I woke up at 2:45am and was on the Disney Bus that transports runners to the race by 3:15am. Once I got to the race destination, I began to feel the extreme cold. I ran inside a small tent and hung out with about 45 other people squeezed in like sardines. Our intent was to stay out of the wind....it was brutal. The race began at 6am. The race was kicked off with a display of fireworks. Mickey and Minnie were at the start line. Thousands of runners raced forward.
I was not prepared for the wet weather (normally I would have brought a rain poncho or garbage bag). I wore 2 shirts, a sweater, a hat, gloves and running pants. A few miles into the race, my sweater was so wet that I had to take it off and throw it to the side of the road. Next, my gloves were soaked so I had to throw those off to the side. So, in 20 degree weather with awful winds (which made it feel cooler), I was freezing my butt off.
I met lots of cool people and had a great run. I did have trouble with both of my knees during the last 3 miles of the race. I ran through the pain because if I stopped, everything would lock and get stiff. Once I passed the finish line, I tried to find my family. There were so many people...I did not have my cell phone.. I was looking for them for 45 minutes in the freezing cold. Finally, I went to the information tent and a kind worker let me use her cell phone to call Jim and the kids. As it turns out, Jim had left and was on the way back to the hotel. Sarah's lips were blue, her eyes glazed, and she was shivering from the cold. The boys wanted to stay even though they were freezing (only wearing sweaters-which was not enough). They were upset that they could not meet me after my finish. The lines for the bus were insane....Two kind guys let me stand in front of them so I was able to board the second bus back to hotel.
When I first saw the boys, they said, "Mom, we are so proud of you! Congratulations!" I just love that I am setting a good example of healthy living. I hope as they get older, they will remember that if you work hard at something, you can make it possible. After a hot cup of coffee and a steaming hot shower, I began to feel human again. Jim decided to take us all out for brunch at the Gaylord Palms Hotel. I love that location...the atrium, waterfalls and foliage are beautiful. In addition, the boys were in heaven as we ate on a pirate ship surrounded by water. They saw many species of fish, turtles, and alligators. All this was inside the atrium within the hotel. Lunch was great! After all the fun, we headed home to be with our dogs and spent the remainder of the day watching movies under the covers.
I am waiting for the pictures from Disney to become available. I plan on buying one or two and will post them to the blog. My family was not able to get pictures because access to the different race mile marks were almost impossible to get to (due to the crowds) and they were not at the finish line due to the cold.
Alexander did great on his first race. He placed 8th in his age group! I placed 13th in my age group. We had such a great time this morning at the Race for Faith. The organizers did such a great job. Alexander already wants to do a second race...next weekend on the 13th of February. I have a feeling we have a awesome little runner in our house:) With more training, he hopes to improve his pace by 1 minute....it will take speed work, tempo runs, and dedication. I know he can do it!
