Oh how I have stories of
running the Disney Marathon...this could take a few blogs to tell the story however;
it's become a tradition with one of my besties and me!
So, grab some popcorn and
your soda or whatever you like to eat or drink at the movies and sit back
because I have the uncanniest ability to attract the most amazing.... karma and
creatures! Not always in a good way either....
So, it's 2008 and my
Disney running story begins...and let's just say, not on a good note either! I
fly all the way to Orlando from Hawaii with my li'l man to meet up with a
"friend" and a friend who was going to run with me. My
"friend" was really cute and I had known him about a year and I
thought we had a "connection" however, shortly after the meeting, I
realized things weren't going so well because my other friend who was running
the race with me was not the most fun person to be around. Let's just say she
moped the whole time.
So, my "friend"
invited us to dinner with him and his little girl who was the cutest little
girl. So we went to a really nice place in Orlando and my other friend killed
the mood the whole night. Basically, she turned my "friend" off permanently.
After that weekend he didn't want anything to do with me.
So, Sunday rolls around
and we (my friend and I) run the Marathon. I felt good and I was ready to
run but she didn't really feel well and she had an injury. We got to mile 19
and I crossed the line where I could have run the remainder of the race. She,
moping behind me and in not so good health was not doing well. I decided to be
the good friend and go back for her to pull her across the 19-mile mark.
[Side note] if you don't
cross the mile marker in a certain amount of time, they take you off the course
and you don't finish the race...you see where this is going...
As I went back to get her
she limped along and I thought, ok, if we just pass this line we can finish the
marathon. So we met up and as I came back toward the 19-mile mark...for the
second time, I was put on the bus! YEP, you guessed it, I went back for my
friend with the hopes we'd cross but we didn't and I was thrown on the bus...I
was LIVID you hear me! LIVID! If I were in her shoes I would have let me finish
the race. But nope, I felt bad and didn't and she didn't care. It was then and
there that I decided I would never do that to someone else, if I ever get
injured or don't feel good on a race I will let my running buddy go ahead and finish.
AND...I decided, I'd never run WITH anyone again unless they are healthy, fit
and can finish the race...Mind you, I'm not fast at all! I keep about a 9-10
minute pace on my long runs.
Anyway, you know I was
mad. I eventually forgave her but it took a loooong time! I had the absolute
worst vacation in Disney World that year...
But, I digress, let me
finish the story of Disney year 1...
So, my
"friend" and his daughter met us at the end and it took 2 hours to
find the car. Not only have I just got kicked off the course at the 19-mile
mark but I had been running for 3:45:00 at that time with no food in my stomach
with the exception of some power gels and some water or Gatorade. I was
starving and I become a ravenous beast when I am hungry.
Add my extreme hunger to
the fact that I'm angry that I didn't finish the race and you have something a
little worse than the Tasmanian devil! I was so mad by the time we found the
car.
Ok, so back to my
"friend", he met us at the end and was mad to find out we didn't
finish the race either...Oh, he had no idea the anger I felt, so of course his
anger just added to mine and my friend that ran with me seemed not to really
care about how we felt. After the race and that weekend, I never saw my
"friend" again and he told me it was because he didn't like my friend
and if she was any example of the rest of my friends he didn't want any part of
that.... wow, I thought what a jerk! My friend may have had a rough time but
after I got over my anger at not finishing the run I was ok and she's ok too.
You know how when you go
to races you get a medal at the end and you have a T-shirt that you get with
your packet...well, I got my T-shirt and threw it away. Since I didn't get a
medal...non-finishers don't get medals...I didn't want anything. I certainly
didn't want anything to remind me of that race, that's for sure!
So, end of the story, I
had the absolute worst run ever and the worst vacation too! The best part of my
vacation was being able to see the smile on my little boy's face in Disney
World!
So, if you think this was
a crappy story, wait till you hear Disney Year 3's story! You will think...how
in the world can all this happen to one person...believe me folks, it can!
Until the next Disney episode.... keep running!
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