Disney's 26.2

I had a blast running the WDW Marathon in Orlando Sunday. I finished in 4:34, a PR for me. My wave started at 6am, at which time the weather was ideal for running. Around 8am the sun came out and was blazing, however, it didn't really affect me as much as some of the other runners. I ran with a hydration belt and used some of the water stops as well. Being well hydrated helped me stay cool.  Although there were a lot of dead zones in the race I never got bored, I think I was really having fun with how well I felt. I finished the first half in 2:22, which is 20 minutes slower than my slowest half marathon time. It was a combination of the crowd (27,000 started) and me holding back. At mile 14 I started to pick it up some, it started to thin just a bit and I was feeling really good. Miles 14-21.5 were awesome, around mile 21.5 I guess my legs realized I was running a marathon, LOL, because they didn't want to move as fast as I would have liked. Starting back up after walking through water stops also became harder. I didn't stop at the last water stop because of how hard it was to get back going again. So miles 21.5 to 25 were pretty sluggish but I was smiling the entire time, which shocked me once I realized it. At mile 25 i decided I was going to stop running like I was hurting and run as strong as my aching legs would allow me. I was able to finish strong and with the biggest feeling of accomplishment I've ever felt after a marathon, this being my third, and the awesome finisher medal helps too, LOL. Disney really put on an amazing event. If you ever have the opportunity I'd suggest making the trip. One day I'll think about the Goofy Challenge but for now I'll just enjoy this feeling.