13.1

what a day.

the strange highlights:

there was a guy dressed as a samurai.

there was someone wearing a dunder-mifflin race for the cure shirt. which wasn't strange. just awesome.

before the race, we walked over with my friend's dad. we saw a dead squirrel. he declared it an omen. "for other squirrels, i mean. not for us..."

i did not slip on a banana peel, but i almost did. that only happens in cartoons! or so i thought. until i almost slipped on one. it was a nice surprise to get fruit along the way, though! it made me want to throw up, but...it was nice.

the mile-by-mile breakdown:

if you're already bored, skip ahead to mile 9. that's where it got interesting.

they started the race early, because of the bad weather. but it was super exciting being in line. so many people. the news said 36,000. i can't explain how it felt to cross the start line. it was just...exciting. happy. FUN.

ok.

- miles 1-2

we were walking fast. passing people left and right. it felt good. this part really is boring.

- miles 2-4

at this point, we saw the runners in front go under the bridge we were crossing. they were doing their last 3 miles, as we were doing our first 3. i tried not to think about how we had 3 more hours until we'd be there. but i was really impressed with them.

- miles 5-7

we passed belmont! my alma mater. and saw four friends cheering for us. i didn't realize how much of an energy boost that really could be. thanks, friends.

- mile 8

felt tired. felt sore. i thought we were going slower, but i kept looking at the clock and we were still on pace. i think this was the point where i felt too tired to pray for strength anymore. i have probably only addressed the Holy Spirit directly a few times in my life. i kind of forget He's there. sorry, dude. but i did around this time. i remembered He intercedes for us. "Jesus, can you keep praying for us? i can't. wait, no...the Holy Spirit...yeah! that's what You do! thaaanks..." and i felt grateful to belong to such a weird God. 3 in 1. such a weird, loving, strong God. i like to pray, but i kept praying about how much it hurt, which meant i kept thinking about how much it hurt...so i was really thankful to know i was still being prayed for. by God. to Himself.

- mile 9

it was at this point that a blister began to form on the bottom of my foot. as usual. and it was also at this point that the police began telling us to abandon the course voluntarily, because of a tornado watch. walking in the rain was not annoying. but having people tell you that you aren't safe...kind of nerve-wracking.

- mile 10

there was a small "shelter" that people were being directed to. we decided to stop. the guy in charge pulled up a weather map, and told us tornado weather would be in our area in half an hour. this part is kind of confusing. i still don't understand it. he told us that another shelter was 30 minutes away, if we wanted to go for it. we decided to go for it. i figured that meant we wouldn't be allowed to finish, so i wanted to get as far as i could. i felt a surge of energy, and we walked quickly...for about a mile...

- mile 11

rain fell harder. wind blew. FEET HURT BAD. "where, oh where is the shelter? maybe this is a good thing that we won't be able to finish. i do not feel good."

- mile 12

the limping began. i don't know what they thought they were directing us to, but we were headed to the finish. we slowed down majorly, because of me. i could see the stadium, and hear the cheering. but oh. my. gosh. that last mile was killer.

- mile 13.1

i FINISHED. i still can't believe it. so much pain towards the end. and a tornado didn't eat us. we got a medal! i didn't know we were going to get one. i'll do anything for a medal. we had to keep walking (uuuuuggghhh) to get to a place where our ride could pick us up, but we found a covered spot and sat down out of the rain. and all the pain felt worth it. it was FUN. terrible, terrible fun. i can see why people do these in different cities. i loved seeing my city like this, but it would also be fun to see others. 13.1 MILES, y'all. walking it isn't cool enough to get one of those stickers for my car, but i might wear my medal to bed. i like doing things i've never done before. i walked a half-marathon. i finished it. around mile 9 i thought i might never do it again. but when it was done, i knew immediately i had stumbled onto a new, expensive addiction. maybe next time i'll cross the starting line RUNNING. that'd be fun too.