2011 Marathon weekend trip report - COMPLETE!! 4/5 - Page 3 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Oh Beth, you're making me nervous!!!! I know all too well how easy it is to get caught up in the fun of the race. 7 hours seems like enough time when you started....... but you get to that point and start to wonder. Did you even hit the "wall" yet? I know you're approaching 20 and that's the usual spot... Ooooh, the suspense!
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I found myself wanting to help you two along in this update! I truly admire you two for doing the marathon. Sorry your DH is having some troubles at this point!
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I'm so glad that you decided to a trip report. Love seeing all the character shots. I signed up to do the half next year. Looking forward to more.
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What a cliffhanger... I think you have done amazing, especially with how long this race was. I hope that his heart rate got back down to a normal pace and that walking a bit helped.
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You guys are awesome! I'm so excited to see how it turns out!
Since I started your report yesterday, I've been so inspired to try it myself! (Maybe next year???) It sounds sooo fun! I even tried your 4/1 method today during my dreaded treadmill time (it's spring, so that means weight watchers and work outs for me ). It went like this: 4/1, then 4/3, 4/4, 4/6, walk, walk, walk. To do that for an entire marathon would take a LOT of training! Good for you.
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Read all about it in my TR, "Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!" Jill Phil. 4: 13
You guys are awesome! I have to take Christian to an appt this morning, but I promise to post some more when we get back!
Jill--good for you for working out on the "dreadmill"! I'd highly recommend the Couch to 5K program as a way to get started. It's hard to jump right into 4/1 intervals; it takes a while to build up to that. Check it out!
Early on in the race, we were behind a woman who was running alone. The back of her shirt said, "It seemed like a good idea at the time..." She was running the Goofy. We told her she was doing great, how awesome that she was doing the Goofy...trying to encourage her, because she didn't seem to be enjoying herself. We'd pass her, and then she'd pass us. This kept up throughout the race. One of the last times we saw her, I tried to encourage her one last time, telling her that she was doing great, she could do it, until I heard her say under her breath, "Yeah, right..." I didn't try to encourage her anymore after that; I have no idea if she finished. I sure hope she did.
There was another group that we kept running into throughout the race. There were seven dwarves, and they each had their Dwarf name on the back of their shirts, and were wearing the corresponding hat. We chatted with them each time we ran together. One time, I asked them how they chose their Dwarf name. They told me that the names chose them, except for Grumpy. The rest of the group chose that particular name for that particular runner!
It was during these miles that I really started to struggle emotionally. I knew we could physically finish the race. I didn't know if we could finish in time to get the medal. DH told me to go ahead of him, because I'd trained and he hadn't. If I stayed back with him and we didn't finish, he said he would feel really guilty. I so wanted to get that medal, but I didn't know if I could leave him behind. What if something happened? We were still concerned about his heart rate. My iPhone battery was so low that I turned off my music (not that it was helping me much anyway at this point). I was sure my battery was going to die, and if something happened to DH, they wouldn't be able to get ahold of me. What was more important, the health of my DH or a silly medal? I went back and forth. If I left him, and got the medal, I would feel guilty. But if I didn't leave him and we didn't get the medal, I would resent him and he knew it.
Finally, my legs didn't want to walk anymore. They wanted to run. The thing about the 4/1 ratio is that you know that after running four minutes, you'll get a break. If you walk the whole thing, there's no break from the walking. My legs had had enough. I started doing as much running as I could, with sporadic walk breaks. I figured that I'd just do my best and see what happened. Lo and behold, who should be following right along behind me but DH?
16 minutes since the last mile
Ever since we left AK, we were aware that the sweepers weren't far behind. The evil bike Nazis would ride by every once in a while, a little too close for comfort. They told us that when we saw the balloons we knew we were in trouble. I kept looking over my shoulder to see if I could spot the balloons.(Unfortunately, not these kinds of balloons!)
All I wanted was for someone to tell us we'd gotten past the point of being swept. Once I asked a man in a Team in Training shirt when we would know for sure if we were safe. He said, 'Oh, you're safe now!" and I practically burst into tears as I said, "I AM?!?!?" but just then an evil bike Nazi rode by and said, "Oh no, we'll be making more cuts."
I'd heard about the out-and-back near the Studios, and finally we were able to see it up ahead. There was a DJ playing music and keeping up a constant stream of chit-chat as we approached the mat we had to run over at the top of the loop. I don't know if the mat relayed our 20 mile stats or if it was for some other reason. If we got that far, were we safe? (Maybe some of the more experienced runners could tell us.) If we were safe once we passed the out-and-back, they sure never told us!
15 1/2 minutes since the last mile!
At the beginning of the race, DH's Garmin would beep just before we would see the next mile marker. After a while, it would beep about a half a mile before the marker, because we'd taken so much time with characters and bathroom breaks. It was very discouraging. We'd hear the beep and think we'd see the next mile marker, but we'd still have a ways to go.
I didn't take any pictures at all between mile 21 and 22! I remember that I really needed a portapotty, but there hadn't been one for a while. I saw one up ahead and told DH that I'd run ahead and he'd have to catch up with me. I guess I didn't remember taking the photo of mile 21, because I didn't know what mile we were at. There was a woman standing in front of the john, and I asked if the upcoming mile marker was 21 or 22. When she said it was 22, I said, "Thank GOD!" Every mile we reached was one mile closer to the finish.
It was sometime after mile 22 when we ran past a couple of people we'd met that morning from the Tour Guide Mike boards, and heard them trying to figure out if we were going to finish in time to be considered "official." I'd forgotten about that aspect of it. I'd been thinking all along that if we got our medal, we'd be good to go, but now I started to worry!
You see, we'd hoped to do the Disneyland half over Labor Day so we could get the Coast to Coast medal. If we didn't finish this one in time to be considered "official," we wouldn't be going to California, because there is no way we could come down for another race to make up for this one.
So now we had to worry about DH's heartrate, whether we'd finish in time, whether we'd finish AT ALL and whether we'd be official if we did finish!
Remember how I was motivated to run the full marathon by the opportunity to run through all four parks? Well, by the time we got to the Studios, I really didn't care anymore. I just wanted to finish this thing!!! The park had long since opened, and there were guests milling around. Some of them gave us a "Woo-hoo!" and I did try to thank those who cheered for us, but I did not have the energy to respond in kind!
This guy kept up a steady stream of chit-chat as we went by. No recollection of what he actually said...
As I ran by Mr. Incredible and Frozone, I called out, "I'd stop, but I don't have time!!!!" They posed for me anyway.
Dug!
We ran through a bit of the backstage costuming area, and I took a couple of photos which are not worth posting. We also saw Herbie, but my photo of him came out very blurry. Phineas and Ferb were just coming out as we ran by, but I was past them before I could take a picture. My girls would have loved a picture of Mom and Dad with those guys! Maybe next year...
3.2 more miles to go!!!! They say that a marathon is divided into two halves: the first 20 and the last 6. I was feeling the truth of this statement.
I have lots of pictures of New York Street like this; seems like there's hardly ever anyone back there!
The performers from the Block Party Bash were doing their best to keep our spirits up. We really appreciated that they were still out there, even for those of us bringing up the rear!!!
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I'm sitting her cheering the two of you on as I'm reading....Go Beth and Rick, go!!!
While I'm reading this nearing-the-end part, I'm reminded how I used to feel right at the end of the Century bike rides we used to do - especially the Apple Cider Century up in Three Oaks, Mi. Memories....
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I know all too well how easy it is to get caught up in the fun of the race. 7 hours seems like enough time when you started....... but you get to that point and start to wonder. Did you even hit the "wall" yet? I know you're approaching 20 and that's the usual spot... Ooooh, the suspense!
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). It went like this: 4/1, then 4/3, 4/4, 4/6, walk, walk, walk. To do that for an entire marathon would take a LOT of training! Good for you. 
(Unfortunately, not these kinds of balloons!
I just wanted to finish this thing!!! The park had long since opened, and there were guests milling around. Some of them gave us a "Woo-hoo!" and I did try to thank those who cheered for us, but I did not have the energy to respond in kind!
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