Part 7: The Half Marathon and Epcot
So, the half. It was going to be my first half in a while so I was kind of excited. Unlike the previous races where L and I ran/walked together this one I was just running. L and I had agreed to that ahead of time. L had her intervals and was sticking to them. D woke up and headed to the waterpark to report for volunteer duty (though she had to make a stop on the way). We headed out at the same time so could get on the bus and headed to the start. I get a text while we're on the bus. I know who it is but I have to nonchalantly play it off because who would text me at 3:00 in the morning. I tell L it's my dad and that he woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and texted me good luck. I respond.
Then we head to the port-a-potty area to wait until they open the corrals. I look around for the DIS sign but fail to see it. For now I have to stay close to L. I get a call. I play it off like it's my mom saying she got up and is getting ready to head on a bus to go to the race retreat tent once it opens to ChEAR Squad. It totally isn't. I take a picture of L... just kidding it was a video. Someone comes up behind her and hugs her. It's L's friend K who I know from previous runDisney trips and events with L. See at an event K, D, and I shared a room. K was sad she wasn't coming to Disney with us and decided to book flights. Then she decided to book the Goofy via a travel provider. This was in early November. Here she was with two months of training, surprising L because she didn't want her to run alone. Now guys, L was nervous about running alone but like, she had planned for it. So while it was great that K came, I have no doubt L would have done fine without her. Still, we added another to our party.
I look around while they catch up and I still somehow miss the DIS sign even though I was looking in the correct spot by the L of the port-a-potties. So when the corrals open I head to them. We sit and catch up for a while until it's time to start. Shannon still wasn't wearing a matching Donald outfit but her Donald sign language was amazing. She had all his mannerisms down. Soon it's time to go. I say bye to L and K and prepare to head out on my own.
Initially L and K speed ahead of me but with the interval rate I pass them around mile 1 or two. Photo with the stilt walkers. Photo with the Mickey balloon. Almost to MK. Made it to MK. Bathroom in Tomorrowland. Now, I normally would not use the bathroom on a race course but my body has a schedule and sitting in the corrals for hours then running a half marathon does not jive with my body's needs so that bathroom break was inevitable. It also cost me an official PR. After the bathroom was run through the castle. Run out of MK. See D at the water stop. Take both cups of water from her. Drink them. Almost stop for penguins. See the awesome Star Wars pilot cheering us on again and tell her I love her outfit. See the group that tells you that there are buses, boats, and monorails. Roll eyes. Pass the sports beans section. Trample beans. Hit the ramp. Run up the ramp. Hear a girl have to do push-ups because "THIS IS THE PHOTO YOU WANT SOLDIER". Continue running. Hit the turn around. Run more road. Hit Epcot. Run through Epcot. Small choir. Finish.
I was only a minute off from a PR and I wasn't going at full speed given the marathon the next day. That bathroom break killed me but it was so worth it. I get my picture taken with my medal. Then I meet my mom by the stands and she gives me a pink rose. She has a sign cheering me on (I saw it briefly before I crossed the finish) and brings me a bagel from her breakfast. The bagel has peanut butter. We sit in the regular stands (I can't go in the ChEAR stands) and watch for L and K. We somehow miss their finish and decide to head back because I start to get cold. We hop on the bus and L tells us she's heading for the bus. She makes it on the same bus which is exciting.
D's back at the hotel room half asleep. We get in, shower, eat most of our boxes, and take a nap. We don't wake up in time for our Epcot Fast Pass. We head to Epcot anyway. Meet back up with K. Go around the world. I traded a pin. It got a Star Wars tsum tsum pin. We eat a pretzel. We ride Figment. Then we head to 1900 Park Faire.
I really enjoyed 1900 Park Faire. Compared to other Disney buffets it was a smaller buffet but I felt like pretty much everything I had was really good. There was Mongolian beef, mac & cheese, some squash ravioli I think, salmon, chicken, Caesar salad. I think that's most of what I ate. I managed to eat balanced without overeating which was a huge concern the night before the marathon. I finished with a Mickey rice crispy treat. Character interactions were fantastic. Cinderella and the Prince were nice enough but then Lady Tremaine came by and she asked my mother if we had all been married off. She told her just the one. Then she asked if it kept my mother up at night. She said, yes, especially that one and pointed to D. Lady Tremaine asked her what she thought was most important in a suitor and my mom said "Money of course." Lady Tremaine was pleased with that answer but warned her not to interfere with getting Anastasia and Drizella married to the prince. Anastasia pushes by Drizella to get to our table next and talks to us about how any picture with her in it is perfect of course. Drizella asks us what our favorite thing about her is. D says her voice. I say her hair and hair bows. L says her dress which isn't a satisfactory answer but she took a picture with us anyway.
We bid farewell to K who is heading back to the park and head to our hotel where we soak our feet in the tub (the hot tub was outside in the cold) and then head to bed.