My third half-marathon is done. This is my second Disney wine and dine race. My goal last year was to be able to eat and drink afterward. I purposedly paced myself slower to keep myself from getting sick post race. I failed at this goal and finished way slower than my first half marathon. I was still too exhausted and nauseous to eat and drink
My goal this year was to beat my first half-marathon time (which would have been even better if not for the long bathroom break mid-race).
I noticed my corral placement wasn’t ideal so I requested an upgrade based upon my miracle miles race results.

The race itself takes you through three of the Disney Parks.

A bunch of my girl friends did the race this year as well. It was great following up with each other ocassionally to see how training was going. We provided motivation for each other. All my friends beat me of course. I have fast friends. My husband and my friend Melvin also signed up this year.

The race was pretty uneventful at the beginning but something happened miles 8-10. I think this is when my lack of discipline in training came back to bite me. I slowed down in the miles and could not physically push myself to speed up. When my interval watch would beep for walk mode I would zone out and lose and minute or so of running time – this happened multiple times during these miles. I am going to use this stretch of miles as an example of why consistency in training is so important. I was 10 minutes faster than in the race last year’s wine and dine but still 6 minutes slower than my best time. I did not reach my goal this time but some day I will.

My favorite part of the race is running through Disney Studios and the Osborne Family Lights display. Any kind of rough patch you are in will be stopped when the lights energize you.

 I think I ate ok meals ahead of time, but maybe I ate a bit much earlier that day. My meals were left over pasta from the night before and high fiber granola pancakes. The food was high in fiber but did not cause any gastrointestinal issues. I think however the extra calories may have weighed me down a bit. Next time I am going to eat a little less earlier in the day prior to a night race.
I felt like I did a good job at hydration prior and during the race, even if I did have a few glasses of wine the night before. I never felt like I had to stop to go to the bathroom during the race, nor did I feel dehydrated. I am getting better at this part. This time around I used coconut water the day before the race and immediately after the race to hydrate. This may have prevented me from getting a migraine and sick after the race.
This year I was finally able to enjoy the party. Disney provides you with a $10 gift card to use after the race at Epcot. You can purchase food dishes or beverages from around the world.

I was able to eat multiple dishes afterwards and drink 2 beers and never got sick. Walking was tough but not impossible.

The whole gang prior to the race.

There is a 90% chance that I will sign up again next year. Perhaps with a few more friends who are now motivated to try their first half-marathon. I may not be fast but if I motivate just one friend to decide to try it then I am satisfied!!!