I DID IT!! I ran 26.2 miles! And on that note...I AM SO SORE! Haha. It was amazing! (And sooooooo HOT with 100% humidity!!!!) There were 16,000 marathoners in all and about 2,000 of us were TNTer's! (Team in Training). It was so inspiring to see all the other purple jerseys while running and read the backs of people's shirts. And it was even more inspiring to see how many people were cheering for Team in Training!
Our Team from Alabama/Gulf Coast met in our hotel lobby at 3:10 am on Sunday to board the bus and go over to the start together. Around 5 they headed us toward our starting corrals and we started at 6 am! We ran through Epcot for the first 3 miles, then headed up to Magic Kingdom which were miles 9-11. Then we ran this long (boring) stretch on this back road from Magic Kingdom down to Animal Kingdom (at which point I thought I was going to die from miles 14-18). Then we ran on some highway but it was kind of cool because at one point we looped back around so we were passing by runners coming the other direction. Plus there were some people cheering at this point too (miles 19-22....unlike miles 14-18). Then we entered MGM studios around mile 22.5. I was looking forward to that the whole run and by this point I was pretty proud of myself for already running 22.5 miles! I figured if for some reason I didn't finish, at least I've run over 22 miles! Then around mile 23 an EAGLES chant broke out (thankully they won last night!!). Then we left MGM and ran through some nice resort area on the way back through Epcot. There weren't as many people in Epcot cheering as I thought there would be. I ran into a guy that I trained with around mile 24 and ran with him for a little bit. Then mile 25 hit and I was so excited! Around mile 26 you could start to hear the people at the finish line and when I finally went around the curve and saw the FINISH line I think my heart stopped! ;) I carried a disposable camera with me and took pics the whole way so I'll post them on my webshots page as soon as I get them developed...I even got my picture with Safari Mickey while running through Animal Kingdom! ;)
Our Team from Alabama/Gulf Coast met in our hotel lobby at 3:10 am on Sunday to board the bus and go over to the start together. Around 5 they headed us toward our starting corrals and we started at 6 am! We ran through Epcot for the first 3 miles, then headed up to Magic Kingdom which were miles 9-11. Then we ran this long (boring) stretch on this back road from Magic Kingdom down to Animal Kingdom (at which point I thought I was going to die from miles 14-18). Then we ran on some highway but it was kind of cool because at one point we looped back around so we were passing by runners coming the other direction. Plus there were some people cheering at this point too (miles 19-22....unlike miles 14-18). Then we entered MGM studios around mile 22.5. I was looking forward to that the whole run and by this point I was pretty proud of myself for already running 22.5 miles! I figured if for some reason I didn't finish, at least I've run over 22 miles! Then around mile 23 an EAGLES chant broke out (thankully they won last night!!). Then we left MGM and ran through some nice resort area on the way back through Epcot. There weren't as many people in Epcot cheering as I thought there would be. I ran into a guy that I trained with around mile 24 and ran with him for a little bit. Then mile 25 hit and I was so excited! Around mile 26 you could start to hear the people at the finish line and when I finally went around the curve and saw the FINISH line I think my heart stopped! ;) I carried a disposable camera with me and took pics the whole way so I'll post them on my webshots page as soon as I get them developed...I even got my picture with Safari Mickey while running through Animal Kingdom! ;)
All in all it was awesome...very very very very very difficult and exhausting...I know at some points I was being carried through the race by spirits, energy, and prayers instead of by my legs. Not sure if I'll ever run another one. If I do it will be one where there are people cheering the whole way (those back roads between parks where there weren't any spectators were tough....it's amazing how easy it is to run when people are cheering for you - my name was on my race number). The training was extremely time-consuming and the soreness I am currently experiencing is excruciating at times, but that high you get during the end of the run and when you cross the finish line is exhilerating! (way too many words starting with "E" in that sentence!) Here are some pics! More will be up on webshots soon. Only 5 weeks til the Mercedes half-marathon! (I may have recruited me some company during that race...... ;)
Pic Tom took of me at mile 13....too hot....need powerade....
Tommy and me after the race. I saw him at miles 4 (he didn't see me though!), 9, and 13!! And bless his heart (that's SO an Alabama saying) he had to be on the bus to epcot at 4:30 Sunday morning because they closed down the roads for the marathon so there was no other way to get to the parks!
Superhero pose with my cape cooler thingy. Did not need that AT ALL as it was ridiculously hot all day!
Pluto, Me, and Goofy at the TNT Victory Party!
1 comment:
YEAH ANNE!!! Congrats!!! I was so excited to get the updates as you ran so I got really excited when it got to be time that I thought I should be getting an update. We're all very proud of you.
Congrats!!!!
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