Traffic wasn't nearly as bad on Sunday and we got to the staging area with a bit of time before I had to be in the corral. I had a chance to meet up with the WDW Running team members and share some stories. And then the time came to start making the long walk to the corrals.
I woke up with a bit of a headache, so I took a couple of Tylenols hoping that I might be able to shake it. It was 5:30, the first wave of runners were off, and I still had my headache. At this point, I was beginning to get a little nervous. I was going to be running (mostly) for the next 5 plus hours and the last thing I needed was my head pounding every time a foot hit the ground. I decided, headache or no headache, I had come too far to even consider not finishing. So, around 6:00, my corral was released and I was off. I could still feel the headache for the first quarter mile or so and then it was gone. Maybe the headache was just nerves. But I think it was gone as the result of a little pre-race prayer.
About 3 miles in, as we ran under the monorail platform outside of Epcot, I ran by my Parents for the first time... My mom had worn the same yellow shirt that she wore the year before, hoping that I'd be able to pick her out of a crowd. They were easy to find, partly because of the yellow shirt, but mostly because I had meticulously planned out their "spectating course" for the day.
I love the feeling of running through Epcot in the dark three hours before it opens. It's so peaceful... Even with thousands of runners all around. After a quick pit stop in Norway, we headed backstage between between Norway and China, under the Test Track loop and back to Epcot Center Dr. The next time I would step foot in Epcot, I'd be less than 2 miles from completing my first Goofy Challenge.
From here to the halfway point, the course is very similar to the half marathon course, with a few minor variations to add a little distance.
As we were running on the tramway toward the TTC, I saw a sign that said "Remember, checkout time is 11:00." This made me chuckle. At the TTC, I saw my parents once again... Mom in her yellow shirt. We ran back through the Magic Kingdom and then back down Floridian Way. I passed my parents for the last time before the finish at the entrance to the Polynesian Resort, not far before the halfway point and the right hand turn towards Animal Kingdom. The road was divided to allow for car and bus traffic between the course and the resort entrance, which limited me to a quick wave as I ran by.
The next few miles are pretty tough. There's not much to take your mind off of the running.It's all backstage roads between the Magic Kingdom parking lot and Animal Kingdom. Nearing Animal Kingdom, we ran by the sewage treatment plant and the landscape nursery, which provide something to look at, albeit, not very exciting.
When we turned into the backstage area of Animal Kingdom, we had cast members and their animal companions cheering us along. At this point, I was beginning to loose some steam and I knew that Animal Kingdom would be open by now so I decided to walk for a couple of minutes before entering the park. I don't like walking in front of park guests... I don't want them to think I'm dogging it.
We entered Animal Kingdom on the pathway between Africa and Asia. Knowing, based on my pace, that I would be in Animal Kingdom just after opening, I was debating whether I should jump off course and ride Expedition Everest. The standby line was at 5 minutes, but I decided that since this was my first Goofy, I wanted to concentrate on finishing and didn't want to deliberately slow myself down, so I kept going... Maybe next year.
Awaiting us once we exited the park through a backstage exit in Dinoland was a kiddie pool filled with ice cold sponges. It was very refreshing to squeeze the cold water over my head and wipe down my face, but it had the unfortunate side effect of getting the front of my shirt wet enough to stick to my chest. By this time the Body Glide had worn off and as any runner knows, friction is not your friend. I tried to tough it out and ran by the first med tent, thinking the shirt would dry off and I would be fine. As we ran along the front of the parking lot towards the main entrance to Animal Kingdom, the cheering of the park guests and spectators was enough to make me forget about the pain temporarily. But as we exited the parking lot and merged onto Osceola Parkway, it was apparent that I was going to need a dose of Vaseline to relieve myself of the chaffing. Unfortunately, the next med tent was a good mile and a half away. So I ran with my hand against my chest to prevent further chaffing and sucked it up.
At this point, I was alternating between 2 1/2 minutes of running and 2 1/2 minutes of walking. I briefly stopped at the med tent just before the World Dr. overpass, popped two Tylenols, greased up my chest and kept going.
Between miles 20 and 21, is an out and back. At this point, the race becomes not only physically challenging, but also mentally challenging as all of the readily available fuel is now depleted and the body is becoming less and less efficient. Running out a half mile just to turn around and come back just adds to that mental challenge.
The off ramp from World Dr. to Buena Vista Dr. is really the last decent sized hill of the race. I knew, once I got past that hill, it would be smooth sailing... more or less. We entered backstage at Hollywood Studios where they were handing out fruit snacks and Hershey's miniature chocolate bars. I grabbed a little chocolate for some fuel and walked a bit so when I got to the onstage area at Streets of America, I could run through the park so as not to damage my pride by walking in front of park guests.
We ran along the path between Hollywood Studios and the Boardwalk Resort and I got a little more walking in. I continued to alternate between running and walking past the Yacht and Beach Club Resorts and through the last backstage area before entering Epcot in the UK. As I turned into World Showcase, I was greeted by the cheers of Lou and the WDW Radio cheering team. And, to my surprise I found myself in the middle of an interview on Lou's UStream channel for the benefit of "the Box People."
Running around World Showcase was tough. At this point I was down to a minute of running and a minute of walking and it was all I could muster to make it through the entire minute of running. There were guests present, but I had to swallow my pride and just keep moving forward, even if I had to walk in front of guests.
We ran through Future World and as we turned into the backstage area, there was the gospel choir. It was that last bit of inspiration that I needed to finish up. I got a quick picture of the choir and the 26 mile marker and then put my phone away and took off sprinting. I couldn't have been going nearly as fast as it felt like I was, but nonetheless I was weaving in and out of people so I could finish strong. I nearly tripped over the photographer at the finish line (I can't believe I had it in me to kick my legs to the side and not go tumbling), and I had finished my first Goofy Challenge.
I hurt, but it was the best pain I'd ever felt. At that point, I was thinking to myself that I probably wouldn't do it again. I had accomplished what I had come to accomplish and I had proven that I could do it, so I didn't feel the need to put myself through all of that again. But by the next day, I had decided that next year, I'm going to do my second Goofy Challenge and throw in the 5k on Friday as a warm up. This is unofficially known as the Dopey (another appropriate name). What can I say, I've become addicted.
As we were running on the tramway toward the TTC, I saw a sign that said "Remember, checkout time is 11:00." This made me chuckle. At the TTC, I saw my parents once again... Mom in her yellow shirt. We ran back through the Magic Kingdom and then back down Floridian Way. I passed my parents for the last time before the finish at the entrance to the Polynesian Resort, not far before the halfway point and the right hand turn towards Animal Kingdom. The road was divided to allow for car and bus traffic between the course and the resort entrance, which limited me to a quick wave as I ran by.
The next few miles are pretty tough. There's not much to take your mind off of the running.It's all backstage roads between the Magic Kingdom parking lot and Animal Kingdom. Nearing Animal Kingdom, we ran by the sewage treatment plant and the landscape nursery, which provide something to look at, albeit, not very exciting.
When we turned into the backstage area of Animal Kingdom, we had cast members and their animal companions cheering us along. At this point, I was beginning to loose some steam and I knew that Animal Kingdom would be open by now so I decided to walk for a couple of minutes before entering the park. I don't like walking in front of park guests... I don't want them to think I'm dogging it.
We entered Animal Kingdom on the pathway between Africa and Asia. Knowing, based on my pace, that I would be in Animal Kingdom just after opening, I was debating whether I should jump off course and ride Expedition Everest. The standby line was at 5 minutes, but I decided that since this was my first Goofy, I wanted to concentrate on finishing and didn't want to deliberately slow myself down, so I kept going... Maybe next year.
Awaiting us once we exited the park through a backstage exit in Dinoland was a kiddie pool filled with ice cold sponges. It was very refreshing to squeeze the cold water over my head and wipe down my face, but it had the unfortunate side effect of getting the front of my shirt wet enough to stick to my chest. By this time the Body Glide had worn off and as any runner knows, friction is not your friend. I tried to tough it out and ran by the first med tent, thinking the shirt would dry off and I would be fine. As we ran along the front of the parking lot towards the main entrance to Animal Kingdom, the cheering of the park guests and spectators was enough to make me forget about the pain temporarily. But as we exited the parking lot and merged onto Osceola Parkway, it was apparent that I was going to need a dose of Vaseline to relieve myself of the chaffing. Unfortunately, the next med tent was a good mile and a half away. So I ran with my hand against my chest to prevent further chaffing and sucked it up.
At this point, I was alternating between 2 1/2 minutes of running and 2 1/2 minutes of walking. I briefly stopped at the med tent just before the World Dr. overpass, popped two Tylenols, greased up my chest and kept going.
Between miles 20 and 21, is an out and back. At this point, the race becomes not only physically challenging, but also mentally challenging as all of the readily available fuel is now depleted and the body is becoming less and less efficient. Running out a half mile just to turn around and come back just adds to that mental challenge.The off ramp from World Dr. to Buena Vista Dr. is really the last decent sized hill of the race. I knew, once I got past that hill, it would be smooth sailing... more or less. We entered backstage at Hollywood Studios where they were handing out fruit snacks and Hershey's miniature chocolate bars. I grabbed a little chocolate for some fuel and walked a bit so when I got to the onstage area at Streets of America, I could run through the park so as not to damage my pride by walking in front of park guests.
We ran along the path between Hollywood Studios and the Boardwalk Resort and I got a little more walking in. I continued to alternate between running and walking past the Yacht and Beach Club Resorts and through the last backstage area before entering Epcot in the UK. As I turned into World Showcase, I was greeted by the cheers of Lou and the WDW Radio cheering team. And, to my surprise I found myself in the middle of an interview on Lou's UStream channel for the benefit of "the Box People."
Running around World Showcase was tough. At this point I was down to a minute of running and a minute of walking and it was all I could muster to make it through the entire minute of running. There were guests present, but I had to swallow my pride and just keep moving forward, even if I had to walk in front of guests.
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