{Goofy 2013}

Did y’all feel that? I’m pretty sure the earth just shifted over to a new dimension! 3 day weekend and I am NOT grading papers, inputting grades, or prepping for next week. What was that you said??? I’m ahead of schedule for the first time EVER this school year!!! I probably shouldn’t have said that out loud but I’m going to take a minute to enjoy it because by next week, I will be behind again.

The last time I visited this fancy blogging business, Jason and I were gearing up for our big Florida trip. I’m sure it might seem like old news for most but for me, it will never get old. Whenever I am able to take a peek at pictures from our race, I can’t help but smile.

The 20^th anniversary of the Walt Disney World Marathon was nothing short of AMAZING!!! By far, more than anything I ever could have possibly hoped for. I didn’t set any specific goals for myself (other than to beat my time from the previous year). My only wish was to enjoy the journey and of course take as many pictures as I possibly could. I will never run a Disney run in hopes of gaining a new PR. If it happens, YAY!! If not, oh well! I’m pretty sure this is the only time you will ever see those words because I'm actually quite competitive with myself! Running through a Disney park is simply magical!! The best part of running those 39.3 miles is being able to embrace the ambiance of Disney magic and believe me when I say I embraced every aspect even those horrid times when I felt like I wasn’t going to make it. After two Goofy runs, I can officially say that mile 24 is NOT my friend!!! I don't know what it is about that mile marker but I really think it hates me. I have now hit the dreaded "wall" twice and both times have been at mile 24.  

~WDW 20th Anniversary Marathon in a Nutshell~

Thursday 

January 10, 2013

Bags packed: Car loaded: Simply waiting for the bell to ring.

Said goodbye: Drove all night: Made it to Disney World in just over 14 hours.

Friday 

January 11, 2013

Disney Expo: Racing bibs: Just a few post-race prizes.

Carb overload: Hoping for sleep...2:30 am wake-up calls aren’t very nice.

Saturday 

January 12, 2013: 

Donald’s ½ Marathon ~ 13.1 miles

Unfortunately, Jason and I didn’t stay together during the races but the plus side to that is you just might get a feel for the race from his perspective. It’s a bit different from mine. I don’t think he uses words like magical, embrace, or anything close to amazing. I’m hoping he shares his side soon because it’s actually quite comical. I love that My Jay (the non-runner) will grit a smile through his pearly whites and sign-up for a race simply because I want to do it. In my defense, I really did try to talk him out of it but the bling was pretty dang inspiring. I will mention that after he crossed the finish line, he adamantly told me that the 20th was his LAST race and he will NEVER do the Goofy again!!!

My plan was to dress up as Belle (my most favorite Disney Princess). I worked my no sew magic and even recruited a couple of cuties to help me create a one of kind running skirt. It was perfect but lacked in comfort so I used my better judgment rather than my fashion judgment and decided to skip out on the complete cuteness for the day. I pouted for a while until I remembered that I still had a full marathon in front of me. I guess the bright side to all of my hard work is that I already have my Halloween costume ready for this year!  

I didn’t take very many pictures on the first day. The half marathon was over packed and the lines for the characters were INSANE!!! I opted to run the tight space race the best I could along with the 25,000 or so other runners. There were many points during the run where I had no choice but to walk with the flow of the other runners. I don’t remember the crowds being as bad last year but then again, last year my fractured foot pace was A LOT slower than this year. 

Warning some of the pictures you are about to see are not actually mine...shhhhh!!!!

Leaving the hotel, heading to the race

After a long hour and half wait, 

we finally made it to the start line

There were people EVERYWHERE!!!

My official time was 2:20. Definitely not my best time, but not my worst time either. The one thing I can say for sure is that I walked away feeling accomplished and ready to tackle 26.2 miles. The smile plastered on my face was legit. It was seriously one of the best runs of my life!

Sunday 

January 13, 2013: 

Mickey’s Marathon ~ 26.2

Finishing the Goofy Challenge ~ 39.3 

  

The 2:30 am wake-up call is still not my friend but I did manage to wake-up with adrenaline pumping through my veins. My spirits were high, my excitement level was out of control, and the best part of it all, my legs felt great!!!! I wish I could personally thank the 2 women I met after the first race. They showed me a recovery trick that I will forever use after every long run I encounter!

Most of you have probably already seen a majority of the pictures I am about to share but only a few have heard the actual memories that are attached to each picture. I’m very proud of what I managed to accomplish that weekend. Training for a marathon, rather a marathon and half, is one of the hardest challenges I have ever had to do. A majority of the battle is mental. It takes time and dedication. In most cases, time is not always on your side. I am completely in awe of runners who train all year around especially when you consider that most have jobs, families, or both. Dedication is not always easy. As much as I have come to love running, I can think of a time or two when my body just refused to get up for that 4:30 morning run. But enough about that, moving back to race day. The temperatures were expected to be way above normal so I was happy about my costume choice for the day.

My nerves kicked in high gear as soon as we boarded the bus. I was worried about Jason. His body had cramped the day before. I really didn’t want him to race but he was determined to see it through. He refused to let me stay with him. He made me a promise that he would take it easy and walk the whole thing and if he truly felt like he couldn’t make it, he would stop. The hardest step of my life was that first running step without him but I knew if I didn’t he would never have forgiven me and he would have walked off the course.

So without further ado, this is the race according to Shannon.  

 Shuffling our way to the start line

Ready to get the party started!

Mile Marker....1

I was asked to make a scary face

Laughing = EPIC FAIL!

 A dream is a wish your heart makes...

 To infinity and BEYOND...

The lines were SOOOO long but worth the wait!!!

Tale as old as time
True as it can be

 If you keep on believing

the dream that you wish will come true

 Yodel-ay-hee-hoo!

Practically perfect in every way!

 Ohana means family!

 Disney Speedway

(added just for the 20th anniversary)

 I am speed!

Moving on to DOUBLE-DIGITS!!!

 All it takes is faith, trust, and a little bit of Pixie dust!

 Rafiki knows the way!

 ~The Girls~

 ALMOST the half way point

 M---I---C---K---E---Y.....Mouse

The pride is FOREVER!!!!

 ESPN Sports Complex

Because it's ALL about playin' some ball...BASEBALL!!!

 Mile Marker...20

 Before you ask...Yes I know I didn't salute properly.

 Ain't nobody got time for that!

 EPCOT!!!

 My warrior pose after 24 miles...THE WALL!!!

 Mile Marker...26

Marathon COMPLETE!!!!

  

My official time was just over 5 hours. I beat last years time by over an hour. Not too bad for waiting in some pretty ginormous character lines and stopping in Animal Kingdom to ride Everest. Part of me wishes I would have paused my i-pod at every character stop. I know that the wait for Belle and Ariel was about 10-15 minutes long and the 20 mile marker took about 20-25 minutes. Part of me will always wonder what would have happened if I had not stopped. Would I have been able to pull off a sub 4 hour marathon? I will never know for this race but, this isn't my last marathon. Someday I will run a for-real 26.2 miles for time and not just for fun. Besides that, my pictures were well worth my time!!! As for the 2013 Goofy Race and Half Challenge...

It was totally wicked!!!!

~2013 Disney Bling~

It's hard to see but the Mickey medal spins. One side says "All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them" and the other side says "I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing. It was all started by a mouse"  

Walt Disney was quite the man!!!