My New Self: A Runner!

December 14, 2008
I couldn’t sleep last night. It felt like the night before Christmas or a trip to Disneyland when I was a little girl, or like the night before my wedding! I’m nervous and excited. I agonized in my packing about what to wear, etc… but ended up making last minute changes today anyway. They are predicting perfect temperatures, but windy.

Starting Line: Meet Todd Hall. Todd works for Apartment Life and Kiley thought we run at a similar pace to each other. Since we ran into each other at the start line, we decide to stick together at least in the beginning.

Miles 1-3: This is crazy! There are 17,000 runners. It’s chaos and I have to pee! I find a port-o-let and amazingly, some fellow Lifer’s! Peel the pants. Sure it’s cold, but I’m swearing in my pants already. I planned on loosing them and so am wearing cheap Capri warm-ups from Ross. There is a funny man singing karaoke at the first water station. I love it! It is windy, but not too bad.

Miles 4-6: Okay, feeling the need to walk, but I don’t want to hold up Todd and he keeps waiting for me, so I press on. The downtown area in Dallas is nice. I like running with new scenery to look at. It’s certainly better than the brown gunk in the bottom of Thunderbird Paseo Park.

Miles 7-10: The neighborhoods are beautiful! The houses look like they are out of a fairy tale book. I love the families cheering from their yards. We had to move over for a fire engine and ambulance. That was disconcerting. I ran past just as they were lifting the guy onto the stretcher. He didn’t look good. I try not to think about what might have caused whatever happened to him. Just keep running up this hill!!! At least the wind it mostly at our back! Also the half marathon course has split from ours so the road is not quite so crowded.

Mile 11-12: Reached the top of the hill and Todd and I decided to give ourselves a walking break. We picked two trees about thirty yards ahead to mark when we would run again. Turn the corner and there’s ESPN. Great, I’m on TV walking mile 12! My knees are starting to ache so I’m not giving up my break just to look good on TV. The lake looks rough. The wind is causing waves with white caps to break against the shore!

Mile 13: I hear a snatch of someone else’s conversation. “I was in a wheel chair for two years. Last March, I got out of my chair and today I’m running, less 10 months later!” That is inspiration right there. There are birds crowding the dead branches of a tree up ahead. It reminds me of the buzzards in Disney’s The Jungle Book. Fast forward fifty yards, and what is that awful smell?! Run fast! Run away from the smell! (Later I would learn that the birds eat fish and therefore poop dead fishy smell.) Yuck!

Mile 14: Another ambulance. It didn’t look serious, but I hope that person is okay. Begin a slight incline. My knees are really starting to hurt. I’m so glad for Todd who is keeping me going. We’ve turned the corner at the top of the lake, meaning the wind is now in our face.

Mile 14.5: I’m going to throw up. I don’t know what’s wrong, but I’m very nauseous. I had a GU a while back, but it might be time for another. Oh, well press on. I encourage Todd to leave me, but he’s patient and encouraging.

Mile 15: Apt Life cheerleaders! What an encouragement. My knees are really hurting now. They never hurt this bad in a long training run. My stomach is still uneasy, but better. Todd is still being patient with me, but I sense that I’m holding him back.

Mile 16: I have to walk. Maybe I’ve broken something in my knee. Every step brings a sharp stabbing pain that originates in my right knee and radiates through my whole right leg. My left knee aches too, but not nearly as bad. It feels like I need to stretch, but that seems to actually make it worse. Todd asks if I’ll be okay if he takes off. Yes, please don’t worry about it! Thank you for staying with me so far, but go run! I’m not entirely alone on the marathon course and I don’t want to hold him back anymore, but I must walk. I’m worried that I won’t be able to finish.
Mile 17: Praise the Lord in heaven! The aid station had aspirin and it is working on my knee. Pick up the pace again! A little further and I realize that despite chugging a cup of water with the aspirin, my mouth is very dry. I'm not carrying my own water, so I wipe my hand across my forehead and lick the salt off my hand. Kind of gross, but it made my mouth salivate and not be dry! I don't know what made me think to do that, but I will remember that trick.


Mile 18: A steep downhill and then a steep uphill. Reality is probably less steep, but it feels brutal. The wind is high and in my face still. I keep passing a stinky man. I want to pass him for good.

Mile 19: Grueling. Thank God for the Dolly Parton aid station to make me laugh. Men with huge ones! Mostly uphill with very high winds in my face. I want to die. Keep passing the stinky man. Keep praying to take my mind off what I’m actually doing.

Mile 20: Just a 10K left, 6.2 miles. I sprint a stretch to leave the stinky man behind once and for all. Just a little more uphill. I can do this. Don’t stop. Helpful marathon staff ran with me for a block. She was encouraging, but I think she was really evaluating whether or not she should take me off the course. I must look bad. “Yes, I’ve had GU and water. No I’m not dehydrated at all. Yes, I strength trained in addition to running.”

Mile 21: One more down. All of a sudden I realize that my hips are not hurting. All that strength training and those lunges at the gym are paying off. My hips are what hurt most in my 20 mile training runs. I come up on a band that is playing “Hush little baby, don’t way a word…” but with different words! What the heck? Lullabies, really people. That is the last thing I need.

Mile 22: Oops, I yelled at someone’s grandparents. I didn’t mean for them to hear me, but I’m too tired to control my volume. They got in between me and the water station and I couldn’t get around them. They’d seen their granddaughter or someone already so they were just strolling. The volunteer offered them water before me. When they turned it down with a, “Oh, we’re not part of the race.” I said, “Then get OFF the course!” I meant to say it under my breath. Oops.

I’ve been listening to my iPod, but I switch to a new song list that walks a short song and runs’s three fast ones that equal 10 minute stretches. Every four songs should cover a mile. This will get me to the end. I’m starting to realize that I will finish this.

Mile 23: I’m actually going to finish. Keep running, three songs on, walk one song. Three miles to go. Another freaking band playing bad marathon music. It’s slow blue grass. “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…” What are they thinking?! At least some of the 30 odd bands were decent.

Mile 24: Smile at the course guide directing runners with a rubber chicken and a bird call.

Mile 25: 1.2 is nothing. Keep one foot in front of the other. Run three, walk one song.



Mile 26: I can see the finish line and decide to sprint. I cannot believe that I’m capable of anything like a sprint and realize that it’s all in my head. I’m running at least, not walking. What feels like a sprint to me, looks like a jog.

26.2: I hear the announcer say my name and that I am a first time finisher. Someone hands me a medal and a space blanket. The blanket is weird and I shed it right away. I see Apt Life friends and borrow someone’s phone to call my mom. Amazingly, my feet to not hurt, nor do I remember them hurting at all during my run. Good shoes and socks make that big a difference!

Finished!

Dallas White Rock Full Marathon

Time: 5.53.43

Pace: 13.29

December 15, 2008:

I have surprisingly little muscle pain, but my knees will definitely need several weeks to recover. I think it was the hills that did them in, not the distance. The flight home was okay. I’ve glad this is over, but the jury is still out on whether or not I’ll do it again. I’m looking forward to cheering John in his marathon in January.
I’ve learned that my personality needs a goal to motivate me toward fitness. I’m competitive, but I like the aspect of running that is competing with myself instead of others. I’ve learned a lot about the sport of running; what to do, what not to do, what to eat, etc… Even if I do not run another full marathon, I am ready to embrace this new aspect of my identity: a life-long runner. Speed work now and then smaller races here I come!