Hollywood Studios was fun but it went by too fast. I enjoyed the energy from the crowds there but I was starting to feel the distance. Still smiling, but I was hurting.
Its impossible to not feel happy while running through a Disney park.
Mile 22: 12:39
Mile 23: 13:10
It was after we left Hollywood Studios, at 23 miles, when I hit my wall. I almost cried during this mile. I know it was more mental than physical but I just felt like I could not keep going. I felt a wave of dizziness when we stopped for a walk break and it scared me. I wanted to walk more. I told Maggie I thought I needed to walk more and she gave me a little bit of tough love. She was not going to slow down if I was going to walk more I was on my own. I didnt want to run the last three miles on my own. As tired as I was, I was afraid if I was left on my own I would walk the entire last three miles. So I agreed to keep pushing.
Not long after that we switched to 2.5/2.5 intervals. Even though the total running time was the same I think that really helped me mentally. I can do anything for 2.5 minutes, right? We also walked any hills at that point. The dizziness passed and I once again felt like I could finish this race.
Mile 24: 13:19
Mile 25: 13:01
Mile 26: 12:28
What my Garmin said was Mile 27 was actually Mile 26 through Epcot. It was a complete blur. I dont remember seeing any characters but Im sure there were one or two. We stopped in Morocco for one last bathroom break before the finish line. I could have waited, but we had a hard time finding bathrooms after the half and did not want to wait that long. Besides, we werent running for time, so we were happy to make sure we finished the final mile in comfort.
Im impressed that I was still able to look happy. I dont remember giving the thumbs up or smiling but I look so much better than I did in my Epcot pictures from the marathon last year! The crowds and volunteers were seriously awesome. At one point while we were running in Epcot a spectator gave me a high-five and said we looked great. Other people commented that they liked our energy. At this point, there were not many people around us running at all so I think we stood out during our running intervals. I think I remember someone blowing bubbles at Epcot too but I could be imagining that. The crowd support here went a long way with me.
We kept up our intervals and before we knew it we were leaving Epcot, passing the choir and the finish line was in sight! It was such an overwhelming moment. Just before the finish line I saw Mickey and Minnie were giving high-fives so I ducked over to the left for my high-fives.
Mile 27: 13:39
Mile 27.0 -27.29: 10:01 pace
Total: 6:30:38 (14:19 pace)
We were now two-time marathoners, and more importantly, Goofy Challenge finishers!
It was one of the best feelings ever. Maggie and I hugged and celebrated. I could not believe that in two short years we went from running a 5k to our first marathon and now the Goofy Challenge. I was, and still am, so proud of us both.
We got our Mickey medals and headed to the ice station before picking up our Goofy medals.
I had ice taped to both of my knees. Maggie had two bags too but didnt have hers taped. Apparently they ran out of ice right after us so Maggie gave one of her bags to another guy who needed it. I could not believe they ran out! There were so many people still behind us. Hopefully they found more quickly.
We then went to pick up our Goofy medals. There were volunteers who were telling people they could not pass until they saw water bottles open and everyone drinking. It was so smart to have that reminder. We went straight to the Goofy tent and got our medals!
We were feeling tough.
Pat met us at the family tents. Its amazing how quickly you forget about the pain and the tough parts, all I could think about was how much fun the race was and the fact that we had finished!
The Goofy Challenge was an amazing experience. At the time Im pretty sure I said I would never do it again, but I thought it was worth the long training runs, the early morning start times and any pain I felt along the way. And looking back, maybe the Goofy Challenge really is like child birth once you are far enough out that you forget the pain and only remember the good times, you start thinking it might be fun to do again
This time we found our way to the resort buses. They were much closer than the monorail. We also saw the bathrooms we had missed the day before. Back at our hotel we took a quick shower, another hour-long nap, and then we were ready to hit the parks again. We were headed to Epcot for a celebration dinner at Via Napoli!