I never have time during race weekends to keep up with the DIS, so I'm 30-some pages behind. I'll circle back and try to catch up, but for now, here's my race weekend wrap-up:
Expo: I came, I saw, I left.
I think I got there around 2pm-ish, got right in to pick up bibs (3 separate registrations for 5K, 10K and marathon), popped over to get shirts, and right into the merch building to buy a mug and a couple magnets. Quick, easy, no lines, no crowds!
5K (aka Winter): Cold. Very cold. Wore every layer I brought for that race and threw away none. I've once again come home with a pile of "throw-away" clothes.
Had a great time, though - strolled around with friends and took around 2 hours to finish! Character lines didn't seem bad, especially at the end.
10K (aka Fall): Still cold. Marginally warmer than the 5K, but I actually did some running, so I warmed up. Two layers on top, plus a warm hat and mittens, and was just right; actually threw away a throw-away blanket! If you saw a ton of penguins on the course, that was my running group. Had a ton of fun, took a lot of pics.
Day Off (aka Saturday, aka Spring): What an absolutely gorgeous FL winter day! My legs and feet said "no" to park time, so I lounged late into the morning, then hit Disney Springs for lunch and a little shopping before an early dinner at my resort.
Marathon (aka Summer): I was sooooo happy to see that forecast! No layers! No shivering! No tight, cold muscles! And I ran the race of my life up to mile 15ish: comfortably hitting a big PR pace. And then it all fell apart.
Some questionable meals in the previous days started to haunt my gut and I was so nauseous, I could not run at all for most of a mile. And slowing down somehow made the sun and heat feel worse. I had a hard time taking in any gels, the Powerade was super watered down on Osceola, and my blood sugar dropped hard. It was really awful for a long time. All I wanted was a Sprite and I thought if I could just get to DHS, I'd buy one on Sunset, but when I got there, the lunch lines were impossibly long. I texted my desperation to friends who were cheering on the BW and just kept trudging along until I got to them. They had an ice-cold Sprite waiting for me and I don't think I've never been more thankful for something! I started sipping and sat down right there for a while, and started feeling better and better. Finally got up and kept going, and by the time I got into WS, I felt like a new person! I took the lack of a line at Fife & Drum as a sign from the Universe, grabbed a beer there and felt better and better with each sip. In retrospect, I think my blood sugar was dangerously low and the combination of carbs in the Sprite and beer, plus soothing bubbles, made all the difference. I finished reasonably strong, all things considered.
I never felt as overheated as I'm used to running through FL summers, but it was pretty warm and I know medical worked their butts off that day! I saw some scary stuff out there and spent a lot of time asking folks if they were okay and sending good thoughts to strangers who seemed in need. Once I got into my car and cranked the AC, I felt fine, so I think my issues were mainly nutritional. Disappointing to clock my worst marathon time ever, given how well I was doing for the first 15 miles, but I'm happy now that I finished at all.
CONGRATS to all who participated in this Race Weekend for ALL Seasons! It was a challenging weekend and I think you're all winners!
I was pretty stiff after sitting on a plane for 4 hours, but most of the aches and pains have died down today.
