Diving Into Blue

Somewhere along the backroads between the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, I meet Aaron from my neck of the woods.

They're wearing Texas flag shorts, and he's carrying the American flag on a pole. As I catch up with them, I ask, "Hey! Where in Texas are you guys from?" She says Fort Worth, and he says Dallas. And then I recognized him. "Aren't you the guy that was wearing the turkey feathers at the Turkey Trot?"

This guy is a celebrity to my friends and I back home. We'd seen him at the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day. As he ran by us, we looked at each other in disbelief. Was that guy really wearing only his running shoes and a pair of shorts with turkey feathers on his rear? Oh, yeah! He also carried the American flag on a pole--this guy was very easy to spot. And pretty memorable, I would say. And then we'd seen him again in December before a marathon/half-marathon we were getting ready to run. Both events were held in our neck of the woods. So how was it that out of thousands of participants in a race several states away, I happened upon Aaron during my marathon at Disneyworld? Fate? Maybe so...

We had a great conversation about running in general, participating in marathons, and, of course, fate. I probably gushed too much, saying over and over, "My friends will NEVER believe that I saw you here!" As proof of our chance meeting, I asked him if he wouldn't mind taking a picture with me. A guy listening to our conversation the whole time obliged, and now this memory is forever in digital.

I checked my watch. Oh gosh! This great twist of fate cost me precious minutes--this was to be my slowest mile in the marathon! Ta-ta, Aaron, the Turkey Trot Dude! Gotta get moving through the Animal Kingdom and beyond!

Mile 10 started just before we entered the Magic Kingdom. It took us down Main Street, through Tomorrowland, through Cinderella's castle, and out through a secret exit in Frontierland to mile 11.

Spectators lined Main Street, cheering us on; what a thrill! A bunch of us had the same thought: stopping at the REAL bathrooms in Tomorrowland. With that taken care of, it was picture time again. Cinderella's mice were handy, and so was a kind soul who took my picture.

Just another 5 short miles to Animal Kingdom! And somewhere along this stretch, we'll pass the halfway point--13.1 miles!

So there we were--it was 4:20 a.m. and about 37 degrees as we hung out at the staging area before heading to the start line.

It was two friends from work and myself at the Disney marathon. My friends were going to walk the marathon while I had decided to do a run/walk/shuffle. Instead of looking at it as 26.2 miles and counting down to the finish, we studied the race map to see where the course was going to take us. What it really boiled down to was: from the starting line, through Epcot, through the Magic Kingdom, through the Animal Kingdom, through MGM Studios, through the Boardwalk area, and back through Epcot to the finish located in the Epcot parking lot. When I thought of the miles like that, it wasn't too daunting.

I told my friends that I would start the race with them, so we could walk through Epcot and expereince the first three-ish miles together. And that's what we did!

At 6:07 a.m., we crossed the start line together, dressed as warmly as we dared, knowing that we would be shedding clothing as the miles passed. We had to buy these Tyvek jackets and pants as we really hadn't planned on such cold temperatures. These "cute" outfits made us look like marshmellows! And it was all about how cute we looked!

Kristy brought her digital camera with her on the course, and I had a disposal camera with me as well. We were serious about this race and finishing it--but we were going to have FUN and document the fun we had along the way.

It was still dark as we walked through Epcot but it was awesome! The lights were on, the music was playing, and the crowds of spectators cheered as we went past! We weren't the only ones to stop and click pictures!

And before we knew it, we were heading out one of the secret side exits through the backlot of Epcot. This is where I parted ways with Kristy and Kimmy. We wished each other luck, with the promise to meet at the finish line for group pictures with our coveted Mickey Mouse medals.

I participated in my first marathon on January 8, 2006 at 6:00 a.m. in Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL. And it was one of the most amazing things I've ever done!

I've never been a serious athlete--not even an athlete at all! I look back and can honestly say that previous to this, my only running had been as a member of my 8th grade track team! And really, anyone who wanted to participate on our school track team did, so it really wasn't a spot that I "earned" because of my ability.

I had surgery February 2005 and started my serious marathon training in June 2005. I walked to begin with because I hadn't done any exercise at all since January 2005. Through the organized training program that I joined, I met three great friends that I call my Running Buddies! Their hard work and dedication really inspired me and kept me going--I didn't want to let them down. I knew that they would be waiting for me each and every Saturday morning for our scheduled workouts.

My Running Buddies were training for a December 2005 marathon while I was training for the Disney marathon. I saw them on their race day and wished them good luck! I wish I could have been there to see them cross the finish line but the next best thing was when we met a week later for a "We did it!" brunch! You should have seen their faces glowing with pride at finishing the marathon and heard their nonstop excited chatter about their expereinces on race day--did I tell you that for two of the three, it was their first marathon as well?

Knowing they did it, I knew I could finish as well. Nevertheless, I was nervous!