So the Warrior Dash was everything I thought it would be AND a bunch of stuff i didn't think it would be. The first thing you notice is how BIG the event was.
The first Turkey Trot we ran several years ago was the first time i realized thousands of people will show up to run a race. I had no idea. I mean sure, the Boston Marathon i figured would get a couple thousand runners but a 5 miler in little Columbus, Ohio on Thanksgiving Morning? (hence the Turkey Trot name) I figured 4 maybe 5 hundred tops. Nope. More like 7K plus. I was stunned and i still get surprised every year. That is NOTHING compared to the WD.
For 2 days straight they set off 500 person heats every half hour ALL DAY. Conservative estimate is 25k total but I could be off by half as much.
The second thing is how organized it was. No issues with anything. Directions? Cake. Parking? A breeze. Shuttle to the event? Every 5 minutes. You're seeing the pattern right? Everything was well thought out and flawlessly performed. It was really cool and I'm glad I did it. It will not be my last event for sure.
The unexpected thing had nothing to do with the race at all.
When I decided to do this several months ago I recruited all my friends who i thought might be up for this. They were all IN! except none of them did it... but my fiance said I should ask Richard.
Richard is her best friend. They grew up across the street together and have never "lost touch" like a lot of us do. I know Richard but we're not really "friends." No reason, I certainly like him enough, we just don't live very close to him and everybody has life to deal with.
Last year he was diagnosed with a brain tumor that, from what I understand, is very difficult to remove. This is the kind of news that you have nightmares about. I'm certain he had his "Well... my life is over, Check please." moment or two that he had to deal with but the amazing thing is he didn't let it kill him. Instead he got himself in shape, started running races and living life. That's what really got to me. That is what made me feel small and petty and... well... dumb. He lives his life like he's going to die tomorrow where as i live mine like I'm going to live forever. I keep the "tomorrow it will be better" mantra running through my thick skull all the time instead of making today better. What's really so bad about today anyway?
So a week after the Dash i started training for a half marathon. I'm doing several things different this time. First off, I'm actually into week 2 without and major complaints or wining. Which is practically unheard of from me. The really big difference is I am actually telling people about it. Previously, I would start these grand schemes of various design and direction but never let anyone know about it. That way when I quit, no one would give me shit about it because no one even knew. This time I am saying it out loud. I'm attempting a major physical feat which will require dedication and changes in my daily life. I have certainly stumbled a lot in my first 2 weeks but I am at least seeing my mistakes and making corrections instead of excuses. I have even started making changes in my daily eating!!! What??? Yup. I want to move faster... not eat more. Weird. Never had that happen before.
No comments:
Post a Comment