Walt Disney World Marathon - RunMarathon

The plan for the BT gang was to run together with Melissa (Soupy), who is Chris' (Tri Gods and/or Cletus)friend. She was running her first marathon (and also did Goofy!!!). There were five of us (Trixie, fitphd, Soupy, Cletus, and I), and we were all doing the Goofy Challenge, so we had to keep a 16 minute pace.
I was nervous about the race since I had not trained for it and hadn't run longer than 13.1 miles since the Ironman last April!! And this was my first stand alone marathon, too. I ran the first 4 miles by myself, since we were all in different corrals and our plan was to meet at mile 4. These first 4 miles were really, really nice for me. I listened to my music (mellow stuff) and enjoyed the crowds, the foggy morning, running into Epcot and seeing the ball shrouded in clouds,being surrounded by fellow athletes all out accomplishing something great. It was my moment of zen for the day.
As I ran past the porta potties at mile 4, I heard Trixie call out "hey...you..you". I guess she forgot my name. :) Anyway, we hung out there and waited for Wendi and Soupy. Wendi decided to run her own race, so once we found Soupy we were off! I turned off my ipod and let the gang entertain me for the next 22 miles.
I felt great through about mile 15, and then I still felt fine but I was nervous again. I realized that I still had 11 miles to go, and worried that I would bonk or something. It never happened, though. I think it was just that we were going a very easy pace and we walked a lot.
It was lots of fun to run through the parks and see all the characters, but nothing got me as excited as seeing Darth Vader and the 2 storm troopers in MGM! I shook their hands and said "nice to meet you". Awesome!!!
Trixie was non-stop entertainment. It was a sight to behold and marvel at. I do not kid....she NEVER, EVER stopped being Trixie and it was amazing! Her and fit together are the cutest thing ever. They are a match made in heaven (with a little devil thrown in, of course). Soupy had trained well for the marathon, but having trained in Nashville, she was not prepared for the heat. It was in the 80's yesterday, and it made things hard for her. Chris was a great friend to her, and she totally gutted it out. It was amazing to watch, just like watching Adam gut out the 1/2 the day before. I am very inspired by both of them.
Sue was waiting for us around mile 19 or 20, I think, with a big ole cooler of goodies...coke, brownies, skittles. YUM!! That kicked so much ass, Sue! Thank you SO much!
The best part of the race was seeing Soupy take off for the finish line when it finally came into sight. To me, there is nothing better than racing with friends. Yes, we all need to race for ourselves and accomplish our own goals. That is what we are all here for. But to race with friends, to live your life surrounded by other people that do these things and think it is normal, is a true blessing. Thank you to all the BTers who made this weekend so great. Love you!

Nada nada nada, not a damn thing.

Got our medals (woot!) and got our pictures taken. Walked to the car and went to fit and Trixie's hotel to shower. Ate with Jeff, Terri, and Shane.


Woohoo!!