Greetings,
I had a nice time at the APD, and I like the shirts. Thanks to Charlie,
Jakson, and Craig.
I always wondered what it would be like to do a half marathon without
preparation or training. It hurts!!! It wasn't fun. I walked most of the
race, though I tried to slowly jog through most of EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, and
some of the long stretches in between. I probably jogged a total of about 4
miles. I approached this event with virtually NO GOALS, which was kind of
refreshing.. Hell, I didn't even decide for sure to do it until about
Thursday or Friday. I didn't even care if I finished (until I started
anyway), and I was hoping that participation in the half marathon would
provide some motivation and inspiration to get me back into a fairly regular
exercise routine. Yesterday did not motivate or inspire me. It just hurt.
I didn't have fun.
But you can always count on a couple of things with me: 1) I'm not too
bright, and 2) I have a short memory. That means that after a few weeks,
I'll forget that I hurt, and I'll decide that I can enjoy marathons or half
marathons if I go prepared. You know, come to think of it, I guess I had a
little bit of fun. ;-)
After the race, and a quick shower (not that I needed one after the one I got
during the last mile of the race) and change of clothes, I drove home and was
in bed sound asleep by about 1:30 p.m. Then in the evening I went wading in
the cold water in the pool, and that seems to have helped my legs feel
better. I was smart and avoided the temptation to get in the hot jaccuzzi.
If I had done that I probably would not be able to walk today! Today I am
back at work.
And, after viewing the results, I actually beat FOUR men in my age group, and
finished in the top 95.4% for the Half Marathon. Maybe with a little more
preparation, I can move up to the top 90% next time!!! I hope everybody has
a good recovery.
Jeff Armstrong
Wesley Chapel, Florida
JeffArmst@aol.com
