Don't let my rough, hardened exterior fool you. Deep down, I am a bit of a sentimental sap.
I always get teary-eyed while watching inspirational sports movies, regardless of how poorly written, directed or acted they may be. Hoosiers, Pride (the story of an all-black swim team in inner-city Philadelphia), Remember the Titans, The Blind Side, We are Marshall, Sea Biscuit (Horses are athletes, too!!!), The Karate Kid, parts I, II, and III. And you don't have a heart if you can honestly say that you didn't get at least a little choked up when Sly Stallone punches out the Don King-Impersonator/promoter, “Duke”, in Rocky V.
And, of course, what list of tear-jerking, inspirational sports movies would be complete without a mention of “Ru-dy! Ru-dy! Ru-dy!” It gives me chills just thinking about it.
I still have an awful taste in my mouth from an experience that I had just over 2 years ago. No, November of 2008 does not mark the date of my last trip to Hometown Buffet.
It marks the first time that I traveled 26.2 miles by foot in one day. On purpose. When I had a perfectly good car just a few feet away at the start. And I paid lots of money to do so. It was my first marathon.
It was a miserable experience. The temperature was hot and the trail was crowded. I was overweight and undertrained. And to top it all off, one of my anti-chafing nipple band-aids fell off half way through the race.
It marks the first time that I traveled 26.2 miles by foot in one day. On purpose. When I had a perfectly good car just a few feet away at the start. And I paid lots of money to do so. It was my first marathon.
It was a miserable experience. The temperature was hot and the trail was crowded. I was overweight and undertrained. And to top it all off, one of my anti-chafing nipple band-aids fell off half way through the race.
The one positive experience that I gained from my first marathon was being able to run the last 200 yards with my then-8 year old son. Seeing him and my two little girls cheering me on at the finish helped alleviate a small portion of the searing pain that I was feeling in my quads, my calves and my precious ego.
They didn't know or care that I had just finished nearly 45 minutes slower than my projected time. They didn't know or care that I had walked a good portion of the last 6 miles due to muscle cramps in my legs. They didn't know or care that I had just had a Justin Timberlake song stuck in my head for the last 3 consecutive hours. All they knew was that their dad had just done something that very few people are ever able to accomplish. I had finished a twenty-freaking-six mile race and they were pretty darn proud. I must admit, it brought a tear to my eye and a lump to my throat.
The kids’ celebration was complete and their joy was full when we informed them that ,after waiting 2 hours for their dad to finish, they could now finally help themselves to the limitless supply of peanut butter Powerbars and purple Gatorade that awaited us at the finishers table.
They didn't know or care that I had just finished nearly 45 minutes slower than my projected time. They didn't know or care that I had walked a good portion of the last 6 miles due to muscle cramps in my legs. They didn't know or care that I had just had a Justin Timberlake song stuck in my head for the last 3 consecutive hours. All they knew was that their dad had just done something that very few people are ever able to accomplish. I had finished a twenty-freaking-six mile race and they were pretty darn proud. I must admit, it brought a tear to my eye and a lump to my throat.
The kids’ celebration was complete and their joy was full when we informed them that ,after waiting 2 hours for their dad to finish, they could now finally help themselves to the limitless supply of peanut butter Powerbars and purple Gatorade that awaited us at the finishers table.
Impressive on all counts! And yay for children who see their Dad as the greatest hero, even if he listens to Justin Timberlake!
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