Thanks so much for all the wonderful good luck wishes! In all fairness, I have to tell you, I never made it all 13.1 miles. I made it 9. Regardless of how many miles I did finish, I am please with myself. The realization of getting this done was overwhelming. I have NO idea how I would have ever gotten through what I did without each and every one of you!
Now for those of you reading thinking you cant do this, you are WRONG!!!! You could NEVER be more wrong. You can do this. If I can get out there and do it, anybody can. I can assure you of that. However, be true in your training
.each and every step counts
and counts big. Lily, you can say I told you so! It is so true; you have to put the steps in. Although I made a great effort to train, I did not do what I was supposed to do and that indeed made a difference in what I did do and what I could have done.
Now, going back a few steps
OK a lot of steps
.but I really wanted to share my experience. Thinking back to January, when I got this crazy idea to do a half marathon, I thought it would be a fun thing to try. Now mind you, I generally give up on everything very early into it. Well, guess what, I didnt give up this time. Why? The support found here is absolutely incredible
..as is the journey form start to finish.
When I first started training, I had time! Lots of time! My walks were fun. Some days were easier than others and having the ability to train whenever I wanted to made a HUGE difference for me. Once I started working and the training got a little more intense, that was not so much fun. But one thing that NEVER changed was the encouragement I got from this board and all of these people. The good, the bad and the ugly
.it all helped in some way shape or form. Hearing the big dogs and what they could accomplish was amazing
something to dream about, for those that were just starting out like me, it is fun seeing and sometimes measuring my own progress
.and for all the others in between, it is nice knowing there is a middle ground. This is truly a sport that anyone can do.
Now about my journey
..it started with a thought that maybe I am just crazy enough to try this. It was A LOT of hard work. Work that I have never dared to try. No only was it a physical thing, it was a mental thing. Knowing when to press on and knowing when to stop before injury. Sometimes you stop and sometimes you are just stupid!!! Looking back at January and not ever walking a mile at a time, it is an accomplishment to have walked 9 miles in a sport that there are so many levels to. No matter what your level, there really is no other place when so many can join in once common sport and race. Sure, there are those that are racing against a clock
..and let me tell you, we all are in some way, shape or form
..and then there are those who are out the for the sense of accomplishment. No way, no how I ever thought I could ever get on any playing filed like that.
Many of you will remember my incident with the shoe man. The man who almost convinced me I was too fat and not in shape enough to even try this. Thank goodness, there were so many of you who let me know otherwise. I do want to tell you that Saturday I had the pleasure of seeing this man! I let him know I was here to run my race and no matter what I was going to get my medal
..and I did!
Of course before seeing the shoeman, we ran into John Binham. He is a great man! A man of MUCH encouragement. He believed in me
much like so many of you believed in me. I knew then that I needed to believe in me. With The Penguin, I was honest about my fears of finishing. I was even so bold as to ask if he would keep the course open just an hour longer. He assured me I would get it done
.and even told me a little secret. He said if there was a fear of not getting done in time
find a good place to cut across the course and make it back in time to get my medal. And I did just that
.so when you see the race pics, you will know the reason I finished in a sub 3 hour time! So he graciously took some pics with us, signed our bibs and encouraged us to Waddle On
.and we did.
Now about the we part of this. You are all very special to me, but I have to send a big kudos out to our Dog Catcher! Lily, there is NO WAY I would have ever made it anywhere without you. Our friendship means so much to me. I cant ever even imagine that two people meeting by way of the internet could become such great friends. Even my friends who live here close and said they would be walking with me were no where to be found. Lily was there from start to finish. In every aspect! A true friend through and through. She was there for MY experience this time around and never complained one bit about my slow pace, my whining or my inability to finish the race. And she was there to memorialize the entire thing. I am certain you will enjoy the pictures if nothing else. So Lily, you are the BEST!!! I love you man!!!! And Amanda, you too!!! A greater weekend I have never had!!
So, I trained half butted and didnt finish. The moral of the story
anybody can do this but you have to put the steps in. And even if you dont finish, you got to the start line and that is the big part of the battle. Getting the race done is just a formality. Now even though I never finished my race, I did more that I ever thought I could possibly do. The journey has taught me so much about myself, my abilities, my inabilities and the power of suggestion, as well as mind over matter. I have made some great lifelong friends a long the way. I have become a stronger person because of this, physically and mentally. What do you really have to lose my trying? Nothing! You only have a world of new experienced to gain. In saying that, although I did not finish my race, I do not feel that I have failed. I have truly come to understand that you only fail when you fail to try. I have my medal for my short ½ marathon and I am darn proud of it.
Will I do this again? I really cant say. I do struggle with the blisters that I just dont think will ever go away
and I hurt today
...and to be honest with you, I like to walk now
..which is something I could NEVER say before. I enjoy walking 2-3 miles now
..not so sure about 13.1
..but I gotta tell you, this experience has been life changing for me
..so should you see me out on a ½ marathon course, dont be surprised.
In a nutshell that is what I have to share form this. I really do think that for those of you comptemplating the Disney Half, just do it!! You have nothing to lose. Should you get swept, you have a great experience to look back on and learn from. Chances are you will have made some life long friends along the way too. And most important, you will find out things about you that you never knew about you! You will find some things you like and some things you hate
.but you will find that no matter what, you can do it!! So dont hold back, do what you can do and be proud of you!
I am proud of me today
..and that is not something I have ever before easily been able to say. Enjoy the journey and in the words of a friend,
Waddle On!!!
but today, I kissed all of my 28/30 shirts buh bye...as well as all of my pants that are over a size 26 that have not yet been altered! Of course I will keep all the clothes in the nice little (OK not so little) Kohls bag until I hear about the job...but hey, I will be so ready for my first day! So I have 4 new pairs of pants and four new shirts so long as I get this job!! It is a place to start anyway!!!
!! It is much appreciated!! I am glad the waiting is over and that I will be amoung the employed in the very near future!! 
I am hoping to finish......in under an hour...even if it mean 30 seconds under an hour. I have such lofty goals for myself you see!!! 
and I am going to be wriing in this again soon....I promise!!
