After 21 weeks of training and more than 505 miles logged, I completed my first marathon and my 20th race! I’m still in disbelief that Lauren and I did it – running 26.2 miles was so, so much harder than I thought it would be!
I believe the Disney Marathon was an excellent first race for a newbie like me to run. The course was fast, the spectators were amazing, the water stops were fueled, and Mickey and Minnie cheered us on! But our families were the BEST! We saw them four times, and each time it was so exciting and gave us a much-needed BOOST!
But, let’s not sugarcoat it. Running a marathon is HARD. Really, really hard. I never ‘hit the wall,’ but Mile 20 – Mile 26.2 was excruciating. The weather played a major factor in my pain. It was a frigid 19 degrees when we started, and my muscles never relaxed. I can usually run 17 miles without the slightest pain, but I was hurting almost immediately because of the cold. If it had be 50 degrees or so, the entire race would’ve been more pleasant and less painful.
You know what? The fact that it was challenging almost made the race SO much better. 
I feel so accomplished.
Our race morning started ridiculously early. Our hotel alarm clock was blaring at 2:40 AM! Lauren and I stretched, watched the morning news, and ate breakfast. I had a PB and banana sandwich. (I also ate a Clif bar right before the start.)
A very pivotal part of my outfit was a heavy winter parka and sweatpants, which I got from Goodwill. Disney e-mailed us to say they would donate any dropped clothing, so I felt OK about shedding layers on the street.
The heavy coat was SO necessary. We stood around in the cold for about two hours before the start – Disney bused us in and then we needed to wait around a little bit. I was chilled to the bone by the time the fireworks went off at the start – and then I knew it was going to be a hard run!
Lauren and I had a plan to stick together NO MATTER WHAT. I think knowing that I had Lauren, and that Lauren had me, was so relieving. We were very intimidated by the thought of doing our first marathon! Plus, I loved having someone to talk to and laugh with.
The marathon course went all through Walt Disney World. We went through four parks, including Epcot twice.
- We began in Epcot and ran past all the different “countries.”
- Then we looped around on Disney back roads.
- We entered the Magic Kingdom, ran down Main Street, through Tomorrowland, and through Cinderella’s Castle.
- More back roads.
- We entered Animal Kingdom, which we smelled before we entered!
- More back roads…. so many back roads!
- Then, we entered Hollywood Studios. I don’t even remember this park! It was a blur.
- A short stretch of back roads.
- Back through Epcot.
‘
Out of all the parks, my favorite was Magic Kingdom!
The best part of Magic Kingdom was the Castle. It was so magical, and Lauren and I practically skipped through it!
Lauren and I paced really well up through Animal Kingdom. Our goal was the pace 10:30 or so. Because Lauren is a ‘zen’ runner who doesn’t run with a watch, I would just say “slow down!” or “speed up!” Although it was cold, we were having fun and making excellent time.
- Mile 1: 10:22
- Mile 2: 10:19
- Mile 3: 10:28
- Mile 4: 10:29
- Mile 5: 10:44
- Mile 6: 10:37
- Mile 7: 10:25
- Mile 8: 10:44
- Mile 9: 10:24
- Mile 10: 10:12
- Mile 11: 10:20
- Mile 12: 10:35
- Mile 13: 10:26
- Mile 14: 10:28
- Mile 15: 10:23
- Mile 16: 10:39
- Mile 17: 10:46
- Mile 18: 10:45
Mile 18 is when we both started to have problems! Lauren was chafing, in pain, and running through a bad stitch, and my thighs and butt were killing me. I asked Lauren to motivate me, and she gave me an excellent pep talk. I really needed that! When I felt better, I tried to talk Lauren up, too.
Lauren pulled to the side of the road to pee.
I didn’t need to use the bathroom, so I took the opportunity to stretch of my sore, sore legs. I did downward dog in the grass, and it completely released my hips. I felt much better for at least 2.0 more miles!
At that point, we decided to start doing the walk/run method. Lauren had actually never run over 16.0 miles before, and I was getting nervous because my knees and hips kept locking up. The walk and run totally saved us! Our pace dropped, but it helped keep our spirits up.
I took in the most calories during this stretch of road. All in all, I had four packs of Goo, 1/2 a banana, and a ton of Powerade through the race.
- Mile 19: 13:55
- Mile 20: 13:21
- Mile 21: 12:03
- Mile 22: 11:52
- Mile 23: 12:39
Mile 24 is when the MENTAL BATTLE started for me. Every single step was sending shooting pains up my legs. I saw a sign that said, ‘Pain is temporary, quitting is forever’ (my mantra!) and it helped motivate me. I just kept reminding myself that my time didn’t matter, and I should relish every moment of my first marathon – no matter how hard it was!
I also saw an Operation Beautiful poster at some point on the course! I dashed back and told the girl who I was. Yay for Operation Beautiful!
The other awesome part of the marathon were the spectators! Even though it was so, so bitter cold outside, there were thousands of people on the side of the road, cheering for the runners. Also, all the Team in Training runners and coaches motivated each other by yelling out, “GO TEAM!” when they saw each other.
I started to cry around Mile 24. I ran past a bunch of posters about survivors of cancer, and it totally tore me up. I am so glad I decided to do Team in Training in honor of my friend Megan (who has leukemia right now). It made the experience so much more fulfilling for me personally. THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE FOR DONATED! Together, we raised $3,050!
Towards the end, I just buckled down and focused on putting one leg in front the next. I thought, ‘Right, left, right, left.’ Lauren got her second wind and helped me cross the finish line feeling happy and proud!
We even managed to sprint a little at the very end!
- Mile 24: 10:43
- Mile 25: 11:43
- Mile 26: 11:52
- Mile 26 – Mile 26.57 (course was long): 5:59 (average 10:33/best 8:35)
Our final statistics:
- Distance: 26.57 miles (long course!)
- Duration (Garmin): 4:53:22
- Duration (Official Chip): 4:53:18
We immediately got our medals!
And I grabbed a bagel and a Powerade. Don’t I look cheerful? 
Then, we found our families, and the Husband was lovely enough to give me his jacket. Thank you, lovely Husband!
We came home, and I iced down my knees and inhaled Pumpkin Yogurt with granola.
Then, I slept like a log for about three hours. I woke up ravenous. Lauren and I decided the best way to refuel was to get a HUGE burrito and HUGE ice cream. I had a veggie burrito from Chipotle and a medium coffee and Resee’s ice cream from Coldstone.
I am currently basking in my post-marathon glory and massaging my sore muscles. I actually feel GREAT now that I’ve settled down and relaxed. I hope to do another marathon in the future – it was SO much fun.
More thoughts on the marathon are forthcoming! It was such an emotional and physical experience that I have a lot to digest and think about. Thank you again for supporting Team in Training! Thank you RYAN for such wonderful photographs!
Twitter
Operation Beautiful
Pinterest
Facebook
{ 221 comments… read them below or add one }
congrats again!! I love the recap, and reading this makes me just so excited/nervous/scared to run the marathon I am currently training for as well.
LOVE THIS POST!!!! SO proud of and happy for you! <3
Congratulations!! I had a running partner named Lauren for my first marathon as well and we crossed the finish line holding hands and crying – how funny! Isn’t the runner’s high feeling after a marathon the best? I wonder if you’ll end up like me – wanting to run another one only a few months after your first. I SWORE I would only run one too. Congrats again – great job!!
Great recap Caitlin! Congratulations. What a great journey and a great accomplishment.
You are beautiful both inside and out. Cherish this moment forever, when I woke up this morning you were my first thought I quickly dropped to my knees and prayed hard. I knew you could do it but I wanted to send you up a prayer so you didnt think you couldnt. Sounds painful and exciting all together.
CONGRATS you have offically become my hero.
That was such a fun post to read Caitlin! Great Job and a virtual Hi 5.
zest!
Congratulations Caitlin! What an amazing feeling it must be to know that you completed your first marathon! I love that you kept a positive attitude during the race regardless of the bad weather. Chipotle and Coldstone sound like the perfect way to refuel after 26.5 miles
I am so inspired by you – I don’t mean to sound like a big ol’ sap, but I cried reading this blog. I can only imagine how difficult both mentally and physically this race was, but I also can’t begin to imagine how wonderful it must have felt to have crossed the finish line. You are AMAZING and I can only hope that come this time next year, I can also say that I completed the Disney Marathon!
Thank you for sharing your journey and for encouraging me (and many others) along the way!
CONGRATULATIONS, Caitlin!
Very cool, and again, congrats both of you!
I am SO unbelievably proud and *inspired* by you!!!! those pictures are amazing. I can tell how accomplished you feel. I can’t even imagine
:)
I loved reading this!
Fantastic recap! CONGRATS!!!! I have been waiting to hear about this all day! YAY!!!!!
Thanks for the great recap… It made me cry as I have some family members battling cancer right now.
I just want to tell you that you are a major source of inspiration for me! You helped me believe I can be the healthy person I’m dying to be… Thank you. And CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Congrats Caitlin!!!!! You are awesome. I would be so scared if I felt that kind of pain that I was doing permanent damage to my lower half. So glad you finished so strong!!
I have been waiting for your post marathon recap all day! You are such an inspiration. Your blog was one of the things that kept me motivated during my half training!
CONGRATS again!!
Congratulations Caitlin! I am so proud of all of you girls running the marathon, and am happy to see that you listened to your body and mind on the course and switched gears whenever you needed to! It’s inspiring to know that you once couldn’t run a mile straight, and now can bang out 26.2.
Rest up, fuel, and have a great rest of the year because you rock!
Congrats!!! that is an awesome accomplishment!! You should be so so so proud of yourself! You really are an inspiration to all women out there!! Now take time and rest..You deserve it!
EEEE! What a great re-cap! I’m so glad that you had Lauren with you by your side during the run. Marathons are a HARD, MENTAL battle and can be very lonely – yea for wonderful friends!
Congrats! Of course Florida would be freezing when you had to run the marathon, haha. Good job!
CONGRATS!!! It sounds like you and Lauren had an amazing experience together! I’m so happy for you!
CONGRATS CAITLIN! Sounds like an amazing experience, and you kicked butt, just like I knew you would!
I was thinking about you all day and couldn’t wait to read the recap (I’m in Aus so the huge time difference).
You are so inspirational, I’ve run two half marathons and I’m tempted to try a full one now. I’m sure you have inspired hundreds of people to give it a go.
However can you explain Lauren’s plan? It sounds very different to yours if she never ran over 16 miles.
She had a plan like mine, but she was just too swamp with work and traveling to do as much of it as she wanted to. She’s pretty naturally athletic though (obvi!)
What a wonderful recap – and how weird to see all the coats and hats at Disney!
That was quite an accomplishment and you deserve to be very, very proud
So, how’s Miami looking?!?!?!?! You’re still alive after this one!!!
Yayyy!!!! We did it! We ran Disney!!! I’m so sorry i didn’t get to see you today, but it was crazy and cold! You did amazing and I could not be more proud!
Go Caitlin!!!
Super grats, caitlin…. you should be SO SO proud! <3
I basically teared up multiple times reading this post. Caitlin–you are AMAZING, and a major role model for me. I am so proud of you. Congrats, and way to go! <3
Congrats Caitlin!
Caitlin, you are seriously an amazing inspiration. Thank you so much for sharing your journey – you have no idea how much it means.
Girl you are an inspiration. Thankyou for sharing such a candid and honest race report. You rock!!
Congrats! I’m so proud of you guys! =]
SO AWESOME!!! That is wonderful that your first marathon (of many, I bet!!) went so well. You are a warrior, woman!
Congrats Caitlin!!! Great recap–love the hand holding photos
You look so purty having ran 26.2 miles!! Love the post-marathon fuel!
So glad Ryan and I were both there to cheer you guys on!! It was so fun to hang out with your family a bit on the sidelines too, I love your mom!! She’s so fun.
I’m glad we found them in the beginning. Congratulations Caitlin!
Great recap! And what an accomplishment to be proud of
Congratulations!! You should be so proud of yourself. That was such a huge accomplishment. I loved that you ran with your friend, that must have made the time go by much more quickly. Good luck with the recovery process, I know that can be so hard! Great job!
Loved your recap! I am so proud of you! You’ve come a long way!! Congratulations!
I thought about you all day today. I’m so proud of you! That is a great accomplishment!! Congratulations. xo
Congrats!!! It sounds like a really challenging and rewarding run. How great is it that you guys crossed together holding hands? So cute!
Congratulations on a great marathon! You should be so proud of yourself – you are now a marathoner! I loved your race recap – it brought back many memories of my first marathon this past fall. Thanks for inspiring so many people through your blog – I’m sure you have now motivated many people to get out there and sign up for a race! Congrats again, now enjoy the relaxation!
CONGRATULATIONS! I was thinking of you this morning, so glad it went well
CONGRATULATIONS! Thank you so much for sharing your recap and journey!!
Congrats hon…I am so excited for you…..I can’t wait to do my own marathon…Enjoy enjoy enjoy the time and the exhiliration of such a complete success
it’s so awesome to hear that you had fun and enjoyed yourself! I think that’s the best part!
CONGRATS!!!! Your recap was wonderful and got me so pumped for Boston. Thanks for being so motivating and good luck walking tomorrow. The next two days should be interesting. They were for me after my first marathon.
I loved reading your recap. That was an awesome achievement.
I can honestly say i hope to run that marathon one day (and I’m just getting into cardio/running).
Again CONGRATS! You earned it!
Yup….. tears.
Wow! Congratulations! I can’t believe you are going to bed tonight as a MARATHONER! And you’ll wake up tomorrow as a MARATHONER! Someone who ran 26.2 (or .5!!!) miles, in the freezing Florida cold! Congrats congrats congrats!!!!!!!! That is such a huge accomplishment and success. I can’t wait to hear more about it. I loved the recap, and am so curious about all of the emotions behind running a marathon. I can’t even imagine what it is like!
Rest up, eat lots of yummy foods, and relax– you deserve it! CONGRATS again!
Congratulations Caitlin!
Sounds like you had a great time running the Disney marathon!
You worked so hard and should be wicked proud of yourself
Jenna
Caitlin you are amazing and such an inspiration to me. I just started really running for the first time today. It wasn’t much at all but I am getting prepared to start training to do a 1/2 marathon in Jamaica in Dec. I’m not quite sure what I’m thinking but I hope I can accomplish it. I will run at least a 5k locally before that big race though.
I’m so proud of you for pushing through and finishing the race. I always get excited to read your blog about everything you accomplish. You absolutely rock! So cool that you saw someone with an OB sign out there.
Congratulations on your 1st marathon!! How cool that your first marathon medal is a Mickey medal!?!?!!!
I think you and Lauren sticking together was a good plan for each of you. together you pulled through. hurray!!
Congratulations!! So proud of you! I plan to run my first 5K in a couple months. You’re such an inspiration!
Caitlin,
So glad you enjoyed your race. You look so happy in all the pictures, and how cool you saw an Operation Beautiful sign out on the course.
Many many congrats!!!
Congrats! So awesome that you did it even in the freezing weather!
The weather was not fair to you; Florida should never be that cold. But that makes the fact that you conquered it so much more impressive. You rock! And definitely deserve a good days(or weeks or months) of rest
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO you rock
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!! I’m so impressed
Congratulations Caitlin! What an amazing accomplishment – I am just beginning to train for my first 1/2 Marathon (in the very cold Canadian winter nonetheless), so your completion of double that distance is truly inspiring!
Given your chilly race day conditions, I would be interested in any tips you have for cold weather running?
Congratulations! I was thinking of you this morning, and couldn’t wait to hear how it went. You’re an inspiration!
Congratulations! Sounds like a great race!
CONGRATS SO MUCH!!!!! I think you are amazing and incredible!
Congratulations! I am so inspired by your amazing accomplishments. And how cool to see an Operation Beautiful poster! I originally found you because of OB!
Congratulations! I’ve been reading your blog for a while now, I was thinking of you all weekend, all the way from Sydney Australia
You and so many other bloggers have inspired me to run, I have gone from out-of-breath after 1 minute, to running 15mins without a break. A long way to go but I’ll get there.
Well done on a great race and on being an amazing inspiration to many people, I can’t wait to read your future marathon posts.
Your first marathon!!! What an accomplishment!!!!!!!!!! You have everything to feel proud about!
And your race recap made me choke up. How awesome!!!
Yaaaaaaaay you!!!!!!!!!!
GO YOU! That is so friggin’ awesome! Do you still talk to Meghann much? I’m surprised yall didn’t meet up at all.
Good job girl. Well done indeed. you can really be proud of yourself for that accomplishment. These are the kinds of things that will fuel your book! Still, finishing one in 4:53 makes you think that you can finish another one doesn’t it? maybe harder, maybe faster, who knows. still, congratulations on a job well done.
Congrats again, Caitlin! I hope you realize how much you rock and how big of an inspiration you are! You me want to be a better runner each time I read about your runs! What a fantastic accomplishment. Awesome recap.
Brought tears to my eyes! You captured your day so beautifully…congratulations on this AMAZING achievement!! You deserve every wonderful thing that comes into your life.
That’s an awesome post! If running a marathon, this has to be one of the coolest ones! I have fond memories of Disney! Very inspiring!
Thanks for sharing every moment with us, you are amazing!
Congrats, Caitlin! Great race report!
Congratulations, Caitlin. What an accomplishment!!!
ahhhh congrats!!! and great recap. race recaps are my favorite posts to read, i love hearing how every part of the race went and how it felt to cross the finish line. you must be so proud, and so must your husband and family. nice job!
Yay!!!!!!!!!!! Good job!!!!
Congratulations!! You are SUCH an inspiration that you really CAN do anything you put your heart into! I am so thrilled for you!
I’m emotional just reading your post. Way to go, girl!
You are such an inspiration and you should be SO incredibly proud of yourself!!
Congratulations to you both!!!!!!
Through all the training and hours you put in, race day is very emotional and crossing that finish line may be one of the best feelings in the world!!!!
I wish you and Lauren a speedy recovery!
congrats Caitlin!! You and Lauren both did so great!!!
Congratulations! What an accomplishment. And to raise all of that money through Team in Training? You go!
P.S. I love the “Pain is temporary, quitting is forever” mantra!
Caitlin this it by far the best post you have ever written in my book! I absolutely loved reading it! Thank you so much for inspiring me to continue running and to push myself even harder when I feel like giving up.
Great job girl!
YOU’S A BOSS!!!! Congratulations again. I think you should listen to this all day tomorrow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSgp-IIgr4I
Fantastic! I loved this race report. I love that you have such a great family. And I love that you saw an Operation Beautiful sign at the marathon! Well done – be proud! Amy
Loved this! Congrats girl!!!
Congratulations! You are so inspiring! Enjoy a night of rest.
Congratulations Caitlin! I’m so proud of you
This is one of the most inspirational marathon recaps I’ve read, SO happy for you!!
xoxo
WOW CAITLIN! Seriously, wow! Had i still been at disney working, i wouldve been there cheering you on! way to go girl! So you guys ended in epcot? thats SO wierd because one of my managers told us that they were keeping up the magic kingdom christmas lights for the runners to finish the race at, as they didnt put up the overhead bridge lights at epcot this year. either way, amazing job woman!!!!
ummm hmmm. i had to think about this (the miles were blurry) but we definitely did not go back to magic kingdom (if you look at the map). LOL
Thanks for this detailed recap!!! I cannot run anymore (former runner/triathlete) so I LOVED living through each mile with you..the easy way
Congratulations!!!!!
Congratulations! The part through the Magic Kingdom sounds fantastic, too bad you didn’t have a video camera through the whole thing…that’d be a sweet documentary.
Congrats! What an amazing experience – it sounds like you rocked it!
It sounds like the marathon was an amazing experience! Congrats!!! I love that you ran the race with your best friend and were able to hold hands as you crossed the finish line.
see you girls run this race makes me smile. You guys are such great motivations for all of us readers. Thanks for sharing this with us!
Wow, what an experience! Congratulations! I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts on running a marathon after the “high”. Sounds like you’re hooked though
You and Lauren were so lucky to have each other!! I can’t imagine doing one by myself… Also, Disney sounds like such a cool course! Damn straight a marathon required burritos and ice cream as recovery food
Hope you’re healing okay! And hope you’re still basking in that post-race glow! Congrats again Caitlin 
Ahhh congrats Caitlin!!!! This was so inspirational to read. I hope to run a marathon one day and you truly inspire me to follow my dreams to become a better runner. Thanks for all of the thought and reflection that you put into your posts
Ahhh congrats Caitlin!!!! This was so inspirational to read. I hope to run a marathon one day and you truly inspire me to follow my dreams to become a better runner. Thanks for all of the thought and reflection that you put into your posts
Really Really cool! Thanks for sharing
Congrats on the marathon! Amazing. I just saw this “yay scale” and thought of operation beautiful. Have you seen this?
http://voluptuart.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=952&zenid=ee2ef4659e2578d18f81c507c8af9107
Loved reading your recap, so inspiring! I’ve run 2 marathons and my passion has dwindled. Reading and seeing this is a true inspiration and it sparked a marathon bug, if even a little one! CONGRATS!
I’m so happy for you! Such an amazing accomplishment. I love that you and Lauren stuck together, no matter what. Yay!
you are amazing!! This was so inspirational, and what a great way to end the race holding hands!!
Just read this recap outloud to my husband and I started to cry!
I am so, so happy for you and inspired be your determination. CONGRATULATIONS to you and Lauren both!
Congrats!!!! I am so happy for you and proud of you. I am sitting here crying like a big baby. The picture of you two crossing the line holding hands is so touching!
Congratuations! I love reading about people who accomplish their goals and you are so accessable it really makes your blog fun to read. Thanks for the inspiration.
Congrats marathoner! Welcome to the 26.2 club!
So amazing to read.
It really makes me want to run a marathon. It must be the most unbelievable feeling in the world.
Congratulation
CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is so motivating. i would love to be a marathoner some day
congratulations on running in 19 degrees! i cant believe you could do that in that cold of weather. awesome job!
Congrats to the new marathoner! It’s so awesome that you and your friend stayed together for the whole race and crossed the finish line together! Sounds like it was an unforgettable experience.
Congrats, beautiful Caitlin!!!! That first picture of you grinning, yet exhausted…it’s beautiful! I can see that sense and rush of adrenaline and accomplishment and self-pride on your face. You’re amazing!!!
CONGRATULATIONS on your MARATHON!!! I loved reading your recap and that you saw an operation beautiful note/sign on the course. You did an amazing job, congrats again!
That is such an accomplishment!!! I am proud of you!! You put in so much hard work, and it must feel SO good to now be an official marathoner!!!
Congratulations! What a touching recap. I was thinking of you all day! Super impressive pace and fantastic attitudes all the way through. You’re awesome!
congrats congrats congrats! i’ve been waiting all day to read your recap! i’m so proud and inspired! you are amazing and should be so proud of yourself!
What a great race! I am so very proud of you and your accomplishment! AND of course Laura!
awwh this post made me cry!! Congrats, you should be SOOOOO super proud!! A marathon is such a HUGE accomplishment!!
you did AMAZING! congratulations on such an incredible accomplishment
xoxo
Your recap is amazing, as is the fact you’re now a marathoner! So wonderful- all of your readers are proud of you!
I’m such a baby, I totally cried reading your post. What an amazing accomplishment – you should be so proud of yourself! i’ve never really wanted to race, but i think i might start training to do a marathon after reading your journey.
i am so proud of you
You are amazing, powerful and strong!!! Go you Caitlin!
I love those pictures of you with Lauren – there is so much pain, but so much joy in your face. Congrats!!
I had a tear in my eye reading your recap. Even though I don’t “know” you, I feel so proud of you – well done
Girl you are AMAZING!! BIG BIG congrats you you! That was an awesome and inspiring re-cap and I only hope my first marathon is as good
(and ohmygosh it sounds cold there..I thought Florida was meant to be hot!?)
I loved your recap! Congrats, YOU are a marathoner!! I know you cried around mile 24, right? But did you cry at the end? I always cry at the end of my races! I feel like such a baby, but there is so much hard work that goes into training and accomplishing something like that, and I think it all hits me once I complete the thing!!
Wow you’re amazing Caitlin! Congratulations! Love the photos of the race and your family is so adorable!!
You’re one hell of a power woman!
Your husbands face is priceless. It has been so much fun reading/watching you through your journey. Thank you for sharing that with us. Although I haven’t ran a marathon..the shear power from the feeling of ‘I am doing it. I am doing it’ has rendered me in tears before. It’s such a great feeling.
Rest. Enjoy.
Great job!
Congratulations Caitlin! What a great recap, and I teared up a bit reading the end! What an amazing thing you’ve achieved. WELL DONE!
YOU SO SO SO SO ROCK!!!!!
Congratulations Caitlin! I loved the race recap and you did an awesome job! Very Inspiring
Caitlin…….
YOU ARE UNBELIEVABLE WOMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am tearing right now at this. I feel like a proud mother who just witnessed her child’s most proudest moment. My heart is so full right now by your story and your experience.
LOVE YOU!!!!!
You look so happy, congrats! Yes, you got some excellent photos. You should hire Ryan on as your “lifestyle photographer”
while you focus on the food! Just kidding, you get awesome photos yourself!
Congratulations!!!! so happy for you!!
Awesome job, you guys are inspiring!
Congratulations, Caitlin! Aren’t you glad you went ahead and wore the TNT singlet? I am so happy for you – great job!
You are unbelievable, girl!! You are a real inspiration and it makes me tear up a bit to read your marathon recap… In fact, when my alarm went off at 6 this morning for my first ever serious morning run, I hit snooze a few times, but then I thought of how you ran that marathon, and that was the thought that made me get up and start my birthday with a bang.
I’d love to hear more in the coming days of the kinds of exercises you did to keep your knee going strong through the marathon training (I have PTFS too and want to run longer distances, but I’m scared of getting hurt).
Congrats Caitlin!!!
You should be so proud! You’re amazing! and YAY for Operation Beautiful!!
You can totally see how happy you are in your smile
Congratulations Caitlin! Your enthusiasm and emotions are shining through this post. Love it! So happy for you guys!!
Congratulations Caitlin! Your enthusiasm and emotions are shining through this post. Love it! So happy for you guys!!
Congrats!! Great recap and awesome running despite the cold!!!
A certified race course is measured the shortest distance possible, so unless you hugged every corner perfectly its hard to do just the 26.2…. thus the little bit extra.
Enjoy that marathon after glow! You deserve it!!!
Congratulations!! And thanks for sharing the story of your training and the race!
I’m currently training for my first marathon (three long runs left!) and reading about your journey has been such an inspiration. I’ll definitely be coming back to read your training posts and race recap for motivation and encouragement when my race day arrives!
Congrats again!
Amazing! I did a half last year and thought I’d stop at 13.1, but following your story makes me reconsider a full marathon. Congratulations!!
That is so awesome! Congrats!
congratulations! such an accomplishment, makes me want to get out there and run.
I saw how cold it was in Florida and I was thinking about you girls all day yesterday!! You did so great Caitlin, especially considering the task and the weather. You have a lot to be proud of
Yay for you and Lauren! Glad it was such an awesome experience and happy to hear it’s not your last marathon! Congrats…
Congrats again! So exciting to read about! Glad you made it despite the freezing temperatures!
Congrats!! Have fun going down stairs the next few days ;p (try going down backwards, much easier!!)
I love that last photo of you and Lauren. You are both amazing! Congratulations on completing your first marathon!!!!
Are you SORE yet?? My legs are feeling a little better today. After 26.2 miles, I can only imagine the massage you need!!!!!
I am soooo proud of you!!! You did amazing! How fantastic! Thank you for sharing with us!
Congratulations, Caitlin! Amazing job!
So awesome Caitlin! You are AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL! You should be really proud of your accomplishment!
Sarah
I couldn’t WAIT to hear all about your first marathon. Great job! When I was reading your recap – a tear came to my eye at mile 24 as well. What an experience. I really wish I could do a marathon but training alone is pretty tough. I do have my dog, but he doesn’t talk much so offering motivation isn’t forthcoming from him.
Super Caitlin! I hope you can now take a few days off before you set to more training.
Wow wow and wow – I’m in awe! Congratulations and a massive well done. That is a huge achievement. Be proud!
Congrats on your wonderful accomplishment!
Congrats on your wonderful accomplishment!
Congratulations again on you success!! You must be SO proud
I’m interested to hear how Lauren was feeling at the end since her longest run before the marathon was 16 miles. That’s quite a jump!
I love the medal too!!
Congrats! I’m not sure why, but your recap totally made me cry!
What are you going to do with all the extra time you’ll have now?
haha – um, work?
and train for a century bike ride.
lol Fair enough! When does the Century bike ride take place?
its in may! and im super excited for it.
Congrats to you!!
wow! congratulations! your recap made me teary…well done to you and enjoy your rest
CONGRATS! you are an amazing inspiration, and i’m SO SO SO HAPPY FOR YOU!
That’s so amazing, Caitlin. Congratulations! You must feel SO accomplished!
You should feel so proud! It seems like a big change for you to not be so competitive and be doing everything you can to get your best time, but it is GREAT to read how much you loosened up your high expectations to “enjoy” (is that possible) the experience and achievement with Lauren. You always amaze me. Congratulations!
congrats Caitlin!!! you did it!!
Congrats Caitlin!!! You are so inspiring!! I felt like I was running the race too. Congrats to Lauren too, what a great way to celebrate running with a friend who has inspired you on this journey towards better health. Yay friends!!
A HUGE congratulations to you! You did an awesome job, especially in such cold weather. Running through Disney must have been awesome! Congrats for such huge accomplishments!!!
CAITLIN! I want to cry reading this! SO AWESOME. I am so happy for you, proud of you [though I don't know why, it's not like I'm your mom] and just plain HAPPY [already said that] for you!
Is it not the most ridiculously amazing feeling?
YAH!!!!!!! Congratulations Caitlin! I am not a follower (as of yet) on twitter but just to let you know there were many people cheering you on on twitter and I was cheering you on teh WHOLE day!!!!! Congratulations again!
Congratulations! What a wonderful accomplishment! You are a running rockstar!
CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WHOOOOHOOOOO!!! Congrats to you and Lauren:)
You are awesome,Caitlin!What an inspiration:-) I started tearing up for you.I love your family support with the signs.cc
Congrats!! It sounds like such an amazing experience.
Caitlin that is so wonderful! congrats! Such an inspiration – there are so many people out there (me) that wishes they could run a marathon. Way to go!
Congrats!! what an accomplishment. Wonderful blog
-marn
What an amazing journey. I loved reading your recap!
Amazing! Good for you!
And it’s so cool to see someone just having fun with the race as well. Taking pics, motivating each other, etc.
GREAT recap! You totally have me in tears, girl! I remember that emotional feeling at the end of my half-marathon when I was so overwhelmed with joy, relief, and pain, and then seeing my family was almost too much for me to handle! I was so happy and emotional at the same time…so I totally get it! Plus you have the added emotion of running for Megan…that is just plain awesome!
I am so proud of you and your first marathon. I have a feeling that it will probably be the first of many
I told my husband this morning that, after pretty much backing out of the Disney Princess 1/2 in March (because after my hysterectomy a month ago I just wasn’t sure what my healing would be like) that I totally want to do it again! Maybe we can work it into the schedule…I’m gonna see if I can convince him 
Enjoy your day with the most awesome runner’s high <3
GREAT POST & CONGRATS!!!
I think it is amazing that you completed the race in the freezing cold temperatures we had over the weekend, I am from Colorado orginally and can tell you from experience that it was FREEZING COLD here! I used to run outside in the winter in Colorado, with snow all around and it wasn’t as cold as it was this past weekend……the humidity down here makes it so much worse when it is cold….literally “bone chilling cold”!
Congratulations again, Caitlin! I’ll admit I got a little teary-eyed reading this. So proud of you!
Congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. I love your mantra! You sure don’t look like you’re in pain in those pictures; they’re great!
I’ve heard lots of people say their GPS’s measure marathons longer than 26.2 miles, and I believe the reason is that the courses are measured using the shortest route. A person on a bike or in a car does much less side-to-side movement (and backtracking to say hi to Operation Beautiful signs!) than someone running the race. And I guess those small deviations add up over such a long distance.
Congratulations! You did an amazing job!
What a great experience!! One you’ll never forget. When’s the next one? jk
Huge congrats – what an amazing accomplishment!!!!
I love your mantra! I have been thinking about something to put on my back for my upcoming half and that might be just the thing to motivate me and others.
Congratulations! Not only did you finish your first marathon but you did it in freakishly cold weather! Great race recap, so fun to read!
CONGRATS CAITLIN!!!! You’re such a powerhouse womannn, i love it! I’m so glad you had a nice nap and some delish chipotle + ice cream after the race. Nothing sounds better!!
Hope you’re not too sore today!!!
Congrats, again!
Congratulations, Caitlin. You did it!!!!
I am so proud of you! You are officially a marathoner and NO ONE can ever take that from you!
Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Caitlin! You are a bona fide marathoner! I knew you could do it! Congrats
Nice job … goal of the first marathon is to finish, period, and that’s what you did. AND, you went out and had a great time. Welcome to the club, marathoner!
Congrats Caitlin! you did awesome for your first marathon…I have a feeling I am going to be reading many more marathon recaps in the future…
All right I get to be comment 200 to say way to go caitlin!!! You pushed through the hardest part which is the mental barrier!
Inspirational post!! Congrats to both of you.
Whooo-hoooo! You did it! Enjoyed reading about your first marathon. SO inspiring!
Wonderful recap and congrats! Thank you for posting such a candid account of your marathon experience, it was really informative and made me want to sign up for one as well. Double congrats for all of the Team in Training money you raised, that’s a really great charity.
CONGRATS!!! Buying those parkas from Goodwill was a GREAT idea…i was FREEZING at teh beginning!!!
Congratulations Caitlin! What a wonderful achivement. It is so great you got to do this with a friend and raised money for a great cause!
Thanks so much for sharing this race report – it crazy to think of all of your running in the cold weather (I thought that was just for us up north in the Canadian winters!). Motivating to read as I begin training for my second marathon with some knee issues too. Enjoy some downtime!
Congrats Caitlin! I’m glad you got the chance to do this for Megan and I’m sure it means so much to her. Great pictures too!
a late but huge CONGRATS girl!!! you did amazing and its so fun you ran with your friend the entire time
makes it that much more special. you are a marathoner!
Hi..I just found you through another fitness blog. I happened to come across this entry. I wanted to say how inspirational this was to read. You rock!
Hey Caitlin,
I’m running a marathon (my first one ever) on May 23rd, and I am really scared! I need some advice:
1) How do you mentally prepare?
2) What distances to you run the week of the marathon?
3) Any good pre-race dinner ideas?
ahh I’m so scared! It’s a trail run with hills!!
don’t be scared, you’ll be fine!
here’s my marathon training plan so you can see the mileage i did during my taper: https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AsiRelHFVxAMdGJmYl9FSjFjMkk3WXI5WWNYSGVINUE&hl=en
i listened to uplifting music, read race recap, and just thought about how FUN it would be.
re: pre race dinners, just don’t do anything different than what you’ve already done before long runs.
and SMILE it will be fun!
Hi Caitlin! My friend Emilie (onemominmaine)referred me to your blog. I love it! Thank you for doing such a great job! I also have to say that I absolutely ADORE your dogs. They are so photogenic and I love the names (I have two cats names Spencer and William – I think real people names are the way to go!) Anyway, I did the Disney half-marathon last year and enjoyed reading your race report. It was SOO cold, but I was really excited b/c it was my first ever half-marathon. I am doing it again this year!
Hi Caitlin! My name is Megan and I’ve been reading your blog for some time now. Congrats on your success with Operational Beautiful, by the way!! I was actually just reading Glamour and saw the article featuring you! How awesome! Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for posting a race recap for the Disney Marathon because I’m going to be running the 2011 race on January 9th. This will be my first marathon and though it’s still 5 months away I’m already getting nervous! Do you ever think of doing that race again?
thank you so much
i dont think i would do disney twice but it was a fun race
i hope you enjoy it and good luck!!!
Hi Caitlin! This is my frist time visiting your blog and I love it! I am planning on running the Disney Princess Half Marathon on February and I am super excited. This will be my frist race and reading your blog has helped me as I prepare. Can’t wait to read about your next race!
I LOVED reading this! A friend just introduced me to your blog earlier this week. I ran this Disney race as my first full marathon, too, and oh my GOODNESS it was cold! Thankfully my friends and I came down from New Jersey, where we’d been training in the cold for months, but still. Not what we expected.
Terrific job and recap–Disney is definitely an awesome first 26.2!!
Thank you so much Jess. So happy you did Disney too!
Marathon recaps inspire me so much! I can’t wait to get to that point.
I love this post! Congrats! I’ve done one marathon, training for a second and I can totally relate. I hope to do Disney one day since I’m a Floridian!
PS: your blog is awesome and I hope to be as successful as you are in the blog world one day!
Thank you
i actually almost cried when i read this post!!!! it reminded me of doing my first half marathon! so many emotions go through your mind! Ur finishing picture is priceless…love it!
This post is so emotional. Ahh
{ 20 trackbacks }