Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge - Half Marathon

I arrived at MCO at about 11am on Thursday and after a decent wait in line, I was on my way to Port Orleans Riverside via Disney's Magical Express.  Disney's got it figured out... They have you waiting in line before you even reach Disney World property.  By the time you get on property, you're already conditioned to waiting in line.

I arrived at Port Orleans, checked in, waited for my parents who had driven from South Dakota to watch me run, and then it was off to the ESPN Wide World of Sports to pick up my race packet.  With my race packet in hand it was off to the expo to pick up some calf sleeves.  The expo was PACKED (which was going to be the theme for the weekend).  I tend to get a little claustrophobic in crowds.  So, I got my sleeves, an extra tube of Biofreeze, and bolted.

We had reservations that night at Liberty Tree Tavern, so we headed to the Magic Kingdom.  I have a tradition of getting my hair cut at the Harmony Barber Shop before a race, but we were running behind and it was closed by the time we got there.  Dinner was delicious and our waitress was great!  The food just kept coming and coming.  I was definitely carb loading!

After dinner, we hit Pirates of the Caribbean and then back over to the Hub for the Magic, Memories, and You.  I had seen this back in October, but my parents hadn't seen it yet, so it was a must.  We decided to beat the post-fireworks rush and watched the fireworks from the ferry on the way back to the TTC.

The Back Story

So... I decided to try my hand at blogging.

I'm new to it, so bear with me while I learn the ropes.  Hopefully someone will find what I have to say interesting.

I recently completed my first Goofy Challenge at Walt Disney World's Marathon Weekend.  The Goofy Challenge consists of running a half marathon Saturday morning, followed by a full marathon Sunday morning.

I began running three years ago, after making the decision to run in the Disney World Half Marathon a year later.  When I started running, I couldn't run a mile without nearly doubling over and gasping for breath.  Less than a year later,  on a chilly January 10, 2010, I finished the Disney World Half Marathon in the snow and sleet.  The next day, I saw all of the people with their Mickey and Goofy medals, and I have to admit, I felt a little embarrassed to be wearing my Donald medal.  Not that I wasn't proud of my accomplishment.  I had just done something that up until a year prior, I thought I could never do.  Up to that point, it was one of the most difficult things I had ever done.  But... these people did more than I had done and that's when my pride kicked in.  I began thinking to myself, "if they can do it, I can do it."  So, I made the commitment to run the Disney World Marathon the following year.