Back From the Back of the Pack.

Hello Woggers! So we are home safe and sound and now it is time to process everything.

First let me say thanks to everyone. You all made this a fun journey and helped to inspire me and Christina. She has now been bitten by the bug and is talking about what we will do differently next year. So Yay! We think we are now ready to become exercising people.

Second, let me say that we as Wogger's World Nation need to send prayers to the Jorge Fernandez family. Jorge completed the 1/2 Marathon Sunday, collapsed at the finish line and died shortly thereafter. Apparently he was a dedicated runner who had served two tours in Iraq. Here is more info: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Half-marathoner-s-death-remains-a-mystery-2268289.php

On to lighter fare, let's talk about how the day went down. We got up at 5, ate a little something, got ready and headed down the start line. Well actually we went pretty far from the start line. The start line was literally right outside our hotel. We had to walk many blocks to get to our corral (#27). See, they have Wogger bigotry at these things and make us go to the back of the line.

We checked in our gear, grabbed some food and waited on our friend Tricia. At 7:30 sharp the gun fired air horn blasted. We stood stock still for another 20 minutes. Slowly we started to make our way to the finish line. At around 8:15 the starter's gun air horn sounded for our corral (seriously, at this point the man who won the 1/2 marathon was almost finished) and we were off. Like a bullet shot out of a gun. Well maybe not quite. You don't want to start too fast. It is a marathon after all and not a sprint. Ha! How often do you get to use that in context?

The first mile was tough. It was in the 60s and there was a large hill to climb. Also, the last time I had stretched was back in the hotel at 6:30, almost two hours before. So my wife and I were a little tight at the beginning. At this point Tricia runs her way out of my story because truth be told, she is a better athlete than we are and finished ahead of us. And while she may run here way out, it is important to remember that she is indeed the beginning because she got me into this. You rock Tricia.

Miles 2 and 3 were much better. It started to warm up, the course was flat and our muscles got warmed up too. In fact, the first 5 miles we were on a good pace and feeling fine. Then we slowed up a bit. By this point things had settled out and we were mostly with walkers Woggers. Which is nice because there can be some jostling at the start.

Miles 6-10 were still good but Christina started feeling some pain in her feet and we slowed some. Miles 10-13.1 were tough. By this point it was in the 80s (which is very hot for a long distance race) and my muscles were hurting and my feet hurt. Christina really had to reach deep at this point. I don't think she had ever walked that far in her life and it became challenging. But she overcame and walked her way to the end. I am so proud of her.

The end is pretty awesome. We joined back up with the marathoners and with the marathoners come more crowds. You also get more energy seeing the marathoners because you really appreciate wheat they have done. As you near the Alamodome you can start to taste the finish. Unfortunately this year we also saw some reality about how hard this can be. We saw a racer get put into an ambulance. We saw a woman who was doing the full start to weave and then throwing up. I and another runner checked with her and I went to get the medics. The worst part was that she was less than a mile from the finish. I hope she was able to do it.

After Wogging up one last hill(who the hell put s hill at the end of a marathon?) you turn to the right and you're like 200 yards from the finish line. My wife and I held hands and walked the final distance. It was awesome. About a mile before Christina had said she thought she might cry when we crossed the line but she was, I think, just happy to be done and too tired to cry.

All in all it was an awesome experience. The Expo was fun, the crowds were fun. The participants at the back where the slow people are - well we just have more fun than the front of the pack in general. The Pig Roast we went to with our friends that afternoon was fun. It was a wonderful day. I think we both feel like we really accomplished something. Now we want to accomplish better times. And I think we will.

My favorite signs I saw from spectators:

"Run a better race than Perry"

"Hurry up and finish, my arms hurt from holding this sign"

"Run like a Kenyan stole your shoes"

"This is the strangest parade I have sever seen"

Outfits:

There weren't too many people strangely dressed. Lots of women wear tutus, which I just don't understand. There was one guy in a gladiator outfit. One woman was in a bustier, stockings and a tutu; okay, whatever makes you happy.

The best outfit were the two soldiers in full gear and packs running with American flags. It really gave you chills.

Spectators:

There is something about strangers cheering you on that is hard to describe. There were cheerleading squads, bands, volunteers, people dj'ing in their front yards, fire stations hosing Woggers down, people holding signs and cheering, families and neighbors having BBQs and parties all for the sake of the event. I love the excitement and energy. I do want to especially thank all the volunteers at the drink stations and at the medical stations. You all are awesome. Especially the Airforce personnel at the Mile 11 water station. It is an honor to have you all come out and volunteer to serve us.

Negative Observations:

Ok, I could be really snarky here about a few things but you know what, I won't. It was such a positive experience I will focus only the positives. And I will say I am positively happy I threw water at the guy protesting Susan G. Komen. You suck.

Finish Line

Well this has been a long post and I know you all have better things to do. I just want to say thanks for following me on this journey. It has been a privilege to write for you and I hope everyone got a little inspired and laughed a whole lot. I have had fun but all things must come to an end. I will let you all know if I start writing again but for right now I am going to take a break. This is my 42nd post which is hard to believe.

I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Season and I hope we all take on a challenge for the New Year. Mine will be to build upon what I have done and to continue to try and be a better person in all facets of my life. Keep on Wogging boys and girls and remember: It's a Wogger's World out there!