#berlinlegend #runforjoy

 After months of training and posting incessantly about preparing for this race, I've finally gathered my memories of the day. It was such a unique experience, I wanted to capture every single detail. It's probably the longest I’ve ever thought about a race, and that’s including the 2014 Dopey Challenge that I trained for for 9 months.  I love looking back at what I wrote during that time– you think you’ll remember, but looking back at my own words from 10 years ago, I'm always surprised at little things I'd forgotten.

This was my first World Major and my first international race.  I’d entered the lottery in September of 2022, which began the process of waiting to hear if I’d been selected.  That was followed by a long period of waiting to actually begin training, trying not to think about all the ways I could be derailed in the span of 12 months (hello, hip injury!), then finally beginning the training and the travel preparations.  Running the race was just one piece of a pretty huge puzzle!  I was very grateful to be sharing the journey with my daughter, Morgan, who has always inspired me to combine the adventures of travel and running together! 

In short, it was a fantastic experience from beginning to end.  It wasn’t my fastest race, and I don’t even know why I feel the need to comment on my finish time, since that wasn’t even a goal of mine, but it IS a race, after all.  This was actually one of my slower marathons, but without question, my strongest.  This was the first marathon I ran the whole 26.2 miles! My legs felt great up until the last few kilometers, and at that point, there was just a slight winge in my calf that I was able to ignore as long as I held my stride, kept my eyes up, shoulders back, moving forward. With the exception of my PB in 2019, this was the absolute best I have felt at a marathon finish! 

The perfect word to describe my race is “level.”  Level course, level pace, level energy… a solid consistent effort. I went out a little hot, I’m gonna go ahead and blame the crowds at the start.  I always want to find an open space to run.  The middle two 10Ks were right in my sweet spot pace, and by the last 10K it was warming up and I was slowing down just a bit. But the best feeling was feeling “nothing”... just running right through the Brandenburg Tor, then through the finish line, no hip pain, no knee pain, no back pain, nothing! It was glorious!!  

One huge highlight was seeing friends from Raleigh on the course!  We had talked about meeting for a photo beforehand, but with the size of the crowds in each corral, it just wasn’t in the cards. Somewhere in the second mile, I heard my name being called, and it was my friend Theresa coming up behind me.  We got a fun selfie as we ran. It was such a fun surprise to see a friend so early in the race!

Later, right around mile 10, I heard my name again, and it was Pragya!  We chatted a bit, and got a couple of selfies. Pragya always makes me smile!

I was so glad I’d started near the front of the corral or I’d have missed seeing both of them!  Just past the halfway point, my daughter said “I think there’s another one of your friends over there!” and sure enough, it was Michelle, one of our Fleet Feet Family who had come to Berlin to cheer us on!

I enjoyed all the crowds and signs and support along the course, but the joy in the unexpected sighting of a friend is unparalleled!!  

As we were heading into the finish at Brandenburg Gate, I heard people to my right cheering and calling “Hey, Raleigh/Morrisville! We’re from the Triangle!  She went to Duke!” and I see the unmistakable blue sweatshirt. (I’m not from the Triangle, so I have no loyalty to a particular shade.)  Just a few steps later I heard someone yell “Fleet Feet!  Which store?”  I answered “Raleigh!” and they called back “We’re from Raleigh! We love Fleet Feet!” 

I was so happy that the weather had cooperated for me to wear that bright yellow Fleet Feet Running Club shirt!  I had three options for the race (tank, short sleeves, long sleeves), but this was exactly why I was hoping to wear the one that shouted "Fleet Feet!" so that maybe someone in the crowd would shout back!  Anything that will result in a big smile, especially in the last miles of a marathon, is definitely a huge boost!   

Getting to the start of this race was surprisingly easy.  Our apartment was right on the race route, so the bus we’d normally take wasn’t running this morning. The silver lining was that the walk felt great!  It settled my nerves, my stomach, and provided an excellent active distraction rather than standing/sitting still waiting for and riding on a bus or train.  I warmed up just a comfortable amount, and then we hopped on a train to Tiergarten. Our start time was 10:30, and we arrived right around 9, so even with the long lines for the toilets, we were at our corral an hour before the start. 

As with most large races, there were multiple start waves, and multiple corrals within each wave.  The official start was at 9:30, with the elite runners, Eliud Kipchoge, Tigist Yessefa, and Amanal Petros in that first wave. While Kipchoge claimed his 5th Berlin win, Petros set a new German marathon record, and Yessefa absolutely smashed the women’s world marathon record with an astounding finish time of 2:11:53!  

After the official start, waves 2-4 were released, and we got to experience the dramatic Viking Clap I’d seen in so many videos of the Berlin Marathon.  40,000 runners, hands raised high overhead, beginning with a slow clap that gradually builds to excited applause! 

We were in Wave 4, which included everyone who expected to finish in 4 hours or more, as well as all first time marathoners.  I know a LOT of runners, most of them faster than I am, and the vast majority do not run a sub-4 hour marathon.  Wave 4 was huge!  We were standing shoulder to shoulder waiting to finally start. Fortunately, as each corral was released, the crowd around us thinned, and I found I had a fair amount of personal space.   

I had planned to run/walk intervals, as I generally do all my longer races.  But in my training I’d been doing a lot of longer intervals and longer distances running without walk breaks, so I kept that option open. If you run/walk and people tell you that running would be faster, ignore them.  Run/walk is a strategy, not a pace. I definitely could have run a faster overall pace with walk breaks, it’s a matter of having different goals.  

The weather was mild, ranging from high 50s at the start to high 60s at the finish. I heard a couple of comments about the humidity, and wondered where these runners had trained all summer. Certainly not North Carolina!

Typically, the only thing I’d have to say about water stops is how crowded they were, and generally they’re pretty crowded at big races.  I’m kind of used to the messy, and I always slow down or even walk through water stops, just to be safe.  I’ve seen runners try and run through at full speed only to wipe out and end their race early, and I’m not interested in that experience. But stops in Berlin where the sports drink was served were a unique challenge.  

I was initially questioning whether it was my imagination or maybe my shoes… I’d never run in these shoes on wet pavement.  NOTE: I do not recommend.  If you don’t want to purposely go for a rainy run (I do not), at least go out after a run to see how your shoes respond to those conditions.  Some have better traction than others.  Good to know what you might be up against! 

I overheard another runner comment, “this is slippery to the point of being dangerous!” and I figured it wasn’t just me.  Then I heard this really strange “crunching” sound, almost like you hear running on crushed gravel, but we were on black asphalt.  It dawned on us all at once– it was the sound of shoes sticking to pavement!  I’ve run through my share of sloppy water stations, and I know I’ve run through whole puddles of Gatorade, but I’ve never experienced anything like this before, and hope never to again!  Fortunately, this was only in a couple of spots, for a very short distance... no huge impact overall, just odd. (And a good reminder to add wet pavement to the training plan!)

We were told that in addition to the sports drink, at some stops there would be “sweet tea” on the course.  We were warned this is not the southern sweet tea we’re used to in the US.  It was served warm.  Not hot, but definitely not cold. Just a bit sweet, and with lemon.  Once we were past the halfway point, I decided to give it a try, and really enjoyed it! It wasn’t quite Bojangles', but it was nice to have something different to the LMNT I was carrying.  

I have heard all sorts of opinions about crowd support on the course in Berlin.  It’s definitely not NYC, but we knew that, right?  It’s not the deafening sound of the 5 boroughs, but people were out and cheering all along the way!  There were tons of signs, mostly in German, which made me wish I could translate!  Of the ones that were in English, there was loads of inspiration, lots of Power Ups, well wishes from Michelle Obama, and several reminders that “You paid to do this!” 

People were out at restaurants and bars along the route, cheering from their balconies, and so many drum line bands! I’ve seen these at races before, groups of people of a wide range of ages, the unique energy of a marching band drum line without the heavy uniforms! I’ve added this to my list of things I’d like to try!  

From beginning to end, there were people calling out names that they, for the most part, were reading phonetically from runners’ bibs.  It was so exciting to hear my name, people I would never meet encouraging me to keep going, telling me I was doing great! After being so careful in the last couple of months and especially in the weeks leading up to the race, I wore a mask on the flight from JFK to Berlin, just to be on the safe side. Race day, I was eating cut up apples and bananas being handed out by volunteers, and I feel like I high-fived every single child in Berlin cheering along that route! Absolute magic!

We set out at a strong, steady pace, and I felt good, so I kept running.  I was thinking maybe I’d switch to run/walk after the first half... well, then maybe for the last 10k... but running felt good so I just kept going.  I didn’t have a finish time goal for this race, just to make the cutoffs, and we were well inside that window.  I’ve run a few half marathons straight through, but this is double the distance, which is not insignificant. I decided this was the day I’d just go for it!  

There were three “hard” cutoff points, where we would be prevented from finishing and receiving a medal.  The first was at 33K, which was right by our apartment.  It was really fun, after 20 miles of "touring" Berlin, to run along a block that was very familiar to us!   

We were comfortably ahead of the clock at this point, and the next cutoff was at 38K. We had well over an hour to run those 3 miles.  A man who seemed to be struggling asked, “Are we going to be able to make it, at this pace?”  “Absolutely!” we assured him.  He said, “My back is really giving me trouble,” and I could see his shoulders were rounded forward, a common sign of fatigue in those later miles.  I shared our favorite run group posture reset: put your hands in the air, open up your chest, and make big circles with your arms to get yourself out of that forward lean.  He smiled, said “that feels much better!” and we carried on, with just under 10K left to the finish. 

We passed the second cutoff, and I saw the same man as we approached the finish.  By this time, he was clearly in pain, but determined to keep moving.  I was happy to see him so close to the finish, his son was on the side cheering, offering a bottle of water and encouragement! After crossing the finish, I moved slowly thru the medal area, hoping to see him finish as well. They have plenty of course monitors to keep the area clear, and wouldn’t let me wait there. Just as they told me I really needed to move along, I finally saw him come thru the finish!  

At that point, I could process my own relief, excitement, amazement, and absolute joy at finishing! In a race this long, a lot of things can happen, both predictable and unexpected.  But through the entire course I felt solid, confident, never hit a wall, never questioned whether I’d finish.  It was a long "distance" from back in March when I thought I might need to stop running all together, and for that, I’m immensely grateful!  

There are two hashtags associated with this race: #BERLINLEGEND and #RUNFORJOY. Both are emblazoned on the wristband sealed onto each runner's arm at the expo (and which I am still wearing, weeks later.) By definition, legend means famous, or very well known, especially in a particular field. Throughout our time in Berlin, we heard "you are all legends!" and I will say, running this course with people calling out my name for 26.2 miles is probably as close to famous as I'm likely to get. But that #RUNFORJOY part, I fully felt that, 100%, and still feel it as I remember that beautiful afternoon in Berlin!

As I said, it's been a really long training cycle, and there was a time earlier this year I doubted this race could even happen for me. I never thought I'd appreciate a summer of marathon training, early mornings, long miles, historic levels of heat... but I can honestly say I enjoyed every step. Largely because I was so grateful to be out there doing it, and with much credit to my running family for the camaraderie and for making it fun! I will always think of Berlin as the marathon that helped me find my way back to the joy of running. #runforjoy. Literally.

"... gonna wanna remember this!"

Last weekend, as I headed to NYC for a race I wasn't sure I'd able to finish, I decided I was going to write about it.  So, a nearly 10-year hiatus from this blog, I'm writing a race recap!  

I signed up for the Fred Lebow Half Marathon because my kids who live in NYC had signed up and I wanted in on the fun!  This race takes place in Central Park, which is where I ran for the very first time in 2012. I love to run in the park any chance I get, and running this race with my kids?  Yes, please! 

 

                             

Moments after I registered it hit me that this race takes place the third weekend of January. That's why they give everyone the cool beanie! It's very likely going to be cold, if not snowing!  What had I just signed myself up for?  I am not, as a general rule, happy running in cold weather.  I have a well-known 50º threshold for complaining about the weather.  I know this about myself. 

"You feel good while you're running, and you feel even better when you're finished." ~Fred Lebow

I wasn't expecting to set any records with this race, I signed up just 4 weeks before and hadn't been training, just a few casual 5K runs each week.  Usually I'll keep my base around 7-8 miles, and at that I know I can finish a half marathon fairly comfortably.  Throwing in a hip injury, I wasn't able to get in a long run, but instead I'd done several 7+ mile walks, about 2 hours on my feet. I really had to lean into my coaching and fitness certification training, knowing that rest is important for healing, and I'd done what I could to maintain my endurance without exacerbating my hip pain.

The morning of the race was cold, but the rain that had been in the forecast for 2 weeks did not materialize!  So weather conditions, better than anticipated, honestly. I slept really well, if not long enough, and felt pretty good, other than climbing a LOT of stairs at the subway stations... leading with my left foot each step, but also careful not to transfer the pain from my right hip to my left knee, as it had occasionally on long walks.  

My goal was to finish.  I went out extra slow, and eased into a careful stride.  I knew this was the right approach, but also, doing the math I was not thrilled knowing I'd be at this for another 3 hours. I always feel wonky the first couple of miles.  Always.  I know I'll usually feel better by the 4th mile.  That's where the magic happens.  

I chose the Jonas Brothers playlist my daughter, Katharine, created for me.  In 2021, we saw them live at Jones Beach, standing, jumping up and down, singing for more than 2 hours! Listening to that playlist takes me right back, and is a good reminder to channel that energy and stamina into my race!     

This course is two 6-ish miles around Central Park, which meant that right around mile 4, all the fastest runners were passing... on both sides.  Honestly, track clubs of NYC, a bit of race etiquette?  I'm not particularly agile anyway, and with temps in the 30s, and proper curbs along the route near Columbus Circle, I was afraid a bit of jostling could end really badly. 

I was too cold to even think about taking any photos, but in this stretch, I saw a section of covered walkway I remembered from my very first run in 2012!  That run was in summer, and the structure was covered in greenery.  This day, it was dormant, but brought back all the memories.  I had to stop and recreate that photo! I was still feeling all the cold and not quite as warmed up as I'd like to be, but the park near Columbus Circle is the area most familiar to me, and it was fun to be back there running again after a few years! 

Around about this time, it occurred to me that my last long run (more than 10K) was an 8-miler in September.  Before that, a half marathon in March.  A bit sobering... nevermind, focus on getting to mile 7. That's usually the point in a half where I can take a deep breath and know I can finish.  

Mile 7 was also the start of the second lap, so the speedier runners had peeled off toward the finish. Byeeee!!!  The field opened up, and I was able to relax my mind a bit.  But this was also our second (of three!) trips up thru the Harlem Hills.  I felt much better than I'd expected on these hills, but hills are always an energy drain for me.  

As I was trying to refocus, a cheering spectator stepped onto the course ahead of me, with a huge smile and said "eyes up! shoulders down! you got this!"  It was exactly what I needed in that moment!

I reset, focused on my form, deep steady breathing, good arm swing.  The pain in my right hip was gone and now both hips just felt balanced, evenly a bit tired after a couple of hours of running, "normal." Not even a hint of pain in my knee. I can't say I felt great, but it felt really good to be running! 

I'd also seen finishers with blue ponchos.  THE blue ponchos they give the NYC Marathon finishers.  What???  Incentive!  Motivation! 

As if on cue, the sun peeked out, and my Jonas Brothers playlist hit Remember This and I was smiling heading toward Columbus Circle the second time. 

   

.       

         

 

 

My focus at this point was Mile 10.  Then I'd switch over to One Direction's FOUR album, and kick out the last 5K. As soon as I saw that sign, I knew I was going to finish. I played Girl Almighty a second time, just for good measure!  

 

And in fact, not only did I finish, I ran those last 3 miles faster than the first 10!  All things considered, that wasn't at all what I'd expected for the end of this race.  I was surprised to find myself passing other runners, and after a third run up the Harlem Hills, I actually felt like I was flying into that (downhill!!) finish! 

 

Got that poncho, got the traditional NY Road Runners race finisher bagel, and headed for the subway!   

Amazingly, the subway stairs felt easier AFTER the race-- the NYC subway will always give you the chance to really know how you did.  

My friend, Justin texted me, "Congratulations! Are y'all going out to celebrate?" My response, "No!  It's cold and threatening rain.  We're heading home and ordering in ramen, like the 98-year-old women that we are!"   

48.6 Magic Miles in 4 Days... 100% Dopey!

The Dopey Challenge:  4 races in 4 days, 48.6 miles.  Done!  And what an incredible experience it was!  Magic from beginning to end, in true Disney fashion!

Why do such a thing?  Why not?  What am I gonna do, wait until next year?   When I heard about this challenge last year I had no idea what it would be like to do it, but I knew there was only one way to find out!

When I've traveled for races, I'll sometimes pack two pair of running shoes, especially if I'm going to be there long enough to want to get in a training run.  Just in case it rains or is damp.  I don't like running in wet shoes, and you can never count on them drying quickly.  This trip, I packed four pair, and yes, I wore them all.

The pair on the left took me thru all the parks plus the 5K.  I wish I knew how many miles I put on those this weekend!

Leaving temperatures in the teens in NC, we were happy to arrive in Orlando on time and without a hitch.  We took the Magical Express to the Caribbean Beach Resort where we began to check in and promptly crashed the system.  Hopeful that this wasn’t a preview of the rest of the weekend, we dropped out bags in our rooms and headed for the race Expo.
 

Having run three Disney races, this was definitely the best race expo by far! 

First, the race shirts were awesome!  

Long sleeve tech shirts, and park logos on the sleeves depicting which parks we’d see during each race.  The best part?  The shirts fit!!  I normally wear a small t-shirt, but the shirts at the Princess Half were tiny, and I had to switch for a medium.  That was no problem, but at the Disneyland Half, I ordered a medium, not realising it was “unisex” and GIANT!  Even the small was roomy, but I was grateful one of the volunteers switched it for me—that expo was a ZOO!  At Tower of Terror, again with the huge unisex shirts, and they had no smaller sizes to trade.  After checking back twice, we were finally able to make the switch on the second day of the expo, but I wasn’t looking forward to trying to sort that out for myself and 4 kids.  We also had park tickets, and not a ton of spare time to keep going back and forth.  Very happily, ALL of our shirts were the correct sizes!!!  Such a huge relief! 

We got to the expo around noon, and the line for Disney merchandise checkout was maybe 15 minutes.  Another pleasant surprise!  We got our “I Did It!” t-shirts, magnets, Vinylmation figures, pins and assorted goodies and were through the line in no time!  Off to Raw Threads to check out their fabulous shirts.  I got a cute pink Minnie tank for my 10K, and the kids all found fun souvenir shirts.  Check!  Next stop, bib pickup.
 

They all headed to the half marathon pickup, while Dopey check in was on another floor.  I got all my bibs, pins, and shirts, and decided to take a shot at Runner Relations.  There was no line, because they had announced no corral changes at the expo, but I thought I’d try.  I had spent the better part of last fall running 10Ks with each of the kids, 4 races in 4 different states, so that they would each have proof of time so that we could all run the half together.  What I didn’t anticipate was that they bumped all Dopey runners back 3-4 corrals.  So my kids were all in I, J, and K and I was in M.  Crazy, since I ran those 10Ks with them, even the speedy one who was placed in I!  And, I had run several half marathons already—none of them had.  They could all move back to M with me, but that was so close to the last corral, and I knew running with a party of 6 was gonna be slow going anyway, I was afraid that moving all of them back would put us all in jeopardy of being swept.  Fortunately, when I explained the situation to the runDisney folks, they were totally understanding.  They said since we had run all those proof of time races and emailed them all of our times, they had no problem making a switch for me.  I qualified for Corral I, but they were out of I stickers, and we’d all have to move back to K anyway, so they gave me a J sticker.  Another huge relief!!
 

We headed back to our resort, dropped our gear, and then it was off to Animal Kingdom for a few hours, and dinner at Boma later.  Much later.  A long wait for a bus plus a longer-than-expected bus ride had us sitting down to dinner at 8:45!  This was after leaving the house at 4:30am to catch our flight, and before my daughter and I needed to be on a bus at 5:30am the next day for the 5K.  Fortunately, we had been running with a group of friends on Tuesday mornings at 7am, and we were pretty used to running a few miles early and tired.
 

Thursday morning we were up on time, dressed in full Lilo & Stitch costumes and ready to roll well before 5:30.  We woke my middle daughter to take a photo… she was not happy with our requests for multiple retakes, but we finally got a good one!  

We got to our corral and immediately started thinking about how quickly we could run this race and get back to our room and into a warm bed! 

We saw a lot of great costumes, but my favorite was a couple who were doing the Dopey Challenge.  They were planning to dress as a different dwarf each day, a fairly simple outfit— basically a t-shirt headband.  The cuteness was in the details, lettered on their shirts.  Day 1: Feeling Happy, Day 2: Feeling Sleepy, Day 3: Feeling Grumpy, Day 4: Feeling… (can you guess??)  Dopey! 

The course for the 5K was fun, but crowded!  Thanks to my 14yo son, who loves the short intervals, we had been training with 1:30|1:00 and found it really comfortable.  As much as we just wanted to run that 5K and get back to bed, we stuck with our intervals, took a few photos, and enjoyed a fun race!

DOPEY CHALLENGE DAY 1: 5K   45:30:00    14:17mm

It was fun and easy, and for the first time since mid-November, my legs felt great!  I had been having a little trouble with my left calf and right knee.  The knee business is a throwback to my injury last January, and it just flares up on occasion.  The calf thing was new, and Google was coming up with a lot of “stress fracture” hits, so I had really ramped back my pace and mileage during my last weeks of training, while adding time on the elliptical trainer.  I find that’s the best way for me to keep my legs strong, focus on form and properly engage my core while minimizing the impact on my legs.  If I was headed for injury, I’d honestly rather have it happen during a race and not in training.  Ideally, not at all, of course!  And after this race, I was feeling more optimistic than I had in several weeks! 

                

We made our way thru the snack box tables, I stopped at the Dopey check point to get a wristband, and we headed toward the exit, every step taking us closer to sleep!  Seeing the forecast, we had checked a bag with raincoats, and we were glad to have them because it was chilly and raining by the end of the race.  Bag check was seamless at all four races, both dropping off and picking up, and being comfortable on the trek to and from the race is worth the extra few minutes.

We may have run a slow 5K, but we PR’ed the race from the finish line, thru the snack box pick up, the Dopey check point, bag check and to our bus.  We got back to the resort and into bed in record time! 

An hour nap, and we were ready for a day at Hollywood Studios!  It was the perfect choice for our first long park day—not too much walking, and plenty of sitting watching shows.  We were all in bed at a decent hour, which is a big deal for my flock of night owls, and I was able to get almost 6 hours of sleep and still be on the bus well before 4am for the 10K on Friday. 

The 10K was my fastest race, and my favorite course.  I loved having my daughter with me for the 5K, but I also enjoy running solo.  It’s a good chance to meet people, and to run soley based on how I’m feeling, which on Friday, was pretty awesome!  

There were still a bazillion runners, and narrow and crowded spots along the course, but it didn’t slow me down nearly as much.  The race was almost entirely in the Epcot park, with a jaunt along the Boardwalk.  So many beautiful sights along the way, and I find I really love the 10K distance.  It’s right in my sweet spot for distance and pace—I feel like I can push for a little more speed and still have plenty of energy left for the finish.

I had to laugh at myself though.  When I run with my kids, I usually call the run/walk intervals.  I’ve struggled with the transitions, and often find walking harder on my knees than running.  The Dopey training plan included a lot of walking, and I learned that softening my knees, so that my walk was more like a shuffle or really slow jog, really made the walking intervals faster and nearly effortless.  But my kids are always looking at me sideways, “are you walking or running?  I can’t tell by looking at you.”  (which tells you, I’m not a super fast runner!)  Well, running this 10K alone, I found myself asking the same question, “am I walking or running?”  More than once I was in the middle of an interval and couldn’t remember, and I couldn’t tell from the way I was moving.  Little things amuse me.

DOPEY CHALLENGE DAY 2: 10K   1:20:27    12:38mm

Another sprint from the finish line thru the Dopey wrist-band check, and to the bus, and I was happily back at the resort.  I thought I might want to nap, but I was wide awake and feeling great.  

Ready to take on the Magic Kingdom! We got moving earlier than planned, made a stop at the Starbucks on Main Street and then headed to lunch at the Be Our Guest Restaurant. 

The concierge at the resort set us up with fast passes for the day, so we were able to do everything in the park with minimal walking or standing in lines.  We were all in bed early, again, and ready to run the half marathon on Saturday morning.  

It was a little more complicated getting 6 people up, dressed and out the door, but we were all on the bus before 4 and headed for the race dressed as Alice, the Mad Hatter, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, the Cheshire Cat and the White Rabbit.  

The morning of the half was warm and humid.  I was glad we were starting in Corral K rather than M, but I was still doing the math in my head.  I was nervous about keeping pace so that we didn’t get swept before the finish.  I was also not 100% comfortable with what I was wearing, particularly a brand new pair of shorts I had never run in!  Fortunately, my daughter brought and extra pair of compression shorts that I wore under the new ones, or I would have been in big trouble.  I was also wearing new socks—knee socks, which I had also never run in before.  What was I thinking?
    

Running with a group of six means six times the possible reasons to slow down.  My oldest, the one placed in the fastest corral, was sick as a dog.  My second oldest had recently discovered that she was “allergic to running.”  Not really, but she did have an allergic reaction when she ran, and we forgot to buy Benedryl!  She had taken some Zyrtec and we were hoping for the best.  She had run 10 miles before, about a year ago.  My son had already announced he was never running again after this race.  He was running with this awesome (but huge) Mad Hatter hat, and was feeling the heat more than all of us.  My youngest daughter was at an advantage, having run the Tower of Terror 10 Miler in even worse weather conditions.  She had new sneakers and was feeling good about things, but even so, it was a real challenge for all of us to stay together, especially in the narrower stretches. 

Our first bathroom stop was at mile 2, and we made 3 more before we were done.  The first few miles were rough, but once we were past the halfway point it felt like everyone was finally awake and ready to finish.  We just aren’t morning people.  We stuck with our intervals, stopped at every single water station for water and power ade, and ate these magic jelly beans along the way.

Around mile 5, a guy ran by in a Donald Duck suit carrying a tuba.  Yes, a white wraparound TUBA!  I chased him for about half a mile—the guy was MOVING!  He paused for a photo, but my phone flash was doing something strange and my pics were blurry.  He started the race back in M, passed us and just kept going, costume, tuba and all!  Amazing! 

I did carry Jack’s hat a good bit of the way, but once the sun was up and the spectators got a good look at him, he was really enjoying all the Mad Hatter love!  People were cheering and calling him by name, and suddenly, he was happy with that crazy hat, smiling and waving like the true performer that he is!  My youngest helped us keep a comfortable pace, and my second oldest kept us laughing while randomly breaking into song.  My oldest was still hurting, but she put on her brave face and soldiered on.  I’m not even sure how, but we all made it to the finish together.  And those knee socks I was concerned about?  Awesome!

DOPEY CHALLENGE DAY 3: HALF MARATHON  3:26:38    15:09mm

A bit of gadget trivia: during the last weeks of training, I noticed I was coming up on 1000 miles in Nike+.  I considered running a little extra to try an hit it before the end of 2013.  I also considered how annoying it would be to end up injured right before this race.  As it turned out, I crossed the 1000 milestone during the half.  Way cooler to hit that number in Disney World, running with my kids!

Medals, snack boxes, another Dopey wrist band, and we were back on the bus.  

My son dozed off and missed our stop.  Yes, we got off the bus without him and didn’t notice until the bus pulled away.  Luckily he had his cell phone.  He answered with, “Sorry, I fell asleep.  I’m in Barbados.”  One stop past Jamaica, but he managed to find his way back.  I had just spoken with the hotel manager who was in the process of putting in a call to resort security, looking for a 14yo boy in a lime green running shirt dressed like the Mad Hatter, when he came walking around the corner.  Whew! 

We got showered and made our way to Epcot.  We had to sprint, but we made it to Soarin’ just minutes before our FastPasses expired!  I had seen a Starbucks at Mile 12 when we ran thru the park earlier, and was beyond happy to finally get my Caramel Flan Latte.  

Again, thanks to the concierge we had all of our FastPasses lined up, and enjoyed all the rides before our food tour around the World Showcase. 

There were many times I questioned the wisdom of attempting the Dopey Challenge, touring 4 parks, and running their first half marathon with all 4 kids.  Saturday night was especially crazy.  I was actually in bed, awake but relaxing, at 6:30.  The kids were all falling asleep, and I realised they’d probably wake up hungry at 10 or 11.  I woke everyone up to go get some food just as the sky opened up!  It was unreal, and I was really glad it held off for the race and our day in Epcot.  Plan B: take out in the rooms.  Everyone was fed and happy, and asleep by 10!  I had a few nervous moments, wondering if I’d get enough sleep, but I feel like even the resting all evening was helpful.  And it turns out, having them run the half meant they were all exhausted and in bed much earlier than they normally would have been.

I woke up at 1am and felt like I had been asleep for ages, then again at 3.  I think one benefit of the Dopey schedule is that by Sunday, I was used to getting up at 3 and getting on a bus before 4.  I felt rested, and my legs were ready to run. 

My outfit for the marathon was loosely Dopey inspired: purple pants and a lime green tank.  Haley let me borrow her extra pair of knee socks, Morgan had gotten me the tank when she worked at Athleta, I borrowed Jack’s purple earbuds, and Katharine encouraged me to take a jacket.  That turned out to be key, because it was COLD on Sunday morning!! 

Since I wore the same bib for the half and the full marathon, on Sunday I got to start in Corral J.  All that traveling and running with the kids last fall was paying off in a big way.  

I felt good about finishing in time, but realised there was a real possibility that I could end up missing my oldest two, who were flying out that afternoon to go back to college.  Aside from finishing the marathon within the pacing requirement to complete the Dopey Challenge, I now had an additional goal of finishing by 12:30, so I’d have enough time to get back to the hotel and hang out with them a bit before they had to leave. 

The chilly morning made me grateful for the crowded corral.  I really do pretty well hanging out by myself before a race.  It’s nice to have the option to engage in conversation, or just sit quietly.  I did a little of both.  I mostly huddled low to avoid the breezes and stay warm.  It felt like a fairly short wait before we were moving toward the start.  There was a 5:00 pacing group near the start, and when we took off, everyone seemed to be moving with them.  Sometimes I’ll skip the walks for the first mile or two of a race, but this day I was sure to stick with my intervals.  I was moving faster than I normally would, and really had to work to slow it down. 

The cold air really felt good, and my first few miles were a little wonky, as usual.  It was 4 miles to the Magic Kingdom, and then I was finally warmed up really enjoying the run.   The next mile took us up Main Street USA and around and thru Cinderella’s Castle.  Just before the castle, I spotted the tuba guy!  He stopped for a clear photo, and I felt vindicated for yesterday’s sprint! 

In fact, I managed to stay ahead of him for the rest of the race, even though he was still moving at a good clip.  I also stopped for a quick selfie in front of the castle.  

Not the greatest—I’m terrible at taking selfies!  But I was glad I got one, because by the end of the race, my phone was dying and I couldn’t get a finish line photo.

At mile 6, we were leaving the Magic Kingdom and my math brain figured that was about one fourth of the way and I was feeling great.  Around mile 7, they had Sweet Caroline playing on repeat.  People were singing the “ba ba ba”s and the “so good, so good, so good”s.  Then I heard a woman say, “that song always reminds me of that point in the night where everyone’s wasted and nothing else good is gonna happen.”  I asked her if she was from New Jersey.  She was from NY, but spent summers at the shore.  It all made sense. 

 Another couple of miles and we were at the Walt Disney World speedway.  It was a very cool sight, but a little tricky running on that banked track.  And long.  Somehow, my legs felt better than they had in months.  No knee pain, no calf or shin pain, nothing.  Just happy running feet!  Continue the mental game.  I’m always dividing and re-dividing up the run.  Less than 2 miles to get to 10, then a little over an hour to 15.  I was especially pleased to notice I was running negative splits!  (each mile slightly faster than the last)  Starting conservatively was paying off!

Next stop, Animal Kingdom!  Based on my memory of touring this park, I was expecting a fairly slow, hilly, congested trek, but it was actually not bad at all.  The craziest part for me was running up towards Expedition Everest, approaching mile 13.  We had visited Animal Kingdom when the ride was first opened, and had been warned to “walk at a near run” to the ride in order to get on as quickly as possible.  We did, and I thought I was going to die.  Several years later, here I was running toward that ride with 13 miles behind me (not to mention the 22 I had run the previous 3 days) and I felt fine!  A fun Disney surprise, they had opened Expedition Everest early for runners!  And another fun Animal Kingdom bonus:  live animal photo ops!   

The next 3 miles took us over to the Wide World of Sports.  It looked like just a quick turnaround, but we actual were in there quite a while.  As someone who never enjoyed running in high school, it was fun to have a chance to run on that track and imagine what it might be like to race like the Olympians on TV.  (I have a very good imagination!)  Running through the baseball stadium is also exciting, but I’m not gonna lie—I hate the crushed gravel and the narrow path.  Very hard to maintain pace, and all that stuff ends up in my shoes.  The best part was hearing someone say, “when we get out of here, we’re at mile 20!” 

When I hit 20, I knew I was good.  I could see tons of people just entering Wide World of Sports, so I knew there were plenty of people at least 3 miles behind me.  This was also the point that I knew, even if I walked the rest, I’d be able to finish the race without being swept from the course. 

The next couple of miles took us through Hollywood Studios.  The park was open, and pathways were blocked like they do for parades, except this was for US.  It was incredible seeing so many people stopped to cheer!!  At mile 22, a volunteer said, there’s chocolate just a half mile ahead.  What??  I had been pretty pleased with the bananas at earlier stops.  Now, chocolate?  Are you kidding me? 

It was no joke!  At 22.5, they were handing out big bags of Monsters University gummies (I grabbed a bag for Haley), and Hershey’s Miniatures!  I grabbed FOUR Mr. Goodbars, my favorites, unwrapped and inhaled them on the spot.  It did cross my mind whether they might bother my stomach… naaah!  I’ve got a lot of experience with those little gems!  And I’m telling you, I was energized! 

I zipped out onto the Boardwalk, past the Yacht Club and then back into Epcot.  I was on track to finish by 12:30, but all my gadgets were dying!  My Garmin was showing low battery, and since it’s new, I had no idea what exactly that meant.  My phone was at 11% battery.  At this point, my biggest challenge was to keep myself from just booking it to the finish.  I was eager to get there, but also didn’t want to cause some freak injury at mile 25.5!!  I could see the race tracking posting to FB, so I knew if nothing else, runDisney would record my time.  I made myself stick to the intervals, although it was harder than ever to discern my walk from my run at this point! 

The coolest thing was that all 4 races shared the same finish line, so as I approached, I knew exactly how close I was!  As with most races, this one was mapped long, so I hit 26. 5 miles on both phone apps well before the finish.  I turned them off to save my phone battery for texting to find my kids after the race.  My Garmin was still hanging in there.  As I rounded the last corner and could see the finish line, I distinctly remember thinking, “I can’t believe I actually did this!”  

Yes, I trained, and I did everything I could to get there, but I had also been feeling a bit “off” for the last several weeks of my training.  I was truly worried about injury the whole time.  So what really surprised me, what I couldn’t believe was how great I felt at the finish of that marathon, especially with it being the 4^th day of running a total of 48.6 miles! 

I gave Donald Duck a big high five and sailed across that finish line with the biggest smile on my face! 

DOPEY CHALLENGE DAY 4: MARATHON   6:13:18    13:50mm

And a marathon PR at that! 

Four days in the parks, four days of running, and, in the words of my son, I felt “like a million pennies!”  It’s crazy, because we’ve done 4 days in the parks many times over the years, but this time, even with the running, I felt better at the end than I ever had!  I’m still processing how and why that is even possible, but I’ll take it!  I do think the Disney magic is a big part of it!  I can’t imagine a better place to enjoy such an exciting accomplishment! 

And best of all, I finished more than 15 minutes ahead of my 12:30 goal, and had plenty of time to hang out with these two before they headed back to school!  

Once they were on the shuttle to the airport, we were off to Downtown Disney, where it was all about the food.  When I run distances, I am the whole time thinking about what I'm gonna eat when I'm finished!  On Sunday, it was Sangria, bruschetta and sushi at Wolfgang Puck's.

And then, what has become my runDisney tradition, a big salted caramel sundae at Ghiradelli... yum!

A bonus Dopey photo op

...and this bit of beautifully cute artistry from our new favorite Disney movie.

The perfect ending to a perfectly magical weekend!  

Whew!  I feel like I just ran it all all over again!  I hope you enjoyed sharing the journey, and might be inspired to sign up for a challenge yourself!  5K, 10K, half, full... maybe some combination of those?  Please let me know if you do!  I'd love to cheer you on!!  xoxo