And off we go!

After weeks of counting down, it was finally time to leave for Disneyworld! Because it was a short trip, I decided to drag my brother with me again. Jana decided it was going to be too long between visits to Disneyworld and also decided to fly down for the weekend along with Ben, her boyfriend.

After some not so good bus magic (it took us almost an hour to get there!) we met up with Jana & Ben at Animal Kingdom. Because it was so stinking hot we went on the Kali River Rapid ride and boy did I get wet!! It took me awhile to finally dry out. After a few more rides and lunch, we left for Epcot where John & I saved the world, Kim Possible style. It is a new interactive game, which would have been a lot more fun if it hadn't been so hot! I was also finally brave enough to try Mission Space, which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be (granted we rode the "sissy" version) but I was still a little nauseous afterwards.

Saturday was early extra magic hours at Hollywood so John & I woke up early and headed over with the express purpose to do the new Toy Story ride! We arrived just a little after it opened and already there was a 30 minute wait! We went ahead and stood in line - fortunately the line moved along. We rode a couple more rides before heading back to the hotel so I could check in for the race.

We weren't staying at the race site, but at a hotel within walking distance to the race site. I asked the concierge how to walk there and she looked at me and told me it was too far to walk, I should either take the bus or the boat. Interesting - so how was I going to get to the race tomorrow morning? I took the boat over to the race site and checked in. I picked up my bike and situated myself in the transition area, looking around for the bike and run starts to orient myself. While I was there, I asked about transportation from my hotel on race day and was told no transportation, you could walk. Okay, it can't be that bad, right? So I walked back to the hotel and it was about a 20 minute stroll. Piece of cake!

I picked John up at the hotel and we headed over to Magic Kingdom!!! After lunch and a few rides, we met up with Jana & Ben. After many more rides, Jana & Ben went off to dinner while John & I headed off to our hotel as I needed sleep! But before leaving, we had to go see Mickey & Minnie!

I did not sleep too well, as I was nervous about oversleeping. Finally I got up and got ready. Down in the lobby there were a number of athletes. Stepping outside, there were even more waiting for a bus! All that worrying and they did have a bus from the hotel to the race site. I set up my transition area and made my way down to the beach.

As I stood on the beach, watching the waves of women go before me, I had a sense of peace, sprinkled with trepidation. And a bit of wonderment, realizing this was my sixth triathlon!

Finally it was my wave! I went down to the water's edge with the rest of my light blue caps and tested the water - it was warm!! Nice! And soon we were off. I had a fairly even pace going and just kept moving along along. The walk back from the swim was one of the longest I can remember! I threw on my shirt and race number, hoisted my bike off the rack and I was off!! I passed a number of people on the bike, which lifted my spirits a bit! I'm not super competitive, but it helped me realize that while people will pass me on the swim & the run (and the bike too) I was passing people on the bike! The bike course was nice - somewhat flat, with a few rolling hills. I made it back and was off on the run! By this time it was getting hot. I ran until there weren't any more spectators cheering and slowed down to a walk. After the first water stop, I got into my usual pattern of running 10 cones, walking 5 (sometimes running 20 cones but still walking 5). And then I was at the last quarter mile - I ran, using all the cheers from the people lining the course to keep me going. It was a good race!

I never was able to meet up with Jana & Ben after I finished, it was a bit of a madhouse!! I had to dash back up to the hotel to take a shower before check-out. But they did say they enjoyed cheering on other participants and experiencing the atmosphere.

After checking out of the hotel, John & I headed over to Hollywood for a last little bit of magic before going home. I was fairly spent at that point and we didn't end up doing much of anything, except watching the High School Musical pep rally and eating lunch. We met up with Jana & Ben one last time before saying our goodbyes and heading to the airport.

And now? I'm unpacking my suitcase, only to pack it again! I leave for Greece on Wednesday!