The day is one I will forever remember. Actually, the whole weekend I will remember, and it will be very hard to top it! I wanted to share my experience and maybe inspire you to try something you deem impossible yourself!
My sweet parents took my kids for the weekend. It was my 13th wedding anniversary as well. We (my husband and I) stayed at the River Street Inn in Savannah right on River Street. Our hotel was about 20 steps from the start line and worth every penny of the over-priced rate we paid ;) If you have never stayed in a historical hotel on River Street, this is a must! And I highly suggest this one. It was gorgeous! We were able to park our car on the street and never have to use it again until we headed home. This method also allowed me to sleep in a little later and stroll right to my start corral in minutes. I tried not to think about the excitement of the race or finishing it. I tried to think of this as just another long run. Just another day. I managed to get a little sleep, and woke up feeling refreshed. (I am literally getting nervous just typing this..) It took about 15 mins after the race start for my corral to make it up to the start line. I was focused on getting my watch connected to GPS and my music playing. It was very cold, and I was trying to stay warm. When I finally made it to the start line, I took off running! Seeing how over 18,000 people were running in the Rock and Roll, this was not easy. I tried to zig-zag, hop, skip and jump my way through the herd of people. My first mile took a little longer than I anticipated due to the people. But what a rush! What an exhilarating experience! I just soaked it all in for the first 5 miles. I waved at all the wonderful people of Savannah, out so early in the cold, supporting us and cheering us on! I people watched of course, and checked out other runners shoes, pants, leg muscles.. ;) I think the Lord sent me a friend about 6 miles in. He just kind of showed up beside me! He was running the same pace as me (although he had no time goal- he just wanted to finish). We kept a steady pace of 9:15 to 9:30. We talked about races (found out we both did the Publix half), running, family.. all sorts of things. He actually lives in Fayetteville, not too far from me! We enjoyed the split of the race. The split separates the half runners and the full runners. This is where is gets real. 80% of the runners go down the half route, leaving only a handful taking the full course. There is a sense of pride here though. Proud to be one of the 0.5% of people who finish a marathon. Not that I look any less at the half marathon runners, I just felt accomplished and strong to be taking the harder, longer route. We just kept on running, and before we knew it- we were at mile 17! It was a nice distraction, to forget what your legs are doing and just enjoy the bands, scenery and people around you. At some point he stopped, and told me to go on without him. He had to walk, he was tired. So I just waved bye and kept on running. I felt really good until that 20th mile. I started getting hungry. The kind of hunger no running gel, chew or bean could fix. I reached in my Camelbak for a fruit squeeze. It's basically like baby food in a suckable pouch. Bananas and blue berries I believe. It satisfied my hunger, but left me with a horrible side cramp. I have had this happen before on long runs (when I tried eating raisins). So I knew exactly what caused it. It lasted over 15 mins. It forced me to walk for about 3 minutes as well, something I had NO intention of doing. It slowed me way down. I felt discouraged and weak. My best friend was under strict orders to call me at mile 20 and check on me. She did, but I felt too bad to talk. I told her to call back and check on me in a little while. I managed to finish mile 20 and 21. Painstakingly finish them. The cramp passed, finally. And as I neared mile 22 my friend called back. She talked me through the next 3 miles, telling me I could do it, I could finish strong. She was watching live video feed of the finish line and told me about the inspiring people crossing the finish line. About 75 year old men, 275 pound women... all who finished a half marathon! Amazing what the human body is capable of! I continued running (except for one hill- which me and everyone around me decide to walk up). I told my friend thank you and bye at mile 25 and buckled down to finish strong. I managed to run that last mile in about 10 mins. Which was difficult. My legs felt like lead. I could barely pick up my feet to take another step, but I kept on. I prayed for strength, I prayed for all the children on my I Run 4 board (a place where runners are paired with kids who have permanent disabilities, diseases or terminal conditions and you run for them), and I thanked the Lord for the ability to run. I crossed the finish line strong! I crossed that finish line a stronger person than the one who started. The hours following the race were tiresome. I sat in the park and stretched and ate a bagel and a banana and downed chocolate milk. We had to walk over a mile back to the hotel, which took a while considering my legs felt like spaghetti. But it was amazing! The high you feel from a race like that is indescribable. We made it back to the hotel where I showered and changed and then we walked to lunch at Outback. By the time we made it back to the room I could hardly hold my eyes open. I took a nice nap until 5, then we walked to Starbucks for a pick me up coffee and then to the tattoo shop to get my awesome 26.2 tattoo. This weekend was just amazing! Words will never be able to describe it. The whole adventure was a long, challenging and a learning experience.
Headed down the chute to the finish line!
Out of 1,645 women who ran the marathon , I beat 1,173 of them across that finish line. I'm proud of that!
I had a friend tell me she was proud of me and congratulated me. She said, "I am proud of you for running the marathon, but I am even more proud of how running has changed you! I know you have come a long way and conquered and defeated so many demons to be here." And she could not be any more right! It was about more than running the marathon. It was about putting so many things behind me and moving forward with my family and my life! Years of anxiety, worry and a truck load of unhealthy habits have gradually unraveled. My journey actually began before I started running- but the only reason it finished strong and remains that way is through this gift of running the Lord has blessed me with! I prayed for years a way out of the anxiety, fear and stress. I spent countless hours on my knees praying and crying for an end to the wicked prison I was in. Little did I know that the day I picked up my phone and downloaded the Run Double C25K app, it would forever change my life! Not only my life, but the lives of so many people around me. I feel like the Lord led me to running. He has a perfect plan and purpose:
I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
This is my purpose, this is my gift! I know that through Christ, I can reach people. I can reach them through running. I can encourage, teach, inspire and love on people through my running! So my friend was right, this was about more than the strength to run 26.2 miles. This was about my life! This was about change! This was a symbol of what I have accomplished.
This road has led me to a healthier lifestyle. It has encouraged my family and friends to eat better, exercise more and to do something you never thought possible! I continue to pray that the Lord would use me through this healthy lifestyle. Use me to help others understand that the Lord has given us this outlet and a way to handle our depression and anxiety and fear. If we trust our lives to the Lord, and allow Him to shine through us- we can love on those around us and share the same gift of Jesus Christ that was freely given to us with others!
I am thankful for so many things. I am thankful for my gift of Salvation, my family and of course ... RUNNING!
