Team 6 - Team Ohana - Check in and introduce!

[corinnak]

I should also say that this wasn't even all the Ohanaites I saw that weekend - his was just who we were able to gather up quickly at the end of the POP meet.

 

[laughinplace199]

Hello Cousins!

Maria, Corinna, Jeanne, Debra, Jen B, Mel, and Jen - it was great to meet all of you this weekend.

Corinna - Thanks for posting the picture. How did you do on your race?

Jen B - How was your marathon? You must have had a good experience if you're going Goofy next year! I think I saw you in the beginning. If it was you, you went by me on the way into Epcot, but you were too fast for me to try to catch up to you.

Jeanne - How did all of your family members and the Greek do in the races? I hope that MouseDogMom's DH found someone to run with. I tried to find him, but I didn't realize how crowded the corrals would be. Plus, I thought I was in corral F, but I was actually in E, so I wasn't really in a place where I could find him.

My DH (Rob) and I had a great time this weekend. The marathon was tough, but I'm so glad I did it. We finished in 5 hrs and 41 min, which I thought was pretty decent for my first marathon, especially given all of the port-o-potty breaks I took. I was drinking a lot of water (maybe too much?) since I'm not used to running long distances in warm, sunny weather. I was feeling a bit nauseous for the last few miles, but I made it!

I can't wait to read everyone else's race reports. I hope everyone had fun!

 

[jbucci]

My race went ok.. I finished at least. In the beginning I stayed with the 5:30 pace team and was doing pretty well until I lost them at the roughly 7 mile mark-- the course was a bit up hill and narrowed down near a water station and short little me couldn't see the balloons anymore around all of the tall people. I managed to keep a good pace until in front of the Contemporary when I decided to take a walk break so I could run "strong" through MK. It was all good until 3/4 of the way down main street when my right quad developed a monster cramp and I could barely walk. I tried repeatedly to stretch it out but every time I tried to run it would just respasm, so I walked a lot.... I did manage to run through AK and Hollywood Studios but not fast enough to make up the lost time. I finished in 6:18, not quite what I was hoping for but at least I was able to finish...

My DH, however did an awesome job and finished in 4:56. I super proud of him. He really wants to do Goofy next year and I know that I can't let him get the medal without me

 

[deekaypee]

Hey, everyone! I'm home, recovering from the cold I caught, volunteering for the 1/2, I think. (It was cold if you weren't moving like you folks--go WISHers!).

First off, at the POP meet: I'm so happy to have met my family, but wanted to apologize if I seemed distracted or flighty (or flightier than normal ). In case you didn't hear, my FIL was in the Celebration Health emergency room during the meet and DOOD and I didn't know exactly what was going on. My MIL kept calling DOOD with updates, but we were a little worried. Anyway, I know I kept scanning the meet to keep an eye on DOOD, trying to determine from his face if we needed to leave. If it seemed like I wasn't interested in talking to you, I'm sorry. Definitely not the case.

Oh, and was I the only one who found the POP meet overwhelming? Lots of people to meet and talk to, not enough time. I say we need a mini-meet before the big meet!

Corrina: Great picture of us. It was slightly chaotic, and DOOD had the camera, so I missed the opportunity to get a pic. And I really enjoyed eating with you (and Bryan, Jen, and Butch). One last thing, I'm so glad you "saved yourself for me" at the 1/2 water stop. Everyone laughed so hard at that!

Nancy: Good seeing you at POP. And so great seeing you on the course, especially since that's where the going was really rough for us. (We were walking with Jackie's DH, who was experiencing bad cramping.)

Jen: Great to have dinner with you and Butch, and to learn that your last-minute childcare plans worked out. You did very well, I think, and the proof of that is that you're willing to go Goofy next year. ($285--yeesh!) Either that, or you're a bit obsessive. Just saying..... OH, and yay for Butch!!!

Julie: You did great. I'm glad you didn't need to drop back with me, as I was the back of the back of the pack this year. But I'm selfishly sorry we didn't talk more at the POP meet (see above). No funny voices and hand gestures for you. (Consider yourself lucky.) It does sound like overhydration--same thing happened to me last year and made the last mile at Epcot pretty miserable. Jackie's DH ended up with Jackie and me, walking, for the last part of the course--bad leg cramps.

Mel: I was so very grateful to see you on the course. Your timing was just perfect, along with the goodies. You, Vic, Anne, Susie, etc.,--so many WISHers I forget who was where when--just perfect. I also enjoyed realizing your DD is a fantasy-novel reader. Silly, I know, but there it is. DOOD also really enjoyed his conversations with Jeff, and hopes he didn't say the wrong things after Jeff's marathon.

Jen: I was so glad that we met up early, before the official meet began. It helped me feel less overwhelmed by everything. Familiar faces, and you looked great. I think we have similar goals for 2009, too.

Maria: I suppose I should apologize for hugging you at the water stop, me being all sweaty and all. But I won't, because I missed you at POP dining experience. What? Our lovely pasta special didn't appeal to you?

Jeanne: I really enjoyed getting to spend so much time with you, as did DOOD. (He mentioned it several times.) Congrats to DD, the Greek, and DH, as well as to you. Jackie and I were planning on catching up with you permanently, and I think we could have under other circumstances, and were very impressed with your pacing. Next time I need to get in the same corral as you are.... And now I have an embarrassing question to ask you. How do you pronounce your name? I've heard three different people pronounce it differently, and now I'm insecure.

Robert and Linda: I know you don't often post here, but hope you lurk here. I just wanted you to know how inspiring it was to see you on the course. You looked great and were really booking it. I told Jackie that I didn't have what it took to catch up with you two, but you certainly inspired me to keep going!

As for me: Okay, just so you know, I'm very happy to have officially finished, strong and injury-free. The time was 6:58:34, and Jackie (MouseDogMom) and I finished in the same time. We really were the back of the pack. And it was party, party, party all the way! We took pictures, pet a donkey (how many marathons offer that opportunity), enjoyed our potty and blister-prevention breaks, and taked non-stop. I even ate so many goodies offered by scream teamers that I gained weight on the course. Jackie's DH had some leg cramping issues, and so we ended up walking with him near the end and only left him behind to make sure we got our bling. (A girl's gotta have priorities, you know.)

There will be more stories later, of course, including the ones about the ILs, but nothing more important than our team's race reports. So let's hear them, folks.

ETA: Oh, and for those who are wondering: DOOD's time was 3:44 and change. I'm officially twice as slow as he is--and he can run faster than that! I don't know if I'm proud or envious!

 

[aldisneygrl]

Sorry, peeking my head in here to say that Debra I saw yours and Jackie's pics on her FB page. Y'all looked like you were having a blast. I was kinda jealous. Glad to hear that you finished strong. Sorry to hear about your FIL, is he ok now?

I was cheering for you both from all the way up here in AL, didya hear me?

 

[corinnak]

One last thing, I'm so glad you "saved yourself for me" at the 1/2 water stop. Everyone laughed so hard at that!

Debra - this is hilarious! I wasn't thinking about your colleagues within earshot at the water stop. Hope you feel better from your cold soon! Was the volunteer "attire" a sort of windbreaker? Great job on the full for you and DOOD. How did the surprise go with your BIL? Is your FIL still doing OK?

JenB - that is so tough about your leg cramp. I'm impressed that you continued and were able to finish. That takes grit. And then to sign up for Goofy! Just - WOW.

Julie - My race was pretty good- I ran most of it at my "happy pace" du jour, and I was glad just to finish, but I did come in just under 3 hours, which was what I was hoping for. I am looking forward to beating that time heartily next year! I'm posting my report on my journal, just cause it's kind of cloggy. So far I've gotten through bedtime on Friday night.

And me? I've been following the Marathoning for Mortals post-race schedule. It's the first time I've done the postrace schedule as written. Given that I didn't follow the actual training plan well AT ALL, I find it slightly amusing that I'm doing the postrace plan. I've also got a new resistance band DVD workout. I was shocked to find that it had me sweating earlier! I registered for 2010 on Monday!

 

[gatorphipps]

WTG everyone! You guys rock!
Just think....you don't have to do a long run this weekend.....I DO! and it is going to be cold.

 

[chimera]

Christa...are you going to be able to join us for 2010? Stay warm this weekend.

Everyone did great this weekend!! This was the best one yet and I can't wait for next year. I must admit, I had some serious medal envy walking around the parks on Sat and Sun. The new Mickeys and Goofys are really cool. Please stop over on the brainstorming thread to help us make it better for next year!

I had a great half though I missed hanging out with Jen, but DH was not so thrilled with his full experience. I believe he's still in the "I'll never run another step again" phase. He had stomach issues much of the race which made it difficult to get into a groove. He was going to run the Sarasota half with me next month, but now doesn't know if he wants to

I'm thinking about registering for the Princess half.

Debra...yes, we both read a lot of fantasy stuff. There's the requisite Harry Potter and Eragon, but also David Eddings, Terry Brooks, Diana Gabaldon, Anne Bishop, etc, etc... We're also into the whole vampire/demon genre. BTW, Julie were you the one who mentioned the Demon-Hunting soccer mom series...those were great!

Corinna...half or full for 2010?

JenB...you guys looked great out there! Butch was cracking jokes when he went by.

Richard...what's next for you?

Nancy...how bout you? Did you wear the birthday button?

Jeanne...you looked great too! How did the Greek do?

I registered for the half again. Can't believe it's a whole year away again!

 

[jbucci]

Tragically, Butch is always cracking jokes-- I find it best to not encourage him at least during a race you can change pace to get away from the jokes when you tire of them--- his jokes and those Sharpie signs were right on par with each other....

 

[jeanneg]

WTG everyone! You guys rock!
Just think....you don't have to do a long run this weekend.....I DO! and it is going to be cold.

Ha,ha, Christa....my thoughts exactly! We're going into the single digits this weekend, which is very unusual for NC, and all I can think of is...... WE CAN SLEEP IN!!!!!!

It was so great to see everyone this weekend and I'm proud to say that Team Ohana had a very strong showing. Thanks for posting the photo, Corinna (it's alot better than the one I have). There were actually more Ohana members at the meet - Nancy, Robert, and Linda - who never came outside for the photos........and what happened to Maria's husband, Dennis? I know I met him at Pop, but he's not in our photo. Dennyha wasn't able to attend the meet, but I saw him during the half while I was working and then again after the full. So all in all, we had a GREAT turnout!
It was so neat to meet and reconnect with all the cousins. What a fabulous bunch we all are! I loved seeing everyone during the half while I was working the water stops with Deb, DOOD, Jackie (MouseDogMom) and her DH, Bill. My hubby opted out of working and it's probably a good thing he did. He had some medical issues just before Mile 20 during the full and the medics strongly urged him to drop out. Had he worked the water stops the day before, I know both he and I would have blamed his volunteering for the less than optimal performance. I managed to shave off about 6 minutes from last year's time. thank goodness I had given myself a big cushion because those Miles from around 20 to 23 were pretty ugly......and slow! Once I saw Matt in MGM and he walked with me a bit, I was much better. I knew I only had a few more miles and there would be WISHers all along the way. I got a kick out of Nancy sitting on the lawn in a pool chair with her clakkers at BW. I REALLY missed having her to talk to this year....it made the miles seem so long!
My son did really well this year and managed to shave almost a full hour off his time from last year. 4:30 vs. last year's 5:27....not too shabby for someone who never trained past 12 miles. Ahhh, youth!
And the Greek finished!!!!! Although I heard from my daughter that they almost broke up several times on the course......he was NOT a happy camper and complained the entire time! For someone who did not train one bit, he had a respectable time: 3:12 I was secretly very happy because that would have been slower than even my slowest HM time. Later on, I checked the results and saw that their chip time was actually 3:10, which is one second faster than my slowest time, so I'll have to keep my mouth shut! Long story short, my daughter feels like she didn't race at all this year so Monday she signed herself up for next year's Goofy! I, myself, am leaning towards doing the half and working the full next time around. We only got a t-shirt for working the half and I really want that jacket. Plus, it looked like the WISHers that were cheering for the full were really having a blast and I'd like to join them next year.
If anyone has some good photos, please post them!

 

[deekaypee]

Btw, Ohana, rumor around the boards--from other teams--is that the challenge is on for next year. Feb. 1st might be the start date. Who's in?

WTG everyone! You guys rock!
Just think....you don't have to do a long run this weekend.....I DO! and it is going to be cold.

Ooooh, I feel for you. I did a SR today in the cold and thought I was going to die! What's the mileage? And please tell us you're in for next year.

Corrina: We had a great laugh about the phrasing. Yep, our minds were in the gutter. I blame Jackie and Bill (cause they're not here to defend themselves). Like you, NOW (post-race) I'm following a training plan. Sheesh! Oh, and people who volunteered for the 1/2 didn't get the windbreaker. We got a long-sleeved cotton shirt that said 1/2 marathon (not even volunteer), so it looks like we ran the race or bought the shirt at the expo. I can't wear it in public. Other than that and some organizational things, I loved volunteering.

Allie: Thanks for popping in, and I most certainly did hear your cheers on race day. Boy, you're loud. Signed up for next year yet? (Hint, hint.)

Mel: Register for the Princess Half, please! I'm trying to convince DOOD we should go there for spring break--not so that I can run, not with our race budget, but for spring break. And maybe so I can scream team. We already have APs, and Disney's offering good deals. So is Southwest....

Jen: Butch cracked me up, consistently, at the POP dinner. I'll gladly hang with him any day, not that I can keep his pace (or yours)....

Jeanne: I'm so proud of your DH for going as far as he did, and then having the courage to stop when urged to do so. And kudos to your DS for his time, to DD for Goofy, the Greek for completing, and of course to you. You make it all look so easy. You were really flying whenever I saw you. (And I was so far behind than if you did slow down, I wouldn't have seen it. )

As for me: First post-race run today. Outside, in the cold. 7 degrees (-7 windchill.) I'm really feeling sympathy for Christa this weekend. Cold weather running is not my thing.

As for the family: As long as we're waiting for folks to get back and post, here are the family updates:
1) My FIL is fine, I guess. He was supposed to stop in at Celebration Health on Monday, but was "feeling fine" and so skipped it. They're still in Florida, visiting friends, so no news is good news I think.

2) My BIL arrived late Saturday afternoon and surprised his parents. I gave him one of our volunteer tickets so he could watch the race in Epcot with his parents. He slept in late, though, so the three of them toured Epcot while DOOD waited for me to finish. Then we had dinner at Rose & Crown and watched Illuminations. (I don't think he was impressed--he doesn't like Disney--but he was a good sport about everything. And we talked about Burning Man. Bonus.)

 

[deekaypee]

Here's one I'll call Hula Babes (even though no one is doing the hula, an oversight I'm sure). Note that DOOD wisely took the picture when my back was to him.

 

[corinnak]

Ha ha ha - great photo! I'm proud to be one of the Hula Babes!

Mel - that would be the half again next year for me. I'm going to volunteer for the full. I've got a couple of travel companions who are running the Goofy, so I'll definitely be sticking around anyhow. Maybe someday I'll try the full, but I'm not ready to commit to that yet.

Debra - that is such a bummer about the "attire." Glad to hear your FIL is doing better. It was nice of you to "donate" your volunteer park admission. Too bad about the wine toast/Rose&Crown situation. What a lucky last-minute reservation, though! I'd have been all Did you have a Welsh Dragon at the R&C? It is my "traditional" post-race beverage and has non-medically proven benefits for race-weary legs.

I am about the worst about recording and reporting miles, but I'm willing to continue to blunder on with it if others in the group want to.

Jeanne - Congratulations on finishing the full! So sorry about your DH's trouble. I hope he is feeling better now. Congratulations to your son, as well. That is a HUGE lot of time to shave off from last year. I'm glad your daughter will get to run HER races next year! Goofy, apparently, is the best "revenge"!

 

[gatorphipps]

Love all the pics...keep em coming.
I am just so excited about everyones experience during the marathon weekend....

Debra - Can DOOD give me his time? My BQ is 3:45 so that would get me in. I don't know if that would be legal.... Glad your FIL is doing better.

jeanneg - Sorry about DH and WTG about DS... about the Greek!

DH is talking about WDW 2010. So of course, I will join...will just do it for fun if I get a good time at Myrtle Beach.
I guess I shouldn't complain...I only had to do 12 and did it on the dreadmill...very HOT in the WO room. 8:34 MPM ave....

 

[Jen117]

Hey Cousins, It was so great to meet may of you at Marathon weekend. I know I dropped off the boards for awhile this fall due to personal reasons. I am trying to make my WISH boards comeback.

Debra - I loved our little pre POP meet chat!!!

Mel - I missed running with you!!!

Jeanne - Sorry to hear you DH didn't finish. But he made a GREAT effort and that is awesome. WTG on you 6 minutes!!!

I had to leave Sunday noonish, but was able to volunteer at WS #2. WOW, insane. Everyone was still so close together still. I loved seeing everyone come flying through!

OK, gotta run (not literally).

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Aloha, Cousins!

Wow, it was so great to see everyone at the Pop Meet! I loved putting faces to names. I'm not overly thrilled with my appearance in the photos, but then again I keep expecting to see my head superimposed over Heidi Klum's body...but I digress.

Dennis and I were both indeed at the Pop Meet, and we did have dinner there afterwards. Dennis spent the Ohana photo time chatting with Julie's husband, which is not surprising since he views having his photo taken as one of the levels of Dante's famous destination. By the time we got our food (rather slow on the registers, we found), the WISH group was quite large and the tables were clearly full. We just found a quiet area and ate our "marathon specials". I don't mean to be unfriendly, but large groups are harder for me, and I had probably reached my limit with the Pop Meet. But I did love seeing everyone, and the Ohana group rocked!

Let's get this race report out of the way. I've been dreading it , because now you will all know the depths of my klutizness. I was off to a fine start, cruising along mile 1&2 in the 13-14 min range, just where I wanted to be. I saw the Magic Kingdom entrance, and I was feeling good. and then the speed bump jumped up and hit me in the chin. Yep, I went down. It was not pretty. Of course, I didn't know how bad it was at the time, just that my chin and knee hurt a lot, but there was no way my race was over. I wove my way over to the toll booth and gathered myself, and then I took off again, a bit slower this time. I just kept going. I stopped in the bathrooms at frontierland, and I could tell my face was not looking so good, but I wasn't ready to stop. I was so rattled from the fall, I forgot to take my cliff blocs until mile 7. I was still going well at mile 8&9, so at that point I knew I really just had to finish. I kept up my 15-16 min pace until mile 10, and then I just let it all hang out as I walked. My chin was setting up it's own zip code by then, but I knew Jeanne and Debra were at the upcoming water stop, so what could I do? I had to get there. I made it through the finish line, and was extremely pleased to collect my bling. DH met me, and his first words were, "What happened to you?". I knew at this point I must be quite a sight. My chin was dark purple, and I had scratches and abrasions in a host of locations. I think I scared the sports massage guy. I paid for 10 min, but he just kept working on me, and telling me to ice my chin. Tylenol became my friend. I am disappointed because I did not beat last year's time, but I'm pleased with myself that I finished. There was a time not too long ago when I would have said forget it when I fell, and taken that comfy bus ride to the finish.

I am pleased to say that DH has been bugging me for the last two days to register us for the 2010 Half, so I took care of it a few moments ago. We are definitely in!

Pros: Another year to train and get faster and smaller! Another chance to meet with all our Team Ohana and WISH buddies! Oh, and we've talked my BIL and SIL into joining us for the race! They live in Tampa, so they'll just come over Friday and go home after the race. This is a pro because it's my dh's sis who I love, rather than the bossy one who ignores my ds!

Cons: I can't believe it went up $20! Seriously...

Lessons Learned: We are not going to visit any parks. We went to AK and MK, and dh was not feeling the Magic. I did convince him we would have a great time doing mini golf, visiting Downtown Disney, and trying new restaurants. We love Boma and Spoodles, but we're ready to branch out a little. We're not staying at CS next year. It is a lovely resort, but it is too remote without a car, and the food court was less than able to handle the many athletes and conventioneers.

I'm still tracking mileage and minutes. I've become really attached to the stars I give myself on the calendar for each workout, and I'm just not willing to let those go...

Ok, that's way TMI, I guess I was just in a sharing mood. I did 4 mi on the TM yesterday, and yoga today. I have 3 mi on tap for tomorrow.

Again, it was so great to meet everyone, and I hope next year we have even more cousins to hug! I'll never turn down a hug!

Maria

 

[corinnak]

Oh my gosh, Maria! No wonder we didn't see you at the meet at the end! Your ordeal sounds WAY too much like my incident in October. Thank goodness it wasn't worse, but it sure sounds like it was bad enough! I wish they would have put some sort of noticed about the speed bumps somewhere prior to the race. I was really surprised by them too, and could easily have had the same problem you did. In this case, I'd say that John Bingham is wrong - the miracle is NOT that you had the courage to start, but that you finished. You're made of stern stuff, Ms. Worfiedoodles.

Glad to hear you're in for 2010 as well. Here's to being faster and smaller next year (those are my goals as well).

Oh, and I hear you on the photos. Mine are an especially honest view of reality this year.

 

[tiberius]

Hello fellow Ohana WISHers! I just wanted to post a report for my consolation race today; consolation since I could not get to Orlando for last week's race.

Today worked out to a generally successful run of the half marathon distance for me. I ran 2:37:11--slightly slower than I had hoped, but I am in no way disappointed with the time.

I have these overall observations:
1. This was my third best time at this distance, and less than 4 minutes off my PR time.
2. Today's weather was pretty good, although the humidity seemed high and it was definitely 10 - 15 degrees warmer (mid 60's) than the previous night's weather forecast (low 50's) during much of the race.
3. The knee injury that I had been nursing came somewhat into play during the run. The knee was a bit stiff at most times, and especially after the race; however, I can't say that my knee slowed me down much. I think I was more slowed down by the plethora of people walking several abreast who couldn't have done a better job of blocking the path had they tried. I am not bashing walkers/run-walkers, but please don't block the path of other runners trying to run. I, for one, look back and try to pull over to a safe spot when I walk as a courtesy to others.
4. Local race support was outstanding, perhaps the best I have seen--even surpassing the San Antonio Rock 'n Roll event last November. I could feel the energy pick me up at times.
5. I had hoped to run with one of my friends, but we never got together before the start. I held back to near the start to try to find her, figuring that if I missed her I might see her as I ran past. In the end we never saw each other until well after the race. It turns out she stayed even farther back looking for me, so I never ran past her. In the end I outran her by about 8 minutes.
6. I ran a negative split by about 12 seconds per mile for the race.

After a small rest period, I can look forward to running the Austin Half Marathon next month--28 days away as I write this. Hopefully, I can get my knee to heal up to unlock a sub-2:30 effort at that event.

Best of all, I had a blast out there!

 

[laughinplace199]

Hello Cousins!

Jen B - Sorry to hear about your monster cramp during the race. That stinks. I'm so impressed that you're going Goofy next year!

Debra - I hope your FIL is ok. That must have been stressful situation to be dealing with right before the race. I'm glad Jackie's DH found you. I felt really bad that I couldn't find him. I knew the corrals would be crowded, but I just wasn't prepared for how crowded they would be. I also wish I could have talked to you more at POP. I was really looking forward to those funny voices and hand gestures.

Corinna - I'm glad your race was good. I'm looking forward to reading all about it.

Mel -I wasn't the one who recommended the demon-hunting soccer mom books, but they sound great. Do you recall who the author is?

Jeanne - I hope your DH is ok. Great job on shaving 6 min off your old time! I can't believe that the Greek finished.

Maria - I really enjoyed talking with you at POP, and Rob really enjoyed meeting Dennis too. I'm sorry to hear about your fall, but I am so impressed that you were able to finish the race!

Richard - Great race report!


Like Debra, I also found the POP meet a bit overwhelming. I feel like I didn't get a chance to talk to as many people as I would have liked to.

My marathon experience was good. There were definitely some ups and downs along the course, but I managed to get through the tough parts with the help of Rob (my DH) and the volunteers and spectators cheering everybody on. So much of it is a blur for me. I did try to wave or say hi anytime I saw WISH shirts along the course, but a lot of the time I was too much in my own little world to notice what was going on around me. I wish I could have paid attention to more people and things along the way, but I was just trying to focus on getting to that finish line.

I've only run once since the marathon, and that was a measley 3 miles. I have no plan right now and I'm feeling a bit lost. I don't think the 2010 marathon is in the budget for us, so not having something to train for is testing my motivation. Plus, we've gotten walloped with snow this weekend and I don't have a treadmill, so I really can't run...at least not today.

For any of you who read the Stephanie Plum books, have you read Plum Spooky? I read it on the way home from WDW and I liked it more than I thought I would. I find the between the numbers books to be a bit "out there", but I thought this one was the best so far. I'm interested to see what others thought about it.

Have a great week, everyone!

 

[jeanneg]

Maria: Wow, I had no idea what you went through during the half. When I saw you at water stop #11, I thought you were looking SUPER!!!!! And you seemed to be breezing along so fast, I never noticed the chin injury. Don't worry about your time.......YOU FINISHED!!!!!!! WTG, cousin!

Julie: I agree.....the WISH meet was a little overwhelming. There were just so many people, it was truly impossible to get to talk to everyone. Then when I rounded everyone up for the Ohana photo, I neglected to go get Nancy who opted to stay inside and felt really terrible about that. And Robert and Linda were there also, but i know they were tied up with the DR meeting at the same time. So often, I would start to chat with someone and then be interrupted by someone else....it was like total sensory bombardment! So if I ignored anyone at the meet, I am truly sorry. At my age, it gets more and more difficult to multi-task!

Richard: sorry you weren't able to make WDW this year, but it sounds like you had a amazing race of your own. Given all the factors you cited (plus the major injury you had to deal with last year) I'd say that 4 minutes off your PR is pretty darn good! Kudos to you! Hope to see you at Disney in '10

So JenB and Deb are going Goofy next year.......hmmmmm. I must be going nuts because last week somewhere between miles 20 and 23, I told myself I ain't never doing this again! I promised myself I would immediately sign up for the half next year. Then I started to think, oh heck, I really do want to do the full again. This morning I got up and decided that maybe.....just maybe.....I should try to go Goofy!!!! (Shoot me now, please!) Life is all about challenges, right? I dunno, what do you think? (I already KNOW what Nancy is going to say, and it's not printable!) I really felt good during the full this year and I figure if Robert can do it with his 2 busted knees, gee, I can at least give it a shot. Yes? No? Am i just trying to show up the Greek?
My goal is to spend the next 6 months seriously trying to lose weight and then concentrate on training the rest of the year. I already have a good solid base and if I lose weight, it should be easier, right? What can I say....I'm just an old lady out looking for thrills!