I hardly feel like I should even post here because I think of marathoners as going the distance, the long distance. There are so many worthy of those accolades. But perhaps my story will motivate some overweight person to tackle their challenges and achieve something they never would have considered before. I started walking to work on my weight which had gotten so out of hand. When I started, I literally could not walk the 1/2 block to the end of my street without my legs hurting and feeling winded. This was in July 06.
On 1/6/07, I walked the Disney Half Marathon with several members of my family who signed up to encourage me to complete this goal. It is probably the hardest thing I've ever done physically. At mile 9 I wanted to quit, at mile 10, I hoped I wouldn't make the cut off, at mile 11 I stopped to quit and then didn't give up and at mile 12 I was putting one foot in front of another and turned off my music (enough so happy together crap at that point :-) and at mile 13 I didn't think I'd make it to the finish line. BUT I DID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And now, I'm looking online for my next one and even thinking that maybe in 1 year, I might even consider doing a full marathon.
Only this time, I will NOT quit training 6 weeks out, I will not wear new shoes (with only 8 miles on them), I will not avoid drinking enough during the race to avoid using the roadside toilets, and I will not eat salad the night before. It was hot in Orlando, and I was feeling extremely dehydrated by the end of the race. My shoes started rubbing by mile 9 and by mile 13 I had developed 2.5 inch wide blisters on my heels. I couldn't wait to fall to the ground and get my shoes off. But I did it, I've recovered, I enjoyed myself and can't wait to do it again.
My 5 y/o grandson asked me if I came in last, and I was happy to report that I did not; there were 16,000 registered, I'm not sure how many exactly ran/walked, but there were 12,282 who finished. There were a lot who didn't make the 10, 11,and 12 mile cut offs (I know because I was running to avoid them myself and there were alot of people behind me until around the 10 mile mark.) I ended at 11,928/12,282 with pace time of 16.19.
I am amazed that this goal was accomplished. And when I see someone in a race, I will remember what it felt like for someone to call out my name to encourage me that I could finish. I was so ready to quit, looked like I would never make it, but several unknown strangers cheering me on and knowing that I had others waiting at the finish line totally helped me cross the line.
