10K PR at Disney

I think there is nothing quite so enjoyable as being up and on the road on a weekend race morning. You're out there at O-Dark hundred. The streets are empty. The highways are clear sailing. It's still dark and misty beyond the wash of night lights. Your windows are open. Bono and U2 are blasting out of the stereo. It's a Beautiful Day!
As you approach the race site the traffic congeals around the road into the parking lot. Runners are everywhere, stretching, jogging, chattering, adjusting, etc. It's a high in and of itself, so long as you're on time, properly packed and mentally prepared for the race. If not, well you have some other kind of training to tend to.
Today was hotter than it's been lately - 78 or so - even at 700. The humidity was at the upper limit, just short of a mist. The Disney people have a penchant for doing things in a show-bizzy way. There were two DJs on a stage talking to the runners, two "characters" with mics working the crowd at the start line and lots of inflated wine bottle balloons adorning the starting gate that might otherwise be a concert lights frame. With the start we were startled by a fireworks display to launch us on our way.
I went out at a comfortable pace. I had in mind some negative splits and a sub-50 minute run. The first three miles I turned in at sub-8:00/miles but the last three were slower, more like 8:20. That was disappointing. I PRed in 50:40, 2:19 better than my previous best in November of 2002. If it had been cooler and not so difficult to breathe, I think I'd have done better. There's another 10K next month I look forward to.

Disney Notes. Disney did it again with a goofy race gift. Some genius decided a chef's apron was more appropriate than a race t-shirt. It was a leap of bad judgment off the race theme "Race for the Taste 10K". At the first water stop they were serving cheese. I saw no takers. At the second water stop they offered Ghiaredelli chocolate and I thought of Jon in Michigan and Mia in San Francisco. I passed again. What were they thinking? At the end of the race the food was much better. Racer food included oranges, bananas, bagels, muffins, Powerade and water. The Taste booths included Turkish, Polish, Mexican and American food samples. The only thing that appealed to me was the Polish potatoes with cooked onions topping. The race wound through MGM studios, the Yacht and Beach Club Resort and around the lagoon of Epcot, out the front gate by Spaceship Earth and into the parking lot. Lots of Disney cast members cheered us on throughout the course. No park patrons were inside so there was little else to motivate. The sites were pretty. The bridges over boat canals were surprises even though they made sense. I posed excitedly for contracted cameramen when they appeared. Perhaps with my arms raised you will be distracted from noticing my weak gait.