GOOFY Vacation: Day Four

Dang, that alarm clock went off early. I slept pretty well. 3AM once again. Coffee once again. Slowly get dressed for battle once again. A bit of soreness here and there. Trying to stretch, worried about cramping up. This is crazy, running a full marathon after running a half the day before.

My wife is really sore. Her feet and legs are still in pain. Running isn't easy, no matter what the distance. For each person regardless of their ability or their experience it is always a great achievement. I was proud of her.

Heading out, same thing, same bus line, same crowd of cattle, same lines for security, same lines for the porta potty. Yep my nerves were there too. This time I had to go to the corral by myself. It pretty lonely by yourself.....even among 25,000 of your closest running friends.

So here is my goal. I burn out at mile 18 or 19 every time. I get to about that point in four hours but the rest of the race takes me two hours to cross the finish line. There just isn't any gas in the tank by the end. I worried I can even do this. Back to back. That is crazy. Now my hamstring hurts. Is it real or am I paranoid. Yesterday I did good with the run walk early on. I'm thinking of three miles running and then one mile of walking. 

I ended up walking half mile increments at first. Little by little I work my way down the course. The first half is pretty much the same as the half the day before. And I've run this entire course last year. My first marathon in 6:15......hey I finished. Just cannot go any faster. All my other runs were right at six hours. My second was the best at 5:50. Not sure how I did that.

I found my wife on Main Street Disney as I ran through and gave her a high five......so glad to see her among the huge crowds.

Anyway, my Runkeeper as my mileage all wacky. At ten miles it has me a mile and a half faster. This means I cannot really judge my pace very well. Not helpful. I have to figure my time (which is accurate) and deduct that from the race clock shown at each mile marker.......math.....not a good thing when you are running a marathon.

Half way took forever......so tough.....still run walk method. Feeling tired but okay.....just pushing through. Cannot quit after posting everything on facebook, blog, LinkedIn, Twitter, website....etc. Just run!

On and on.....each mile I try to figure the math......something is funny. I seem really faster than expected. We get to ESPN and get to run around the track. I know my wife is waiting for me there. Can't wait to see her, she should be right after I leave the baseball stadium. I'm Goofy.....more than one way.....running around the outfield running track I started pretending I'm a broadcaster and rattle off out loud, "It's a hit deep into right center.....its high....it could be a home run....no, he catches it up at the top of the wall and he's out!" I yelling this as I go up against the the padded outfield wall and slam up against it pretending to catch the ball and keep it from going over the fence. The other just look at me a bit crazy........I just mumble....."guess I got just a little too much energy"

The others mumble back.....yes, you do!

My pace was better than ever before. Am I doing my math right? Can I really calculate in my head very well while running a marathon? Well the basic answer to this is NO! But regardless I know that in New York I was at mile 18 in four hours. Here I was at mile 20 and I wasn't quite at the four hour mark......was that for real?

I kept chugging along but certainly getting tired. With all the sweat I feel like I must have lost 10 pounds! My stomach is getting hungry but I know there is no way I'm eating the half bananas nor the tiny chocolate snacks they are handing out. It wouldn't sit well. 

I start grabbing a powerade and a water at the stops. The powerade is too strong but I mix the two together and water in down as I walk through the drink stop. Off and running again......just in time for the rain to begin. Yeah, just what I needed. Actually one stop was a cold wet wash cloth......those are awesome......really helped to cool down because the rain really isn't doing it. I'm soaked!

I apparently caught up with the 5:30 pace group now at mile 23......3 more miles to go. I'm really tired and catching up with them has drained me. I need to walk a little but don't want to let them get too far ahead. I stay with them until mile 24..... I see them pull away a little. Not sure where my time really stands because I probably started behind them......I might still be okay. Regardless my time seems like it will be my best.......after running a half marathon the day before.......that is crazy.

I push to finish. It is easier to run than walk. I feel the back of my ankle hurting. I think it is a blister or a cut where the tape is.......just run, forget about the pain. Pinky toe hurts too.......pinky toe always hurts. I'm sure it is a blister.......just run......I have another pinky toe.

I see the choir.....awesome finish line hymns to inspire that last little bit. Pose in front of the Epcot ball for pictures? You have got to be kidding......I'm not stopping at all! PUSH for the final few hundred yards. I turn the last corner with the crowds cheering me on.....I'm sure they are cheering everyone on. These last few miles a can hear a few people say, "You got this Eugene, keep going!" They can rad my bib......this is amazingly inspiring.......here we go.....the finish......RUN RUN RUN. I sprint across the last fifty yards being careful because the rain is heavier and I certainly don't want to slip......not after 26.2 miles!

My best time.....5:33:50......Yeah me! Tired.....need food.....need my wife.....need a space blanket!

My wife was so proud and amazed at me regarding the finish time......but when I heard the exact time I was not as impressed. 3:50 slower than I should be.......I'm a butt sometimes.....never quite satisfied. I'm sorry, that's just me.

We caught the bus back to the resort, jumped in the ice bath and cleaned up. I was pretty tired, pretty sore, pretty much done for the day. I needed some food so we went over to Disney Boardwalk and returned to another favorite place, Big River. We had to wait a bit but finally got a table outside. Too bad because the football between the Packers and Cowboys was playing inside the bar area. We could hear the yells.

It is pretty neat to wear your metals and your race shirt afterwards. Everyone says congratulations and you get to do likewise. It is fun hearing about other people's successes as well as their challenges that they overcome. It nice to be an encourager. It reminds me of not too long ago when I struggled mightily.

Tasty food and then back to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. As we walked back in the lobby, we walked past a guy on the phone......I didn't pay attention but nearly walked right into him as he was on his cell phone. My wife goes, "Is that who I think it is?", I looked back and saw it was Sean Astin. You know, Rudy, Sam......the kid on Goonies! I was going to go over and say something but he was on his phone and he had his kids with him. He was getting ready to check out and I figured it was best if you let famous people be regular people sometimes. I respected his privacy. He had ran the Doopy Challenge. Pretty awesome. 

I tried to stay awake but I just couldn't. I was out by 5PM.........call me Rip Van Winkle......I slept for 13 hours.

ET This I Believe

Eugene Thompson

RUN EUGENE RUN