"When true friends meet in adverse hour;
'Tis like a sunbeam through a shower.
A watery way an instant seen,
The darkly closing clouds between."
- Sir Walter Scott
I have two points of view when reflecting on the marathon itself; the physical performance and the mental performance. These two points of view are in complete opposite ends of the spectrum. One is very disappointing and the other overwhelms me with joy.
I began the race with my legs feeling better than they had felt in a very long time. For about 10 miles, I was ahead of my set pace. I always struggle with my legs for the first several miles so I wasn’t too concerned when my legs began to hurt. I knew about what point my legs would relax and finally cooperate. Once I hit that point, they did cooperate for about a ½ mile and that’s when I began to struggle. The sun was up and it was hot. By the 13th mile, I was ready to stop. I had to take a bunch of water at the water station and douse myself. I needed to cool down fast! What was so frustrating was that we had run this route many times during our training. I knew that route and, more importantly, my legs knew that route. I was sick to my stomach, my legs and hips were cramping and my feet were going numb. Mile 10 to 19 gave me the struggle of my life. I was alone and left with thoughts of self doubt. I kept praying for God to get me through it. I had put in too much time into training to have a DNF (did not finish) next to my name. It was at that point that the mental performance took shape.
Unbeknownst to me, the word was out that I was struggling big time. Tony and several friends began calling each other trying to find where I was. I had so many people keeping track of me, making sure I had plenty of Gatorade and water and that I was still in good spirits. A dear friend from church pulled over and ran (mostly walked by that time) the last 10 miles with me. During that last half, I had so many friends pull over and run parts of it with me, helped keep my spirits up and encouraged me that I could still finish. A change in my mental performance was so obvious. My husband and son were so worried about me at that 13 mile point but remarked how much better I looked after I had people with me. After I finished, I found many encouraging text messages and Facebook posts.
I believe I was dehydrated. The day of the race was the hottest it has been all season and I was so worried about drinking too much that I didn’t drink enough. That and my ongoing struggle with my back/left leg are what did me in. On one hand, I’m extremely disappointed with the outcome. I should have finished a lot sooner than what I did. That was the worst run, I believe, I have ever had. On the other hand, I am overwhelmed with the support I received. I’m not sure I could have conquered that last half without them. It reminds me what’s most important in life. It’s not what you do or how well you finish that matters; it’s who you’re surrounded by that’s important. So this victory doesn’t just belong to me, it belongs to Tony, Dakotah, Randy, Laura, Michelle G., Michelle R., Beverly, Glenda, Don, Deaundra, Terry, John, Nicole, Kara, Jen, Jason and everyone who sent me encouraging messages. It’s because of you that I can call myself a marathoner. I love you all and I thank God that you are in my life. Not just for this particular race but for the human race.
So what next? I have to take a bit of a hiatus from running so Dr. Sherrod can get my back and hips straight. I’m really looking forward to running pain-free but he says that’s going to take some time so it looks like I will be gym-bound for most of the summer, at least.
Thank you to everyone that has followed our wild journey. You’ve all made this such a memorable experience.
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