I will be running the Deseret News marathon in less than 40 days now. This will be my third attempt to tackle the beast. The first attempt was in 2003 in Park City. The result:
Miles 1-10: High-fiving strangers, thumbs-upping the locals, and the occasional jump-and-heel-click.
Miles 11-13: Fatigue. 225 stops in the outhouses lining the trail. The realization that I never attempted to run more than 10 miles in training.
Miles 14-19: Tears. Some number close to the population of the entire state of Utah passes me, including one old lady using a walker.
Mile 20: Blood in the urine. Yup.
Miles 21-24: Delirium. Hunger. I actually ate one of those power-gel packs that they truly can only get people to eat who are at the brink of starvation.
Miles 24-26: Crawling. Blood Blisters. A six year old girl who started 5 hours late passes me.
Next 3 months: In home hospice care. (I deserved a Lifetime movie).
In 2006 I made my second attempt to tackle the beast in the Deseret News marathon. The result:
Repeat of the 2003 event, but much much slower.
So here we are. Just 40 more days. If you want to see what I look like dead, please attend.
~It Just Gets Stranger
