the run.

It's weird that everything I've been working on for the past four months is over. The entire trip to Disney was incredible. I had an absolutely amazing time. It was the single most rewarding experience of my life, and hopefully I can convince at least one other person to do it next year. (No, not just go to Florida, but raise the money and train. If I can find the time, anyone can.)

So I left Thursday morning. Millie was a saint and offered to drive me to the airport, which was great. Since I find airplanes to be terrifying, it was nice that I didn't have to go to the airport alone. It was also nice considering I didn't have to get up fourteen hours early to take the red line to the blue line. The flight was fine, aside from taking off which is by far the scariest part. We landed in Florida, blah blah blah, took the shuttle to the resort, blah blah blah. Nothing exciting really happened on Thursday. We went to the Athletic Expo at the Wide World of Sports Complex to pick up our chips and bibs and free stuff. I had no idea the Marathon Weekend would include so much swag.

Friday was a big day for me. It was the return to Epcot. Not gonna lie, it was actually pretty emotional. I had a hard time sleeping the night before. It's hard to explain to anyone else how I feel about that place. When you love something so much, but also hate it with every ounce of your being, you develop a strange relationship with it. In a way it was like going back to a house I moved out of, where another family had moved in and made themselves at home. I went on all of the important rides, such as Mission: Space (they put up an umbrella, partly because I got second degree sunburns when I worked there), Test Track, and Soarin', which was being built when I was there. Our Team in Training Pasta Party was at Epcot also. That was an experience in itself. I guess I never really thought of where the money was going to as I raised it. Yeah, I knew I was raising money for Leukemia & Lymphoma to run a half marathon at Disney, but I never really gave it much thought. Being there and seeing first-hand the difference that we can make and seeing the stories of people whose lives have been affected by blood cancers made it all real. It was so inspiring to be among these heroes who have gone through so much, and are so grateful for what you're doing. In fact, the entrance to the party was lined with cheering fans. It was incredible. I will never, ever, forget that.

Speaking of unforgettable, the half marathon was on Saturday, Now, since the starting time was at 6 am, and the bus came to get us at 3, I had to get up at 2 am. That's not an easy time to get up. Nearly impossible, actually. You go to bed at 2 am, or you wake up to go to the bathroom at 2 am. But you don't get up to run 13 miles at 2 am. Man's body was not made for that. The race was extremely crowded. I wanted to finish in 2 hours and 6 minutes, in order to beat my cousin's time, but having a fast pace at the Disney Marathon is next to impossible. It was just as crowded as walking through the actual parks would be. Then, once we got to Magic Kingdom, and I ran into Donald, I knew that I'd regret taking my time to enjoy it all. So, I finished in 2 hours and 26 minutes. That's a pace of eleven minutes per mile. Not bad, considering how many times I stopped for pictures. Now, people told me that endurance events can be quite addictive. Now I know why. The feeling you get when you're running through a cheering crowd is like nothing else. Adding to that is the fact that I was part of TNT, and there were a lot of people who would call out my name and some words of encouragement. I can't wait to do a full marathon, now. I wish I could participate in Team in Training again, but I need a break from the fundraising. I've thought about doing the Chicago marathon, but I don't have any interest in it, to be honest. I'd much rather go to San Diego. If I do, this means I'll start training again in a few weeks. Better relax as much before then.

After the run, I went to Magic Kingdom with my parents. Now, as if the getting up at 2 am and running a half marathon weren't exhausting enough, walking around the park until 9 am sure took its toll on me. I had a great time and was glad to have some fun with my parents, but by the end of the day I was dead. I walked into the hotel room and literally laid on the bed and passed the fuck out.

Sunday was Animal Kingdom. Not much to say, really, except that Expedition Everest, which was being built when I was in the program, is phenomenal, and totally worth waiting four hours for your fast pass to take effect. I didn't have time for MGM, which is sad because that used to be my favorite, but I had more stuff to do at the other parks, and something had to be cut. After DAK (abbreviation that we Cast Members would use. Neat, huh?) I went to the Team in Training Victory Celebration. From there I went to Epcot, because I was NOT, I repeat NOT, leaving Orlando without seeing Illuminations.

On Monday I slept in a little bit (meaning I got up at 9) and then packed up. Disney had this great feature called Disney Magical Express. They not only take you from the airport to the hotel, they also take you back at the end of your trip. And they take your luggage for you and print your boarding pass so you don't have to stand in line at the airport. With the extra bit of time, I met up with the parents and we went to Downtown Disney for a little bit of souvenir shopping. Their flight was two hours before mine so they dropped me back off at the hotel and we said our goodbyes.

I got back to Chicago and Ashley, Baggy, Dave, and Dangles all came to pick me up at the airport. It was good to see everyone and to be back in Chicago, but it was also sad that such an amazing and memorable weekend, which I had worked so hard for, had come to an end.

I'm DEFINITELY doing the fundraising and going back next year. And I'm DEFINITELY doing the full marathon instead of the half. I actually kind of regret not doing the full to begin with, but it was a long hard semester and I'm not sure I could have pushed myself any further than I already did. As I said, I'm going to try to convince others to do it with me this time. The feeling you get when you're running through the park, being cheered on by complete strangers screaming your name, all while knowing that you helped make a difference in people's lives...it's totally worth the four months of hard work.