Another Goofy race report
We flew in late Thursday night and settled into the hotel quickly and went to bed.
Friday we picked up our bibs, skipping the rest of the expo so that we could go to Hollywood Studios before meeting up with OH gang for dinner. was great to meet Marie and all the Macs, Scott W. and see Bill again. John and I had had a very frustrating time getting to the meetup, so we treated ourselves to fruity drinks. :) Scott W. joined us for a stroll after dinner while we walked around Downtown Disney and then gave us a ride back to the hotel. was nice to get to know him better!
Saturday morning we were on the bus at 3am. It was 46 degrees outside and we hoped we'd stay warm until our corral was due to go at 6:07. All was well while we hung out at the "runners village" since we had jackets on, but when it was time to go to the corrals we had to check our gear, so we were left with our running shorts, t-shirts and black garbage bags for warmth. This was NOT enough. I'm usually cold, so while i was miserable, I'm kinda used to being miserably cold, but John was struck at being so chilled, and pretty unhappy. When the first wave left at 5:30 AM time moved faster and before we knew it, our corral was on the move. I ran with my trash bag for nearly the whole first mile.
Our strategy was to run as much as we could, but to stop for any good photo ops and to walk the aid stations. There were plenty of both. We did not stop for EVERY character, but we did a lot. We finished the half in just under 3 hours, which was perfect. Having not trained any long runs leading up to this, we were pleased to finish with gas in the tank. We even sprinted to the finish.
After eating, icing and showering we headed out to the Expo, now that we had time to really enjoy it. We were very excited to find someone selling gloves for $2/pair, so we bought those for Sunday's pre-race chill time. (we saved our post-race space blankets so we could use them Sunday morning too - best decision EVER)
Sunday morning we met up with Scott A (Seht) at 3:30 and boarded the bus to the start. At the village we met up with Bill. It was great to enjoy everyone's company and made the wait a lot shorter than the previous day. It also helped that the space blankets kept us SUPER warm. We said goodbye to Bill as we headed to corrals. Scott was seeded into a faster corral, but decided to stay with John and I. The 3 of us ran a "by the seat of our pants" interval marathon taking photos along the way. We stayed together for about 18 miles or so. Scott started a more structured interval set and we decided to just keep winging it, so we wished him well and kept trudging along.
Other than having some pretty fierce blisters break out on both feet (2 under toenails, so I'll be kissing those babies goodbye soon) I didn't really have any physical problems. My knee rehab over the last 2 months must have worked - while it did feel "wonky", I never experienced that searing ITB pain up the sides of my legs.
John and I wrapped up the marathon in 6:30, which was good for us. not a PR, but that was not the goal. We had fun, we stopped for photos and talked to all kinds of people.
speaking of PEOPLE: There are so many things to take away from this event....but the standout to me were all the people out there doing the half, the full and/or the Goofy. Old people, young people, skinny people, fat people, injured people.... they were all there. So many stories, so much determination. I was just moved nearly to tears seeing so many people out there. And all weekend long, people congratulated eachother as we all walked around the parks and hotels wearing our shirts and medals.
So, that's my Goofy story. It was incredible experience, and I'm so proud of myself for sucking up the pain and just doing it. I'm also super excited for Bill, Scott A, Scott W, and Marie for getting out there and doing what they could that day. We all faced different kinds of adversity over the weekend, but each of us made the most of it, and really that's all anyone can ask of themselves.
Friday we picked up our bibs, skipping the rest of the expo so that we could go to Hollywood Studios before meeting up with OH gang for dinner. was great to meet Marie and all the Macs, Scott W. and see Bill again. John and I had had a very frustrating time getting to the meetup, so we treated ourselves to fruity drinks. :) Scott W. joined us for a stroll after dinner while we walked around Downtown Disney and then gave us a ride back to the hotel. was nice to get to know him better!
Saturday morning we were on the bus at 3am. It was 46 degrees outside and we hoped we'd stay warm until our corral was due to go at 6:07. All was well while we hung out at the "runners village" since we had jackets on, but when it was time to go to the corrals we had to check our gear, so we were left with our running shorts, t-shirts and black garbage bags for warmth. This was NOT enough. I'm usually cold, so while i was miserable, I'm kinda used to being miserably cold, but John was struck at being so chilled, and pretty unhappy. When the first wave left at 5:30 AM time moved faster and before we knew it, our corral was on the move. I ran with my trash bag for nearly the whole first mile.
Our strategy was to run as much as we could, but to stop for any good photo ops and to walk the aid stations. There were plenty of both. We did not stop for EVERY character, but we did a lot. We finished the half in just under 3 hours, which was perfect. Having not trained any long runs leading up to this, we were pleased to finish with gas in the tank. We even sprinted to the finish.
After eating, icing and showering we headed out to the Expo, now that we had time to really enjoy it. We were very excited to find someone selling gloves for $2/pair, so we bought those for Sunday's pre-race chill time. (we saved our post-race space blankets so we could use them Sunday morning too - best decision EVER)
Sunday morning we met up with Scott A (Seht) at 3:30 and boarded the bus to the start. At the village we met up with Bill. It was great to enjoy everyone's company and made the wait a lot shorter than the previous day. It also helped that the space blankets kept us SUPER warm. We said goodbye to Bill as we headed to corrals. Scott was seeded into a faster corral, but decided to stay with John and I. The 3 of us ran a "by the seat of our pants" interval marathon taking photos along the way. We stayed together for about 18 miles or so. Scott started a more structured interval set and we decided to just keep winging it, so we wished him well and kept trudging along.
Other than having some pretty fierce blisters break out on both feet (2 under toenails, so I'll be kissing those babies goodbye soon) I didn't really have any physical problems. My knee rehab over the last 2 months must have worked - while it did feel "wonky", I never experienced that searing ITB pain up the sides of my legs.
John and I wrapped up the marathon in 6:30, which was good for us. not a PR, but that was not the goal. We had fun, we stopped for photos and talked to all kinds of people.
speaking of PEOPLE: There are so many things to take away from this event....but the standout to me were all the people out there doing the half, the full and/or the Goofy. Old people, young people, skinny people, fat people, injured people.... they were all there. So many stories, so much determination. I was just moved nearly to tears seeing so many people out there. And all weekend long, people congratulated eachother as we all walked around the parks and hotels wearing our shirts and medals.
So, that's my Goofy story. It was incredible experience, and I'm so proud of myself for sucking up the pain and just doing it. I'm also super excited for Bill, Scott A, Scott W, and Marie for getting out there and doing what they could that day. We all faced different kinds of adversity over the weekend, but each of us made the most of it, and really that's all anyone can ask of themselves.
Read my blog, BARIATHLETE I run because I can.
First 5K race October 4, 2009 (34.59) PR 5/22/11 (27:26)
First 5 Mile: January 1, 2011 (50:30)
First 10K: July 4, 2010 (1:03.26) New PR 4/10/11 (1:01.14)
First 10 Mile: April 11, 2010 (1:46.15)
First 1/2 marathon: June 13, 2010 (2:22.21) PR: 5/1/11 (2:17.30)
First Marathon: October 16, 2011: 5:47:20
Goofy Challenge: January 7-8, 2012
If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you're right. - Mary Kay Ash
First 5K race October 4, 2009 (34.59) PR 5/22/11 (27:26)
First 5 Mile: January 1, 2011 (50:30)
First 10K: July 4, 2010 (1:03.26) New PR 4/10/11 (1:01.14)
First 10 Mile: April 11, 2010 (1:46.15)
First 1/2 marathon: June 13, 2010 (2:22.21) PR: 5/1/11 (2:17.30)
First Marathon: October 16, 2011: 5:47:20
Goofy Challenge: January 7-8, 2012
If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you're right. - Mary Kay Ash
you guys did it right. i'm so proud of you and John (and Scott). i forgot to mention the people factor. that is one of the best parts. all day sunday and monday we wore our race shirts and medals (as well as thousands of others) and everybody is congratulating each other and limping around in the parks. it is a way cool experience.
Where are we going?? And why am I in this handbasket??
right now. somewhere. somebody is working harder than you.
right now. somewhere. somebody is working harder than you.
it was hard to juggle the idea of slowing down and being out there longer....or staying "fast" to get it done faster... was a constant evaluation during the half for me, and I even once told John to slow down when we slipped into 9 min/miles since that's just not sustainable for us for a half.
the people were amazing. The congrats continued through baggage claim in Boston!
the people were amazing. The congrats continued through baggage claim in Boston!
Read my blog, BARIATHLETE I run because I can.
First 5K race October 4, 2009 (34.59) PR 5/22/11 (27:26)
First 5 Mile: January 1, 2011 (50:30)
First 10K: July 4, 2010 (1:03.26) New PR 4/10/11 (1:01.14)
First 10 Mile: April 11, 2010 (1:46.15)
First 1/2 marathon: June 13, 2010 (2:22.21) PR: 5/1/11 (2:17.30)
First Marathon: October 16, 2011: 5:47:20
Goofy Challenge: January 7-8, 2012
If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you're right. - Mary Kay Ash
First 5K race October 4, 2009 (34.59) PR 5/22/11 (27:26)
First 5 Mile: January 1, 2011 (50:30)
First 10K: July 4, 2010 (1:03.26) New PR 4/10/11 (1:01.14)
First 10 Mile: April 11, 2010 (1:46.15)
First 1/2 marathon: June 13, 2010 (2:22.21) PR: 5/1/11 (2:17.30)
First Marathon: October 16, 2011: 5:47:20
Goofy Challenge: January 7-8, 2012
If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you're right. - Mary Kay Ash
The people at the race are awesome, it is inspiring to see people of all facets out there getting it done. Runers, walkers, big people, little people, young people, old people. Everyone was getting it done.
Sorry to hear about the toes, but glad to hear that the knee held up to 26 miles.
Scott
Sorry to hear about the toes, but glad to hear that the knee held up to 26 miles.
Scott
The first time you do something - It's going to be a personal record!
Sounds like fun was had by all- yeah for garbabge bags keeping you warm! LOL!Hhope your toes are doing better tho!
You guys need to post some pics!
:Danni
You guys need to post some pics!
:Danni
:Danni >>>AIDS/LifeCycle 10 & 11 Finisher: 545miles on the bike in 7 days <<<
HW390/SW340/CW 208/GW170
i have put up some pics on facebook, but here are a few of the pro onces that were taken. John has the camera with the ones we took...
pre-start in Corral G
![](https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/400920_10151315046005001_777615000_22685540_1356439834_n.jpg)
in Magic Kingdom!
![](https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/395290_10151317222390001_777615000_22692440_970324448_n.jpg)
John and I finishing the Goofy Challenge - together. aw....
![](https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/407222_10151315069890001_777615000_22685599_1957280084_n.jpg)
pre-start in Corral G
![](https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/400920_10151315046005001_777615000_22685540_1356439834_n.jpg)
in Magic Kingdom!
![](https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/395290_10151317222390001_777615000_22692440_970324448_n.jpg)
John and I finishing the Goofy Challenge - together. aw....
![](https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/407222_10151315069890001_777615000_22685599_1957280084_n.jpg)
Read my blog, BARIATHLETE I run because I can.
First 5K race October 4, 2009 (34.59) PR 5/22/11 (27:26)
First 5 Mile: January 1, 2011 (50:30)
First 10K: July 4, 2010 (1:03.26) New PR 4/10/11 (1:01.14)
First 10 Mile: April 11, 2010 (1:46.15)
First 1/2 marathon: June 13, 2010 (2:22.21) PR: 5/1/11 (2:17.30)
First Marathon: October 16, 2011: 5:47:20
Goofy Challenge: January 7-8, 2012
If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you're right. - Mary Kay Ash
First 5K race October 4, 2009 (34.59) PR 5/22/11 (27:26)
First 5 Mile: January 1, 2011 (50:30)
First 10K: July 4, 2010 (1:03.26) New PR 4/10/11 (1:01.14)
First 10 Mile: April 11, 2010 (1:46.15)
First 1/2 marathon: June 13, 2010 (2:22.21) PR: 5/1/11 (2:17.30)
First Marathon: October 16, 2011: 5:47:20
Goofy Challenge: January 7-8, 2012
If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you're right. - Mary Kay Ash
Sweet!
Love Scott's early morning smile, and the holding hands at the end KAAUTE!
:Danni
Love Scott's early morning smile, and the holding hands at the end KAAUTE!
:Danni
:Danni >>>AIDS/LifeCycle 10 & 11 Finisher: 545miles on the bike in 7 days <<<
HW390/SW340/CW 208/GW170
Great job and gutting it through to the finish. I agree with you that the runners and spectators at Disney are just awesome. When I did it, there were so many stories being told, and everyone was interested in sharing their story and hearing my story. It is one of wifes favorite spectator events. Rest up, you've earned it.
Rob