Race Report Rewind Goofy 2010

With a few of my training buddies getting ready for the 2012 version of Goofy's Challenge Race & Half at WDW I thought I'd pull this old race report out for their amusement. Everything following "Quick Summary" below is verbatim (warts & all) from what I posted on the Get Fit Atlanta Forum a few days after the race. I'll probably go back and sprinkle a few photos into the report as soon as can figure which computer they're on.

Quick Summary:
Half Finish Time: 2:20:08
Full Finish Time: 4:29:07
Miles 16-24 of the full were the worst of any race so far - including the last 6 I walked at MCM in 2008.

Likes:
- Running last 2 miles with a friendly face (Thanks Lindsay Doyle!!!) Thanks to Dana for Get Fit Atlanta!!!
- Finishing
- Running through the Costuming tunnel in Disney Hollywood Studios – neat look at part of the Backlot Tour
- Using the Half as practice for as to how the start and finish elements work
- Being able to say "I am only running 26.2 this weekend" on future race weekends

Dislikes:
- Miles 16-24 were the worst of any race so far
- Hit the wall at mile 20 of the full
- Running through the Costuming tunnel – Need lights in the tunnel for the runners. Almost ran a walker over
- Cold Weather (normally you worry about this race being too hot)
- Early rising

Lessons Learned:
- Write your Race Number and Name on you checked bag
- Cold Race: Don’t take off top layer during race unless its really warmer
- Cold Race: Wind may pick up when sun comes out
- Don’t change pre-race nutrition – Was up at 2am and hungry. Should have eaten something solid (banana) at 4 or 5am

What Would I Do Different:
- Maybe Run this event as my only fall marathon
- Run more back to back runs during training
- Run 1st day of back to back training runs slowly

What Did I do Right:
- Ice baths (They ROCK!!!!)
- Slow Half marathon – Ran close to a personal worst
- Not visiting a Disney park after half

Long winded version (I did not proofread the long version - it is what it is):

Traveled down on Weds before the race. Spent Thursday at the Magic Kingdom with the family. Skipped my 20 minutes easy in favor of several hours walking. Don't think that affected the outcome of my weekend. Spent Friday morning at the Expo then the kids races. Weather was nice until 10am then it started to get cold.

Saturday: Dress rehearsal for Sunday. Up at 2:30am. Drive out of the condo at 3am. In the parking lot at 3:30am. Stayed in the car until 4am. Quick look in the start area tells me there is nothing to do here so I head to bag check. Through bag check and to porta pottys. Then wait until 4:40am before they us let us walk about 3/4 of a mile to the corrals. Skipped the next set of porta pottys. Spent time in corral talking to a guy from London who spent 48 hours in transit for a trip that normally takes an afternoon. Oh yeah - it' sleeting and raining at the start of the half. 88 cent poncho from Wally world and garbage bags as top layers. Also talked with a lady from California who was running her 5th Goofy (as in all of them so far) and would be doing her 17th Disney marathon on Sunday. Her son was starting ahead of us for his 1st Goofy. Start at 5:40am. We were in the second wave. Start was slow due to traffic and cold. Cleared out after a 1/2 mile but my cold legs won't go any faster than 10:30min/mile. That's okay because after the 1st mile I plan to run walk. I start run/walk. Run 2 minutes. Walk 1 minute repeat. Not paying attention to time just moving along. Entertainment along the route was interesting. Most notable was a guy playing "Its a Small World" on an accordion around mile 6.5 of the half. We were in one of the many behind the scene areas of Disney that races run through. Later I look down at my Garmin and it says I am at 12.99 miles. Turn the next corner and I see the Finish line. THAT WAS EASY. 2:20ish. 2nd slowest half ever. Stuck to my 2/1 run/walk for the whole race. Medal. Skipped Finisher picture. Skipped massage. Bag check - YUCK. Some how in the 15 steps from the table to the storage area the tag got disconnected from my bag. Luckily on of the volunteers was shopping my bag and I recognized the contents of my bag. Did not carry my mp3 player for the half. 1 hour in line in the parking lot trying to leave. Back to the hotel for an ice bath. Out to shop for through away clothes then back to condo for rest. Off to church the out to Epcot to pick up the family. A little behind schedule for getting to bed but okay.

Sunday: Up early. Hungry. Eat at 2am instead of 2 hours before the race like normal. Think it was part of the wall I hit at mile 16. Leave at 3:10am. In the parking lot at 3:30am. Stay in car until 4:15am. Through bag check and porta pottys. Walk to start. Stop at 2nd set of porta pottys just in case. 5:30am. Strip off throw aways, have a Clif Gel and some water. Start with the 1st wave. Corrals A-C take a different route to mile 4. After mile 1 I start 4/1 run walk. In retrospect I am think 3:1 or 3:30/1 might have been a better choice. Wx - 26F at the start with a windchill of 16F. Cold!!!!!!!!!! Wore ski mask and ear band. 2 longsleeve technicals and 1/2 trainer on top, tights (leggings?) and shorts on bottom. Surgical gloves under Mizno gloves. Clothing was right.Carrying 2 bottles of water on my fuel belt in case, as I predict, water will be frozen at the water stops. I was right. Mile 13 and the sun is out so I decide to take off my 1/2 trainer because it will get warmer, right? Wrong. BTW - I hit the 1/2 mark at 2:07. Feeling good about a near PR finish. Wind picked up and cut me down. By mile 15 I figure out that I need to put my 1/2 trainer back on. By mile 16 I am toast. Stinks at that point too coming in the back end of Animal Kingdom. Decide to drop back to 3/1 run walk and hope that helps. Mile 20 comes and I am ready to walk the last 6 miles. I know that means a 5:15 or 5:30 finish but at that point I don't care. Hit the last food stop and I decide that, totally outside of my race plan, I will take a banana and eat it. What does it matter I am walking it in anyway, right? Banana must have hit the spot because after about 5 minutes of walking I decide that I'll try to run some more. Tell myself to run until I can't run. 2 miles slow running miles later I walk the next water stop. Next 2 miles are uneventful - got a bite size candy bar in Disney Hollywood studios - I remember that. It was frozen and kinda chalky at first but it was lovely. Oh yeah somewhere in there we ran through a part of the back lot tour which was a dark tunnel. Almost ran over a guy walking with a mylar blanket around him. Around mile 24 - a sight for sore eyes - Lindsay Doyle. Had not seen another Get Fit person all weekend. We chatted the rest of the way, agreed to walk the next water stop and crossed the finish line together. Lindsay pulling off a 4:24ish while I managed to salvage a 4:29.

Post Race: After Finisher picture I said goodbye to Lindsay. Had a great massage. Massage was very well organized. 20 minutes for $20. 2 people working on me. I was feeling the race in my mid and upper back. So it was really a 40 minute massage for $20. Grabbed my bag. Tag stayed on. I had put my name and number on the back in Sharpie the night before. Quick look on the other side of bag check for finisher gear. There was none. Head to the car. No traffic getting out of the parking lot. To the condo for an ice bath. Out to Disney Hollywood Studios for late lunch with the family. Spent Monday at Animal Kindgom with the family. Nice casual trip back on Tuesday.

That's enough. I hope that reading this won't be as bad for you as the last 10 miles of the full were for me.