Hello friends! Welcome to my fourth recap of the 2018 WDW Marathon Weekend. Check out parts one, two and three here,  here and here. As you may know, I participated in my second Dopey Challenge, which includes running a 5K on Thursday, 10K on Friday, half marathon on Saturday and full marathon on Sunday for a total of 48.6 miles. Without further ado…here is my Full Marathon Recap.

After three early mornings/races…I was finally at the big one. Fortunately, the weather was going to be absolutely perfect with cooler temperatures, but nothing like the first few days.

My plan for the race was to take it easy for the first half and then see what I had left in the tank. I knew I needed to be smart as I had already run 22 miles over the first 3 days and my left elbow was still technically on the mend. 

As the race got started, I found a nice groove and began the journey to 26.2 miles. As I got to miles 3-5, I found my friends AJ, Ivie, Dani and Jen. I ended up running with them for a little bit.

Once I got to Magic Kingdom, I stopped for a few pictures (and the bathroom) before continuing onward. At this point, I was feeling really good and enjoying the course and crowd support.

As I got to the Animal Kingdom, I knew I was getting to the halfway point and I was very pleased with my overall race so far. I knew I needed to stay smart and not push myself too much. I even found myself stopping a few times to take pictures with characters and random spectators.

As I got to mile 18, I knew my least favorite part of the race was near…ESPN World Wide of Sports.

This part of the course is most Disney marathon runners’ dreaded spot. I think it’s because the next 3 miles are all in the ESPN area and it feels like you aren’t really going anywhere. Plus, miles 18-20 are typically around the time a runner hits the dreaded “runner’s wall.” I was definitely starting to feel it for sure.

As I finally got through the ESPN area, I felt like I could see a light at the end of a tunnel. And once I got Hollywood Studios, I knew I was going to make it! If I had to walk the rest of the way…I was going to cross that finish line!

The next 3 miles felt like a blur to me. One foot in front of the other. And once I crossed into Epcot, I knew I had roughly a mile to go. As I ran around the World Showcase, stopping for a few more characters, I texted Rachel to find out where she was going to be. 

I found her (and Nick who was so gracious to drive her) right near Spaceship Earth. I was so happy to see both of them and more importantly, I knew I was less than half a mile to the finish line.

Once I crossed the finish line, so many emotions came over me. Every marathon is a challenge and this was no different. From breaking my elbow just 3 weeks earlier to running 4 very early and very cold mornings, I was very very happy!

After grabbing all 3 of my medals (Marathon, Goofy and Dopey), I headed over to the character spots to get my finisher picture with Dopey. Rachel and Nick found me a few minutes later waiting in line. And while it took almost 45 minutes to get the picture…it was totally worth it!

Later that day (after getting a shower, some food and resting), we headed over to the Wilderness Lodge to see our friends, Justin and Devin, and their new baby, Dash. It’s always so good to see them!

Then we made our way over to Nick and Ciara’s house, where Nick grilled his “world famous” pizza. It was the perfect dinner to celebrate running all 48.6 miles! They are indeed some of our closest friends and we are so grateful for them!

After a while, I was ready to finally get a good night’s sleep after 4 early mornings. Plus, I was very happy to have 2 more days to spend time in the parks with friends.

Hello friends! Welcome to my third recap of the 2018 WDW Marathon Weekend. Check out parts one and two here and here. As you may know, I participated in my second Dopey Challenge, which includes running a 5K on Thursday, 10K on Friday, half marathon on Saturday and full marathon on Sunday for a total of 48.6 miles. Without further ado…here is my Half Marathon Recap.

After waking up at another ungodly hour…we made our way over to Epcot to get ready to run the third part of my Dopey Challenge. Just like the 10K race, I had Rachel with me for the half marathon. The weather was still quite cold and windy like the mornings before. We ended up sitting in the car again for a good 10-15 minutes to stay warm.

After walking over to the corrals and waiting for another 45 minutes or so, we were off! The nice thing about having Rachel with me was that I still had a full marathon to go at that point, and she is always good about pacing me during a race.

We ended up finding a great pace/speed and just enjoyed being together while running a very familiar course. (This was the 6th time I’ve run this particular half marathon course.)

The course takes you around Epcot through the Transportation and Ticketing Center, up to the Magic Kingdom (including running through Cinderella’s Castle!) and back down to Epcot.

Quite a few of the miles are just on the roads, but Disney does a good job of spreading out numerous cheering sections, high school marching bands and character picture stops along the way.

As we crossed the finish line, I couldn’t help but be very grateful to have 3 of the 4 races out of the way.

After grabbing our medals and water/runner’s boxes, we actually headed over to the Disney character area and got a finisher picture with Pluto and Goofy!

We ended up seeing our friends Nick and Ciara at the end as well. They are always so sweet to come see us during the races. Unfortunately, the wind/cold was still very present, and after a few minutes, we were ready to get back to the condo and clean up/warm up.

The agenda for the rest of the day was pretty simple…Disney Springs for a few hours and the #werunsocial meet-up, and then back to the condo to rest up for my last big race!

We ended up getting to the Disney Springs area around lunchtime. After grabbing some food and walking around for a bit, we headed over to the #werunsocial meet-up.

One of the best things about running is the community, and #werunsocial is about just that. It is a group of passionate runners that love to meet up and support each other. So, when the chance to get together arises, that’s what we do. In fact, I’ve made several great friends through this community. I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

After spending some good time with running friends, we made our way back over the condo for the rest of the afternoon/evening. We grabbed some pasta (CARBO LOAD!!!) later that afternoon and I began to get ready for the final race, the marathon!! At this point, I was 22.2 miles down and 26.2 miles to go to finish my second Dopey Challenge!

Stay tuned for the fourth recap…WDW Marathon Weekend: Marathon.

Hello friends! Welcome to my second recap of the 2018 WDW Marathon Weekend. Check out part one here. As you may know, I participated in my second Dopey Challenge, which includes running a 5K on Thursday, 10K on Friday, half marathon on Saturday and full marathon on Sunday for a total of 48.6 miles. Without further ado…here is my 10K Recap.

Very early Friday morning, Rachel and I headed over to Epcot and the starting corrals for the 10K. Like the previous day, the weather was very cold and windy. We were both very bundled up and ready to go.

After sitting in the warm car for about 15 minutes, we started walking towards the corrals. We were both in Corral B for the race, which fortunately meant we would only have to wait about 15-20 minutes after the actual race started to begin. The 10K course is probably my favorite overall course at WDW. You spend quite a bit of time in Epcot and running around the boardwalk of the Boardwalk/Beach & Yacht Club Resorts.

 

Rachel and I were able to keep a nice and steady pace for the 6.2 miles, which insured we would have plenty left in the tank for the half marathon the next day (which Rachel was running with me as well). Once we finished, we grabbed our medals and water/runner’s box and headed back to the condo to get out of the cold.

 

After we finished cleaning up, we headed over to the Magic Kingdom for the rest of the day. After riding a few rides, we headed over to Be Our Guest for lunch, which is one of our favorite places to eat. Plus, it’s inside and was a welcome escape from the cold weather.

 

After lunch, we rode a few more rides and actually got a few character pictures as well, including one with Minnie Mouse, who the 10K race is themed after!

 

Later in the afternoon, we headed back to the condo to rest for a little bit before grabbing some pizza for dinner. We were excited to eat at the Pizza Press, which is new to Orlando, but is one of our favorite spots near Disneyland in California.

We called it an early night as we both had gotten up early and we were both running the half marathon the next morning. At this point, I was 9.3 miles down and 39.3 miles to go to finish my second Dopey Challenge!

Stay tuned for the third part of my recap…WDW Marathon Weekend: Half Marathon.

Hello friends! Welcome to my first recap of the 2018 WDW Marathon Weekend. As you may know, I participated in my second Dopey Challenge, which includes running a 5K on Thursday, 10K on Friday, half marathon on Saturday and full marathon on Sunday for a total of 48.6 miles. Without further ado…here is my Pre-Race and 5K Recap.

Once we arrived in Orlando on Wednesday, Rachel and I headed over to the expo to pick up our race numbers and shirts. The expo was quite crowded from all of the Dopey and 5K runners arriving to pick up their race gear. It honestly felt like we all showed up at the same time. After spending a few hours at the expo, we were able to get everything we needed for the races.

After the expo, we checked in to our condo for the week. We were very fortunate to be able to use Rachel’s family’s timeshare, which is super close to the parks.

Once we got settled in, we headed over to Epcot. We figured the first few days of our trip would be good for park visits, since running would be on the lower mileage side. After walking around for a few hours and grabbing dinner, we left Epcot and stopped off at Publix to pick up some groceries for the week. Once we got back to the condo, I began to get ready for my 1st of 4 races.

Now as with all Disney races, the wakeup time is crazy early. I set my alarm for 3:15 am and tried to get around 4-5 hours of sleep that first night. Very early the next morning, I set off for Epcot and the race start for the 5K.

The biggest challenge this year (besides running 48.6 miles over 4 days) was the weather. Florida is very unpredictable. In January, it can be cold, rainy, mild, hot and super humid. The forecast for the race weekend called for super cold temperatures, especially in the early mornings. Fortunately, Rachel and I were able to grab some throwaway jackets at Goodwill before we left Atlanta.

However, it was absolutely freezing in the corrals waiting for the 5K. By the time we got started, all I wanted to do was finish as quickly as possible. I ended up running with my throwaway jacket on for over half the race. By the time I didn’t need it, I was less than 1.5 miles from the finish so I ended up carrying it. I figured it would be good to have for the next morning.

I finished with a respectable pace and grabbed my medal and runner’s box/water and headed back to the condo. By the time I got back, Rachel was just waking up.

For the rest of the day, we hit up Hollywood Studios for a few hours, including meeting BB-8 from Star Wars. BB-8 is Rachel’s favorite!

After Hollywood Studios, we headed over to the Boardwalk/Beach & Yacht Club Resort area for the afternoon. We walked around for a bit, popping in and out of stores and grabbing some ice cream. We actually ended up running into one of my social media running friends, Ken, and his mom. It was great to see Ken again!

Later that evening, we grabbed a quick dinner and headed back to the condo to try to get to bed early. Rachel was set to run the 10K with me the next morning.

Stay tuned for the second part of my recap…WDW Marathon Weekend: 10K Recap.

 

 

 

48.6 miles over 4 days. That’s pretty much all that’s on my mind at the moment. As I’m working today, I found myself coming to the realization that my training is complete. It’s time to trust the training and run.

The Dopey Challenge will start this Thursday, January 4th. I will run 4 races over 4 days.

• Thursday, January 4 – 5K
• Friday, January 5 – 10K
• Saturday, January 6 – Half Marathon
• Sunday, January 7 – Full Marathon

Now I don’t have any specific time goals for the races this weekend. Running that many miles over 4 days, the goal is to finish upright with a smile on my face. Also, it’s supposed to be quite chilly in the mornings, which can make it difficult to push it too much.

We leave later today and will drive to Tifton, GA for the night, before getting to Orlando the following morning. Probably won’t be able to blog during the trip, since we will be busy running, hanging at the parks and seeing friends.

Make sure to follow me on social media to stay up-to-date on all my amazing adventures this weekend!

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