about a year ago i was looking ahead to see what marathon I would give a go next, and with our third child arriving in April, I had the second half of the year to look towards. I, for the second year in a row, applied for New York Marathon via lottery, but when i didn't get in, and also when I discovered the Disney marathon was run in January, and that we were looking to take a family trip with our other children to visit the parks, it made sense that - while a year away, the Disney marathon 2019 would work well. I'm still in the mode of wanting to try new marathons rather than repeats, and this one was appealing in that it lined up with our vacation and was a nice big event, something memorable.
My recent posts tell you, without having to repeat too much here, that I had gotten myself in shape well enough to garner a PR this past November and that certainly was the beginning of small thoughts toward the potentiality of a new marathon PR, though I still considered it more unlikely than likely. As training continued well with long runs in December through some naturally hilly runs in Charlotte, my target eyes grew a bit more as I considered the flat terrain I would be working with down in Orlando. I felt it was about 50/50 going in to grab a PR, and when pressed, my answer to goal was 2:58-3:04 (as that would be nice to earn another BQ at this stage in my running). that is about 6:48-7:02 pace per mile.
The taper had gone well, and the carb loading also going into the race weekend. A nice Italian dinner at carrabas in Savannah Friday night, a shake out jog Saturday morning, a Mahi Sandwich for lunch the day before after the race expo, and a fantastic buffet at Chef Mickey's at Disney's Contemporary Resort for a pre race dinner where I opted for much pasta (and a Long Island Iced Tea!) served my diet well. I was hydrating well, as the weather was calling for 60 degree with 90% humidity and even an email to all runners to be advised of less than perfect weather and a caution to perhaps forget not going for an attempted best.
The wake up was earlier than anything I had ever woken up for. The last bus was leaving at 3:30 am from our resort at Disney's the Art of Animation, and so I figured looking back I got about 4 hours and change of sleep, with a wake up call at 2:55. A front row seat on the bus with a pleasant conversation with the bus driver who was a Vietnam Vet still in extraordinary shape started my day, as I brought with me coffee, a bagel and some peanut butter which I would eat around 4:15-30. From the bus drop off the runners are held in a parking lot complete with a full pre party stage that held a DJ (yes, working it and playing loud music). It was basically a late night club vibe except everyone was sober and wearing short shorts. Quite the scene at 4am! I continued to drink water after my coffee to make sure i was hydrated, and probably went to the bathroom about 5 times before the gun went off. once i break the seal i am guaranteed multiple times going.
I got to my A corral about 5 mins before the start as they were beginning to sing the national anthem, and I was feeling ready and good. The gun went off under the dark 5:30am sky, clear and star and moonlit, and I was off with 11,000 other marathoners. Even though i was in the A corral, behind the elites, I was not in the front of A and so the first mile was quite a bit of dancing around the crowds to where i could get into my pace, and so my first mile split put me behind the 8 ball with a 7: 17 split. Doing quick math in my head, I realized at about 30 seconds behind optimal goal pace I'd have to hit about 6 miles of 6:40 to make it up. When I thought about this i was a bit frustrated at how just one mile can really effect such a long race as a marathon, but I had the experience to not worry, as the marathon still had more than 2 hours and 50 mins for many things to unfold. Also, I was a bit agitated at this point as I already had to pee! I knew i wasn't going to hold it forever, but I wanted to not give in right away for the thought that if I was to go this early, it could lend itself to having to go again still early in the race, and so I used the opportunity to practice patience and my mind to go elsewhere. 6:42 split the second mile, and so I was pleased that I was moving in the right direction to start chipping away at the deficit I had put myself in. The first couple miles of the race send you off on wide open highways leaving Epcot towards Magic Kingdom, and around mile 3 you see the entrance to the first Park of the day. I was comfortable with the next 6:43 and as the next couple of miles led us through Magic Kingdom, complete with running literally through Cinderellas castle, the flair that makes the Disney marathon special was really shining through. The spectators, characters, music, and lit up park made it an outstanding environment and scenery and increased the race adrenaline as i continued to stay on pace with high 630s and low 640s through the park and past mile 6 until we exited and were on a dark road on mile 7 that i gave in to my bladder and pulled over to empty the liquids.
We were finally led into our second park, Animal Kingdom where we would cross the half way point, for me, as the sun was rising, and the music was sounds of African Serengeti tunes and live animals awaking as well in their habitat, occurring around 7am. I started to get a surge of adrenaline as I was half way home and still feeling comfortable on my pace for a PR, crossing in just under 129. I was about ready to take my second energy gel as we exited the park, and I started to gap the nearby runners behind me and began to close in on some runners ahead.
We made the exit and through the parking lot out onto the highways of Orlando that would take us to the next Park. Here, the course was long wide and straight, with plenty of good views of runners ahead to put in my sights. These were miles 15, 16, and 17 - all straight away with some moderate ascents as we over-passed highways underneath about two different times. The population was sparse, but there were several loud official stops with blaring speakers playing inspirational loud rock and roll and various other pump up music along the way. This is the stretch I began to feel a bit of a toll on the legs from the pace, and had to start running on faith and focus.
We entered ESPN Wide World of Sports at mile marker 18, and here, for the next 2+ miles would run around the campus that included sports fields, a 400m running track, and the outfield of a baseball stadium which was seated with spectators and a guy on the PA announcing our names and places of residence on the loudspeaker, providing a nice little boost of motivation. This park was peppered with tight turns and narrow chutes which made for some tougher miles, but i was holding still to a sub 6:45 pace. My fastest mile of the day was the 18th where I hit 6:28, followed by 6:42, and 6:44 for my 20th mile. We exited the park on the 21st mile, and this is where I started to put into focus my last 10 kilometers of the race to execute, having done the work so far for 20 miles. At this point I was on my 3rd and final energy gel, and it started to go down not as easy as the other 2. A little bit of nausea, and some upper GI pains began to creep in, but I had to ignore that as best I could and begin the "hanging on" part of the race, as I also was trying to begin my most focused part of "letting go" to caution and leave all I had out there.
Around mile 13 or so, I began to think about how I felt like I was holding back, with the adrenaline making the pace seem easy, and still having so much more to go. The marathon is all about patience and then determination. The first half (13 miles) you have to make sure you get to your point on pace, but it feels like you are running with the brakes on. It's a race, but it doesn't really feel like it, as the mental part is a repeated "hold back" mantra. You see runners ahead and you cannot let your competitive race instincts kick in, going after them. You have to be methodical. Then from the half way point to mile 20, you still have to hold back, knowing that the last 6 miles a lot of bad things can happen the way fatigue will jump on your back in a hurry, and can cause you to derail all the work you have done. 20 miles of 26 is 76% of the race, and so I will tell you - three fourths of the race you are "holding back" and the last quarter of the race, you are "holding on/letting go" - trying to keep it together while also letting all the gas out of your tank so that you are completely empty at the finish line.
that 22 mile i really started feeling the exhaustion in energy, and some soreness in the legs, but I was not red lining it so I kept going, as we went up another overpass. A hill here was very challenging, but there was a Toy Story Army Man with a megaphone barking out military like exhortations and encouragement. I played to him and pointed to him and gave him a firm look, and he subsequently bolted out more encouragement which propelled me up the ramp, to where i was able to ride the down ramp and into mile 23, as i passed another runner.
These last 3 miles of the race were the hardest, and the suffering seemed to exponentially increase here. That 24th mile we jut into the 4th park, Hollywood Studios, and while there was much attractions along the way, I had lost the ability to take in my surroundings. I only had the capacity to focus on my will to keep going and hold on to the pace. With another park to navigate, the turns became tight again and the paths more narrow. This was intensely more challenging that the previous parks, but it didn't last long as this park is not very big. When I hit the 24th mile marker, I had a bit of a sense of relief that I only had two miles to go. This was a point I wanted to reach when the pain started because I knew once i got here, I told myself i just needed to hold on for one more mile, then let everything I had out that last mile. And so, that 25th mile began and I could sense the end being near, and that I was on pace to go 258 or faster as long as i didn't crumble. The only point really the whole day, a runner started coming up on me, as I was passing a couple runners ahead, and here he latched on to my shoulder and forced me to either give up - which i think would have mentally led me to slow down via just negative thoughts coming in that i was slipping, or try and push him and there by holding on to my pace. I chose the hard way by not letting him pass me, and this was the hardest part of the race for me. The next mile we ran stride for stride. He didn't make a move to pass me, and I was giving it all I could to stay one step ahead, and so we raced. Into the last mile, around the lake of the nations at Epcot, where the motivational loud music was replaces with common park Disney songs, smells of food and funnel cake wafting in the air, and the heat overhead and sun beginning to make things all that much warmer...all while I was in tremendous pain and battling the aforementioned bouts of nausea. With less than a mile to go, he passed me, and I couldn't fight back. I knew I had made it without falling off my pace and I simply just had to get to the finish line - about two laps around a track I told myself, and then I could start to feel better.
The finish lines stands started up ahead, and I was almost there. I was thinking of my family during the hard parts of the race, knowing they were going to be waiting for me at the end. Here, I was started to get emotional knowing I fought hard to not falter in, and was proud of my efforts. My daughter Avery made me a bracelet i wore during the race that i would look down on from time to time, knowing that I had people looking up to me, and that I wanted to run my best for her and all my family. The pics Disney took, you can see my face writhed in pain, more so than any marathon I have ever done. The battles of Boston and Chicago to finish were excruciating and hellacious, but this race was the hardest in it's own way of me fighting to hold on, and doing the best I have done so so far - through a faster pace than planned, and fighting the 90% humidity with low 60's temps and many many water stops taking me off rhythm. I will say i think my training in Charlotte with hills did prove to be an extra benefit to translating a faster time on this flat course. I saw the clock up in the distance at the finish line just tick up to 2:57, and I knew i was going to break 2:58. I saw my family just past the finish line...Grace, Avery, Arden, Katie, Debby, and Kristen, and I welled up with tears and emotion just having gone through the whole ordeal - the only other time getting that way in a marathon aside from my first one back in 2010. I gave them a smile and a high five, and kept going down the finishing chute, to catch up with them soon.
A great race event, a surprising PR, and a hard fought battle. 7th time was a charm.
From Official race results:
5 mile split: 34:14
10 Mile Split: 1:07:55
Half: 1:28.44
20 Mile: 2:14:30
Finish: 2:57:25 (6:46 ppm)
44th overall, 39th overall male, 8th in age group 35-40
Miles via Garmin: 7:16, 6:42, 6:43, 6:38, 6:43, 6:36, 7:05 (includes 30 sec pee break), 6:33, 6:34,
6:36, 6:33, 6:33, 6:38, 6:34, 6:34, 6:34, 6:36, 6:29, 6:42, 6:44, 6:33, 6:41, 6:41, 6:50, 6:47, 6:58, 3:27 (6:54 pace....watch measured an extra .3)
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