The Official 2013 Wine and Dine Half Marathon Thread

[CampbellScot]

Congrats to all who raced!! I was so incredibly nervous for my first half. With Hurricane Sandy coming through last year and giving us the gift of no power and then pneumonia we were unable to run though we were still at Disney for the week. I will admit was rough to see everyone with their medals the next day and wishing so desperately we had been able to be a part of it. Fast forward to this year and oh my goodness what a difference a year makes. Even though I'd had bronchitis a few weeks out, both husband and I were healthy and ready to go for race night!! I was able to stop and get my most coveted picture with Hyacinth Hippo!! (my one and only stop!). I couldn't believe how great we both felt, right on pace and no side stitches to speak of. (I ALWAYS deal with side stitches!). At one point during a walk break I met a woman who actually had a BROKEN HIP. Her husband was a few corrals behind with two running attendants as he had recently lost his sight! I resolved right then and there that I would run this race with every ounce of mental strength I could muster b/c I most certainly had the physical strength to do it! So very inspired by everyone out on that course.

The humidity zapped us both a bit but we had our Gu Chomps and kept our energy up. The ONE real complaint I would give would be the path leading out of Animal Kingdom had sprinklers on! Not "let's have a gentle sprinkle to cool the runners" but full on heavy sprinklers that had caused a very deep HUGE puddle that at some points would have and did cover some people's sneakers up to their ankles. It appeared a sprinkler was broken. Not sure what happened there but had I not been able to leap over some deep water I'd have been in blister trouble with wet sneakers and still a ways to go.

Other than that, my husband and I had a really great race. Some of the pathways were super narrow that forced walking whether we wanted to or not. Especially leaving DHS and heading toward Boardwalk. At that point I became aware of a brother/sister couple that kept arguing about walk breaks. At once point the brother said "I'm Walking!" and his sister responded "I'm telling mom that you are refusing to try!" Then she grabbed his hand and said "We'll do it together. Now come ON!". Pretty cute.

The finish was pretty emotional for me. We finished in 2:15 which we had not expected at all. It was a great race. It was a difficult race at points. It was a mental quest of courage and trusting in my training. It worked!!

i can't wait for January!!!!!

Thanks to everyone on this thread for all the advice and words of encouragement. It was a huge part of my mental prep and I couldn't have done it without y'all!!!

 

[smileyk8]

congrats to everyone who finished!

I finished in 2:02- about 10 minutes off my PR but it was still a great experience! Stopped for a picture with Vader and Boba Fett- just couldn't pass it up!

I was lucky enough to be in Coral B and that would be my recommendation- try to get in an early coral if at all possible. The course is much more wide open (after comparing experiences with my friends further back) and finishing early means the after party is wide open (after that horrible crossing fiasco anyway)!

The night race was harder than I expected, I was much more tired and sore than the half marathon I ran in September- but live and learn . Next time I"ll know to pace myself a little better!

Stayed at the after party until 4 AM and then spent all day Sunday at F&W before returning to the cold midwest Monday

Had such a great trip that DW and I are planning to return for a "babymoon" in January or February (twins!)

I was in corral B too!!! I felt a little silly with my glowing wings when everyone around me seemed pretty athletic and serious! Perhaps that was me making assumptions!!! Finished in 1:50 just 16 seconds over a one forty something time I'd hoped for, but still thrilled. Really enjoyed whole experience!

 

[buckeyecinderella]

I didn't run this race but could someone explain what this crosswalk issue was? (I apologize if it was described earlier and I missed it.)

 

[Tropical Wilds]

Well, here I am, post race with my recap.

For those who don't remember/know, here's the quick recap:

I had a long-term heart condition that was in a downswing, this time last year I couldn't walk unassisted, etc etc. Took up running in January, health improved, went off meds for the first time in my 32 years by spring, by June I was pushing sub 12 minute sustained runs over 8 miles from a 20 mm in January... Then July I had a weird bite on my leg that wouldn't heal, got infected, landed in ED after I was unable to walk... Diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis in the wound, blood infection, and discovered it was a tick bite and I was Lyme positive. July was meds and the full presentation of symptoms, August was further downswing with no relief and my run times went from 8 miles and 12 mm to barely holding 15 in 2 miles, September was partial paralysis in my left leg and arm, neurological disintegration, exhaustion, and so on. October I went gluten free, started meds again, took supplements and was able to start running again, salvaging my times at about 13 minutes over 5 or so miles (it was a struggle). November saw me coping with TENs treatments which brought pain relief and some success with meds and strict diet... Until the Tuesday before the half where I was admitted to the ER with extreme pain, left side paralysis, the works. I'm no weenie, but the pain in my lungs was worse than the pain in childbirth... Swear to God. After 14 hours in the ER we walked out with a diagnosis of super, super pre-pneumonia and shingles and a Lyme flareup and a "have fun in Disney, run if you can but in all likelihood, you won't be up to it."

I was a question mark on running right up until race day, when I decided I felt good and whatever I could do before I got swept, I'd be proud of. My pain level was manageable with meds and I think the adrenaline of the day was keeping me feeling good. I swore up and down, no matter what, whatever my showing was I'd be proud.

Mile 1 and 2 were agony... I wasn't warmed up enough, I hadn't run recently enough, I seriously didn't think I'd make it. Miles 3-8 I was feeling really good, completely in the zone, though I did 1 minute runs and 2 minute walks, which wasn't what I'd trained pre-Lyme... I was doing 1 and 1 before. My body just couldn't do the 1 and 1 either because of the heat or because of the illness, but seriously, it was OK. Mile 9... The wall. I just couldn't run anymore. Ended up power walking mile 9-12.5 which was a disappointment... But by the time we hit EPCOT, I'd gotten the rush back from being so close to the finish line, meeting a couple of people on the course who I consider pretty iconic (like the lady in the scooter with the sign for total strangers) I was able to stagger across the finish line with a smile on my face and in complete and total tears.

My total time was 3:40, which I know is nothing for anybody to speak of really, but for me... God, I'm still riding high on how good it felt to finish. It was, in all honesty, one of the most inspiring moments of my whole life. It was a pinnacle of personal achievement for me that, in all honesty (and no disrespect to anybody) I think people who finished in half the time must have felt. I've been completely inspired by the race and how it felt to do it.

No, my showing wasn't what I thought it would be when I signed up (I was hoping for sub 3 hours), but you know... I'm just so proud of myself. I, literally, can't find it in myself to be embarrassed in my time even though I know comparatively speaking, it's not exactly the best and I know people were making comments about us walkers in the back. Considering I was in a full Lyme flareup, with shingles, recovered from pneumonia... I think I ran the best time of the race! LoL!

The me a year ago wouldn't have left the hotel room at Disney, but the new me tried a half marathon. So there, that's my big victory.

Now I'm in training for PHM/GSC and I'm thinking about blogging about it... The day I got back I got a call from the doctor confirming that my Lyme doesn't respond to antibiotic therapy, that I have nerve damage, and that my spinal fluid is Lyme positive (which, obviously, isn't good), so the PHM will be uphill, but I plan on getting there and kicking butt. LoL! I feel like I owe it to people to talk about Lyme... I didn't realize how bad this disease could get until I got it and I feel like people like me shouldn't feel alone, like they're the only ones struggling.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

Oh, I did have mortification... I may have outrun Lyme the night before, but the next morning it totally caught up with me and I had a splitting migraine and couldn't walk because of the pain... For me, it's normal Lyme stuff, but I spent the next day touring the parks in a wheelchair. Highly embarrassing to have people ask me if I hurt myself at the marathon or assume that I was a weenie who was having post-run aches, but doubly embarrassing to say "late stage Lyme flareup" and have them realize they were teasing me over a real medical problem... So I spent a lot of time just laughing and saying "yeah, marathon injury." But it was mortifying.

 

[btk2333]

I was in corral B too!!! I felt a little silly with my glowing wings when everyone around me seemed pretty athletic and serious! Perhaps that was me making assumptions!!! Finished in 1:50 just 16 seconds over a one forty something time I'd hoped for, but still thrilled. Really enjoyed whole experience!

Well done!! I kept looking around like... Hmmm... I feel like I don't belong here lol- glad you enjoyed it!

 

[peachygreen]

Well, here I am, post race with my recap.

For those who don't remember/know, here's the quick recap:

I had a long-term heart condition that was in a downswing, this time last year I couldn't walk unassisted, etc etc. Took up running in January, health improved, went off meds for the first time in my 32 years by spring, by June I was pushing sub 12 minute sustained runs over 8 miles from a 20 mm in January... Then July I had a weird bite on my leg that wouldn't heal, got infected, landed in ED after I was unable to walk... Diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis in the wound, blood infection, and discovered it was a tick bite and I was Lyme positive. July was meds and the full presentation of symptoms, August was further downswing with no relief and my run times went from 8 miles and 12 mm to barely holding 15 in 2 miles, September was partial paralysis in my left leg and arm, neurological disintegration, exhaustion, and so on. October I went gluten free, started meds again, took supplements and was able to start running again, salvaging my times at about 13 minutes over 5 or so miles (it was a struggle). November saw me coping with TENs treatments which brought pain relief and some success with meds and strict diet... Until the Tuesday before the half where I was admitted to the ER with extreme pain, left side paralysis, the works. I'm no weenie, but the pain in my lungs was worse than the pain in childbirth... Swear to God. After 14 hours in the ER we walked out with a diagnosis of super, super pre-pneumonia and shingles and a Lyme flareup and a "have fun in Disney, run if you can but in all likelihood, you won't be up to it."

I was a question mark on running right up until race day, when I decided I felt good and whatever I could do before I got swept, I'd be proud of. My pain level was manageable with meds and I think the adrenaline of the day was keeping me feeling good. I swore up and down, no matter what, whatever my showing was I'd be proud.

Mile 1 and 2 were agony... I wasn't warmed up enough, I hadn't run recently enough, I seriously didn't think I'd make it. Miles 3-8 I was feeling really good, completely in the zone, though I did 1 minute runs and 2 minute walks, which wasn't what I'd trained pre-Lyme... I was doing 1 and 1 before. My body just couldn't do the 1 and 1 either because of the heat or because of the illness, but seriously, it was OK. Mile 9... The wall. I just couldn't run anymore. Ended up power walking mile 9-12.5 which was a disappointment... But by the time we hit EPCOT, I'd gotten the rush back from being so close to the finish line, meeting a couple of people on the course who I consider pretty iconic (like the lady in the scooter with the sign for total strangers) I was able to stagger across the finish line with a smile on my face and in complete and total tears.

My total time was 3:40, which I know is nothing for anybody to speak of really, but for me... God, I'm still riding high on how good it felt to finish. It was, in all honesty, one of the most inspiring moments of my whole life. It was a pinnacle of personal achievement for me that, in all honesty (and no disrespect to anybody) I think people who finished in half the time must have felt. I've been completely inspired by the race and how it felt to do it.

No, my showing wasn't what I thought it would be when I signed up (I was hoping for sub 3 hours), but you know... I'm just so proud of myself. I, literally, can't find it in myself to be embarrassed in my time even though I know comparatively speaking, it's not exactly the best and I know people were making comments about us walkers in the back. Considering I was in a full Lyme flareup, with shingles, recovered from pneumonia... I think I ran the best time of the race! LoL!

The me a year ago wouldn't have left the hotel room at Disney, but the new me tried a half marathon. So there, that's my big victory.

Now I'm in training for PHM/GSC and I'm thinking about blogging about it... The day I got back I got a call from the doctor confirming that my Lyme doesn't respond to antibiotic therapy, that I have nerve damage, and that my spinal fluid is Lyme positive (which, obviously, isn't good), so the PHM will be uphill, but I plan on getting there and kicking butt. LoL! I feel like I owe it to people to talk about Lyme... I didn't realize how bad this disease could get until I got it and I feel like people like me shouldn't feel alone, like they're the only ones struggling.

Wow! I'm very impressed! I know how bad Lyme's disease can be. I can't imagine your last 6 months

 

[DoctorK]

I had a blast until the finish. I stopped at every character except Rafiki (who I had seen in the morning) and made one bathroom stop at DHS. I also spent a couple of minutes filming the Osborne lights. Finished in 2:48 (well off my PR of 2:06) but considering the number of stops I made, my pace when I was running was probably not far off 2:10-2:15.

At the finish I went straight to the changing tent which was exactly the smelly/sweaty zoo I had expected. I had a bit of a headache since mile 7, probably from not eating well that day and not sleeping much the previous two nights (about 5 hours each night). I felt so-so after changing, then got into the mass of people at the free drink area. I waited almost 10 minutes in the crowd without it moving, with the security people yelling at us to keep moving, and us not able to move forward for an unknown reason. I finally gave up and decided it wasn't worthwhile for a $4 beer and managed to work my way over to the No Beverage line and escape the hysteria. I have no idea what the hold up was there.

That experience made my head hurt a little more, and I was kind of on the fence with just heading home - it was about 1am. Remembering the huge crowds at Epcot that we ran past at the end of the race all arguing with security that there was no way for them to cross the race, and seeing the huge backup at bag check (Another Bag Check!?!) I gave up and went home. Kind of regret it after seeing people's awesome pictures but had a great day the next day at DHS with my family.

So I don't know if that post-finish-line mashup is typical or just a part of the W&D experience. It seemed like security was always yelling for people to keep moving, and people were trying to keep moving but there was nowhere to go. From a safety and security standpoint, considering how serious they are about checking bags post-Boston, you'd think they'd improve traffic flow so you didn't have several hundred exhausted runners standing in one group like that.

I learned a lot about the value of sleep, eating and balancing park touring/time on feet with racing, so I'll be in much better shape in January for the Dopey. Can't wait for it - only 8 weeks!

 

[heyitsmejosh]

seems like a lot of people didn't like this race, this being my first half i thought it was a lot of fun, i had a great race and enjoyed myself.. i'm from Florida so the humidity wasn't much of an issue at all actually since i trained in 90+ degree weather most this race seemed like a cakewalk to me. i actually ran almost a minute faster per mile then any of my training runs or the. i ran the tower of terror the month before and enjoyed both races I will probably run both races again next year.

 

[jpeka65844]

seems like a lot of people didn't like this race, this being my first half i thought it was a lot of fun, i had a great race and enjoyed myself.. i'm from Florida so the humidity wasn't much of an issue at all actually since i trained in 90+ degree weather most this race seemed like a cakewalk to me. i actually ran almost a minute faster per mile then any of my training runs or the. i ran the tower of terror the month before and enjoyed both races I will probably run both races again next year.

I also had a fabulous race and would do it again in a heartbeat! I trained all summer as well and was more than prepared for the heat and humidity and how to manage my fuel and hydration. There were NO surprises.

I came in 4 minutes under my goal time and partied until 3:45. I consider it a rousing success. Disney has the same issues ALL major races do with crowd control and traffic flow. Many factors are beyond their control. Except the crosswalk. They gotta figure that one out. .

 

[peachygreen]

seems like a lot of people didn't like this race, this being my first half i thought it was a lot of fun, i had a great race and enjoyed myself.. i'm from Florida so the humidity wasn't much of an issue at all actually since i trained in 90+ degree weather most this race seemed like a cakewalk to me. i actually ran almost a minute faster per mile then any of my training runs or the. i ran the tower of terror the month before and enjoyed both races I will probably run both races again next year.

Don't get me wrong, I had a great time at the race. The weather didn't really seem that bad and I loved the prerace festivities. I just learned that a night race was really hard on my body. I was surprised by this as I do a lot of running at night, but there is a difference between 6 miles at 9 and 13.1 @ 10:15. Most of my problems were self induced.

 

[dlbwright]

Oh, I did have mortification... I may have outrun Lyme the night before, but the next morning it totally caught up with me and I had a splitting migraine and couldn't walk because of the pain... For me, it's normal Lyme stuff, but I spent the next day touring the parks in a wheelchair. Highly embarrassing to have people ask me if I hurt myself at the marathon or assume that I was a weenie who was having post-run aches, but doubly embarrassing to say "late stage Lyme flareup" and have them realize they were teasing me over a real medical problem... So I spent a lot of time just laughing and saying "yeah, marathon injury." But it was mortifying.

WOW, I am inspired by you Tropical Winds. You had so many things against you and it would have been so easy to say just forget this, I can't do it. But you did it and I bow to you! Your story made me a bit. You are an amazing person and you should be proud...NO matter where you finished. Hope to see you in February! Congrats!!!!!

 

[dlbwright]

Well I decided to start a blog as it is a much easier way to do a trip report than doing it here on the DIS. (I've been trying to do one for my cruise for months and I just did this weekend in about 30 minutes)

Here is a link to the actual race recap. If you are interested in the rest of the crazy weekend it is there as well.

http://runpeachy.blogspot.com/2013/11/wine-dine-half-marathon-weekend-race-day.html

Started reading this. Haven't finished it yet, but in the process of reading. Thanks for sharing and really enjoying it!

 

[dlbwright]

I didn't run this race but could someone explain what this crosswalk issue was? (I apologize if it was described earlier and I missed it.)

Let me see if I can explain this ok. Right behind Spaceship earth and inbetween the water fountain in the middle, that is where the course came through from over by the Land area and then went off towards the bathrooms on the right side behind SE. To cross over to World Showcase you had to cross in the line of traffic of runners. What they were doing is having a few people trying to cross come into a area in the middle of the course and wait. they would then divert runners to one side of the other and then people could cross. Kind of like a thing from the game Frogger, that is what it reminded me of. But there were SOO many people trying to cross it got all backed up and there was no where to go. It was just a mess! But to me that was the only bad part of the whole race.

 

[taratru]

Congratulations to everyone! It's so awesome to read about everyone's experiences. I must have just missed the group photo, since I saw people walking back when my bus pulled in.

I went in with absolutely no goals or expectations since I haven't been training or really getting ready in any way. I knew it would be hard to handle whatever happened, since my last trip down, I ran a HUGE pr (1:43) and I knew I wouldn't even come close this time. I was more excited about the four days of post-race vacation!

I ran a 1:50:11, which is good, considering. I am a little annoyed that my Garmin read 13.39 (I did *not* miss that much tangent), because with about three miles to go, I thought, "oh, I can make it sub-1:50!" Buuuut...no. Oh well, hard to be disappointed without a goal, but well, ELEVEN SECONDS! I felt good almost the whole way. The last three miles were a push for me - there were more overpasses and bridges than I thought there would be and the humidity was tough. And the night before I spend a LOT of time in my Art of Animation bathroom...and it wasn't because of the kick *** decorations. I handled it as well as I could, I think.

Only a couple things I didn't like: not having space to warm up, being stuck in that field for HOURS and that damn disco tunnel in DHS. I was close to claustrophobic in there! And I didn't like how dark it was in the Epcot parking lot at the finish. It was seriously pitch black in that part with the lasers and it threw me off.

I loved running through the parks. I wish they could figure out a way to just run in parks. I'd run figure 8s through Epcot or just straight circles around Animal Kingdom. I love the parks. Osborne Lights was AMAZING. I'm glad there aren't pictures of me there, because my jaw was just hanging. I loved the Beach Club/Boardwalk part too - so much cheering and just when I needed it!

I skipped the after-party, but DH WAS able to use my wristband to go in during my race and I actually SAW him at the end, right by the Starbucks. So fun. He loved walking around and grabbing food and drinks in the empty park. They asked him if he was supposed to run and he said yes, so they let him through...I know it's cheating, but at least the wristband didn't go to waste.

I'm going to try to go back again next year. A friend and his wife want to make it a foursome trip - run and then Festival for a couple of days. I really love Disney races...they're just so much fun. The bling is great, the crowd support (when people can get there) is great.

 

[RunnerMomO]

Okay, so I am curious... What did everyone's Garmin's read? I overheard a man who said he did 13.8. My watch read 13.4 miles. Thought I did better on my corners/tangents, but I was off from the very first mile.

 

[DoctorK]

Okay, so I am curious... What did everyone's Garmin's read? I overheard a man who said he did 13.8. My watch read 13.4 miles. Thought I did better on my corners/tangents, but I was off from the very first mile.

I was 13.55 but stopped for all the characters and one bathroom break.

 

[satman1962]

13.23 on my Garmin. This is my 3rd Wine and Dine race, I missed last year to do the Tower of Terror run, someone correct me if I'm wrong but I dont recall an issue with crossing the runners to get back to the party those first 2 years....

All in all a good run for me, I started out a little too fast and paid for it a bit with some tummy issues, with the cool breeze I found that it was easy to misjudge the effect the humidity would have on me.

Well now I'm back in the cold north weather to continue training for my first full marathon, looking forward to being back at Disney in January.

 

[Steve's Girl]

13.5 on my Garmin. Only made one quick bathroom break in AK. No other stops.

 

[jpeka65844]

No stops here for potty or characters and I came in at 13.49.