Inspirations - Nintendo Power-Ups.....Seriously

Okay, this is a weird one, so bear with me. As some of you know, I'm a bit of a Nintendo fan. I wouldn't call myself a gamer exactly. Other than a few tries at Atari and Sega Genesis at friends' houses growing up, I have exclusively owned and played the Nintendo game consoles. As the Nintendo empire nears collapse, I'm in utter fear for the future of my beloved Nintendo game titles. The fear is so great, that I have taken nearly 3 years to finish Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword for the Wii. I'm pretty much at the end, but I keep playing for shorter and shorter periods, savoring what is arguably the second best installment after Ocarina of Time. I'm even considering buying the Wii U so I can play the new Zelda coming out in 2015.  

So, what does this have to do with marathon inspirations? As a weird, Nintendo-only fanatic, I sometimes see the world through the lens of those games. When I started learning about proper fueling and nutrition during long runs, all I could think about were the equivalents to fuel in the Nintendo world. Since I have been experimenting with different kinds of fuel and hydration methods, I've paired them up with their Nintendo world equivalents. 

Real World Power-Up Item	Nintendo Power-Up Item
Energy Chews These tasty little treats serve as a way to fuel during long runs. The nice thing about them is that they taste like Welch’s fruit snacks. So, they are basically sugar. The downside is that you have to eat a bunch of them to get the necessary amount of carbs to properly refuel. It ends up feeling like you are chewing constantly.	Pac-Dots Okay, I know Pac Man isn’t Nintendo and Pac-Dots aren’t really power-up items. But, whenever I try to just use Energy Chews during runs, I end up feeling like an exhausted little Pac-Man. I have a new found respect for that fellow. Constantly chewing delicious treats can be exhausting.
Gels My current favorite way to fuel is using Gu, specifically, the Salty Caramel flavor. Gel is great because it is easy to carry and consume while running. The taste is amazing, and you don’t have to waste energy chewing. It gives you the proper boost needed before your energy starts to lag.	Zelda Stamina Potion In Skyword Sword, Link must sometimes keep up a long chase or use up most of his stamina for a dungeon boss. Since he has a limited stamina gauge, you sometimes have to stock up on Stamina Potion, which allows him to keep up the chase or the battle for longer. With one quick gulp, you get the stamina strength you need.
Electrolyte Tablets These tablets provide a way to hydrate while also replenishing electrolytes. You can choose different flavors and they are slightly effervescent. I personally like the taste, but it may not be for everyone.	MarioKart Star The main reason Electrolyte Tablets remind of the Mario Kart Star is the bubbly factor. I imagine that ingesting the Star would feel sort of like swallowing a disco party. And obviously, the Star provides a boost, similar to replenishing lost electrolytes.
Gatorade Endurance Formula This is the non-water option offered at the NYC Marathon water stations. I haven’t actually tried it yet, but I will begin testing it out on upcoming long Team runs. My understanding is that it is the master real-world item because it serves as a hydration and fueling item all in one.	Zelda Blue Potion In the Zelda series, there are all sorts of potions that do one thing or another. The red potion fills hearts; the green one re-fills your magic meter. The blue is a combo of both, allowing you to refill everything and saving you from using up a bunch of empty bottles.

On a side-note, I stumbled across this while researching Nintendo power-ups. 

Wouldn't I look awesome busting this out of my fanny pack during the marathon? I'm sure all of the runners around me would be incredibly intimidated. 

While coming up with the above Nintendo Power-Ups/Fueling Method match-ups, I was reminded of some pretty nifty Nintendo items that would come in handy during the marathon.   

Warp Zones

Ah, those magical Mario Brothers warp zones, an early concept in gaming regarding time-travel which would become a normal part of many later game constructs (the most annoying example, The Legend of Zelda's Majora's Mask). If you were lucky enough to find the secret openings to these magical warp zones, you could choose to jump ahead to later levels in the game. As much as I would love to have this concept in the real world for every day life experiences, like skipping the painful afternoon hours of 2pm-4pm during workdays or missing pointless work meetings, I really can't justify wanting a warp zone for the marathon. The whole point is to actually suffer through the whole thing, not get to the finish line through any means possible. Oh wait! Warp zones for the marathon do exist in real life! They are the MTA subway stations and apparently people have actually used them in the past. Damn cheaters!  

Bullet Bill

This MarioKart item turns your kart into a gigantic bullet, which can then barrel down the racecourse knocking EVERYTHING out of the way. I know most of you might think the Star item would be better and you may be right. But for some reason, perhaps my Napoleon complex, I find it more appealing to turn into an enormous bullet rather than a neon-disco ball with annoying music. Although I won't actually need this for race day, as many of you NYC runners know, running in the city on a regular day equates to running through an obstacle course from hell. Not many places exist where you can run without having to interact with traffic lights, cars, bikers, bike messengers, pedestrians, lost tourists (especially the ones on Citi bikes), strollers, homeless people, dog poop, all sorts of urine and other fellow runners. Not even the running paths in the parks are safe! So, I would love to be able to turn into a giant-ass bullet and just run in a straight line for as long as my heart desires.  

Bottled Fairy 

The number one item I would want for the marathon is a bottled fairy. In the Zelda series, you usually have some sort of awesome fairy side-kick who guides you, gives you hints and keeps track of your progress. Apparently, a fairy hierarchy exists, because some fairies are relegated to haunting certain areas of Hyrule (they especially love waterfalls), awaiting to replenish the souls of exhausted adventurers. If you have empty bottles in your inventory, you can even capture one of these beauties and haul her around with you. If you are weak and need your hearts replenished, you can pull her out and use her. But the best part of having a bottled fairy with you is that she will bring you back to life if you happen to die. This proves most useful when you are in the middle of battling a dungeon boss and you make a grave error resulting in your immediate death. This happens to me often because some of the bosses are so incredibly scary that I panic.

Scary, right? I sometimes couldn't beat them unless I turned the game on mute and turned on all the lights in the room. Yes, I know how ridiculous that sounds. 

Basically, the marathon will be one big, terrifying dungeon boss that I really only have one chance to beat. Weather, traffic, other runners and other circumstances completely out of my control may affect my performance that day. On top of the uncontrollable, I have to make sure to do my best with the things within my control. Starting out too fast, not adequately fueling and being overcome with nerves could all have major consequences in the second half of the race. If I had a trusty bottled fairy with me, I would have one "Get Out of Jail Free" card in the event I make any devastating errors. Errors can result in the marathon equivalent of Nintendo Death:  hitting and succumbing to the dreaded Wall. Alas, I will have to make do with the few real world power-up items at my disposal. That Link sure is a lucky fellow.  

So, why is this an inspirational post? Mental strength makes up such a large part of preparing for an endurance challenge. You have to be prepared to talk yourself through the last few miles and potentially through hitting the Wall. Pretending I have some of these power-up items will not only give me motivation, but I'm hoping it will also make me laugh. As I tend to gravitate toward the negative, anything silly that I can call up when the going gets tough will be helpful. 

It just occurred to me that if a fairy really brought me back to life after utter Wall destruction, I would be finishing the marathon as a zombie.

I'm pretty sure that is what I will look like after the marathon anyway.