Why, Yes, I AM a Half-Marathon Finisher!

Life is a song - sing it. Life is a game - play it. Life is a challenge - meet it. Life is a dream - realize it. Life is a sacrifice - offer it. Life is love - enjoy it.  --Sai Baba

I DID IT!!  I finished a half marathon today.  It was not always pretty, but it was a blast!

First of all, Disney put on a fabulous show, as always.  From the big screen TVs at the starting corrals, to all the characters (probably 3 a mile) to the inspiring music and amazing logistics.  If anyone wants to do one of these, this is how to do it!

The morning started early.  Alarm at 2:30 for a 3am departure.  4:00 in the parking lot and 5am heading over to the corrals.  I met a woman named Stacy there and we spent the hour talking about the realities of our teenagers and sex--actually quite interesting.  With each corral, there was a blessing by the Fairy Godmother and FIREWORKS! 

I took Jeff Galloway's suggestion and paced myself with the walk/run timer I bought at the Expo.  I decided that 2 minutes run with 1 minute walk was the best pace for me.  It was hard to stop to walk at the beginning.  But boy was it hard to start to run at the end.  Overall, I think it was an excellent strategy to maintain my energy for the whole 13.1. 

Oh, the characters--princesses and bands and sets--oh my.  As soon as you started focusing on how much your feet/legs hurt, there was something else to distract you.  And before I knew it, I was to another mile marker!  I started taking pictures and then didn't stop.  It was just so much fun. 

The first mile was a little rough, but then miles 2 through 6 felt really excellent.  I had trained mostly up to six miles and it showed by miles 6-10.  And then I hit mile 10.  That is the most I had ever run.  Everything after that was uncharted territory.  And boy did it feel like it.  And it felt like 2 miles of it was uphill (highway ramps leading to Epcot).  I decided that, coming into Epcot, I was going to run the rest.  Honestly, running hurt less than walkking.  So I ran the last 2 miles--actually tearing up for much of it, either from pain or amazement that I was doing this. 

In retrospect, I wish I had savored the finish line more, but just as I was coming up to it, there was a proposal happening right there and I wanted to watch--it was actually very sweet. 

The longest part of the race was the walk to the car.  My strides were so short and my legs and feet were so sore.  I was cold (it started drizzling the last three miles) and I didn't even feel like I was thinking straight.  But I was done. 

My times were horrendous.  But my friend Ann Marie reframed it for me.  I actually took 83 pictures.  If you count 30 seconds for that, then that shaves over 40 minutes off my time.  AND, I had to take four bathroom breaks (oh, being a woman sucks sometimes)--if you consider that at 5 minutes a piece (and one was 10 due to the lines), then it shaves another 20 off!  But I wasn't worried about the time.  I wasn't in threat of being picked up, there were too many fun things going on and I just wanted to enjoy and savor the journey. 

About 80% of the people dressed up and the costumes were amazing to look at!  I loved them.  There were some people who I kept seeing over and over again--they became my race buddies without even knowing it. 

Ann Marie wants to do this next year.  I REALLY don't want to train for this again.  But I would do the race again because it was so much fun!  But I don't have to because I can officially say that I am a half-marathoner!  Wow.