My mom and I were walking the WDW Marathon weekend 5K together. My mom had a knee replacement in March of 2014 and the recovery was hard. I kept reminding her that her recovery was her marathon and that she was going to achieve it. After her recovery and physical therapy she was able to walk. Last Spring she participated in her first non-runDisney 5K with the Hartford Marathon Foundation O’Putnam, O’Niantic and O’Hartford races. She walked the races but she got them done! Then during the year she entered in other races as well. She had a goal, she wanted to register for a runDisney 5K. She watched me finish my first marathon four years ago and happened to talk to a woman who had a knee replacement and it inspired her to want to do a runDisney race. She saw the energy and excitement that gets generated at runDisney events and wanted to be a part of it.
This January was her year! She and I were going to walk the 5K and my dad was going to spectate. After a night out at Hollywood Studios the night before and a busy day with travelling we had to get into bed because we had to set our alarms for 4:00 a.m. I had cinnamon toast and tea for breakfast and was dressed and ready to leave for 5:00 a.m. We arrived around 5:15, took pictures as we entered the runners area, and I stood in line to get my picture taken with Dopey. I hadn’t had the chance to do that last year so I was glad I was taking the opportunity to do it then. It was close to 6:00 and volunteers were warning runners that they were risking a chance of getting to the start if they remained in line. Since I knew we were going to be in Corral E I wasn’t concerned about the time. I took note from my Garmin Connect account of what time we started our race in 2015 so I knew what I had for a reference to start. I tried to find Diana. She said she was going to run ahead on her own.
We had decided to wear the same outfits and purchased Sparkle Athletic Skirts and ordered matching tops from Etsy that said “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes”, and wore matching Mickey ears with a white feather boa. We got a lot of compliments on our outfits! The temperature was just right for this race. As we were turning the corner after the start and heading towards Epcot, the runners who were in corral A were already finished and were standing in their bus pick up area! I found some of my team members from the Mickey Milers and Team Shenanigans in the Corral and we hung together for a little bit and I took pictures with both them and my mom.
The first character stop was Chip and Dale. Then when we entered Epcot we took a picture with Rafiki. We got some photos with the scenery of Epcot along with the ball in the background and then went to the next character stop which was Mittens from the movie Bolt, outside the Americas. Then outside of France we got a picture with Marie the cat from Aristocats before heading to mile marker 2. After mile 2 and heading to the finish we stopped for a photo with Spaceship Earth in the background and then went towards the Land. We were lucky to get a picture with both Lilo AND Stitch there because Lilo was about to switch out with Stitch but she decided to stick around! After that there were no other character stops. So we walked towards the Nemo ride, back towards Spaceship Earth and around the corner to the Finish Line where my dad was waiting past the finish line.
It was a very fun race and I am glad my mom had a great experience with it for her first runDisney race. The weather was good, we got every character along the way and we were not in any danger of not finishing the race.
After finishing the race, we went back and showered and the kids were just waking up. I wanted to go back to the Expo because I didn’t get to see all of the vendors when I was there the night before. So I went there around 11:00 and everyone else hung out at the hotel and my husband took the kids to the pool again. At the expo I ran into Jennifer Hall and talked to her for a bit and then I listened to Jeff Galloway’s seminar about best strategies to survive the Dopey Challenge. The advice I liked was when he mentioned to walk the first few miles of the half marathon and then do the walk/run for a mile. Then walk a mile, then do the walk/run for a mile. That will help keep your legs fresh for the next day.
After the Expo we were heading to Magic Kingdom for the afternoon. It was so much fun. My daughter had her first experience with roller coasters and went on Big Thunder Mountain. I was so nervous for her but she LOVED it! She couldn’t wait to do it again so we had her move to the middle of the train for her next ride. Once again, no fear and she wanted to ride in the back next!
We had dinner at the Columbia Harbor House. I wanted to eat something safe the night before the 10K so I ordered a kids meal of chicken nuggets and fries. My dad ordered their pot pie, and my mouth was watering for it once I saw it! I knew that the night of the marathon that would be the meal of choice to celebrate with! After dinner we went on the Haunted Mansion and rode more Big Thunder Mountain. We had to call it a night at that point, because I had to get to bed for the 10K the next morning. We were back to the hotel by 9:30 and I was asleep before 10:30.
After the races mom was on the hunt to get some memorabilia and an official picture with Pluto!
It was a fun day and I was looking forward to running the 10K with PK and Katie and Diana. Stay tuned for the recap of the 10K!
Watch the video of the 5K Race: