Goals #17, 18, & 77, Run a marathon, Run the Goofy Challenge, & Go to Disney World
Check, check, and CHECK.
It was madness, you guys. Madness. I can't believe I even tried this! I WAS COMPLETELY MAD. But I did it, and though I'll probably take weeks to recover, I will be able to brag about it for the rest of my life.
For those of you who don't remember me mentioning the details back in July when I signed up, my parents and I went to Florida for Disney World's marathon weekend. There is a Donald Duck half marathon on Saturday. There is a Mickey Mouse full marathon on Sunday. And there is a big, shiny Goofy medal for us mad, mad folks who do them both. I was completely, utterly NOT in shape to do this. The last long run I did was the Halloween Half at the end of October, and after that I never ran more than 2 or 3 miles at a time while I was recovering from shin splints. And yet here we are.
The half was hard. I was pretty sore and tired at the end. The big problem is getting stiff before the marathon the next morning, so we walked around that afternoon even though we were exhausted, massaged our legs, went swimming, etc. trying to keep from locking up. At 5am the next day, I was standing there waiting for the marathon to start, thinking, "My feet hurt so bad. My calves and knees are so stiff. And I am about to try to run 26.2 miles. This is so stupid." But off we went. And I finished.
Here's the lowdown - I have never been in that much pain in my entire life. Though I'm going to be honest, I've lived a pretty cushy life and it's not like I've had any really major injuries or illnesses. I've never broken a bone. I've experienced some pretty sharp pains, but never the intense yet continuous pain of this. By mile 5, I felt like the soles of my feet had been removed with a cheese grater, and every step was just tearing more flesh - and it continued like that for the remaining 20 miles. (Did you like that visual? I came up with it at mile 23 when I was crying as we approached Hollywood Studios)
But along the same lines, it is fascinating to know that I can do such a thing. You know? I never would have imagined I could. And if I can push through that sort of pain and exhaustion for my own pride, a medal, and bragging rights, I could do even better if there were an emergency of some sort and I needed to help someone. It might sound weird (?) but that's what I was thinking about. To know that I can do it is kind of an amazing feeling. Now I'm THAT friend, that friend that doesn't JUST run marathons but participates in ultramarathon events. It's kind of awesome to be that friend.
And my medals are so awesome. Everyone is so impressed by them. It makes up for the fact that I still can't walk very fast, I'm hungry all the time but a lot of food makes me sick, and that my legs ache even when I'm just lying in bed. Because that? That's going to go away. But the fact that I did the Goofy Race & and Half Challenge never, ever will.
It was madness, you guys. Madness. I can't believe I even tried this! I WAS COMPLETELY MAD. But I did it, and though I'll probably take weeks to recover, I will be able to brag about it for the rest of my life.
For those of you who don't remember me mentioning the details back in July when I signed up, my parents and I went to Florida for Disney World's marathon weekend. There is a Donald Duck half marathon on Saturday. There is a Mickey Mouse full marathon on Sunday. And there is a big, shiny Goofy medal for us mad, mad folks who do them both. I was completely, utterly NOT in shape to do this. The last long run I did was the Halloween Half at the end of October, and after that I never ran more than 2 or 3 miles at a time while I was recovering from shin splints. And yet here we are.
The half was hard. I was pretty sore and tired at the end. The big problem is getting stiff before the marathon the next morning, so we walked around that afternoon even though we were exhausted, massaged our legs, went swimming, etc. trying to keep from locking up. At 5am the next day, I was standing there waiting for the marathon to start, thinking, "My feet hurt so bad. My calves and knees are so stiff. And I am about to try to run 26.2 miles. This is so stupid." But off we went. And I finished.
Here's the lowdown - I have never been in that much pain in my entire life. Though I'm going to be honest, I've lived a pretty cushy life and it's not like I've had any really major injuries or illnesses. I've never broken a bone. I've experienced some pretty sharp pains, but never the intense yet continuous pain of this. By mile 5, I felt like the soles of my feet had been removed with a cheese grater, and every step was just tearing more flesh - and it continued like that for the remaining 20 miles. (Did you like that visual? I came up with it at mile 23 when I was crying as we approached Hollywood Studios)
But along the same lines, it is fascinating to know that I can do such a thing. You know? I never would have imagined I could. And if I can push through that sort of pain and exhaustion for my own pride, a medal, and bragging rights, I could do even better if there were an emergency of some sort and I needed to help someone. It might sound weird (?) but that's what I was thinking about. To know that I can do it is kind of an amazing feeling. Now I'm THAT friend, that friend that doesn't JUST run marathons but participates in ultramarathon events. It's kind of awesome to be that friend.
And my medals are so awesome. Everyone is so impressed by them. It makes up for the fact that I still can't walk very fast, I'm hungry all the time but a lot of food makes me sick, and that my legs ache even when I'm just lying in bed. Because that? That's going to go away. But the fact that I did the Goofy Race & and Half Challenge never, ever will.