I arrive at the Polynesian Resort and run Disney’s Marathon Weekend 5K

So when I last left you I was training hard in preparation for the Dopey Challenge. Well since that time I had a little bit of a setback in my overall training. Very positive setbacks but setbacks nonetheless. So my focused marathon training came to an end.

That doesn’t mean all of my training ended, I still continued with my weight training and also continued with the stair mill which, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I really enjoy. So my cardiovascular health remains good, but I did not properly prepare for 48.6 miles.

But since I don’t like giving up, and I had already spent a lot of money on the event, I headed up to Orlando on January 4th to tackle all four races.

When I checked in to the Polynesian resort the temperature was quite mild for January lows were in the 60s highs in the 80s. The weather was in my opinion, perfect.

After check in I headed over to the ESPN Wide World of Sports to get my race packet. The race packet pickup and registration is always quite a fun event. There are lots of retailers selling everything from shoes and socks to frames for your metals and self massage equipment. So I picked up all six of my shirts, a little snack pack that they give you, and I headed back to my room.

Along with the shirts they give you a little packet of information, it has information on when to show up for the race how to get there, as well as maps of the race and other general information. So I went through that for a little while. For Disney’s Marathon Weekend 5K, I decided that I should wake up at 4 AM in order to arrive at 430. The race didn’t actually start until six for the 5K so I just wanted to wake up get dressed and head out the door with my breakfast and eat on my way, this way I could get as much sleep as I possible. As I mentioned before I wake up at 4 AM every morning so a 4 AM wake up time is not too tough for me.

So on Thursday morning I wake up at 4 AM, grab my bag of snacks, get dressed, and head out the door.

They had bus transportation right from the entrance of the Polynesian Resort directly to the race so I didn’t have to worry about driving or anything like that. The bus pulls up to the Epcot parking lot and they let us all out. From there it is a half-mile walk to the starting area of Disney’s Marathon Weekend 5K.

They have water everywhere, coffee you can buy, snacks, and things like bananas etc. I didn’t need any of that, so I head over to my corral and get ready.

Corrals are set up to put people with other people that plan to run the race at approximately the same pace. That way you don’t have someone who runs a five minute mile trying to get around people that run the 10 minute mile. It really speeds up the race process, and in all honesty, makes it much more enjoyable for everyone.

So right at 6 o’clock the first group of runners head begin the race, I am in corral D so I know I have about 20 minutes before I am going to start.

As I’m sitting in the corral I’m thinking about how I should approach Disney’s Marathon Weekend 5K. This is a short race in comparison to the others, so maybe I should push it hard and see what I can do. But part of me knows that I should take it easy and conserve energy for the next 3 much more difficult races.

Well me being me decides to not take it easy but actually run. Let me remind you that I have not been doing any kind of marathon training for a good two months, again my cardiovascular strength was good because I’ve been working on the stair mill, but the stair mill is quite a bit different than running on a flat surface.

So the fireworks go off and we get started. I start jogging, and jogging at a quick pace for me. There are characters along the way that you can stop and take pictures with, but I decide that I’m running right past them. I don’t need to stop for a picture.

With the other three races I wouldn’t consider stopping for a picture, that is because for anything longer than a 5K, you have to be moving a a minimum pace, and since my goal is to finish the races, I will not be stopping during any of those.

I know that I have plenty of time to take it easy, stop for a few pictures, relax, but no not this guy I’m running.

And to tell you the truth, it feels really good to run! I was moving quickly, I was having fun, I was enjoying the scenery, it was wonderful.

3.1 miles later I crossed the finish line of Disney’s Marathon Weekend 5K and I’m feeling really good. I finished with a good time for me and I was very happy. I walked up and received my medal, grabbed my snack box, two bottles of water and started walking back to the bus head back to my room.

It was right around that time that I thought running Disney’s Marathon Weekend 5K quickly may not have been the best decision. Because it was at this time that my quads were starting to get a little tight.

Being 280 pounds, the constant landing on each leg and the support needed from my quadriceps put a lot of stress on the muscle, and since I had not been training like this my legs were pretty fatigued.

So for the rest of the day I tried to take it pretty easy, resting my legs and making sure to eat enough food to help with muscle recovery. Regardless of my food intake and rest, I was pretty sure that I would be a little sore the next day for the start of the 10K.