WDW Marathon Weekend 2014 - MARATHON DAY, Part 5

Part IV can be read HERE.

We turned left back onto Osceloa and awaited our meetup with Laura.  Laura never disappoints!  She had signs posted a good 100 yards before her post with her thingimajig.  We got there with tons of smiles waiting for us!  She was handing out oranges, which tasted absolutely amazing.  She let us know that Tom Troost had just left here and was only about 3 or 4 minutes ahead of us.  We told her that the Nerd Herd would probably be coming up in the next 10 minutes, too.

We gave hugs and said our goodbyes, but then I heard a “MUSH!!!” behind me.  Laura raced to catch up with me for a selfie! 

After the pic came Mile 21 (16:14 and 162)…the oranges helped, plus, I had a new goal…to get us to catch Troost to try to finish with him!  First, though, we had to do battle with the Ramp-from-Hell onto World Drive.  It has a significant uphill portion in order to clear the main entrance to DHS before dropping down to World Drive.  Sarge, from the Green Army Men, was placed there, and I contemplated dropping for 10 push-ups; however, I feared not being able (or having any desire) to get back up to finish the race.  I gave my best salute as I went by, though.

After much cussing and gnashing of teeth, we made onto World Drive, where RunDisney had another music selection near the Mile 22 marker (17:04 and 162).  This one was the online poll, where we could vote for which song would be played.  The options were Let it Go, Don’t Stop Believin’, and Firework.  My vote was for Let it Go, but the votes were so close that RunDisney decided to play all 3.  I got to hear two of the songs…

Guess which one I didn’t get to hear.

Ellie was nearing “back teeth are floating” stage, so we stopped near the medical tent on the off-ramp from World Drive to Buena Vista.  There were a couple of porta-potties there, and Ellie hopped in line.  The line was only 3-deep, but we think that people fell asleep in there, because the line crawled. The wait helped me, though, because I was able to drop my heart rate to below 150 for the first time since Mile 15.

As we passed the medical tent near the on-ramp to Buena Vista Drive, I started taking inventory of where we were and what we had to do yet.  We had Hollywood Studios, and we had Epcot.  We knew there would be crowds in both, and we knew that we’d have 2 cheering squads near Yacht & Beach as well as by the Mexico Pavilion (the Nerds and their margaritas…).  We had a chocolate stop by Tower of Terror soon.  I was nearly out of Gatorade and was going to hold off on PowerAde as long as possible (to avoid any chance of a gout flare-up post-race).  I was definitely tired, but, thus far, my body was holding up.

While waiting for Ellie, I paused to check Facebook for more of Sheri’s inspirational message.  I noticed that Ellie had posted something on my wall.

It simply said: 18 I heart Chris Mushrush

…

That one got me.

Little did she know that the tables were about to turn.

Darrell was still with us, and, after Ellie made her way back to us, we all started motoring up the onramp towards DHS.  Right as we made the right turn to enter Studios backstage, my left calf gave me a little indication that it didn’t really appreciate all that I was asking it to do…it gave me sort of a “mini-cramp”.  It was about 15 seconds into our 30 second run, and we all shut it down and skipped a run interval.  A couple of minutes later, I tested out the leg on another run interval, and it seemed to hold.  Ellie asked if she should drop out at the Studios, and told her that we could almost moon-walk it the rest of the way…besides, once we made it past the Studios parking lot, we were pretty much home free as they likely wouldn’t sweep us past that point.

We entered backstage and started praying for a breeze to help propel us to the next stop…I also said a silent prayer that they had not yet run out of chocolate!  After 2 more mini-cramps in my leg, we made it to the water stop, where I finally broke down and grabbed some PowerAde to replenish my empty water bottle (I also topped off my water in my belt).  I nearly kissed the kids handing out the mini chocolate bars.  I got 3 of them and immediately wolfed down the first with water.  The second one soon followed…then I was full.

Seriously?  Free candy bars, and I can’t even eat them??!!!  I asked around if anyone wanted my last one, but nobody around me bit (rim shot), so I grudgingly threw away the last one before it started melting. 

Mile 23 came and went (19:40…bathroom break added the time…average hr was a little lower at 158), and I realized that we only had about 5K to go.  About 5 minutes after eating her chocolate, Ellie…well…how do I put this…let’s just say that I think her blood sugar levels were a little low just before taking in the chocolate.  She got this HUGE surge of energy and looked like the Ellie from Mile 3!!  

At the exact same time, my right calf decided that it was also being neglected and started micro-cramping too.  We took a left and entered the air-conditioned, enclosed, perfect, costuming area from the Backlot Tour.  Ellie was on a mission now, and she was starting to pull away…I told her to keep going…I’d catch up after I walked the span of the air conditioning.  Darrell positioned himself between Ellie and me to keep tabs on both of us.

I was starting to get a little mad at my legs…yeah, even I think it sounds stupid.  I was starting to slow down the other 2, and told them to go ahead and finish…I’ll be able to complete it.

The tables had turned that quickly.

Both Ellie and Darrell said they’d pick me up and haul me over the finish line if they needed to.   I buckled down and started focusing on giving them both the RUN and WALK intervals.  Ellie was about 25 yards ahead of me as we worked our way through Studios.  As we were about to take a left off of the Streets of America onto Commissary Lane, I started about 5 seconds before the run to try to close the difference a little.  When the “official” time to start running came, I hollered out a “RUN!”, not realizing that the Streets of America facades made for a really good echo chamber.

Everyone around me jumped and wondered what was up with me.

I think I had 4 or 5 spectators in the park start running.

Ellie could definitely hear it – she turned back to see if I had donned a drill sergeant’s uniform from the costuming area earlier.

After hearing how loud that one was, I started laughing and apologized to those around me whose heart rates jumped about 20 beats per minute.  

Ellie was getting stronger by the minute and was running GREAT as we made it to Hollywood Boulevard.

That blue blur at the beginning of the video was Ellie streaking by.

Darrell mentioned that his wife was near the entrance to Studios.  I asked him what her name was and told him I’d make sure she knew we all knew her.  Ellie slowed down to wait for us as we approached the entrance.  We passed through, and, as we weaved to the Boardwalk Pathway, Kerri (Darrell’s wife) appeared.  We let out this huge barrage of KERRRRRIIIIII!!!!!!  WE LOOOOVVVE YYOOU!!!!!!!!!  Embarrassed but happy to see her husband, they talked for a quick minute, and she gave Darrell a shirt to hold up at the finish line (the “I DID IT” one).

I started ahead of the others a bit because I knew I’d be slowing them down in no time at all.  Ellie ran next to me again for a while, and, as we passed the last point where the busses could be at to sweep us, I told Ellie that there’s no sweeping us now.

That got all three of us a small surge of energy.  The only real problem that my surge was smaller than the other’s.  The course REALLY narrowed at this point, and we more or less had to go single-file as we worked our way towards the Boardwalk Resort.  Despite the time, there were still a LOT of people out cheering on the walkway, which really helped.  Many items of food, as well as a couple of beers, were offered our way.  We made to the Mile 24 marker (16:38 and 161).  Our next source of inspiration was just across the bridge by the Swolphin…Deb was going to be there with a bunch of people cheering.  Ellie saw them and kicked into 4^th gear.  I told Darrell that Deb was going to be at this one and that we’d probably stop for a second.

As Darrell and I made it to the top of the Swolphin bridge, I spotted Team AllCheers, who were all starting to do the MUUUSSSHHHH MUSHMUSHMUSHMUSH! Chant.  I took the downhill part of the bridge quickly and immediately cramped up again, so I glided into Team AllCheers rather gingerly.

  I gave Deb a quick but huge hug.  Team Member Kim Scharoff held up a Gatorade and asked if I wanted it.  I just stared at her for a second in bewilderment…how the heck did she know??!!  I talked about carrying Gatorade to her in passing because of the gout issues, and she went out and bought one for me to have for the finish.  I nearly kissed her for that…thanks, Kim!!!!

Before we left, I inquired about how far ahead Tom was, and they mentioned that he was about 5 minutes ahead but that Molly and the girls were camped out by the International Gateway (and then quietly…and they had a beer for us).  Depending on how much he chatted, we might be able to catch him.  We said our goodbyes and threw the run/walk interval out the window.  We decided to stay together and run as long as the three of us could until we had to walk…usually 15-20 seconds.  We saw another small Team AllCheers contingency between Deb’s crew and the Troost clan.

Then we saw Molly and (I think) Maggie up ahead. We had just finished a run portion and walked in (well, Ellie soared in…still on the chocolate high). 

Molly’s smile was just awesome, and, before I could even say “HI!”, she pointed to the cooler with our selection.  I initially declined (with the AllEars logo on my shirt, I didn’t really want to be seen with a beer can in my hand), but Molly said they had Red Solo cups for us to take.  As expected, I started singing the song.  I looked at Ellie, who didn’t want a full one, so we popped open a Mich Ultra and poured it into 2 cups.  I handed one to Ellie, and we toasted the Troost family for their awesomeness.

Photo Courtesy of the Troost Clan!

That was seriously the best-tasting beer I have ever had in my entire life.  I immediately regretted having only half of one.  Tom was only about 2-3 minutes ahead of us and feeling good…it was going to be close on whether we would be able to catch him or not.

We parted ways and approached the hill for the International Gateway.  The beer was gone within about 45 seconds of leaving them, and I was feeling good…no…GREAT!  I needed the carbs, and the beer seemingly supplied it instantly.  We entered that backstage area of Epcot and approached the final water stop – the volunteers made a big deal about it being the final stop…both for the fact that we were almost finished and for the fact that this was the last opportunity to get water/Powerade.  I passed on the water and wanted to get to the U.K. gate as soon as possible…I remember when I cheered at this spot 2 years ago and saw how big the smiles were as the runners entered the final park of the marathon.

The carbs in the beer apparently were used up, and I hit the wall in the span of about 25 seconds…about 25 seconds after we passed the last water stop.

Grrrrr.

We made a right-hand turn, and we caught our first glimpse of on-stage Epcot.  The torches were burning, and the music was blaring!  YES…we’re here!!!!!   Right as we entered the U.K. Pavilion, we saw a photographer clicking away.  Ellie and I had the same idea at the same time and got this pic:

(best pic of the marathon!!!)

After the pic, I turned to Ellie and said, (paraphrasing to keep this G-rated), “Ellie, we’re in Epcot!”

She repeated the exact (paraphrased) words back to me.

It was right at this time that I realized we were going to finish it.  I had to fight a couple of allergies that suddenly came up as I heard the supporters cheering and the inspirational music in the background.  Darrell took a moment to read a note that his niece wrote to him, and he was fighting back tears.  He showed it to us, and more allergies just about got to me.  I looked around for the WDW Radio Cheering Team (Lou, Deanna, Beci, and many of the Team often set up a cheering section in the U.K., too), but I wasn’t looking at the right place and missed them.  The U.K. was behind us, and mile 25 appeared on (what I never realized until just then was) a hill on the way to France. Mile 25 had us at 17:01 and 165 on the average heart rate.   Not a bad pace, considering we stopped a couple of times for Team AllCheers. 

The hill to France (again, I don’t ever remember it being there until now…I think they put it in for the race) nearly did me in, and I got sluggish heading up the bridge.  As we started the trek, down, I heard a voice calling out for Ellie and me – Team AllEars runner Rhonda Speer was out cheering for us on the France side of the bridge.  She was at the perfect place, and I really needed that.  I don’t think she realized it, but her presence gave me an absolutely huge boost…thanks, Rhonda! 

I realized that the energy was completely gone, despite another loading of energy beans and Gatorade.  I again told Ellie and Darrell to finish…I wouldn’t be too far behind.  Darrell again threatened to toss me over his shoulder across the finish line in order for us to complete it together.  I laughed and then entered a stage where I started reflecting.  I took in the music, but I also took a few minutes to think about the journey to get to this point.  My mind started going to the reason I joined the Team, and I got to thinking about those who we’re raising money for.  I looked at those around me doing the same thing and wondered about their stories.  That got me from Morocco to Japan.

Again out of energy, I trudged past the American Pavilion to the support of many people taking time from their vacation to cheer us on.  I thanked them and tried a couple more 10-15 second run intervals.  Ellie was checking up on me every few minutes, and Darrell maintained a distance between the three of us.  I really focused on the music being played for what most WDW marathoners call the “victory lap” around World Showcase Lagoon.  I looked over to Spaceship Earth and then just looked ahead.

“YOU’RE DOING GREAT CHRIS…ALMOST THERE…KEEP IT UP!!!!”

What the…

I snapped out of my trance and looked over to my right.  Jay Griffith had been waiting in the Italy Pavilion for me to make it past.  I gave him a big smile and a, “Thanks, Jay!” as I gave a thumbs-up sign.

There it was…the next surge.

That carried me to the Outpost.

Now it became a Country-to-Country battle.  Every time I tried to start a run interval, my calf would cramp up within 5-10 seconds, and I was starting to get into my head and beating myself up.  I hobbled past China and looked for a cast member from Norway to try to lift my spirits.   I started doing the “You are not de virst to pass this vay…nor vill you be the last” phrase as my mantra as I passed Akershus and Maelstrom.  Darrell slowed up to make sure I was still alive

As I transitioned over to the last country, I knew some of the Nerd Herd would be there, and, after having been standing there for a few hours with margaritas nearby, I knew it was going to be interesting.  Sure enough, when one of them saw me, the “MUUUUUUUSSSSHHHHHH!!!” chant began again.

Photo Courtesy of Erinn Casazza

Have I ever mentioned that I Love the Nerd Herd?

That got me to near the bridge and on my way to Future World.  Right about here was when my Garmin told me that I had done 26.2 miles…we definitely did some weaving around.  Mile 26 split was slower (talked to Rhonda, Jay, Nerd Herd, plus walked a ton…18:07 pace and 160 heart rate).  As I walked, I took a moment to look up at Spaceship Earth and take in the setting…yeah, it’s pretty awesome.

Julia Mascardo had just exited the Electric Umbrella as I passed.  She acted quickly and grabbed her camera:

 Thanks, Julia!!!

Ellie was still going strong about 10-15 yards ahead of us.  The crowds of those cheering was getting thicker, which again provided another boost.  We took the right turn just before Spaceship earth for the final quarter mile.

We passed the Mile 26 marker, and we were off-stage a minute later.  I could feel the smile that had been forming on my face becoming more permanently affixed as I knew what was coming up around one of the upcoming turns, and I could start to hear them.

Post by Darrell Burgoon.

I have always been a fan of live Gospel music, but WOW!!!!!  I applauded them at the end of the song and then turned to Darrell and Ellie, as we now only had a right-hand turn and then the final chute to the finish.

The crowds thinned just a bit at the turn, but then we all saw it…the Finish Line!!!  

We all agreed to have Ellie in the middle as we crossed the finish line.  We all went to a walk so we could cross the line at a run.  We crossed the ID strip, and I finally got to hear my name over the P.A. system as Carissa read the name that popped up on her screen. 

Kewl!!

About 100 yards before the finish, we saw Rudy Novotny jumping off the Announcer’s stage.  He immediately saw the Team AllEars logo at the same time we saw him, and Ellie and I hollered to him just as he hollered to us.

Yeah, I’m about to finish my first marathon, but meeting Rudy is also on my bucket list!

We stopped for a brief moment and talked to him…he was curious if we heard this year’s total for TAE, and we let him know that we broke $100,000, with over $330K for the total over our 5 years.

Rudy gave us a hug for that.

He let us go, and the three of us turned back to the finish line…around 75 yards out. 

The three of us looked at each other…

…clasped hands…

…and…

 (it’s my first marathon finish…deal with it!)

(I love how you can see Rudy in the background of that last picture - as well as in the video - cheering on the runners for those last few yards)

DONE!!!!!!!!!

26.2 miles. (26.73 miles, according to the Garmin)
7:10:20 

WDW Marathon Weekend 2014 - MARATHON DAY, Part 2

(Part 1 can be viewed here)

We crossed the start line, and I remembered to start my Garmin.  I looked down, and I must have been a bit excited as my heart rate was around 120 with my first step off.  MJ was the official timer for our Galloway group, and we all tried to keep together and to raise one of our arms to signal to the people around/behind us that we were slowing from a run to a walk.  It was a bit impossible to NOT have an occasional last-second lateral dart to avoid us, though.  Though I was worried about having my heart rate increase quickly because of the run/walk interval, I noticed that it leveled off fairly quickly, and the first mile came in at 14:49 with a 138 average HR.

The first mile was a special one because there were a number of Team AllEars folks manning the first water station.  As we approached the first table, I went into my Search and Rescue military voice and started shouting, “JAMISON!!!!!!!!!  OH JAMISON!!!!!!!!” in the hopes of embarrassing someone who is pretty much unembarrassable.  I think he heard me because he just shook his head as I went by (he had a smirk on his face, though, so I think he was amused).  We all shouted out to the Team AllEars volunteers as we flew by them.

As we settled into the pace, we started talking about everything under the stars (literally…it was still dark out).  We’d occasionally have someone outside of the group run up and chime in about something.  Whenever that happened, Ellie would shout, “STRANGER DANGER!!!” and, after having him/her tell us his/her name, put them on a 1-mile “probation” where, if they were still in our good graces, we’d let them run with us.  It led to a number of laughs and additional probations.

I had the intention of trying to get a picture at every mile marker, but, after seeing the pick of the first mile, I decided against it; it was so blurry that one could barely read the number!  We kept on going and were having a blast out there as we came up on the Mile 2 marker.  Because we started mile 2 in the middle of a walk interval, our time was a bit slower, but still fine (15:02 with a 145 HR).  Before we knew it, we started hearing the “Caution Runners…Speed Bumps Ahead…Please Watch Your Step!” announcement as we approached the MK toll booth.  After the 87^th time hearing it, that announcement sort of becomes your mantra, and I found myself chanting it unconsciously.  As is my tradition, I made sure to tap the toll booth as we went through it. Soon after this point, Steve dropped back for a moment as he was dealing with a minor issue, but he took care of it quickly and was caught back up.

The part from the MK Toll Booth to the TTC is somewhat of a boring one, so I took a bit of time to check some of the runner split updates I had received.  The first one I received was Bloomington/Normal native Karin Watts, who I met at our local Fleet Feet Sports.  Karin was doing the Dopey, and she looked REALLY strong, coming in with a 12:15 split at 5 miles.  The first Team AllEars splits came from Rich Gairing and, at the same time, Co-Captain Michelle Scribner-MacLean (there was a large group of the team running together).  Breast Cancer survivor and runner-adopted-by-everyone-down-there Kimberly Torres Markey’s message came a few minutes later.  Fellow Moose Brian Swann was doing well with a sub-14 time, and Podcaster and friend Will Jensen was right at a 13:00 pace at 5 miles. 

This part of the course was cruel in that we could see and hear all the runners on the Speedway, knowing that we were a good 5.5 miles away from being at that point.  Mile 3 was at a 15:11 pace with a 147 avg HR.  The talk among the group really started getting interesting (remember…what is said on the marathon course STAYS on the marathon course)…let’s just say that we had dozens of people around us cracking up.  Somehow the discussion turned to podcasts, and I mentioned that I always wanted to do an intro for Mike and Michelle’s show, but with a twist.  I wanted to do a Mickey Miles: After Dark intro.  I got into my Barry White voice and…well, let’s just say the terms “the Stick”, “Chafing”, “Body Glide”, “Nipple Guards”, “Marathon”, and “Six Hours” were all used in the intro.

Soon we made the turn away from the Speedway and into the MK parking lot.  We were approaching where I was cheering at the previous day, so I knew the character picture location (Jack Skellington) as well as where the cheering section would start picking up.  I didn’t even realize that our gaggle of runners was on the “wrong” side as we made our way to the TTC (the very thing I was complaining about when cheering yesterday…I missed a few Teammates because they were over there…and now we were too!).  The thing that made me realize it was that I heard my name being shouted to our left.  I peered over and saw Jay Griffith and Rikki Niblett screaming for us right where I was located exactly 24 hours earlier.  I had a big smile and acknowledged it and hollered a big, “THANKS!!!!” as well as a “Hi Rikki!!”, though we had never met in-person before.  Around the same time, Teammate Amy Frank flew by us with her daughter, Dani, who was completing her first marathon, too.

Mile 4 was close to the monorail station.  14:50 and 149 for the data…getting faster with no real increase in the heart rate.  The cheering section was PACKED at this part of the course, and the course narrowed quite a bit (we knew because we heard another announcement about 236 times).  One of our running crew expressed concern about back teeth floating, so we started strategizing for the first bathroom break.  I recalled Nerd Christine (ermahgerd) Griffin mentioning almost never-busy bathrooms by the Tea Cups, so we all agreed to try to make it there as it was just 50-100 feet off the course.

We were coming up to a part of the course that I was honestly a little nervous about…the water bridge by the Contemporary.  During my first half marathon back in 2011, I ran down this underpass way too quickly, which resulted in sore quads the rest of the race.  I wanted to make sure that this didn’t happen this time, so we all agreed to take it slow.  Luckily the vast majority of runners around us were thinking the same thing.  It was either that or they wanted to watch the DJ with the largest set of Mickey Hands ever seen waving to us on the water bridge.

One runner I was paying particularly close attention to was a fellow blogger named Amanda Tinney, who was dealing with IT band issues in the weeks before the race, and she was doing the Dopey Challenge.  I knew that she was also starting in Corral M, and I let her know that, if I saw her near the end struggling with the knee, I’d try to help running a bit with her.  Amanda’s 5 mile split came in about 4 minutes before we were to hit the 5-mile split mat, so it looked like she was doing okay!  I also had some Nerd Herd friends that started a corral or two behind us, and they were catching up to us quickly.  Our group’s 5 mile split was 1:15:50, giving us a pace of 15:10.  The Nerd Herd was about 2-3 minutes behind us.

The next part of the course is a favorite for most…about to enter the Magic Kingdom!  Steve asked if I could help out with a picture once we got to the WDW Radio cheering area.  He has a tradition of getting a picture with Beci Mahnken, who owns the well-known MEI- and Mousefan-Travel sites (Steve is a vacation planner under MEI).  We told the rest of our growing group to go ahead and that we’ll try to catch up around the Hub, where a large contingency of Team AllCheers folks would be.  We entered MK by Tony’s Town Square Restaurant, and head straight to the WDW Radio group:

(Photo courtesy of Steve Cantafio)

I was trying not to laugh as I was taking it because Valerie Drew was doing everything she could to NOT be in the pic (behind Steve).  

Once the pic was done, I extended my hand to Lou Mongello to say a quick “HI!”.  Katie McNamara, who was standing right behind Lou, looked right at me and screamed “HUG HIM!!!!!!”  Immediately, 2-3 other WDW Radio Cheerers joined in with the "HUG HIM! HUG HIM!" chant, and I finally remembered the fundraiser that MEI was doing.  Lou had a look of fear at the prospect of yet another sweaty hug from a hairy guy, but he offered it up.  Katie caught the precious moment:

(Photo courtesy of...well, you JUST read it in the previous sentence, didn't you??!!!)

With my man card now in the shredder, Steve and I make the classic mistake of catching up on Main Street.  This is a point to absolutely cherish the course…you’re running up one of the most famous roads, with the iconic Cinderella Castle in front of you…take the time to listen to the background music as you leisurely strol…OUT OF THE WAY…WE’RE ON A MISSION!!!  My heart rate skyrocketed to 170 as we flew to the Hub. We made the turn towards Tomorrowland and found our cheering squad.  Evelyn, MJ, and Ellie had just arrived there, and we said a quick “YO!” to everyone as we passed.  In hindsight, I should have asked one of them to get a pic of the 5 Teammates.  Yes, there is a video of this, but I'm holding off on posting it until the very end (you'll understand when you see it).  The goodbyes were said all-too-soon, and we crossed the bridge into Tomorrowland.  I honestly wish I were fast enough to be able to run this stretch in the dark so I could see the amazing lighting effects.  Oh well…maybe I’ll head over there on a night when the park is open and the crowds are really low…I’ll just run then.

We made our way past Cosmic Ray’s and let those that weren’t on the Team but were following along with us that we were stopping for a couple minutes to hit the bathroom, and Darrell said he’d be glad to wait for us.  As we peel off, I started to hear the tell-tale, “MUUSHHH!!! MUSH! MUSHMUSHMUSHMUSH!!!”  That told me that the Nerd Herd had caught us.  We all hollered back “ERMAGERD!!” as Julie Olson, EhrmaGerd Griffin, Dan “I ran a marathon” Rajnik, and Jeff “HellerYeah” Heller also exited off the course for the super-secret bathrooms.  It quickly became an impromptu meet-up, and there’s no way I’m going to divulge the conversations that went on during this!  While we were waiting for everyone to finish up, we grabbed a pic:

(I can’t believe I didn’t do the “Ears Up!” here…I know…Bad Mush…BAAAAD Mush)

With everyone properly relieved, we found Darrell, who graciously waited for us for several minutes, and we all started back up.  Dan was just ahead of Darrell, who was able to read the back of Dan's shirt, which he also wore in the 2012 marathon.  It has one of the best quotes ever on it!

  As we made the left turn in Fantasyland near Pooh, we nearly had a multi-runner pile-up when the girls all noticed Dr. Dribble waiting in line for a character pic….here’s why:

  (Photo courtesy of Laura Gilbreath)

Heading through the castle was a tight squeeze, so we walked most of that short section.  I saw a Marathonfoto dude at the exit, and I decided to remedy my faux pas earlier by not giving "ears up"...

 (MJ was framed perfectly in-between runners for the shot, too!)


As you can see in the picture above, we got spread out a little bit as we exited and made the turn to the forecourt area. 

This video actually captured everyone we were running with.  Evelyn crossed the strip at :18, with Ellie right behind her.  I can’t tell who the WDW Radio team runner is, unfortunately.  Julie, Christine, and Dan cross it at :22, and I’m crossing at :25.  MJ crosses at :27, and Steve and Darrell (who we are now considering to be part of the group) are about to cross at the end (Darrell is about 5 feet behind Steve).  Oh, before anyone gets up in arms, yes, I made a digital purchase from Marathonfoto, so I have the rights to the pictures/videos that I'm posting from them.

We all made the turn towards Liberty Square, and I looked for Tiana, but she was off-stage when we passed.  When we got to the bathrooms in Frontierland, everyone started yelling at Linda Eckworth, who was hopping back on the course.  Linda was supposed to run the 10K on Friday but was unable to make it to Orlando.  Someone on the team had a marathon bib that was going to be unused, so he/she offered it to Linda so she could take part in a race.  She started out with everyone else and was going to drop out once she made it to the 10K distance.  As a side note, someone even gave Linda their 10K medal since she did complete 10K during Marathon Weekend.

Have I ever mentioned that I love the people on Team AllEars?

Linda had this huge smile on her face as we all shouted her name.  She was running with Laura Gilbreath, who was right by her side.  Noting that everyone was screaming for Linda, I looked at Laura, and, in a quiet, subdued voice, I simply said, “oh, hi Laura.”  I couldn’t keep the smile off of my face as Laura gave me a sarcastic, “Gee, thanks, Chris…I really appreciate that”.  Laura said that Linda was doing great and should have a strong finish.

All too soon, we crossed the train tracks and were off-stage.  The marathon was about 25% complete.

(Part 3 can be viewed HERE)

WDW Marathon Weekend 2014 - PreTrip (Part I, Chapter 1, Subsection B)

Day 1, Part 1 can be found HERE.

Now all I had to do was be healthy and hope the weather was okay…

Yeah…right.

As every runner knows, the smallest ache/sniffle/cough sends one into an absolute panic in the last two weeks before a long run.  I was no exception.  I was back on the NSAID making sure that the foot was going to survive the marathon, and I felt like I was playing chicken with my foot and running.  I did ultimately get two more runs in before the race inside the rec center.

As every runner knows, the slightest change in the weather patterns at the race site sends one into an absolute panic that last 10 days before a long run.  I was no exception.  I knew that the forecasts lost accuracy anything more than 48 hours out, but I still found myself checking every hour or two for a hopeful one or two degree decrease in the forecasted high on the marathon.

I should have been worried more about the more immediate weather patterns here at home in the days before the race.  5 days before I was to leave, we got hit with a strong winter storm, ice, and the first edition of the polar vortex hit us with -15 to -20 temps and -40s for the wind chill.  Across the nation, people heading down for Marathon Weekend were in a dead panic trying to deal with canceled flights.

Taking Team AllEars Captain Mike Scopa’s advice from my first marathon weekend, I started backing up my wake-up times to prepare for the (VERY) early times needed for Marathon Weekend.  I watched as most everyone who was running Dopey started heading down on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Local Teammates Stan and Pam Harris had their flights canceled, so they made the decision to drive down.  Teammate Dave Dunkowski was in a bind with canceled flights out of Buffalo and a reported earliest departure after the 5K on Thursday.  Luckily, he was able to make it to Rochester and get a flight out to make it for all 4 races.  A lot of this was done in the wee hours of the morning, when I was the only one up in the house.

Thursday morning involved last-minute packing and final work on the boys’ pinewood derby cars.  Their derby was Saturday…the same day as my wife’s birthday…when I was going to be down in Florida…and they were in sub-freezing temps…during the absolute busiest time of her job when she really can’t afford to take any time off.  As you read this, most likely my name is still Mud.  I watched the 5K results come in via Twitter and Facebook and couldn’t wait to get down there…

…there was one additional problem, though.  The forecast for our area had freezing rain when I was supposed to be leaving.  I was working on contingency plans in case my plane couldn’t arrive the night before.  I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief when I saw the flight had departed Atlanta that night.  It meant that, unless there was a diversion, there would be a plane for me in the morning.

The weather in Florida was looking pretty good…hot Friday and Saturday, but cooling for the race on Sunday.  I changed the clothes in my suitcase about 30 times, much to the delight of Sheri (who usually is packed 4 months in advance of an upcoming trip and would have already included ¾ of our wardrobe). 

I made some last tweaks to my schedule and realized that I was completely booked the entire weekend!   

Here is the arrival day schedule:

• Depart BMI, arrive ATL
• Depart ATL, arrive MCO
• Magical Express to CBR…meet up with my room-mate, Steve Cantafio (friend, MEI agent, and fellow Team AllEars member)
• Packet Pick-up and Expo – hope the timing’s right to meet Rudy Novotny and Joe Taricani
• Head off-site for supper/party with the Nerd Herd at "the Nerdery"
• Back on-site to the Contemporary Resort for a quick drink with former students of mine who were getting married that weekend.
• Back to CBR to unpack and collapse.

(Yep…zero down-time…that’s how I roll!)

Friday morning came…DEPARTURE DAY!!!  I, of course, was up 1.5 hours before I needed to be for my flight (thanks, Scopa).  I tried to stay as quiet as I could to not wake up anyone (especially Wifey, who was (rightfully so) getting more surly at my impending departure and her arrival into single-parenthood). 

Does anyone else have the problem where, when you try to be as quiet as possible, you end up making more noise than a B1-B Lancer doing a full afterburner takeoff?

I checked my bags one last time to figure out what I forgot, hopped in the car around 4:15 am, and pulled out of the garage.

When I pulled into the parking lot at the Central Illinois Regional Airport, I couldn’t help but notice that my fuel mileage indicator was at 26.2…foreshadowing?  Everyone’s favorite shuttle driver Marv was waiting for me behind the car…a short 2 minute ride to the terminal, and I was in warmer weather!  I immediately headed for the bathroom and changed out of jeans and into shorts (I didn’t want to die, or worse, chafe in Florida when I arrived).

I/we left on a Thursday for the last two Marathon Weekends.  This year, with the addition of the 10K and Dopey Challenge, the vast majority of people headed down on Tuesday/Wednesday.  I left on Friday, and I think I was one of only 2 people on the BMI-ATL flight heading down for the races.  In fact, I was one of only 3 people on the entire plane! 

Okay…so I may have been a bit early. 

I always like getting there early to avoid crowds, give me time to run home when I realize I forgot something, etc.  Sheri (as is often the case) couldn’t go back to sleep after I left, so we texted a few times, argued on FB, and played Words With Friends (typical marriage, right?).  One of the funniest FB posts I got while waiting was from Holly Aulen, who simply said, “Hurry up and get here!”  While I was waiting, I got to read all the 10K posts and saw all the pics…I was really starting to get antsy to get down there!

 The flight was about 80% full, and there were no problems getting to ATL, though we did the standard touring of the entire airfield after landing on 9L.  Eventually we made it to the gate, and I rushed off to try nabbing a standby seat for an earlier flight.  One flight was already at 100% with a significant waitlist, so I bypassed that and shot for the next one.  I was one of the first to get on the standby list, but my priority was low, and I ended up get bumped lower and lower as more requested it.  I had time, so I grabbed a snack; two people working and two customers asked if I was a radio announcer with my voice (Michelle Scribner-MacLean would love hearing that).  I had one of the Team AllEars cowbells in my camera case, and it was clanging with every step I took…some of the looks I got from people in the terminal were classic!  Yeah, I might have stopped and started a couple more times than I needed to…just to get that bell making noise.

I made it back to the gate and watched.  I knew I was a long shot, but  I had one thing going for me, though: I was a single, and a number of people ahead of me were in groups of 4-5.  As they cleared the standby list, I got up to 11^th, and a call for a party of 5 that they called for didn’t show up to claim it. Up to 5^th, with a party of three and a party of 2 not on board yet………aaaaaaand the party of 2 showed up. 

I was that close.

Okay…so ended up on the flight I was scheduled for.  This flight had a much higher percentage of Marathon Weekend people, many first-timers.  Most had no idea what corral they might be in, so I helped them try to figure it out.  A bunch had never used Magical Express, so I told them what to expect.  They all agreed to just follow me off the plane.

The flight was uneventful…I listened to a little bit of one of the Marathon Show episodes and a couple of Mickey Miles Podcast shows enroute.  As we started our approach, I could tell that we were landing south.  Being an avid aviation freak, and having flown into MCO a number of times, I knew this was a best-case scenario.  First off, we didn’t have to circle around to land north (usually 36R).  Second, I knew the taxi to the gate was going to be about 5 minutes shorter.  Yeah, I’m channeling my inner Jay Griffith here (Jay is a fellow Disney and running enthusiast who happens to have the job I dreamed of for years…he’s a pilot for Delta Connection.  He’ll show up again in the report later).

My entourage and I departed the plane, and, after making sure that nobody had to hit the restroom (you NEVER do the restroom by the gates…you get on the tram ASAP before everyone else does), we hopped on the just-arriving tram to the main terminal and blew past everyone at warp speed.  Down the escalators…down more escalators…and into an open elevator.  BAM!!!  We were on the lower level in no-time.  Those of us with Magic Bands bid those without the bands adieu.   Now for the big test…will the magic band work?

I placed it on the Mickey post….aaaaaaaannnnnd..........nothing.

GRRRRRRR.

Granted, the other person from the entourage in line with the band also had problems.  We were both directed to a cast member who linked up the reservation and ticket to the band, and it worked without a hitch.  The funny thing, though, is that the group of us who didn’t even have Magical Express tickets ended up beating us to the buses. 

I hopped on the good bus, and we were on our way.  We stopped at several resorts first, including Yacht and Beach Clubs…I talked to a couple from Chicago about the races and Team AllEars…they were impressed with the Team and said they would look for us on the course.  FINALLY I make it to the Custom House...about 1 hour and 40 minutes from taxiing to the gate at MCO to the check-in area of CBR.  I didn’t even have to check in as Steve had already been there a night, so I went straight to the internal bus queue. About 10 minutes later, I tested out the Magic Band for real (Magical Express was just a test, right?), and IT WORKED!!! 

Steve was awesome enough to grab some miscellaneous paraphernalia for me from one of the main organizers of Team AllEars, Melanie Camphouse at a meet-up the night before.  Granted, I only looked for a moment, because Steve and I had plans to get to the expo and packet pickup quickly so we could make it to the Nerdery.  We made our way out to the bus stop, and the Expo transportation was there within 5 minutes (cool!).  We caught up on everything over the past couple of years as we made our way to the ESPN Wide World of Sports.  We grabbed our stuff, and, when I looked at the bib for the first time…

…what I was about to attempt really hit me.  I always had a running joke on Facebook (bad pun…I know), where, as the race got closer, I’d make “holycrapholycrapholycrap…” posts.  When I posted the pic of the bib, I included another round of holycraps.  That elicited a flurry of responses, both excited and mentoring.  Gordon Harvey again gave some awesome advice: “dude… when I got my bib for my first I called my friend/coach and said "wth am I doing!? These people here look like real runners!" and she said: "take a breath. YOU are a runner. YOU will do this."  Then he immediately followed with, “Hey Chris: YOU WILL DO THIS!”

Gordon…you rock, man!

We headed over to the HP Center and looked around the expo for a while.  I knew I was already nearly at capacity for storage, so I resisted the urge to buy a ton of stuff.  I remember reading dozens of race reports about how brutal the sun could be during the last half, so I broke down and bought a visor (and cursed myself for not getting a Team AllEars one when good friend Tom Troost was selling them).  My goal was to see if Rudy Novotny (we heard him but didn’t see him) and/or The Marathon Show’s Joe Taricani was around (Joe didn’t arrive until Saturday).  After about 15-20 minutes of browsing (and contemplating getting a pic with the Chiquita Banana girl), we headed upstairs, where Bart Yasso was part of a panel talking about running (kewl).  Steve got a text from Nerd Christine about wondering how to tell when the Portuguese chorizo was done (for the cookout).  The pervert in me gave a response that had Steve nearly in tears, but he didn’t relay it to Christine for some reason.

Steve and I exited the Expo and grabbed a cab to head to the Nerdery for the cookout.  It taxed the GPS, but it actually was pretty close to the Sherberth Road access into WDW.  For those who have stayed in an All-Star Vacation resort, the Nerdery was in the same area.  We went through security (they took it seriously there!) and arrived.

Now, I need to pause for a second to bring you up to speed on the Nerd Herd.  This crazy group started off as an off-shoot of Team AllEars members who continue to raise money to fight cancer. Their recipient organization is StupidCancer.org.  Last year’s virtual racing series brought in a fantastic amount for StupidCancer…the fundraising was far more successful than any member had anticipated (W00T!!).  When they were planning for Marathon Weekend 2014, they priced out options and found that renting a large vacation house off-site was the most economical way to go (read HERE for more information).  I was invited to stay at the Nerdery early on, but the initial plan was to have the entire Mushfam down for the weekend, so I passed.

I knew most of the nerds there, though there was a member or two that had I not yet met.  I hadn’t seen most of these folks in nearly 2 years, and I was really excited to catch up with them!  There was another reason, though.  Fellow Central Illinoisian Sara Rhodes had one of the most emotional days of her life on Thursday after the 5K.  I’ll let the Nerds’ post on their site recap it as it was done very well.  As I watched (on Facebook) the balloon hand-out to the kids to honor Sara’s cousin, Cale, I had allergies starting to hit me.  That was an amazing gesture! 

Oh, and, yes, I’m a nerd again this year with their 2014 virtual racing series (like there was any doubt).

Back to Florida and the Nerdery…we run in, and immediately Mike Paxton is there to give me the first of a plethora of hugs from people.  Team Heller-Yeah (Jeff and Erika), Garf (Brad), Jamison and April, Joelle (Mike’s wife), Erinn, Ermagerd Christine, Julie, and, of course, newly-engaged Sara and Jack, were all there, along with Christina (who I didn’t get much of a chance to talk to, unfortunately).  Several members from the team were also there…I’m afraid to try naming them all, because I know I’d forget one or two.  Tim & Dan, Lee & Laura, and Dave & Nancy (and the rest who I forgot) hung out for quite a while – it was great seeing everyone!!  I haven’t laughed that hard in a looooong time!  The food was great, and many, many beers were offered my way.  I passed on both the beef and the beer to avoid a potential gout attack less than 36 hours before the race.  I loaded up on chicken, fruit, chips, and water.

As the evening went on, I realized that there would be no way that I would be able to make it back on-site to meet up at the Contemp with my former students who were about to get married.  I fired off a quick message via Facebook to them and apologized for not being able to make it (about 45 minutes before we were supposed to meet).  They were completely fine with it – I think they were already a little exhausted.

The pool was starting to hop, and I intentionally left my swimsuit packed at the Caribbean Beach Resort.  Wait…no...strike that.  I’m not saying I was going au naturale.  I just wasn’t in a swimming mood, and I didn’t want to have the hot tub filter get clogged up when I jumped in.  I did have the opportunity to meet a newer Teammate, Brian Thompson, and his wife, Laura, as a group of us conversed around the table.  Their story is another one of those very inspirational ones, and they recently completed their first races on Thursday.   

Congrats, my friends!!

I could have stayed at the Nerdery until morning, but I knew that both Steve and I had to get at least a little sleep.  Steve was attempting the Goofy Challenge for the first time…for those not attuned to Marathon Weekend-speak, the Goofy Challenge is 39.3 miles…a half-marathon on Saturday and a full on Sunday.  Steve called for a cab, but Mike offered to take us back instead.  The cab was canceled (but he still showed up), and we got to talk with Mike for quite a while on the way back to the resort.  We bid Mike adieu and got ready for tomorrow.  Steve and I come from the same mold…we threw SportsCenter on and turned on the sleep timer!

Tomorrow is cheering day for the half!