#10: Finish a half marathon in 2 hours or less

For the fourth year in a row, my parents and I spent the first weekend in January in Orlando for marathon weekend at Disney!  This time we brought Shannon along - she didn't run, but was there to cheer us along...well...sorta...but more on that later!  We are by no means Disney aficionados or fanatics but we continue to go back year after year since we still feel there is something magical about the entire experience.  In regards to the parks, as adults, we have found that we don't worry as much about hitting every single ride - but rather we focus on our favorites, utilizing the Fast Pass system to our advantage.  We eat delicious dinners and relax with some drinks in our hotel room.  As far as the marathon, I would say that of all the runs I have done over the years, Disney continues to be my favorite.  There is something to be said about being surrounded by 27,000 other people (from all ages, heights, weights, etc.) - all gathered for the same purpose:  to cross that finish line!

Now onto the race details!  In order to interfere as little as possible with traffic for people trying to go to the parks (I am assuming), Disney has the earliest start time of any race I have participated in thus far:  5:30am.  This means that you have to board transportation to the race start by 4am - meaning you must wake up around 3am.  It's QUITE the task to get up that early in general, let alone having to get up that early and then run 13.1 miles.  Yet, I have a better perspective on the entire situation after getting up at that time last year and running 26.2 - so I was in pretty good spirits!

After scarfing down a bit of coffee, water, and a bagel with peanut butter, we were on the monorail headed for the start.  Once we arrived, we immediately got into a porta-potty line and tried to stay warm with our plastic trash bags and body heat.  The next hour or so was pretty boring - so I'll spare you the details - but eventually we made our way over to the corrals.  My dad and I (somehow) were put into corral A - way near the front, right behind the elite runners.  When I got my corral assignment the day before, the woman who gave it to me commented that I must be a really fast runner.  I wanted to inform her that there obviously must have been some mistake!  At any rate, after the national anthem (sung beautifully by a Disney cast member), a little show by Mickey, Donald, Minnie, and Goofy, and some fireworks, we were off running!

Prior to starting the race, I was aiming to try to keep up with  my dad as much as possible.  He ran a sub-2 hour half marathon last year and since I thought it was an attainable goal for myself after running 2:00:47 at Hershey in October, I knew I'd be able to pace well with him.  My dad unfortunately was just getting over a cold and was not his normal running self.  I ran with him until about the 5-6 mile mark before leaving him in the dust...hahaha...just kidding, he definitely had the elements against him on this particular run!  I myself actually felt really great during the run.  I ran the course before, so that made me feel more calm knowing that there weren't going to be any unexpected hills and that I was aware of the points where there may not be as many spectators.  I also knew to look for Shannon around mile 5, which was right outside of the Contemporary Resort (where we were staying), and was ready to wave at her while she cheered for me!  When I got to that point, I realized it may be more difficult than I anticipated for her to spot me (and vice versa) as spectators were positioned on both sides of the road and it was still dark outside.  Just when I thought all hope was lost - I saw her - and had to shout her name about three times before she turned to look at me.  I actually think she may have been sleeping with her eyes open - that's how super psyched she looked to be outside at that hour...  only kidding!  It was absolutely wonderful to have her there supporting me.

I knew that I was doing pretty well in terms of speed - although I made the mistake of forgetting my new running watch that Shan bought me for Christmas!  I stupidly left it in my hotel room so I wasn't sure exactly how I was doing time-wise - but I had a feeling (based on the clocks that were positioned at every mile) that I was going to be REALLY close to the 2 hour mark by the finish.  Needless to say, once I was a 1/2 mile or so away from the end, I started to PUSH IT.  When I crossed the finish line, the clock said 2:01:48, so I figured I either made it or missed it by SECONDS in regards to what my actual chip time would be - since I was pretty sure I started just a few minutes after the elite runners.  Turns out,  my official time was 1:59:49 (originally 1:59:51 according to the text message they sent Shannon - but I later found out it was 2 seconds slow)!!!!  WOO HOO!

HALF MARATHON CHAMPIONS...okay, maybe just "finishers"

I am not going to lie, I was/am pretty darn proud of myself!  Honestly, I think what makes me the most proud is when I think about how far I have come in terms of my running career.  Let me break it down for ya'll...

• 2008, Country Music Half Marathon (first half marathon) in Nashville, TN:  2:18:15
• 2009, Walt Disney World Half Marathon in Orlando, FL:  2:25:05
• 2009, Yuengling Shamrock Half Marathon in Virginia Beach, VA:  2:20:45
• 2011, Walt Disney World Marathon (first marathon) in Orlando, FL:  4:36:37
• 2011, Hershey Half Marathon in Hershey, PA:  2:00:47
• 2012, Walt Disney World Half Marathon in Orlando, FL:  1:59:49

So over a five year period, not only did I lose (and maintain) a 25 pound weight loss, I also shaved over a minute/mile off of my pace!  And I promise all of you, my goals of challenging myself to be faster and stronger don't stop here - I want to work more on my overall fitness and strength which will hopefully help my running as well.  And, not to be TOO cliche, but if I can do it, YOU CAN DO IT!  Just don't give up!  It might difficult at first, but it WILL get easier.  You just have to believe in yourself and push through the hard times.  I have found that running is as much a mental task (if not more) than a physical one.  My long runs are really just cheap therapy and I'm at a point where I'm not sure what I'd do without a couple of hours on an open trail or road.  I love it!

After a successful Saturday half marathon experience, we were able to treat ourselves to a much deserved mini vacation!  One of the highlights for me was our Sunday night "Drinks Around the World" experience at Epcot - a tradition that we will definitely continue in the future!

CHEERS!