Well... hello again, it's now been almost three and a half weeks SINCE WE ALL FINISHED the Nashville Country Music Marathon. No, it hasn't taken this long for us to recover well enough to type. But before writing anything I (Chris) did want to let things sink in some.
In the shortest sense, completing that race in what turned out to be brutally hot weather (hovering somewhere between 85 and 90 degrees by the finish) was absolutely the most challenging physical feat I've ever achieved.
It seems that everyone agreed those 26.2 were not a particularly enjoyable experience. We had cramps, dehydration, and a little more walking than any of us expected. We ate Gu gels, chugged CytoMax and inhaled salt packets along the way. And still nothing could really prepare you for those awful few miles between 20 and 24.
The race itself was some twisted combination of constantly battling within yourself, sometimes talking to yourself with tunnel vision, to keep both legs moving in rhythm while at the same time desperately seeking out energy from all the fantastic, screaming, smiling supporters along the way.
With those last few minutes in mind and the Tennessee Titans stadium looming, there was nothing better than the distant image of a purple shirt looking to help everyone through the last stretch. When asked if I was doing okay (I must have looked as bad as I felt), I lied with a forced grin but gladly accepted a buddy until I could see the finish.
Taking those last few steps is a powerful, powerful moment and stopping is difficult. A body in motion for so many exhausting hours doesn't respond particularly peacefully. But after eventually staving off delirium, there was nothing better than watching teammate after teammate in TNT gear cross the finish.
As the most skeptical (I think) of the group in joining with Team in Training rather than run individually, I want to loudly express that the training, the friendships and the unbelievable support from this group of people backing the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's efforts to beat blood cancer was something I will never forget.
There are so many thank you mentions that I wouldn't even begin to try one by one. But I'll try broadly from the whole lot of us. Thank you: TNT coaches, staff and team leaders, honored teammates, all our fellow TNT runners (DC area and all our new friends from around the country), all our friends who put up with a multitude of invitations to fundraising events, and the biggest thank you of all to everyone that contributed their hard earned dollars and kind words in support of a great organization in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
What happens now? Well, several (Brandon, Crystal and Ashwin, I believe) are continuing with TNT as captains for this Fall while it looks like all of us are returning to marathoning. We had such a good time torturing ourselves once we're doing it again. Wave to us in October at the Marine Corps Marathon in DC!
This blog may fizzle, or it may live on depending on the group sentiment. Either way, thank you everyone again, and we hope you enjoyed following along. Below are pictures of each of us on race day. So long!
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