The non-runner runs

I have heard many stories of people who love to run. They moan on their off-days that they just have to get out there and log in 5 miles or else they just don't feel right. I am not one of those people. At all. 

So it might surprise you to see this:

I don't enjoy running, but I do enjoy Walt Disney World. And they hosted a Wine & Dine half marathon last October. It's a well known fact that I also enjoy wine and dining. So shortly after reading about the race... I found myself paying the non-refundable fee and training. Still can't quite explain what caused me to do this... but I'm glad I did!

This was an evening race (which was awesome since I also do not enjoy early mornings) and Chris joined me for the start (and finish). Here I am waiting for the start gun:

My first goal was to finish the race without dying. My second goal was to never stop running. As you can see... I was very focused before the race:

And here is sweet Chris who broke through shrubs and bushes and Disney security to snap photos of me at the start and finish line:

Right before the race I saw this well dressed group:

Who actually (spoiler alert!) finished right behind me (yes, I did finish and didn't die...).

As I waited for the starting line, I took a photo of the huge group of runners:

Now, if you're a bit of a Disney nerd, you'll know about the podcast... WDW Today. The man in the blue shirt is actually one of the co-hosts. I have to say I geeked out a little. I SO wanted to ask for a photo with him (and I think I spotted Len Testa with him?), but I didn't want to break his focus right before the race. This is especially poignant because during my hours of torture... uh... training... I listened to many hours of the WDW Today podcast. With an estimated 11,000 runners, what are the odds that I'd be starting behind the voice that I head through so many miles of training?

Disney does everything in style and I really enjoyed pausing for fast photos with some of my favorite characters. Like the guy from Up:

And this runner who won my vote for Best Dressed:

 After 13.1 miles I ran across the finish line. And my sweet Chris was there to catch the moment (which was kind of a big deal, because only people who bought a special ticket were allowed to be at the finish line... Chris, who did not purchase this ticket, proved his sneakiness again!). Here is the photo he got of my big finish:

Lens cap, darling, lens cap!! Oh well. He was able to snap this at the after party:

Finisher! And with the tiny exception of pausing for a few character photos, I did it with NO stopping or walking! Since October I've run only a handful of times, but Chris has mentioned that he wants to run with me at next year's Wine & Dine... so maybe I'll be training again soon! Sigh...