I did it!
I finished with 50,259 words, and while I'm fairly sure it's utterly unreadable, I'm proud of myself for writing it. I wasn't sure I had it in me, but I'm glad to find that I did. It's a little bit silly, but I really feel like I accomplished something--and 3 days before the deadline!
Not only that, but this helped me prove to myself that I am capable of writing longer pieces, and it got me into the habit of writing regularly. I've rediscovered over the past month just how much I enjoy writing, and how much I've missed doing it when I haven't been able or willing to make the time for it. And I also surprised myself by not being so critical of my own work; it was invaluable to me to realize that not everything I write has to be perfect the first time through.
As Ernest Hemingway once wrote, "The first draft of anything is sh*t."
;)