Mickey Mouse
Donald Duck
Goofy
Genie
Mulan
Mushu
The Fairy God Mother
Prince Charming
Sulley and Mike
Scar
Pirates of the Caribbean
Jiminy Cricket
Lumiere
Lightning McQueen and Mater
The Chipmunks
Tinker Bell
Rafiki
Wreck It Ralph
Tigger
And these are just the ones I recall...
My first marathon was painful, but it's over. The day after was painful too, but that's over. Disney's Marathon Weekend is difficult to sum up in a few words--but I'll try: the largest expo I've experienced took place at Walt Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. Kat and I sampled our first-ever gel/goo (an energy boost that would later aid one of us and not the other), and we fell in love with Cabot Cheese, making a second round just to sneak another sample.
After an adventurous four-mile walk, bedtime came at 8p.m. We awoke at 2:30 a.m. to begin our magical day. At 6:10 a.m., fireworks signaled our starting corral's start. For miles, we just enjoyed the cool breeze, characters along the course, and people-watching (there were a lot of people to watch). After the sun came up, I hit my ever-infuriating wall, but I stuck with Kat, knowing she would neither leave me behind nor let me give in just yet.
Half way to the finish meant I was thinking, " Holy @#$% we have to do all that again." But then it got easier, and easier, for me anyway. I say that because Kat hit her wall around mile fourteen. She trudged through until what we feared would happen happened. One thing athletes, especially runners in my opinion, have to take into consideration is climate change. Whether from one season to the next or one state to another, Climate has the authority to say, "I don't care that you trained for eighteen weeks. Here's a cup of dehydration, light-headedness, and, oh yes, an upset stomach. Enjoy." We knew this was a possibility from the start, but how could we have trained for it? We live in the center of Texas on college student budgets. We had to take our chances. So we walked for a bit. After about sixteen and a half miles, the rest of our run can be summed up as walking/jogging intervals, until we were both in enough pain that walking was more than acceptable. But we crossed the finish line, hand in hand. BOOM!
Were we a little disappointed? Of course. But humility is an anchor. So we reminded ourselves that this was never really about the run--it was about the experience, which was awesome and something never to be forgotten. We can run 26.2 miles anytime in our own hometowns, or college town, or wherever. In fact, that is exactly what we have added to our agenda. In a few short weeks, we'll join another running buddy for a chance to redeem ourselves. Two weeks later, we'll cheer him on, from the sidelines, with hot chocolate and a delicious breakfast, as he conquers 32+ miles. Sucker.
Leave comments! Ask Questions! I've been less motivated to write in the past couple of months, and I always appreciate your input and encouragement anyway.
