10 Hours and Counting,,,

Yup, folks, it's almost time for the Disney Marathon!

It's about 8:00 PM here in Orlando, and freezing cold to boot--tomorrow's race is going to start with temperatures in the 20's. Brrr!

My sister and I are about to go to sleep, since we'll be waking up at 3:00 AM so we can begin transportation before 4:00 AM. There's a whole lot of confusing bus transfers and extra walking before you get to the actual start of the race, but we'll be surrounded by 24,000 people all hanging around for the same reason as us :) If that's not a bonding experience, I don't know what is.

Due to the unusually cold weather, there will be a lot of extra layers worn, including trash bags at the very start! Yes, Hefty bags and the like serve as excellent windbreakers and are an easy extra layer to ditch when the marathon begins. There will, in fact, be many layers of clothing tossed to the side during the race; Disney collects these sweatshirts, track pants, and the like and donates them to charity (an excellent decision on their part).

I'll make another post (albeit a brief one) tomorrow morning before the race, and most certainly one after :) It's going to be insane, and I'm going to capture as much of it as possible on camera and (if I'm really crazy) with the occasional Tweet-like posting. We'll see how likely that is...

No matter how it ends tomorrow, I know it's going to start out beautifully and be extremely fun the whole way through, so keep the 24,000 of us, especially my sister and me in your thoughts!

As the Mouse said, "Ho, Boy!"

Game on.

Since my iPhone won't let me actually post, think of this as Tweeting. I'm currently sitting at the gate to fly to Orlando, whee!

I'm Still Here, But My Laptop is Not

This is the first time in over two weeks that I have turned on my computer--it is seriously broken, and trying desperately to fight off a virus!

I tried updating from my iPhone but, apparently, one of the few things it cannot do is update using blogspot. Boo.

Regardless, I am hoping my computer will stay on long enough so that I might post an entry, considering it's only FOUR DAYS UNTIL THE MARATHON.

Yeah, holy poop.

To sum up the past few weeks: my long runs haven't been great, my right hip is slightly wonky, and I'm terrified by the fact that I may be running in 40 degree weather. Not awesome.

In spite of all this, however, I am really excited for Sunday! I keep going over the course in my mind (it is, after all, one I know well), and watching fellow marathoners' videos of their past Disney run experiences, and while it is definitely scary, I am actually looking forward to it!

I'll admit: between Thanksgiving and now, my training has not been good. I have not been as motivated, nor have I been working as hard as I could have. I'm not denying the fact that I may have screwed myself over. However, I really am still of the mindset that I want to FINISH. I don't want some incredible time, I just want to finish the race.

But I do know that I may have cheated myself out of even that. Not trying to set myself up to fail, but I know that there is a chance I won't be able to finish. It is after all, a marathon, a huge undertaking. But, I won't punish myself if I can't make it. These past 4 months have been incredible, and I plan to continue with training and working out and even--yup--blogging after it's all over on Sunday.

If not this marathon, than you better believe I'll be hitting up another.

This goal was, all along, not about the end result, but about the process. I now enjoy working out and heading to the gym. I'm trying my best to eat healthier. I want to keep training so I can sign up for other races. Maybe one day, I'll be seeing how fast I can run a race.

I really am quite proud of what I've accomplished :) I can almost taste those turkey legs.

Laptop is Broken; Trying to Post from iPhone!

With A Side of Ennui

I've felt really unmotivated lately, and that's not good.

I don't know if it's because the weather up here has been gross, or because I have a cold, or because some form of paralyzing fear has set in, but training feels like a chore lately.

I mean, getting ready to walk/run was never an activity that made me jump for joy, but I used to be excited to go train. This week I dread getting out of bed.

I've got way more time in the morning to train (because of my lovely holiday job), so it's not for lack of sleep or from exhaustion. I'm just feeling completely blergh about it all.

This feeling scares the crap out of me, of course, because there's a little less than 5 weeks left to go (holy poop!) and next week I'm supposed to run 20 miles!

I really need to jump start my system and get excited again. I mean, I am excited to do the marathon, I just feel very detached from it at the moment.

One thing I might do (which I've done before) is youtube/google the Disney Marathon; some past runners have recorded themselves running it, and seeing what they've done helps me to clear my mind about the whole race.

It also makes me a huge nerd, but hey, that's not a surprise at this point.

I suppose the simplest solution is just to get up, get out, and get moving.

Blergh.

Brrr!

Well, my goodness, readers!

I traveled south for a wedding, and what have I been greeted with? SNOW.

Yes, friends. That chilly, frozen loveliness fell from the sky as I trained this morning. It really was quite beautiful, but also made me long for the comfort of my gym--where my ears don't freeze off.

I'll be back in the north soon enough, a place that is currently warmer than here, but until then, I'll enjoy the icy feeling I get from running outdoors. 

I am quite glad, however, that Florida is supposed to be warmer in January. As much as I delight in the snow, I don't want to be running in it for 26.2 miles. Brrr.

Brrrrrrrrrr.

Lapin, Lapin!

Rabbit, rabbit!

Yes, folks, it's the start of a new month, and nothing says "motivation" quite like knowing you have that one month (and a little bit) left to go until you complete an event that (supposedly) killed its first participant.

In case you're confused by the beginning of this entry: supposedly, on the first day of the month, if the first words you speak are "rabbit, rabbit" you'll have luck all month long.

And, hey, I fully support the use of luck in my training :) I'm off to buy carrots.

Whee!