We get to run through all the parks and I think running through Animal Kingdom was the hardest because it's right after the trail of nothingness and toward the end of the run. After Animal Kingdom we hit the boardwalk which is a sight for sore legs at this point! It's the path the Epcot, the last 5 miles of the course! Of course this is the best part! After 5 plus hours of running, it's time to see the finish line!
So, we run and eventually we find the first water point but OOP, don't run through it, it's slick because the water on the ground has frozen to it and well, it's a serious runners hazard! One slip and you are potentially injured enough to be taken off the course and nope, not going to let that happen! Especially after the first year's episode with the previous running buddy! Nope, not happening!
So, the race is complete, we are freezing, it has only warmed up to 34 degrees. Not much more than freezing.
We head to the tents for bananas and water then off we go. We find my Disney friend and my son. She has been kind enough to keep him while I run a couple times. She's such a cool friend.
We met up later that night for drinks and dinner but my li'l guy falls asleep and cuts the night short. It's always nice to see her and catch up.
So, after a few days of Disney and eating, we make the trek home with nostalgia of the week that is now behind us...funny thing, the day we leave the weather begins to warm up and 55 degrees feels like a sauna!
Stay tuned for part 3 of the Disney Marathon Saga!
Keep running!
The Disney Marathon has been part of my yearly vacation ritual and I'm hoping that after I PCS we can still do this with ease.
I usually book my timeshare and then the plan begins. This would be the second year I ran, but this time with one of my besties! She is becoming an ultra-athlete...I'm still pretty much a couch potato but I've been getting out more.
Anyway, the race is always the first weekend in January. YEP, right after New Year's! Can't beat that! What a way to start off the year!
So, the journey begins. I pack the car with my son and all our stuff...food, luggage, his homework, games and stuff to keep him busy and we drive south to meet up with my friend in North Carolina. Once we get there, we unload all our "stuff" and spend the night with her so we don't have to make the 12 hour trip in one shot!
The next morning...at the crack of dawn...before the birds are awake, we get up, get ready, pack her car with all our "stuff" and then off we go. Usually we stop to get coffee and water. We begin the 8 hour track south to Orlando full of excitement and anticipation. This is a great way for us to talk about life, love, disgust and anything else the moon and stars sets in sight for us to discuss.
Well, after 8 hours of driving...sometimes more with stopping and eating...we arrive to the Marriott Resort. We unpack..blah blah blah and then we of course eat!
This particular year added a little bit of misery to our trip when it came to the weather. It just so happened that when we arrived, it began to turn cold and then the cold factor multiplied times 10! It became miserable but we tried to have as much fun as we could.
Saturday arrives and it's time to prep for the run in the morning making sure we had what we needed for several hours of pounding pavement.
Let's see what we had...hmm...
Appropriate clothes Check
Gel Packs/Goo/shot rocks Check
Number bib pinned on Check
Hair ties and lip balm Check
Socks and shoes ready Check
Ok, so it looks like we are prepared for the run and to enjoy the scenery! Lovely!
Well, we wake up in the morning and.....
...OH what a surprise we woke up to!!!
It was 28 degrees Fahrenheit! BELOW FREEZING!!! In Orlando of all places! The mainland's version of swaying palm trees and 60 degree weather in the winter and it's BELOW FREEZING! How insane is that!
Not to mention that we woke up at 0300 to get our stuff together, get in the car and go to Epcot where the race begins. We have to get there early so that we can park and beat the other 20K runners that are running.
So, we arrive in the stillness of night and we begin walking around trying to find a way to stay warm. We realized there was a VIP tent! Would have been good to know that ahead of time, we could have gone in there to hang out, drink coffee, eat a small breakfast so we weren't famished by the noon finish!
Nope, we didn't know, extra cost that doesn't bother us now! You have to pay to go inside and get treated like...well...like a little running princess! There are massage therapists in there (a little extra cost) there's coffee, water, bananas...the runners dream tent awaiting our arrival...ahhh but we didn't know about it until that dreadful cold weather we had.
Now, every year, we go ahead and save up a few extra dollars so we can enjoy all the comforts of a running princess prior to the start of the race. Makes getting up so early to get there a little more bearable!
But, I digress..
Well, we begin the run and what a sight! The race starts with an incredible firework display and the announcers are really entertaining! Off we go, we run through Epcot and under the "Ball" but before that, we pass the Christmas tree...it's enormous but left up for this occasion and it's really a beautiful sight.
Ok, we now continue to run around Space Mountain and then onto the next parks on the course. We get to run through all the parks and I think running through Animal Kingdom was the hardest because it's right after the trail of nothingness and toward the end of the run. After Animal Kingdom we hit the boardwalk which is a sight for sore legs at this point! It's the path the Epcot, the last 5 miles of the course! Of course this is the best part! After 5 plus hours of running, it's time to see the finish line!
So, we run and eventually we find the first water point but OOP, don't run through it, it's slick because the water on the ground has frozen to it and well, it's a serious runners hazard! One slip and you are potentially injured enough to be taken off the course and nope, not going to let that happen! Especially after the first year's episode with the previous running buddy! Nope, not happening!
So, the race is complete, we are freezing, it has only warmed up to 34 degrees. Not much more than freezing.
We head to the tents for bananas and water then off we go. We find my Disney friend and my son. She has been kind enough to keep him while I run a couple times. She's such a cool friend.
We met up later that night for drinks and dinner but my li'l guy falls asleep and cuts the night short. It's always nice to see her and catch up.
So, after a few days of Disney and eating, we make the trek home with nostalgia of the week that is now behind us...funny thing, the day we leave the weather begins to warm up and 55 degrees feels like a sauna!
Stay tuned for part 3 of the Disney Marathon Saga!
Keep running!
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