It's A Small World - At WDW

Today my volunteer job was to monitor the course of the marathon to keep spectators from getting in the way of the runners and to help the runners if needed. Last night I got a message from Jenny, a friend from my hometown, via facebook that her son Rusty was going to run the marathon. She knew I was down here not because we keep in constant touch, but because I happened to post that I was down here doing the half-marathon.

Steve and Maribeth tracked Rusty on the marathon website, and Steve was able to figure out the approximate time that Rusty would be passing my assigned spot. We hadn't seen Rusty since he was a little boy - probably at our wedding 30+ years ago. But we knew his race number and Steve figured he would look for someone looking like Rusty's dad, Jerry.

Sure enough, we saw him just as he passed us. We yelled and he looked over, but I'm sure he had no clue as to who we were. He kept on going and Steve managed to snap a picture.

I'm not sure what makes it a small world - is it the fact that people can be in the same place and not know it, or that thanks to modern technology, we can know it? All I know is that today, I got a taste of my hometown when I got to cheer a local boy on to his marathon finish - even if he didn't know it was me!

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Things that make today great: Fellow volunteers for the marathon including John and John; seeing Rusty on the course; all the marathoners who passed by; helping the wheelchair marathoner; Downtown Disney with Maribeth; finally seeing the Florida sun; hot chocolate from Steve during the marathon

The Highs and Lows of Running In The WDW Half Marathon

You figure out which is which!

• Starting the race in sleet
• The lady who said "that is not cool" when I climbed over the barrier to get into the corral
• Wearing 2 pairs of pants, 2 shirts, a sweatshirt, a plastic trash bag, gloves, and a hat, and believing that you'll make a good finish time
• Driving the car to the race start instead of taking the race bus - because you can stay in your car until the last minute
• Fireworks at the beginning of the race
• Seeing the lead runner on his way back - and you're only at Mile 1
• Running through the Magic Kingdom
• Seeing the characters along the route
• Being in the middle of the crowd when you go through Cinderella's castle, so you probably won't get a good picture
• Passing somebody - anybody
• Everybody passing you
• Cheer squads and volunteers along the race route
• Water + Powerade + GU/Cliff Shots = a very confused stomach
• Walking to the car after the race as it starts to sleet again
• Starting the race with Maribeth, only to watch her speed up, but find her again at Mile 12.5 and finishing the race together
• Gospel Choir at Mile 13 - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THEM!!!!
• Seeing Mickey and Minnie at the finish - usually they don't hang around for people at my pace
• The first few miles in the dark, and the cold dark at that
• Seeing all the clothes discarded along the road by runners who have warmed up, and knowing that the clothes will be laundered and given to shelters
• Finisher medal
• Post-race lunch, until the confused stomach gets even more confused
• Post-race HOT shower and warm clothes
• Being done with this race

So there you have it. As with most of life's activities, there are good things and bad things that happen. You have to take both and decide the end result. Yes, today was cold and wet and now my legs are stiff. But I finished 13.1 miles in crazy Florida weather. All in all, a good day!

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Things that make today great: All the above; Nashville server at Big River; afternoon napping

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Tonight's post is a poem from Steve. Tomorrow we are supposed to be doing Disney World's Half Marathon, which starts at 6am. If we want to ride the bus to the start, we need to be on the bus at 4am. The weather is supposed to be 29 degrees (wind chill) and possibly raining or snowing or sleeting at some or all points of the race. With that in mind, here is Steve's offering:

Oh the weather outside is nightful,

And the race will start before it's lightful,

And I am so wornoutful,

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

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Things that make today great: Up! 5k jogging with Steve; 5k race lanyard; breakfast at First Watch; outlet shopping with Steve and Maribeth; watching "The Count of Monte Cristo" with Maribeth

Goofy Advice

My volunteer job at the WDW Marathon Expo was to give out bibs to the "Goofy Challenge" runners. These are people who are signed up to do the half-marathon on Saturday (that's 13.1 miles) and then the full marathon on Sunday (that's 26.2 miles). Yes - these people have willingly signed up to do this.

It was a lot of fun. There were some people who had done it before. There were some people who have done it every year since its inception and are doing it for the 5th year in a row. And there were some who are doing it for the very first time.

I did the Goofy the first year it was offered- and that was plenty for me. Today as I talked with the first-timers, there really was little advice I could give, except to say, "You can do it. Just take it easy on Saturday so you have some left on Sunday." But really, those first-timers really won't know what it's like until they get out there and do it.

Sometimes we offer advice with our best intentions - to ward off potential problems for someone else, to make things easier, to save time, or just because we want to share what we've learned. We just have to realize that our advice may not always be warranted or wanted - sort of like that advice that we don't warrant or want for ourselves!

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Things that make today great: Volunteering at the Expo with Maribeth; all the Goofy runners that came to our table; grumpy Memphis dude; seeing LuAnn from last year and meeting Louanne from this year; getting race paraphernalia; dinner at Big River; Neil's wife

As Luck Would Have It

I am a middle child. I also have a middle child and have a niece who is a middle child. Among all of us, there have been several incidents of what I like to call "middle child dumb luck." It means that you get to experience things that don't seem to happen to anyone else. Like maybe you park your car, exit it, and then the car rolls down a hill. Or you cut up your sister's doll dress and break the doll's legs because it seemed like a good idea at the time. It just seems that unusual adventures and ideas seem to follow you around, waiting to happen. Tonight was another example, only this time it was pretty neat.

Maribeth and I were scheduled on the last flight from Nashville to Orlando (I know - Orlando AGAIN!). Every time she flies, Maribeth waits for an announcement eliciting volunteers to give up their seats and get a travel voucher. Tonight after getting Starbucks and Burger King, we sat in our seats. About 60 seconds later the Southwest dude made that announcement that Maribeth lives for. She raced up to the counter and returned with a $300 travel voucher and a flight for tomorrow morning. She then decided to wait around, just in case she nabbed a seat on our flight. Instead, after about 15 minutes, the Southwest dudette called for "Passenger Davidson" and arranged for her to be put on a flight to Orlando that had been delayed - and that was leaving in about 10 minutes. She ended up getting to Orlando 20 minutes before me!!

So maybe middle child dumb luck isn't so dumb after all!

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Things that make today great: Safe, smooth flight; Maribeth's Southwest adventure; Molly bringing morning drinks and airport taxi service; steamer for heater; surprise package from Lewis's; great room location at Boardwalk Villas