Nemesis Challenge:It's OK to Finish Next-To-Last, As Long As I Beat HIM/ Its Here!!!!

[that's nice]

The text message went like this......

Thursday Feb 16th 10:47am


Tim: So I had this crazy idea. I’m not sure if this is the right time for you though with the baby on the way. What if we had a marathon challenge and run in the January ½ marathon. I’ve never run one before. Maybe this would be a way to get myself into shape.

Barry: Hmmm… Interesting. You calling me fat? I could use the motivation too- I ran that 5K back in September but barely lifted my feet since then.

And so it began….


Who are these guys?

I’m Tim…



And my family…



My DW Melody, DD Juliana (5), and Christopher (6m)

As a kid I played sports and could never gain any weight. When I graduated high school I weighed 175lbs. I played football for a year in college and added some weight. I was up to 190. Not bad for a 6’1’’ guy. As time went on I got married and my wife Melody was pregnant with our first child. I gained weight along with her and before I knew it I was tipping the scales at 238lbs. Over the last few years, I have gone to the gym on a regular basis a few times. I had actually got my weight down to 203 lbs. But today I weigh 215. Ideally, I’d love to weigh around 195 but more than worrying about my weight, I want to have a healthier lifestyle. Heart disease runs in my family and my father needed a 5 vessel bypass a few years ago at the young age of 52. I saw how hard it was for him to recover and I don’t want to go through that.

This PTR is about 2 regular guys who have a deep love for their family and Disney, who met on the DIS, and have met on a few occasions in ‘real’ life as well. It is about these same two guys who have declared each other arch enemies back in 2010. It is about meeting up at the DISDads Club convention in WDW in early January 2013. But most of all it is about 2 guys who have the desire to get in shape and run in their first marathon!!!

We are also going to need your help. There is a lot of Disney Marathon information that we have no idea about. So if you ever have participated in a WDW marathon we want your input! Throughout this TR, Barry and I are going to propose a bunch of different challenges to each other and we are going to need your help for those too.

Up next…. Meet Barry!

[FreezinRafiki]

I don't do Pre-Trip Reports. Never have. They've just never been my thing. So it would have to take something BIG to get me to do one. Something like planning my daughter's Disney Wedding (she's only 7, so let's not get ahead of ourselves on that.) Or like my son (who's 5, so again, this is getting way ahead of myself) going down to play in the Pop Warner Superbowl at Wild World Of Sports. Or maybe winning one of those "All Expense Paid VIP Walt Disney World Vacations" contests.

But instead, I got Tim sending me a text message "What if we had a marathon challenge and run in the Jan[uary] 1/2 marathon"? Well, if that's all I'm going to get, then I guess that's what I have to work with.

But seriously, I'd seen a bunch of chatter from some of the guys over at the DIS Dad's Club when they ran either the marathon or the 1/2 marathon (or both ) last month. It actually looked like ...um..."fun". Not that I've ever thought running 13.1 miles could be fun, but if I were to do it, running through Disney World seemed like the best place to do it. And as Tim said in his text, it would be a good way to get in shape.

Speaking of which, I should probably give a little background and introduce myself to those of you that don't know me. My name is Barry, and I am a WDW veteran. This is me and my family at the Poly last July 4th



Next to me is our son, Evan (age 5), our daughter, Madison (age 7) and my lovely wife Bambi. We have another son, Ryder, due this Spring. You can read all about them in any of the 6 trip reports linked in my signature. One is just getting started, so feel free to hop on in on the ground floor!

Anway, on the the whole "get in shape" aspect of this challenge. Shortly after Evan was born in 2006, we had some family pictures taken and I was less than thrilled with how I looked.



I stepped on the scale and it read 246.5. I dug through some of our old scrapbooks and found the rental receipt for the tux I wore to our Junior Prom (Yes, Bambi and I have known each other since middle school, dating since high school and married since college ). It listed me as 5'10" and 200 lbs. I'd gained almost 50 pounds since high school. And it wasn't muscle!

So I started a new lifestyle. Watching my food, taking the dogs on walks. Over the course of a year or so, I dropped (briefly) to 198 pounds. Since that day, life has gotten in the way of my best laid plans. Things got too busy to walk as much as I wanted. The call of the deep fryer was getting harder and harder to ignore. Next thing I knew, I was back at 219 and searching for some new motivation to get back down to my "fighting weight".

So when my nemesis suggested a little friendly competition, I jumped at the chance. (Well, I kind of hemmed and hawwed about a little bit - I didn't want him to think I'd jump at any of his ideas. ) So, the plan has been set. Start training now - him motivating me, me motivating him - and meeting in Orlando in January 2013 to run the Walt Disney World 1/2 Marathon. And if we can get support from all of you - and maybe raise a little money for charity - all the better!

Game On!

[that's nice]

Table of Contents of how I plan to whip Barry in January

#1. And so it begins... P. 9 Post #126

• a. I woke up this morning.... P.10 Post #143
• b. Training... Day 2 P.13 Post #191

#2. Week 2 ____gress P.15 Post #220
#3. Just another Manic Monday.... P.17 Post #249
#4. Training week.... what week is this again? P.19 Post #272
~~ Barry gets a post card!
#5 End of April Running update! P. 23 Post #335
#6 First week of May..... setback. P.26 Post #390

Like Barry I have given up trying to keep track of what's going on...

[FreezinRafiki]

Table of Contents for how I will make Tim cry in 2013
#1. Signed up for my first training race (post 100)
#2. The "Before" (post 171)
#3. Week 2 check in (post 209)
#4. The Legs Feed The Wolf. (post 225)
#5. Week...Eleventy Billion?

Ok, I've given up on the Table of Contents. You'll just have to read though to see what I'm up to.

[that's nice]

Reserved

[FreezinRafiki]

I decided that this will a good a place as any to record my training run results.

Completed
May 5, 2012 ********* Children's Service Society Home Run and Walk for Foster Care ****** 5K ***** 34:07
June 30, 2012 ******* Kenosha YMCA Firecracker Run ************************************* 10K ***** 1:05:21
July 28, 2012 ******* Packers 5K Run (Lambeau Field!) *********************************** 5K ***** 31:33
September 15, 2012 ** Brigg's & Al's run for Children's Hospital of Wisconsin************ 8K ***** 52:52
October 27, 2012 **** Lakefront Discovery Run 15K ************************************** 15K ***** 1:34:19
January 12, 2013 **** Walt Disney World Half Marathon ******************************** 13.1M ***** 2:32:16

[stopher1]

This'll be fun... to sit back on the sidelines and watch all the fun!

[scott2997]

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Really?




Wow an opportunity to watch a train wreck…
I’ll watch! (I’ll feel bad about myself for doing so… but I’ll watch )

[afwdwfan]

I may not get to go to the DDC Convention, but following this challenge may be the next best thing. Good luck to both of you and may the best man win!

[Cinderella's Fella]

Hmmmmmmm,

Team Tim,

or

Team Barry?

What are your colors?

[AirGoofy]

Bravo! On your training, competition, and thread idea. While I won't be there, I'll cheer on the winner.

[middlepat]

Sounds like this will be a fun place to watch the insanity. I'm In.

[Emma's Dad]

Wow. This is one subscription that I'll HAVE to follow along with! Now... which team should I choose... Hmmmmmm

[Wherem I Now]