Day 3 of 42.4 Miles of Fun: Full Marathon = Goofy

Today was the day! My first full marathon. My first Goofy. My first time running anything longer than 17 miles. Surprisingly I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would and should be. Here are some highlights from that day.

*Started the morning at the Race Retreat. A birthday present from Mojo. Ran into a few friends there. That always calms the nerves.

*Met up with Brian again. I needed him to get me through the next 26.2 miles. He had been coaching me for months and today was the today I wanted to make him proud. Can you tell how proud he is?

 *Once again it was a warm morning and we wanted to get in as miles as possible before the sun came up.

*Right when our corral started Brian was video taping and said to me "Lori you just finished the Goofy what are you going to do next?" and I screamed back "I'm getting drunk!!!"

*The first few miles were uneventful. We stuck to our intervals and were pacing pretty good.

*Cassidy sent me a text quoting my favorite Bible verse, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." And then the tears came.

*The Magic Kingdom is always a highlight when you know you're going to see friends there cheering for you.

*This year we got to run around the WDW Speedway.

*I didn't like this steep down and up ramp.

 *We were still feeling pretty good considering the sun was starting to come up. After the speedway came the road to Animal Kingdom. Not much going on back there but we did find some villains.

*Are my muscles bigger than Gaston's?

 *We weren't in the Animal Kingdom long but I can say that you don't realize how uneven the ground is  there until after you've done 12 miles. For me, I couldn't run on it.

*I was glad I wasn't dead when we came across the Grave Diggers!

 *The stretch from Animal Kingdom to Wide World of Sports was tough. It was hot! The sun was beating down. Brian had gotten a bad blister on the bottom of his foot. But I did turn around and see Bonnie running towards me. It's always a good thing to see friends out on the course. That way you know they are okay.

*We went from interval running to picking out landmarks and running to them. None of us wanted to become overheated. A few times you saw people on the side that you could tell were pushing too hard and were getting too hot.

*On the way into the WWOS we saw Steve and Deanna running the other way. It was hard not to just cross over the grass and join them.

*This was also the first time the marathon ran through WWOS. I didn't really enjoy it. All you did was go back and forth it seemed. The banana stop here was much needed.

*Disney said there was going to be something big at Mile 20 and we avoided looking at Twitter to see what it was until we got there. While it was cool, I think it could have been better. Hand out Mickey bars, chocolate or even pretzels! Although Tigger was pretty cool though!

*We did a little off and on running for the next mile but by mile 21 I was done running. I was done with the sun. I was just spent! I just wanted to finish! We decided from then on we would just walk. I rather walk and finish than push myself and not finish because I passed out. At least I can walk fast.

*I was disappointed that all the chocolate was gone when we got to The Studios.
*Most of the characters hardy had lines but I was in "just finish" mood. Out the door went photos.

*The best part about leaving The Studios was knowing that once we hit the UK in Epcot I'd see friends and family again and that is a great pick me up. And it's also about a mile to the finish line.

*While heading to Epcot I received another great text from Cassidy,  "Go faster, I have rum for you."   That's some great inspiration there!!

*Once we hit the Beach Club I sent a text to a friend so she knew we were close. And it was also the clue to get the drinks ready.

*Coming into the UK was amazing. I saw Alice and Elizabeth first at the corner.

*Then I saw Cassidy and lost it! I was crying. My mom was crying. And suddenly Brian and I had drinks to enjoy the last mile.

*The last mile was the best mile (BIG surprise!) A few people stopped and took our picture since we were carrying drinks. Many spectators held their drinks up as we passed by. I got to say that rum sure tasted good!

*For months leading up to that day any time I pictured getting my medals I would start to cry. I warned Brian that I was probably going to turn into a blubbering idiot. Surprisingly I didn't. I teared up like I always do when I cross and get my medal. When the waterworks didn't really flow like I thought, I figured once I got my Goofy medal I'd be done for.

*The tears didn't really flow after I got my Goofy medal either. Although the guy that gave it to me was trying to trade it for the rum. I told him I earned both of them. Brian made sure I got my Goofy medal picture taken.

*After we received our medals and got photos we headed back to race retreat to pick up our stuff. I had checked a bag with flip flops. Man did they feel good to put on. I was hungry but didn't take the time to eat since I needed to get back to the Boardwalk and get in the pool to cool down my muscles. I was about an hour behind what I wanted to be.

*As if my day couldn't have gotten any better, I found out later that two very important people in my life had gotten engaged after the race. Bonnie and Andy had both completed Goofy also. 

The experience was amazing and while I've said it was a once and done I can't say that for sure now. The thought of the 10th anniversary Goofy in 2015 is enticing. May depend on what the medal looks like. While I've done Disney races in the past I have to say this was the one I trained the most for. The only regret I have is that I didn't take as many photos as I would've liked. I only carried my phone and getting it out to take photos was a pain plus with the heat I just didn't want to deal with it.

After doing all those miles in the hot sun the thought of running the Princess half 6 weeks later wasn't sounding to good. I needed rest. I need to get out of the sun. I needed some more rum!