I DID IT! Marathon Official Net Time - 6:59:55
Three days since my race and I am just getting to my journal. I DID IT! Six months of training, several injuries, and a lot of praying. In the end I cried ... it was a year of soul searching and reflection that came to an end. I know my stepfather, Re was there with me all the way ... when my body said, 'No' ... God's will and my determination told me I could do it. When I read the book, The Courage to Start, the author wrote that in your first marathon your only goal is to finish ... not what time you do it in. Well, I finished 26.2 miles ... running across the finish line.
I finished in 6:59:55 ... right under Disney's 7 hour time limit. Talk about cutting it close <Thank you, God!>. It was an interesting race ... starting at 6 am. The night before I couldn't sleep so I only got about an hour before I had to get up and catch the bus to the staging location. The check in was between 3 and 4 am ... I arrived at 3:30 am with a chocolate protein drink for breakfast, Ice Powerade, Power Gel (Vanilla and Raspberry Cream), and a peanut butter protein bar. Enough combination to make your stomach churn.
At 4:30 am we started walking towards our Corral staging areas. The walk had to be about a mile or more ... I was assigned to Corral E ... it was based on my finishing time ... I estimated it would be 6 hours 30 minutes. Several of my FEMA co-workers volunteered along with my girlfriend, Shirley who flew in to support me. Because they signed up at the last minute the only time slot available was 2:00 am - 7:30 am ... talk about the love of friends. I saw them as I came around the corner they were cheering marathoners on ... when I saw them I was happy to have the support of friends. Ron picked me up and hugged me ... a big guy with a super big heart. His lady that was in for the weekend from DC even signed up to volunteer.
At 6 am the gun sounded the start ... it was 26,000 runners. The half marathoners and full started in different directions. It took me 9:47 to get across the starting line from where I was positioned. At mile marker 2 there were 4 clowns on a bridge with a boom box playing, 'Who Let the Dogs Out,' that was too funny especially considering they were 3 white men and a white woman. The beat of the music helped the mind set of the beginning of the race.
I was going well till I fell at mile 5.5 ... a woman stopped in front of me and I studder stepped and tripped over the road reflexor. I scraped up my left knee, left hand, right elbow and tore a hole in my race shirt because I landed on my stomach. Several people stopped to help me up and the clown cheering section came to assist ... they wanted to know if they needed to call medical and I said no (I came too far to let a few scrapes stop me!) so I caught my breath a few minutes and continued to run till I got to the first aid station. I got my knee and elbow cleaned up and continued to run.
Shea and Leon was waiting on me at about mile 8 or 9. That really helped my momentum ... I was going at a good pace even with the fall. In all my training between mile 3 and mile 8.5 were always my best run times. They took pictures and said they would meet me at the half way mark 13.1.
At mile marker 13, there was Shea and Leon again cheering me on. Shea told me later I wasn't as smooth there as I was at mile 8. Heck, that was 5 more miles later. They told me they would see me at their next stop location. Right before the halfway marker a woman runner went down in front of me. I went around her and told myself that at every water stop I would make sure I stayed hydrated. The temperature felt about 80 degrees ... with no breeze and the sun was getting hotter.
I heard at about mile 15 they swept 500 runners at mile 10 because they were going at a 17 mile pace and they said they were not going to finish within Disney's time limit. I heard they were really pissed. They swept another woman right before mile 13 when she was coming out of the bathroom. Then they swept a group between mile 20-21. I just kept telling myself to keep moving and don't get picked up by the slow people van. <smile>
My last 5 miles were more walk than run ... I was just tired and my hurt knee was stiffening up. I just kept telling myself not to stop to keep going. A couple of women from the Leukemia Society and I was pushing each other on from mile 21. One lady her name was Lisa and she would call my name and ask if I was ok and I would do the same for her. She had been talking about her legs cramping up.
Right before the 26 mile marker they had a Gospel Choir singing, "Hosana" ... it helped me get a tempo to run on to the finish line. I needed them about 5 miles back!
At the end Shea, Leon, and my sister Sheila was there to cheer me across the finish line. I MADE IT! Thank God! And I've got my Golden Mickey Mouse Ears to prove it!
I did well ... I finished with no blisters on my feet only one on the top of my foot where I tied my shoe and no black toes or lost toe nails.
Today, I am still sore in my thighs and I am going to have my finger on my left hand checked out ... think I fractured it in my fall ... it is still swollen and kind of black on one side. My other son, Leon is a doctor so he came to the race and brought me some muscle relaxers that I have started taking. <LOL> This 48 year old body is feeling the pain ... especially my feet and legs.
I can now say that I am part of the 1% of the population that have ran a marathon.
I DID IT!
My marathon photos
