Finishing Goofy's Challenge

It has taken me two weeks to thaw following my run at Disney World! Seriously, it was that cold.

Should you ever choose to run the Walt Disney World Marathon, let me offer a few advisory opinions:

1. Pay the extra money and purchase your entry to the "Race Retreat." The Race Retreat is a tent, with tables, chairs, food, drink, televisions and...most importantly...Daisy Duck. On marathon day, it was windy and the temperatures were in the 20s. I had purchased the Race Retreat, which helped me stay reasonably comfortable prior to the race. I did not bring enough gear to wait outside, which made the Race Retreat well worth the cost.

2. If you run the Goofy's Challenge, you will be fully aware of the physical challenge of running 39.3 miles in two days. I missed the reality of sleep deprivation, since the early race start means the wake up call is made to your room at 3 a.m. Eastern.

3. Don't enter these races with the idea you are going to set a personal record. I suppose it can happen, but you should plan to enjoy running through the parks. Because the course is flat, if you are in one of the front starting corrals, I am certain you can move right along with great speed. But my advice is to slow down, take a picture or two with a character (or three characters), and enjoy the experience!

The picture shows me with my new friends The Country Bears in Frontierland of the Magic Kingdom.

4. Wear your medals around all day, including to the airport after the race...everyone else does!

With that advice, let me say right up front the hardest part of my Sunday marathon came on Saturday evening. At the end of Saturday's half marathon, I was wet inside and out, my socks, shoes, hat, gloves and pretty much everything was wet. What started as sleet finished as rain which, combined with the wind and cold, gave me a chill that would not go away. Combined with the loss of my running tights, still freezing weather, wind, overcast and just a general non-enjoyable climate, when it was time for dinner on Saturday evening, I told Cathy (my wife), "I know what it takes mentally to run a marathon and I'm not in any frame of mind to do this tomorrow."

She gets credit for pushing the proper motivational button by asking, "You've never quit a marathon, have you?" The answer, mile 20 in Nashville 2006. I'd had enough, was schedule to run two weeks later in Denver, it was hot, and I've regretted it ever since.

So, the 3 a.m. wake up call happened again on Sunday, just like on Saturday. I got myself going, out the door, on the bus and in the Race Retreat tent where I found a bean bag chair near a TV showing the movie, "Up!," which took my mind off the weather reality outside.

For the start of the race, the temperature was 28 degrees, with a wind chill estimated at 17. Did I mention I was at Disney World?!

The cold caused me to ignore Rule #1 of marathoning, which is "Never do something for the race you have not done during a training run." I had a pair of nylon sweat pants, which I decided at the very last minute to wear for the first few miles of the race. The first few miles became 26.2 miles which, combined with four layers of shirts up top, two sets of gloves and two sets of hand warmers, kept my temperature relatively tolerable.

The early start time means I ran the first nine miles in the dark. But, the great part of the marathon's first few miles is you wind through Epcot's International Showcase, which is all lit up for great viewing. The iPhone did not take a good picture until we entered the Magic Kingdom for the run down Main Street U.S.A. If you look at my Main Street picture from Saturday's run, you will see the Christmas Tree all lit up in the dark. Add a few more miles and the sun is up for Sunday's run through the Magic Kingdom!

At any age, I think it would be fun to run through the Disney Parks. I have walked through Cinderella's Castle on many occasions, but I've never taken a picture in the Castle until I was running through its passageway. If you look closely, you can see all the runners in their cold weather gear as the head through the Castle.

But, when you leave each of the Parks the run in between is not all that exciting. I give the Disney folks credit for trying to add interesting sights, signs and people as you run the flat roads that take you from the Magic Kingdom to the Animal Kingdom, but the run takes you by the waste water treatment plant. There's only so much you can do to make the waste water treatment plant interesting.

The reward for tolerating the boring roads is entry in to the Animal Kingdom. I'm the guy in the cold weather outfit between Rafiki and the safari staff. The Animal Kingdom is at mile 17 of the run, which is a good time to take your mind off the run. During my run through the Animal Kingdom I used the iPhone to call Cathy with a request for her map analysis skills to be put to use. Meaning, I wanted her to tell me the mile marker when I left Animal Kingdom (mile 18) and then the mile marker when I would enter what used to be known as MGM Studios (now Disney Hollywood Studios), which would happen at mile 22. That information served as helpful motivation, rather than leaving me to wonder when I would make it to the next park.

So far, none of the parks had been fully open to the public as we ran through. That changed when we ran through Disney's Hollywood Studios and the added crowd made it a bit more fun. However, the best character picture of the day occurred midway through Hollywood Studios. If you have seen the movie, "The Incredibles," you may remember Frozone, whom I met at mile 23. Frozone felt right at home today in Orlando.

The race leaves the Studios Park, without a ride on the Tower of Terror or the Rock 'n Roller Coaster, to head toward the Boardwalk area, where Cathy was waiting just before mile marker 25.

After a quick wave and visit, the race enters the "back entrance" of Epcot, which offered a great opportunity for a picture. If a picture is worth a thousand words, the bright sunshine and blue sky paint a multi-word picture of a warm Florida day. As nice as it looks, I think the temperature was still in the upper 30s at this point. It was, however, a much nicer way to finish a race than the rain, cold, gray, wind of Saturday.

And, I did it! 39.3 miles, two races, three different medals, and my 14th consecutive month of running a marathon.

For February, it's back to Birmingham for the Mercedes Marathon!!