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<\/a><\/p>\nQuick aside: Donald doesn’t wear pants in everyday life, but he does don shorts for running.\u00a0 He also apparently wears a swimsuit, which when you think about it, is super weird.\u00a0 I mean, he’s a DUCK.\u00a0 He’s a BORN swimmer. <\/em><\/p>\n But I digress…<\/p>\n “Unofficially,” according to my official runDisney tracking signup, I ran a 1:41:51. That’s a pretty swift half for me even when feeling good so, “yay?” As I hobbled into the house and my Mom mentioned I looked like I was hurting I think maybe I’m seriously going to regret today’s push, especially considering tomorrow I’ll be running 26.2 miles.<\/p>\n In the meantime, as I engage in a heating pad and ice pack rotation, I post a series of animated GIFs to try and add some smoke and mirrors to distract from the pain. A bit of razzle dazzle doesn’t hurt, right? And all that jazz…<\/p>\n The pre-race corral.<\/p>\n Running with character…<\/p>\n The Post-Race Medal Shots (note: I really loved Goofy shooting the gun at the medal).<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n A few of the Apple iPhone “Live” shots that I use for the animated GIFs either didn’t come out or were super snoozers (e.g. me just standing there, waiting for the photo to click).\u00a0 As a result, here are some relatively staid, still shots to document the day:<\/p>\n The pre-race arrival: There were A LOT more folks here for race day.\u00a0 I didn’t even bother trying to get pre-race character shots as by the time I walked from Discover 12 the wait times were already 30+ minutes.<\/em><\/p>\n Unlike the 5K and 10K, the start line for the half and full is a fair hike from this holding pen.\u00a0 They say it’s a 10-15 minute walk; I never remember to time it but that’s probably about right.\u00a0 If you imagine cattle being herded through a stockyard on their way to the slaughterhouse, it’s kinda like that.<\/em><\/p>\n There was an inexplicable dip in the temperatures from the time I got up until the sun rose.\u00a0 On the plus side, the wind was way down today so it was mostly bearable.\u00a0 Much like Donald though, I didn’t want to wear pants — I prefer running in shorts even in cold weather.\u00a0 The pant legs feel like they mess up my stride.\u00a0 Can’t quite explain it but there ya go.\u00a0 In the photo below, you can see the flag isn’t waving because the air was dead calm.<\/em><\/p>\n Every year it’s the same banter.\u00a0 Almost as if it’s prerecorded.<\/em><\/p>\n Mickey, Donald, and Goofy are such pros though they make it sound like it’s off the cuff but I’ve been Dopey for 5 years and ran a few times before that.\u00a0 And I’m here to tell ya – they need to get Bruce Vilanch to punch up\/update the jokes.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0 Thirteen point one miles.\u00a0 Are they all magical?\u00a0 No comment.<\/em><\/p>\n I know it’s cold and the poor cast members and volunteers are stuck standing around while we at least get to move and warm up.\u00a0 And I know iPhone camera are kinda crappy, especially in low-light situations.\u00a0 But I wish sometimes they had taken two or three shots at a time in the hopes of maybe getting ONE halfway decent one.\u00a0 It’s digital, people.\u00a0 Shoot away!\u00a0 We can always delete the worse ones in the quest for a least bad one, ya know?<\/em><\/p>\n In the next shot, I was trying to belly laugh because, well, I was outside the Laugh Floor.\u00a0 Two unfortunate things happened — 1) the helpful cast member took the photo at an inopportune moment as the PhotoPass photog was “flashing” her shot and 2) I’m looking particularly plump these days.\u00a0 Facebook this morning “shared a memory” from two years ago when I met Ms. Chiquita Banana and I was svelter and leaner and, well, this shot with Mike and Sully has me feeling like Forrest Plump.\u00a0 Run, Forrest, run, yeah?<\/em><\/p>\n I had never seen Goofy in this flying ace attire.\u00a0 I guess it’s themed to his ride over in Fantasyland.\u00a0 But I was super psyched… until I saw what the CM shot.\u00a0 I get what he was going for – framing the Storybook Circus marquee and all.\u00a0 But, dude, frame down.\u00a0 Goofy and me.\u00a0 That’s the quality.<\/em><\/p>\n #NotMyHallofPresidents.<\/em><\/p>\n In the next shot, it was one of many times I accidentally bonked the person next to me.\u00a0 My effort to show my puny “guns” in comparison to Mr. Incredible meant I bumped Mrs. I in the head.\u00a0 Good thing I’m such a weakling — she just shook it off and absorbed it like it was nothing.\u00a0 Absorbed it… ‘cuz she’s ElastiGirl.<\/em><\/p>\n Heading back into Epcot for the closing mile or so of the race, I once again inadvertently bumped my neighbor posing.\u00a0 I hit this fairy’s wing (to which Tink told me that’s okay — I just stung like a bee and needed to float like a butterfly… which was an A+ ad lib).\u00a0 Then I was so excited that Stitch had a cowbell, that I clocked his ear.\u00a0 But he didn’t even say anything about it.\u00a0 Class act, that Stitch.<\/p>\n Parting shots:<\/em><\/p>\n So as the sun continues to rise and the day warms up… at least a little… I’m trying to quickly recover for tomorrow’s Dopey finale.<\/p>\n I’ll conclude with this “erroneous” photo taken as I tried to put my phone away during the run.\u00a0 As an animated GIF it provides a pretty good approximation of the running experience.\u00a0 Would that all mistakes could prove so illuminating and instructive.<\/p>\n<\/a> \u00a0<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a>\u00a0 <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a>\u00a0 <\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> 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