This past weekend my four friends and I ran the Quad Cities Half Marathon. I had been looking forward to this weekend for a long time. We had picked the race back in May because it took place in the home town of one of the girls, and also had the best free swag I've ever seen in a goodie bag (a shirt, running gloves, AND a cool fuel belt??? JACKPOT). We spent the entire summer training together and all those early mornings had really paid off. We were all much faster and stronger than we were just 6 months ago. Many of us were THIS CLOSE to breaking the 2 hour mark. All we needed was great weather, some race adrenaline, and a flat course.
Well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad. We drove the course the night before and checked out possible hills. I'm ashamed to say some curse words came out of my mouth as we looked at the first 4 miles. The hills were pretty imposing to me and, since I never train on hills, I tempered my expectations for a finish time and focused on our fun meal out. We all had a nice carby dinner at Noodles and Company and then went shopping for (what else?) more running clothes. The temperatures looked to be very cold in the morning so we wanted to be prepared with warmer gear. After a decent night's rest, we woke up at 5:00 and started getting ready. We wanted to get to the starting line early to find the 2 hour pacer guy. Basically, if you stuck with the pacer runner, you would be guaranteed to finish in under 2 hours.
The 2 hour pacer guy was named Kevin - he was a spry young kid in his 20's (ah, youth - 2 hours was probably slumming it for him). I introduced myself to him, but warned him that I might not be able to keep up. He was totally friendly and seemed like he would have been a lovely guy to run a race with. Unfortunately, all I saw was the back of Kevin's head as he sprinted up the first hill like it was a curb. Ugh. Well, goodbye Kevin and goodbye sub 2 hours (or so I thought). I took the first 4 miles easy, going slowly up and down each hill, as to not kill my knees and quad muscles. I wasn't wearing my Garmin watch because I've had much better success just listening to my body and figuring out what it can handle. My friend Julie ran with me for much of the first 9 miles or so, but after a few miles she refused to tell me our pace. I'm so glad she did that because I did so much better not knowing.
After 4 miles the course flattened out considerably. I was so glad I had taken those hills easy because I felt really good by mile 6. I put on my headphones, smiled at Julie (who was rocking that course in her Vibram toe shoes!), and decided it was time to run my own race. I knew I was going faster with each passing mile, but still had no idea what my pace was or what my finish time would be. After one last water break at mile 10, I steeled myself for the last 3 miles of the race. As I approached mile 11 1/2 I noticed a water station but knew I didn't need it. I was moving over to the left to give the other runners room, when low and behold, I saw a very familiar face holding a very familiar sign. It was Kevin. I had caught up to, and was going to pass, the 2 hour pacer guy. I screamed his name at the top of my lungs "KKKEEEVVVIIINNN!!!!" and blew past him. He cheered me on and said "Go Go! You can do it!!". At that point I knew I had a sub two finish in my grasp. Those last 2 1/2 miles were very fast and very, very hard. But as I ran down that last hill (Really? A hill at mile 13? Who does that? ) and turned the corner towards the finish line, I gave it every last thing I had in me. I saw the clock ahead of me hit 1:59:30 so I broke out in a full on sprint and crossed at 1:59:58. I had forgotten that my chip time would be less because it took a minute to even reach the starting line. My official finish time was 1:58:46. I had done it. My other friend set a PR with a 1:55 finish time, and yet another friend beat her last half marathon time by TWENTY minutes, crossing at 2:04. Quite an accomplishment.
My celebration was short lived, however. One of the girls in my group ended up in the medical tent and needed some serious attention. Thank goodness one of our friends came upon her right before the finish and helped her. While we sat in the medical area with her, I reflected on the race and some of the lighthearted and more serious lessons I learned while running the Quad Cities Half:
1. Friends rock - part of what I've come to love about my running is the friendships that have been created and cemented. All 5 of us run our long runs together and we usually pair up with someone during the week for the shorter runs. We are a goofy bunch that share at least one thing in common, whether it be our daughters on the skating team, our sons on the autism spectrum, or our love of knitting. We spent most of the weekend laughing and eating - what's better than that? I adore all these ladies and feel grateful that they want to hang with me!
2. Training pays off- All those early morning summer runs, all those miles that I pushed the pace just a little bit, all the changes I made with my eating - it paid off in spades. I wasn't sure I could do a sub 2 race, and in fact my fastest training run had me on pace to finish at 2:03. But the training prepared my body and the adrenaline of race day pushed me just one last bit further. Trust the training!
3. But things can go wrong even if you do everything right. Unfortunately, some times you can train and train and then the unforeseen happens. Perhaps you turn your ankle the day before the race. Perhaps you come down with stomach flu. In the case of my friend, we think an allergy medicine she took the night before may have dehydrated her more than she realized, causing her to break down on the course. The scariest illustration of this lesson came while we were in the medical room with our friend. While we sat and kept her company, they wheeled in a 24 year old woman who's heart had stopped beating. While they performed CPR and literally shocked her with paddles, her friend was sobbing at her side and telling the doctors that they had trained and eaten well the day before. Their 12 miler just 2 weeks before had gone perfectly. She had never had any health problems before that day. 24 years old. I don't even know what ended up happening to that poor girl. Treasure your health and be grateful for every run that your body allows you to do safely. Be smart and take care of yourself the very best you can, and pray that nothing else goes wrong.
4. Running is a gift. Now I don't mean that I'm gifted at running. Quite the contrary, actually. I just look back at the last 2 years and realize all the joy I have found in something I never thought I could do. While I ran along the Mississippi river this weekend I soaked in all the beauty of my surroundings. I saw people on the course that inspired the heck out of me - whether it was the senior citizen who I literally COULD NOT CATCH the entire race, or the very overweight man who kept going on his leg of the marathon relay, even though he was clearly struggling, or my one of my very own friends, who carried our other friend across the line. There is a lot of humanity in running, and there is so much beauty to be found. I am grateful my body can do this right now, and hope it will continue for many years to come.
I'll carry these lessons with me into my next running journey. Training for marathon #2 begins December 11. The Road Whorriers will be running the Martian Marathon in Dearborn, Michigan on April 13. Bring it!!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
The End of an Era...
My younger sister is due with her second child in about 6 weeks. It's been fun listening to her pregnancy stories and talking about the new baby that's on the way. She came to visit with her 15th month old over the summer and Erik and I had a blast watching little Ellis and remembering what our kids were like at that age. I have to say it made me wistful. I remember the magic of being pregnant and all the excitement that came with it. There is a sense of endless possibilities, as you dream about what your child will be like and what he or she will become, and what your family will grow to be like. Then they are born and you brave the initial months of sleepless nights and utter exhaustion and are rewarded with sweet smiles, cuddles, and then first words, first steps, and the joy of watching your child figure out the world during the toddler years and crack you up during the pre school years. For many of us, we are blessed to have more than one child and can enjoy these phases more than once.
After Jayson was born I didn't think I would have any more but I certainly kept the option open. I was only 32 years of age and felt like I had all the time in the world. By the time he was 3 and 4 years old and the full extent of his special needs began to hit us, I mentally closed the door on more children for good. I simply didn't think I could ever handle another child's needs on top of Jayson's (and Katy's). Fast forward 4 more years and not only are Katy and Jayson doing pretty well, but both just swooned over having their baby cousin Ellis come to stay. One day, Jayson asked, "Mom, when are you going to have another baby so I can be a big brother?". I kind of brushed off his comment until later that night when Erik, after watching Ellis toddle around the house, commented "I know it's just crazy talk but don't you think it would be fun to go back to the circus one more time? Heck, we'd probably be better at it now and do a great job." He was only half serious, but it begged the question: Are Erik and I really ready to say a permanent goodbye to that stage of parenthood?
It seems like it would be an easy decision, but anything that permanent is hard to swallow. No more babies, EVER? No more toothless smiles, funny toddler sayings, first days of preschool - EVER? It's a hard thing to say goodbye to because it's such a magical time. But I'm finding that there is a heck of a lot of magic in the new phase of parenthood (later childhood and adolescence) as well. I find myself marveling at Katy now just as often as I did when she was 2. I love watching how she works through things in her head, how she handles friendships, how she finds her sense of humor, and how she slowly begins to shape her own identity. It's a marvel to behold. And I seem to have blinked and missed something because somehow my son seems to be growing up as well. He spends just as much time telling me he wants to do things by himself ("Don't help me, Mom!") as he does asking me for snacks (he still can't slice up his own apples). He still struggles tremendously with social issues, but sometimes I catch just a little glimpse of what he's going to be like when he gets a little older and it's truly exciting. And every new experience gobsmacks me - whether it's joining a football team, or telling me with absolute certainty that he will be going to sleepaway camp in Michigan with Katy this summer. He transitioned into 3rd grade with nary a problem and seems to be handling his busier than usual schedule with ease. I'm having a heck of a good time watching both my kids figure it all out.
And the bonus? It's been lovely to realize that this new phase for the children translates into a new phase for my marriage. We have a little more freedom and flexibility than we've had for the last 12 years. Our date nights of pizza and a rented movie were great, but it's even nicer to enjoy our increasing opportunities for dates outside the walls of our house. Thankfully, we still really enjoy each others company after all these years. The kids keep us busy, but it's a different kind of busy. And I think Erik and I have always done a good job of keeping our marriage at the center of things.
So I will delight in the birth of my new niece, and continue to crack up over Ellis's toddler escapades - but only as an Aunt. In my own family, it's time to squarely plant my feet in the next stage of life. Yet another reason I'm really loving my 40's!
After Jayson was born I didn't think I would have any more but I certainly kept the option open. I was only 32 years of age and felt like I had all the time in the world. By the time he was 3 and 4 years old and the full extent of his special needs began to hit us, I mentally closed the door on more children for good. I simply didn't think I could ever handle another child's needs on top of Jayson's (and Katy's). Fast forward 4 more years and not only are Katy and Jayson doing pretty well, but both just swooned over having their baby cousin Ellis come to stay. One day, Jayson asked, "Mom, when are you going to have another baby so I can be a big brother?". I kind of brushed off his comment until later that night when Erik, after watching Ellis toddle around the house, commented "I know it's just crazy talk but don't you think it would be fun to go back to the circus one more time? Heck, we'd probably be better at it now and do a great job." He was only half serious, but it begged the question: Are Erik and I really ready to say a permanent goodbye to that stage of parenthood?
It seems like it would be an easy decision, but anything that permanent is hard to swallow. No more babies, EVER? No more toothless smiles, funny toddler sayings, first days of preschool - EVER? It's a hard thing to say goodbye to because it's such a magical time. But I'm finding that there is a heck of a lot of magic in the new phase of parenthood (later childhood and adolescence) as well. I find myself marveling at Katy now just as often as I did when she was 2. I love watching how she works through things in her head, how she handles friendships, how she finds her sense of humor, and how she slowly begins to shape her own identity. It's a marvel to behold. And I seem to have blinked and missed something because somehow my son seems to be growing up as well. He spends just as much time telling me he wants to do things by himself ("Don't help me, Mom!") as he does asking me for snacks (he still can't slice up his own apples). He still struggles tremendously with social issues, but sometimes I catch just a little glimpse of what he's going to be like when he gets a little older and it's truly exciting. And every new experience gobsmacks me - whether it's joining a football team, or telling me with absolute certainty that he will be going to sleepaway camp in Michigan with Katy this summer. He transitioned into 3rd grade with nary a problem and seems to be handling his busier than usual schedule with ease. I'm having a heck of a good time watching both my kids figure it all out.
And the bonus? It's been lovely to realize that this new phase for the children translates into a new phase for my marriage. We have a little more freedom and flexibility than we've had for the last 12 years. Our date nights of pizza and a rented movie were great, but it's even nicer to enjoy our increasing opportunities for dates outside the walls of our house. Thankfully, we still really enjoy each others company after all these years. The kids keep us busy, but it's a different kind of busy. And I think Erik and I have always done a good job of keeping our marriage at the center of things.
So I will delight in the birth of my new niece, and continue to crack up over Ellis's toddler escapades - but only as an Aunt. In my own family, it's time to squarely plant my feet in the next stage of life. Yet another reason I'm really loving my 40's!
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