The Half Marathon Comeback Run-Final thoughts(1/21) About This Page:

[KimandMark]

We left Snow White and found Mom and Dad saving seats on the curb right in front of TTS. We sat with them and chatted with the older couple next to us. They're running the marathon too. And the man has the exact same goofy hat from AK on his head! Seriously, its an old guy thing isn't it, to wear fishing hats.

I got jonesing for some sweets and saw the confections shop just to my right. When it comes to candy, cookies, chocolate etc. I'm like a junkie in a crack house (which is worse than a kid in a candy store), I can't resist it. Apparently I'm not alone, there were many people in there who clearly needed a fix and needed it now! I bought a bag of the fancy colored m&ms for Mark, blue and gold for his favorite football team, the San Diego Chargers. I ask you, how does a man who grew up in western ny come to think the Chargers are the greatest thing ever. He tells me some nonsense about Dan Fouts and Kellon Winslow and blah blah blah I pretend to listen and buy him Chargers crap to hang in the man cave otherwise known as our basement. But back to me....I have one very high recommendation to make from the confectionary. There are these really big, thick cookies that are labeled "best cookie award, international food fair, NYC". I bought the chocolate chip cookie. I swear to god it was like butter and sugar and chocolate rolled up. You could hear my arteries clogging up as I ate this thing and it truly was the "best cookie" ever! Thank god no one wanted to share....

Spectro was as cool as always, Mom and I hold hands and smile and wave and generally make asses of ourselves. I think our current favorite is Chip and Dale on the piano. When Spectro was done we headed straight to Adventureland with thoughts of Pirates and if time, over to Haunted Mansion. We got to Pirates and I experienced something new. We were the only people on the ride. Seriously. Not one other person was in line, we couldn't see anyone on the boats in front of us or behind us. Weird. Yo Ho Yo Ho, a pirates life for me.... I love this too! If we wanted to see Wishes from a Main Street view pt we really needed to get back there. We decided to head close to the entrance so we could be speedy on the way out and ended up right in front of the train station. Not a bad spot, but not the best either. There are lots of people right there and many put their kids on their shoulders so your view is blocked, and they don't dim the lights at that end of Main Street. Don't get me wrong, I love this show, and now that Tinkerbell has lights on her you can see her from far away, I just wouldn't stand there again. But it was still awesome and Mom and I sang and smiles together while Mark and my Dad wonder what kind of freaks they are married to.

When we turned to leave we hurried but Mom and Dad didn't. We had already discussed that. I wanted to be quick to the car because I wanted to get to bed soon, and they didn't really care. We walk much faster and got on the first monorail and the second tram and were out of the parking lot lickety split. I would prefer not to drive to MK ever again. What a pain in the neck it is to monorail and tram and drive. Let Disney drive, for God's sake, we pay them enough, the least they can do is be a chauffeur.

We got back to the room and I laid out my stuff, shorts, singlet, watch, running shoes, good socks, throw away sweats, pony tail holder, chip, number and ipod. Its all in a little, okay big, pile on the vanity area floor waiting for me to wake up at 3AM. I place the wake up call, set the alarm clock and stare at the ceiling for several hours while Mark watches the Chargers lose.

[Tara O'Hara]

Great update ,Kim!! I must try one of those cookies next time! Your parents sound adorable! Can't wait to finally hear about the race!!

[luvnwdwgal]

Ooohhh Cookie!!!!!! Said like Cookie Monster Looking forward to finally reading about your race!!!

[katspjs]

Fantastic report! Mmmm...I want one of those cookies right now! Can't wait to hear about the race.

[pparm]

Okay, I'm all caught up now and waiting to hear about the race!

Paula

[MontiMouse]

[ QUOTE ]
Okay, I'm all caught up now and waiting to hear about the race!

[/ QUOTE ]

Hurry back!

[DopeyGirl]

New on my list of things to eat . . . the best cookie ever!!!

Great (and funny) update as usual!!!

More please!!!

[Jillybean]

Okay, that cookie is on my list of things to do! Yum!

I can just picture you and your mom holding hands and singing now! What a cute pair!

Okay, I'm ready to hear about the race now!

Jill

[BostonTeaParty]

Just caught up with your immensely enjoyable TR...(tapping foot impatiently), now on with the show...er...race!!

[DrDolphin]

Ok - mental note -- add "best cookie ever" to things to get -- as for the rest of the report - you had me - I swear - you made me laugh outloud - Scott says "whats so funny??".....

[KimandMark]

And the moment you've all been waiting for....

But first you must muddle through every detail of my pre-race ritual and the race itself to find out how I did. I'd set and even more challenging goal for myself in the days before the race. It turns out that if I run a 1:45 half I can qualify for a preferred starting position at Chicago next fall. For the un-initiated, that means that I would get to start in front of about 20,000 people and behind the elite runners at the Chicago Mararthon, this improves my chances at a Boston Qualifing marathon time (for me 3:45), which would get me into Boston 2006. Got that? Okay, so I need a 1:45 today, I won't be sad if I don't, well, okay, I'll be sad, but I haven't put in much training for this so you get what give.

Stitch calls at 3, the alarm goes off a minute later and I'm up. Again, the curtain comes in handy, giving me enough space to move around, eat my bagel, get dressed and listen to some Metallica on my ipod (very important pre-race ritual, all good races are preceded by heavy metal, often Metallica, and the more vile the song the better, for example, So What is an excellent pre-race song despite its rather liberal use of the F word, although Fuel has helped also). I'm wearing red shorts and a red singlet with the idea that one solid color might be easier for Mark and the Parents to spot at the finish. I have a fashionable throw-away ensemble of green sweatpants, size XXL with no elastic in the cuffs and a black sweatshirt, also very large with a hole in the shoulder. Call it homeless chic. I try several times to go number 2, (also an important pre-race ritual, all good races are preceded by dropping the kids off at the pool, see code brown for further reasons) but fail. I head out the door by 3:45 and wait in a long bus line at Jamaica bus stop.

There are many spectators in this line, and frankly, they annoy me. Since the buses seem to be few and far between (this is nerves talking) I think they should refrain from boarding the bus and let me on. Not that it matters, I'm still at the staging area by 4:15. What a change from last year, I'm not cold and there are a lot more people. I visit two different portapotties in my attempts, but nothing is happening. I relax, taking a seat on the ground and generally trying not to think about the race or my bowels.

People start moving from the staging area to the corrals around 4:45, the walk is long, I don't talk to anyone (another pre-race ritual), except the lady whose race number says "Ronald" on it. See, we all have our names printed on our numbers. Hers got screwed up and it says Ronald, and I guess Ronald's says nothing. So now she is Ronald. At the moment that was alot funnier. We get to the corrals for the half and I start to think I might need the potty! I get in the longest line I've ever seen and figure as long as I go by 5:30 I'm cool. See, if you go #2 too close the running, you kind feel uncomfortable while running. Its a thing. I get to the potty and halleluah, halleluah, I poop. Its going to be a good day.

I head to my corral and sit down. I leave my sweats on even though its not cold out, why waste any energy on staying warm. With about 10 minutes to go I take my pants off. I've managed to work my way next to some eye candy. A hottie of a marine, shirtless. I swoon. I used to run with some marines when I lived in DC and they typically train at about an 8 minute mile. Since that is what I need today to get 1:45 I decided to keep my eye on this guy. Not that its a hard thing to do.

At 5 minutes I take my sweatshirt off. We wait, Minnie and Mickey address us, the fireworks go off, and we're off. Its takes me about 30 seconds to cross the start line, I start my watch and hope for the best. My first mile is about 8:16. Hmm, perhaps today isn't my day. Let see what happens, hold the pace, feeling good. The next mile is about an 8 minute mile. Cool, hold the pace, run around the World Showcase, the lights are on, the musics playing, but I'm really focused on the pace, I miss mile marker 3 and know I ran fast because Epcot made me excited. At mile 4 I discover that I'm ahead of my needed pace by about 12 seconds, so those last two miles had to be in the 7:45 range, too fast. I slow up a bit, but maintain some speed. I decide that I can afford to walk for about 10 seconds at a couple of aid stations to drink some water. Now all I'm doing at each mile is making sure I stay up on the pace, I don't really know my splits and this race has become one mile to the next just holding this pace. At mile 6 I'm sure its in the bag, but at mile 7 I realize I'm only half way and pride always comes before the fall, so I need to focus. I walk and drink a cup of water. By mile 9 I'm feeling the effects of this pace, I really have to work at it now, its becoming harder and harder. Again, more water. I'm still under 8 minute miles by 10 miles, but I've stopped gaining. I'm a minute ahead of the pace with 3 miles to go. I enter Main Street, I want to pick up the pace here, but I can't, I smile, I see Stitch and Lilo and high five them. Run through Tomorrow land, back through the Castle, hope the photographer got me. Mile 11 I haven't lost any but that was exactly and 8 minute mile. Out the back door of MK. I walk for the water here too. Mile 12 the same. I'm pretty sure I've got it now, but anything can happen, I could just lose it and have to walk, so I keep pushing. Mile 13, again an 8, still a minute up with .1 to go. I round the corner, I have no kick at all, its all I can do to stay running the pace I've had for the last 3 miles. I cross the finish, my watch says 1:43:53, the clock says 1:44:23. WOOHOO!! Preferred start in Chicago, here I come!

There are about 10 pictures, I hope these work:
disney photos

same pictures

[LizardCop]

Kim... Congratulations!!!!!

[Tara O'Hara]

Wow, Kim!!! That is awesome!!! Congratulations!!!!

[BostonTeaParty]

Kim, that was really exciting! Congrats and I'll look for you in Boston next year. Thanks for sharing the pictures. They're awesome.

[mom2my4dwarfs]

Congrats Kim!