Disney World Half-Marathon

When is the last time you set your alarm for 3:15am? Prior to this past Saturday, I would have had a hard time answering that question as well. But Sarah and I popped right out of bed when our alarms went off and quickly got dressed and brushed our teeth, before heading downstairs to catch the shuttle over to Epcot for the start of the race, and my second half-marathon.

At the Race Expo on Thursday

The race didn't actually begin until 5:30, but due to traffic the shuttles stopped running at 4am, so we caught our shuttle at 3:30am, ate our peanut butter and banana breakfast, and arrived at Epcot around 4:00am. Let us remember that while Florida is generally a state that has very favorable temperatures, it was 4:00 in the morning and it was COLD! Wearing just a tanktop and Nike running leggings for an hour and a half before my race started, I was so cold, and I don't think my hands EVER got warm!

I started in the third "corral," or wave, and it was a race to remember. Disney really does it up right. There were fireworks at the starting line before each corral began running and different entertainment and characters at each half mile. This ranged from cheerleaders, bands, disney characters and much more. It was so organized and it was very motivating to be able to run through the castle at Magic Kingdom and around the huge ball at Epcot! Someone said it very well before the race even began, "just when you feel like stopping, you will run upon a character or something that motivates you to just keep running!" It was definitely that way for me. I never really said this out loud because I knew this race was going to be more fun and one that I would want to just enjoy instead of running for time, but I am also a pretty goal-oriented person and wanted to finish the race in under 2 hours.

Fireworks at the beginning of each corral (Source)

I didn't check my watch before the start so I was unable to keep my own time. Based on the time posted at each mile marker, I wasn't sure if I was going to accomplish that goal. I finished the race and learned my official finishing time was 1:56:29! I beat my goal! But let me tell you, my knees were screaming at me - it must have been all that pavement! Luckily, they felt much better later in the day so I was not too worried about them.

Sarah finished the race in 2:18:53, which is an awesome time, especially since it was her first half-marathon! What a rockstar!

Sarah and I after the race!

We both agreed that it was a great race that was really well put on. My one tiny complaint - the early hour of the race. I mean, 3:15 is the middle of the night! But then again, I finished running 13.1 miles before many (normal) people were even awake!

Check out that hardware! (Source)

After the race, it was time to get some real food in our bellies, shower, and head to the park we had been most anticipating for MONTHS (nine months to be exact) - The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!