Final thoughts and race day goals for Walt Disney World Marathon

Well, the time is here. This morning I jet off to Orlando with some friends to tackle my first full marathon! The nerves have

laid low all week but I’m sure once I take one step out onto the expo floor the jitters will start and the butterflies will appear just hundreds of feet away from the start line on Sunday.

The weather is suppose to be pretty chilly, around the high 30s to-low 40s at the start and even by the time we finish the high will only be mid-50s. My friend Laura made me this super cute race shirt to wear:

I’m feeling very confident in my training and have no regrets. I was able to follow the plan pretty close to a T, and made it out for every single long run despite two of those runs having to be cut short due to pain in my knee. I am hoping my knee cooperates with me and the adrenaline combined with on course entertainment will help keep my mind off of it. Nevertheless, I’ve packed my KT tape to give my knee the max support possible, I’ve reviewed the course map for locations of the medic tents along the course and am prepared to walk any amount of mileage it takes to cross that finish line.

Typically in previous “final thought and race day goal” posts, I outline three potential goals I have set for myself, but for this race I only have one goal: have fun, enjoy the miles and finish with a smile on my face. Ideally I would like to finish this race in under 6 hours and I think that is possible but I am steering clear of that goal, as I insert an excerpt from a blog post I did back in April of 2014 as I was preparing to run my first half marathon:

I recently read an article in the April issue of the Women’s Running magazine that discusses common errors that first timers, even old pros, make during a half marathon. This article was very relieving to me. One of the mistakes listed talked about “Setting you hopes and dreams on a finish time.” The blurb explains that when you set a specific goal time, anything slower than that time will feel like a failure. Further adding that a number of factors like the weather or a muscle cramp can hinder your performance. The blurb ends on a crucial note that all first time half-marathoners should know, “it’s wise to set your goals on finishing strong and celebrating every mile along the way because you only get to run your first ~~half~~ full marathon once. Enjoy it!” This will be my mantra during the run.

I’m very excited for this race, and am looking forward to the company of some great friends and my awesome trainer with me on the course. My best running friend, Pretty Lil Mudder is going to be there in the crowd spectating, which adds another familiar face to keep the momentum going on race day…I’m coming for ya Mickey Mouse!