Since my Walt Disney World Marathon recap was so long, I figured I would keep this one a bit shorter.  It was only a 10K after all.  In fact, it was our second inaugural 10K, following the Disneyland 10K last August.  Ironically, the weather was very similar.  Although the temperature may have been lower at the WDW version, the humidity was definitely high, which pegged the sweat meter.

Not knowing what to expect, we were on the first Monorail to the race at 3 a.m.  That was a mistake.  We were among the first dozen or so people there it seems.  Now I know what I quiet start area looks like.  If we ever do it again, we know we can sleep in a little.

The race was divided into 5 corrals, A-E.  We were in the middle in Corral C.  I think the corral process for this race worked great as far as moving people though the start is concerned. Also, the corrals were right next to the staging area, avoiding the long walk involved in the Marathon.

Corral C view of Epcot

Each Corral had its own fireworks sendoff

The first 3 miles of the course took us out of the Epcot parking lot and back around to the back stage area of Epcot.  The start of the race was slow, and did not thin out until after the first mile or so.  I will echo the thoughts I have seen elsewhere that many of those participating in the Dopey challenge made the pace of the 10K artificially slow (even for me) and really crowded the course.  I am not sure what could be done about that, however, since they made up 7000 of the 10,000 participants in the 10K.

After passing under Test Track back stage, we entered Epcot in Norway at about mile 3.5.  It was really cool seeing Epcot lit up in the dark, and it made for a very pretty run, despite the humidity.  We rounded World Showcase and headed toward the boardwalk.  I could be heard several times saying, “I won’t be this happy next time I run here,” foretelling the upcoming Marathon.

Mile 2 outside Epcot

Lights of Epcot

Great Views

We left World Showcase at about mile 4.5 and ran around the Boardwalk area, passing the ESPN Zone and other Boardwalk attractions.  There were several characters out, but the lines were too long for us to get pictures, so you will just have to take my word for it.

The Boardwalk Beach

After rounding the Boardwalk, we re-entered Epcot at mile 5.5 near Journey Into Imagination and headed through Future World West to the finish, back in the Epcot parking lot near where we started.

Almost to the finish. . .

Last year these guys were at mile 20 of the Marathon

We were certainly not running for a PR, as we were treating this as a warm up for the Marathon.  Still, we passed a lot of folks making a quite leisurely jaunt of it, mostly all Dopey runners.  As a result, there was a lot of weaving in this relatively short run.  However, I did enjoy running in the dark, enjoying the lights of Epcot and the Boardwalk area.  It really made for a unique experience.  Overall, I liked the race, and would probably do it again, even knowing there will be more walkers than usual due to the Dopey runners taking it easy.

Another Inaugural Medal

Last year we ran the 2013 Walt Disney World Marathon as our first Marathon, and to say it did not go well is an understatement.  The first half went according to plan.  However, at about mile 15 I stopped sweating and it went downhill from there.  Our final time was almost 6 1/2 Hours.  Immediately after the run, I swore off marathons.  However upon further reflection, I decided I was not going to let the Marathon win.  So, we signed up for the 2014 Walt Disney World Marathon, which I dubbed my redemption Marathon.    This is the story of that Marathon.  (My WDW 10K recap will come soon).

I did not change a whole lot heading into this race, except our last two long runs were better than our last two long runs last year.  Also, I switched to eating raisins during my long runs instead of gels.  I think that made a big difference.  Most importantly, the weather this year was almost perfect.

Our 2:30 am wake up brought us temps in the mid 50s.  As usual we took one of the first monorails to the Race Retreat outside Epcot.  This year, there were 16 corrals instead of the 8 the year before.  This seemed to make the cattle drive to the start line much smoother.  It also seemed to thin out the course in the first few miles.  Not so much in the narrow miles from 6-8 though.

Character photos at the race retreat before the start

The race started at 5:30 a.m.  We were in corral K, so we crossed the start line about 35 minutes later.  We left Epcot and headed to the Magic Kingdom.  Just past the 5 mile mark, we entered the Magic Kingdom and headed up Main Street, probably the most magical part of the run.  Then, it was through Tomorrow Land, along Fantasy Land, and through Cinderella’s Castle – another highlight of the run.  Things were going according to plan at this point.

Fireworks from way back in corral K

First character stop on World Drive – Pirates!

Magic Kingdom parking entrance

Obligatory Contemporary shot.

Best part – running up Main Street

Our crew in front of the Castle

We stopped for character photos this year, unlike last year

We then headed out of the Magic Kingdom through Frontier Land and made our way through the narrowest part of the course toward the Grand Floridian.  This is where we first met up with the 5:30 pace group, running 5 wide on a narrow part of the course.  When they stopped to walk, they stayed five wide.  It was either a bulldozer running up on you from behind or a slow-moving wall in front of you.  We do the run/walk as well, but at least we know to go single file when we walk and try not to run more than two-wide.  We kept up our pace to get clear of the group.

Then, we ran past the golf courses and entered the Walt Disney World Speedway just after mile 8.  Once again there were race cars, exotic cars, and classic cars lining the track, and it is certainly another highlight of the run.  We exited around mile 9 and headed onto the least interesting part of the course which passes the trash and compost facilities on the way to Animal Kingdom at mile 12.

First time I have seen Jiminy Cricket!

View of Everest from the course

Just after we exited Animal Kingdom we passed the halfway point.  I still felt good and our time was respectable.  Again, the weather was certainly cooperating, which helped.  However, it was just after this point last year that it all seemed to fall apart, and that was certainly on my mind.  The miles from 15-20 are my least favorite, probably because that is when I fell apart last year.  This is also the hottest part of the course.  However, I felt OK this time around.

Hangin’ with Ferb!

We trudged on through these miles, said hi to Ferb, and made our way through Wide World of Sports (where they handed out water-soaked towels, which really helped for the rest of the race).

Unfortunately, the 5:30 pace group passed us as we exited the Wide World of Sports.  Fortunately, it was on a wider part of the course.  Exiting Wide World of Sports, we passed mile 20 still feeling OK, but realizing that those tell-tale signs were creeping in again.  For me, that sign was the fact that my headband wasn’t wet with sweat any more.  I had gone through two prior to that point, and the third was barely damp. (Yes, I carried 4 with me – I am that headband guy).  As you may be able to tell from the photos in this post, I was sweating less at the end.

6.2 to go!

But, we kept on and headed toward Hollywood Studios.  As painful as it was at this point, it was much better than last year.

As we headed to the Studios, and miles 21-23, Joyce began to struggle a bit, and we increased our walk breaks some more.  Around mile 23, the lower part of my legs began to cramp in muscles I didn’t even know I had.  It hurt with each step.  Ironically, it felt a little better when we ran than when we walked.  However, by this point we began to call it “shuffling” rather than running.  Still, our walk breaks were reasonable, and I was able to keep shuffling, rather than just walking like last year.

We made our way through Hollywood Studios, around the Boardwalk, and finally made it to the back entrance of Epcot.

Hollywood Boulevard

Around the Boardwalk

After taking a picture with Sleeping Beauty at mile 25, we made our way to the finish.

1.2 to go!

That last 1.2 miles around World Showcase are the longest 1.2 miles I know of.  We kept up with our run/walk and made it to the finish.  End result:  a personal Best that was 40+ minutes faster than last year.

Closer. . .

A sure sign the finish is near!

There it is! GREAT crowd support!

Mission accomplished?  I think so.  Do we have a faster time in us?  Probably.  Are we going to do it again next year?  Nope.  I feel OK about this Marathon, so I am OK retiring to half marathons.  I’ll never say never, but I have no interest in doing it again at this point. I feel I redeemed myself from when my body failed me last year.  I still had some issues in this one, but they were certainly less severe than last year.

I love the RunDisney races.  The courses are great, the entertainment on the courses is awesome, the crowd support is unmatched, and the volunteers are first class.  Even though the run was tough, I had a smile on my face most of the time.  From the characters and entertainment on course, to the thrill of running through the parks, to the inspirational runners all around us, I’m not sure the experience can be matched anywhere else. I can now proudly say “I did it.”  Last year, I wasn’t so proud to say that.

Mission Accomplished!

The time is near for the Walt Disney World Marathon.  Most of our long runs are behind us.  However, that last long run in marathon training is always a daunting one.  You have spent so much time in training building up to this point.  For me, it is almost to the point of burnout.  That is why we like to use races for our longer runs as much as possible.  Running with a large group of folks makes it easier, and the atmosphere around a race helps with the motivation.  Luckily, this fall, several half-marathons have fallen in line with our scheduled long runs.  Unfortunately, we had run out of half marathons for our longest run, until I found this race in Indianapolis.  It looked like it would be a lot of fun.  All runners received a Santa hat, beard, and tech shirt.  As with any December race in the midwest, however, you are gambling on the weather at this time of year.  It could be 70 or 20.  Sun or snow.  This year, it was 20, snowy, and windy.

So we headed north to Indianapolis last weekend for the Santa Hustle Half Marathon. It was our 20 mile long run day, so the plan was to run an additional 7 miles after the race. I usually like to add miles prior to a race so the finish line is actually the finish, but our schedule simply would not allow for that this time.

The best I can say about the weather is that it could have been worse.  It could have been a snow squall.  Indianapolis had just received about 5 or 6 inches of snow, and it was COLD with temps in the 20s and wind chills in the single digits. Undaunted, we set out with hundreds of Santas for our run.

Along with many other runners, we waited until the last minute to exit the parking garage (the exit to which was fortunately right next to the start area).  It seemed like all the runners had some sort of holiday garb on, and the mood was festive despite the cold.  I couldn’t run in the beard or hat due to my sweating issues, but we did have Christmas light necklaces to wear.  They had large pace signs at the start, and sent the half-marathoners off in two waves.  The race started right on time, and we started under cloudy skies with snow flurries and a stiff breeze.  Crisp? No.  Biting?  Yes.

The course mostly followed the White River through Indy, but did make a detour at the start into downtown. With the snow on the ground, it was a very pretty, although cold, run.

Did I mention it was cold?  Luckily, we were dressed for it, but it certainly added an interesting aspect to the race.  They had plenty of water stations, and the Gatorade slushies were a nice, although unintended, addition.  Any liquid left out for more than a few minutes froze. Each water station had Christmas Music playing, and they also had a candy stop and cookie stops along the course.  Taking the M&Ms at the candy stop was not the best decision I have ever made.  (Taking them again at the finish was also a poor choice).  After leaving downtown, the race headed back toward the White River and generally followed roads around White River State Park.

A picturesque part of the course

Cookie stop with Christmas music!

Since this was designed to be a long run for our WDW Marathon training, we were not running for time.  That being said, we both wanted to get it done so we could get out of the cold.  It seemed no matter which way be turned, the wind was in our faces.  I really commend the volunteers and police officers who stood out in the weather all day long with smiles on their faces.  They even had unique motivational techniques for those struggling in the cold.

Didn’t do much for me, but several ladies did pass me after this. . .

The sun finally started to make an appearance around mile 9 or so for brief periods.  When it did, it certainly made a difference.  Heading back along the river, we had a nice view of the Indy skyline.  It was nice to be able to see the general area of the finish line from a few miles out.  “We just have to make it to that building.”  I avoided telling my wife at mile 10 that rather than almost being done, we were only halfway through the day’s run.  Nothing good would have come of that.

Finish area is by the square building on the right.

The last few miles followed the banks of the White River and closed out the loop back at the same place we started.  In the last mile or so, we ran behind the Indy Zoo, where the large limestone walls provided some cover from the wind, and crossed a bridge back over the river to the finish of the half.

Behind the Zoo – a little wind break

Again, we weren’t running to break any time records, but we finished with what I would call a respectable time for a long run.  We crossed the finish line and headed to the car for a short break to warm our hands and to change ear warmers (for me).  After that, we waddled back to the start line to get started on the remaining 7 miles of our run.  I had no idea how I would do it due to the way I was feeling, and feeling how cold it felt when we went back out.  We ran back up the last few miles of the course a couple of times, and remarkably, we did pretty well.  It did not get any warmer, and the sun disappeared, but we completed our 20 miles.  Now it is on to the taper for the WDW Marathon.

Overall, I liked the Santa Hustle.  It would have been a lot more fun if it was just a 13.1 mile run for us, or if the temps even sniffed 35 or 40.  However, the mood was really upbeat, and all the Santa outfits were really cool.  Best of all, the organizers shipped race bibs and packets ahead of time if you requested it.  That saved us a trip to Indy.

Now, it’s on to Disney World and the redemption shot at the WDW Marathon.  Hopefully, the weather and my body cooperate this year.

The Bling

This weekend we returned to the race of our half marathon PR.  The weather could not have been more different than our last half two weeks ago at the Southernmost Half Marathon in Key West.  SOMO start temp: 80.  Big Hit start temp:  33.   I must admit, I am not yet into the winter running mode, and am not in practice in properly layering.  However, I luckily hit the nail on the head on this one.

We arrived early to get in a couple of miles before the race, since we were scheduled to run 15 miles this weekend for our WDW Marathon training.  We were not as early as we wanted to be, so we cut it to 1.5.  Even then, we were not able to get a restroom break before the start since the lines were so long by that point.  We decided we would just hit some along the way.  Not the best choice.

Downtown Louisville start

As you can see from the home plate in the race logo above, “Big Hit” is a baseball reference.  The race started just outside Louisville Slugger Field, a minor league stadium.  The finish was at home plate, but more on that later.  This is a small to medium-sized race with about 900 runners as far as I could tell from the bib listings.  As a result, the start was smooth, and not very crowded.  We lined up at the 11 minute mile pace sign, and we were on our way.

Big 4 Pedestrian Bridge over the Ohio River

The race headed out River Road for a short out and back before we headed back toward downtown Louisville.  It was a beautiful morning for a run, and we started out at a comfortable pace.  At about mile 1.5 we saw some porta pots off to the side of the course with no line.  Score!  Well, not really.  They were locked!  Teases!

Sunrise over the Ohio and the Clark Memorial Bridge

Belle of Louisville

After about a minute delay for that failed mission, we made our way down River Road, past the Belle of Louisville steamboat.  We were regretting not being able to make that bathroom stop before the race.  The comfortable pace was not so comfortable any more.  Just past mile two, at the water stop, we spotted some porta potties with only one person in line.  Great!  Well, not so fast yet again.  I think the two folks in the porta pots ahead of us, and the one in line, were the slowest restroom-break-takers I have ever seen.  That was a VERY frustrating 4 minute stop in the middle of a run.  We weren’t necessarily shooting for a PR, but we are a competitive couple, and it was still a pain in the rear.  If we didn’t have pains in the bladders, we would have moved on.  But we weren’t taking any chances.

After that annoyance, we continued on through downtown Louisville, past the KFC Yum! Center, and past the Louisville Slugger factory, home of the world’s largest bat.

World’s largest Louisville Slugger

The race then took us out of downtown, where the 1/4 marathon race turned off, and we continued toward U of L and Churchill Downs.  This is a gorgeous stretch of the run, following tree-lined streets with stately old homes.  There were bands spaced along the course, which was great, and there was some good crowd support at spots along the course.

U of L – The sun never really came out from behind that cloud line

Much of the way out toward Churchill Downs, we had the great 2:30 pace group leader near us.  She cheered loudly for each and every runner she passed on the out and back portion of the course.  It was certainly a pick-me-up, and it was great to see all the smiles she caused.  We had made it a goal to catch her after our bathroom delay.  We did that by mile 6, and we were out of earshot by about mile 8.5.  The race turned around at mile 8 outside Churchill Downs and made its way back to Slugger Field.  (We got a cheer of our own from the 2:30 pace girl!)  I really like this part of the course too.  It is essentially a 4 mile stretch that feels downhill back toward the river, and it follows that same tree-lined street.

We were able to see the folks still heading out on our way back, which is always interesting. We saw the last of the runners heading the other way.  Right behind them were the sweepers.  Not just any ordinary sweepers.  The Big Hit doesn’t mess around when it comes to sweepers!

When they say sweepers, they mean it!

We continued back through downtown Louisville and made our way back to Slugger Field.  The route takes runners in through the center field fence, around the warning track, down the third base line, and finishes at home plate, which makes for a great experience to end the race.  We finished our 11th half marathon strong, with a pretty decent pace for us.  It was more than twenty minutes faster than the SOMO just two weeks prior, and knowing that we blew about 4 minutes on bathroom issues, we felt pretty good about our time.  What a difference 40+ degrees makes!

Home Plate Finish

Not a fan of the steps to get out after 13.1

Great use of the scoreboard for the spectators

A lot of people make a big deal about running through Angel stadium at the Disneyland Half (me included) or Champion Stadium at Disney World, but having the opportunity to finish on home plate at Slugger Field tops both of those for me.  Sure, the crowd is smaller than Angel Stadium, but the experience is certainly better than finishing in some parking lot.

I like to think the Big Hit is an undiscovered gem.  It has a great course, good organization, enthusiastic volunteers, and a really cool finish.  Maybe I am just biased because it home to our PR.  So be it.  I hope to be back again next year.