Thursday, January 17, 2008

Ran Disney East and West


Well, I guess this will be one of the last, if not the last entry for this blog. LMM will be starting soon and we will all have new blogs to set up and write in. I'll always be lisathehornplayingturtle, but I'll have a new tittle. ????

The trip to Disney was great. My friends, Hallie, Carol, T'knesha, and Susan were so much fun and so crazy. I got to spend time with my California friend, Jackie and also a former housemate from college at FSU, who lives in Orlando. It was weird having the old college world of Jackie and Jim, and the marathon friend world of the gals collide in Orlando.

The marathon was great. Yes, there are some dead times on the route, but getting to run through the parks and seeing all of the characters made up for them. The crowd and volunteers were so supportive. And seeing Carol, Hallie, and Susan screaming and cheering at mile 24 was the best. I didn't finish in the time that I wanted. I chose friendship over running my own race. My friend, Jackie (who I ran with the whole way) started hitting the wall at mile 18. Being very fortunate, I have never hit (knock on wood) the wall in any of my three marathons, so it took me about a mile to realize what was going on with her. She claims she would have been picked up by the "paddy wagon" or have given up if I hadn't pushed her the last eight miles. Sigh, who knows. I kind of felt responsible for her, since I encouraged her to travel cross country to run this marathon with me. In the end, we crossed the finish line together in 6:59:08 and got a beautiful medal. All three marathons I've finished just under the hour. Hopefully, next time I can finish under six again. This LMM isn't only about losing weight or finishing a marathon, it's also about the lifelong friends you will meet and the experiences you will encounter during your running journey. I looked at the whole Disney experience, (friends, the race, the trip) and realized it all began with hearing Mark Simpson, by chance, on the radio four years ago talking about running a marathon, going out on a limb by going to the first meeting, and then actually joining up. Can't wait for the first meeting to start training for Chicago.

5 comments:

LegalSec said...

Great job! You're an inspiration to all around you. Look forward to seeing you on the 26th (and maybe at the movie on the 24th?).
Sheila

The Miller's Blog said...

Congratulations! that sounds like so much fun! I'm glad you had a great time and were able to help your friend finish. That is the most important thing ever. Please let me know your new blog address when you get one. I'm not joining MM this year, but want to keep up with the blogs, and I don't think you have access unless you become a member. Let me know your address, please! :-)
Congrats again, and good luck this upcoming year.

runswithSandy said...

THat was a GREAT blog -- what a wonderful story. If she was convinced she was going to be picked up by the sag vehicle, then she was. I agree, that friendships are way more important than time. I completed my first with the Blues a few weeks back and could have done it faster, but I SO enjoyed hugging friends and family along the way, petting my doggie friends that came to see me, and just enjoying the day. Wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Way to go!!! See you next weekend!

Believe in Miracles ~ Lisa B Davis said...

way to goooo! See ya soon!

Chuck Gautier said...

Congratulations! You are a great inspiration, and that is a great story!