"Only a mile and a half to go! You're doing great!" the police officer directing traffic said. I focused my eyes straight ahead. I was very aware of the mileage and I had us at more like a mile and a quarter left to go. That was a big difference this late in the race. Time wise, it was time for a walk break, which was going to work out perfect. Walk for 2 minutes then run the last mile in about 10. That would get us in almost 10 minutes faster then our 2 hour 30 minute goal. I watched the seconds tick quickly away on my watch. Like a flash our walk break was over and it was time to get this thing over with. That saying, "So close, but yet so far away" is appropriate here.
I could see my friends Jodi and Kelli, kicking into their last gear. I realized quickly that, that 1/4 mile difference from in my head and on the actual course was going to be my undoing. I watched the girls pulling away from me. The finish not yet in sight and it was all I could do to keep going. There was no keeping up but I could hear in my head, with every breath "run, walk, crawl, run, walk, crawl!" No! There would be no more walking or crawling! I was close. I couldn't see it but I could feel it so I kept going.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
As per my night before the half marathon post, I was sick to my stomach the day/night before the race. Even so, it was fun. We left our families Saturday afternoon to head North to Birch Bay. Starbucks stop, check! Relaxing drive kid free, check! This meant scream free, fun conversation and scenic views from the back seat. A welcome change from everyday. Three moms on the open road, hashing out the day to come.
We arrived at Semiahmoo Resort got checked in and up to our room. From our window we could see Canada. The Peace Arch visible right across the bay. The forecast was calling for rain, but it was only cloudy and cold at that point. We had dinner reservations at 5. There were 10 of us, 6 from our Run For It group. All doing the half, but Rachel who was doing the full! We ate, had a couple drinks (Coach Rachel gave us the OK;) we laughed, talked, and had fun! I am pretty sure I talked too much. I get in that nervous, chatty mode. I am always chatty so that is saying a lot. I ordered the gumbo (thinking rice had carbs) and a Greek salad. The Greek salad was awesome, as was the rosemary bread they had at the table. My gumbo arrived and looked good, tasted good, but was SPICY! Imagining how that spicy might affect me the next morning. I took a few bites and decided to stick to salad and bread.
After dinner we hit the "race expo." I quote the race expo because it wasn't what we expected. Imagine a room with maybe 5 people in it handing out packets, including a man with a hand made poster, soliciting for a marathon study. I went to the appropriate line to grab my packet, gave my name and... No packet. "Well, I guess I'll just have to miss out"..."oh here ma'am" (the ma'am just adding insult to injury:) "we'll just bypass that area and get you a number and shirt over here" Oh great :) It ended up being the head of the race, Joel Pearson. After checking out our numbers and the map we started talking to a nice man who seemed to know much about the race. His name was Jim Pearson. He had helped start the Birch Bay Marathon 44 years ago! A marathoner, an ultra-marathoner a lover of running and a participant in the '72 Olympic trials! AND in Googling him to check his name for this post, I found out that in Feb. 2001 he was #3 on a list of the top Running Streak Runners. At that point (2001) he had run everyday since Feb. 16, 1970!!! A streak that in talking to him, I highly guess he is still adding to. What a guy! What a runner! He had much to tell us about the course and race. Informing us of a hill Rachel seemed to have forgotten :)
We hit the mini mart on the way back to the hotel. I wanted a bottle of wine and/or a bag of chips, but opted for coconut water and a Fruit and Nut bar, a banana for the morning and some more water. It was time to head back and hit the hay. Or the roll a way in my case. Rachel and Karen offered to switch me for a bed, but knowing I wouldn't sleep anyways, it wasn't going to matter much. I curled up in my bed, pulled out my iPad and tried to relax. After staring at the same Sodoku game for 20 minutes, I rattled off my "Night Before" poem and then off went the lights and the sleeplessness ensued.
Rachel planned on being well hydrated, seeing as she was running the FULL! She had alarms set throughout the night so she could get up and drink water. I laid awake on my rollaway. Just imagining the day ahead, I laid there. My eyes closed but my mind open for business. Dreaming, though not sleeping. Day dreaming I suppose, even though it was the middle of the night. I heard the alarm go off. My eyes popped open, thinking to myself "OK let's do this!" Rachel turned off the alarm. I rolled over, grabbed my phone- time check: 2:00 AM. NOOOOOO! I just want to go! I just wanted to start. I laid back down. I must have sighed a thousand times. I was starting to annoy myself.
When the real alarm finally sounded, I was just REALLY ready to get this going. I started the coffee pot to heat water to warm my now semi-frozen steel cut oats MaGyver style :) it worked pretty well actually. I got dressed and ready, tried to eat (unsuccessfully) and laid back on my bed, contemplating what I was about to do. Rachel laughed at me, more like with me. I was kind of delirious at that point.
We made our way downstairs and loaded up in Kelli's car. We talked about our nerves and our race strategies. I think all of us were just ready to start all ready. We arrived, parked and made our way to the restroom. Any women runners are well aware of the amount of bathroom stops it takes to get to and through a race. I wanted to scream listening to some ladies talking about how they were "so glad" this race was "no big deal." I felt like screaming from behind my closed stall door "HOW NICE FOR YOU!!! WHY DON'T YOU GO GRAB A HONEY BUCKET and ZIP IT!!!" That wouldn't have been been very sportsmanlike of me though :)
We made our way to the start, pretended to stretch. It was really crowded and freezing. We listened to some directions from the race directors and without much fanfare it was time to go. In my normal fashion I started weaving through the crowd, we were all pretty close together though. I don't know why, maybe all the build up in getting here, but I was feeling very emotional. I had expected I might be at the finish, but not at the START! I pulled myself together. During our first walk break, 12 minutes in, Karen and I looked at each other and both said it felt kind of wrong. All these people we had just gotten past were now passing us and it felt weird. We knew though that it was going to pay off in the end though.
A couple miles into the race one of my favorite moments happened. Kelli had mentioned her 90 year old grandpa had made his way North and stayed with friends so he could catch her on the course. Just past 2 miles I heard her from right behind me say, "Oh there he is." I looked towards the water on our left, to see a car parked and her grandpa standing there. The look on his face, as she ran up to hug him was one of the sweetest things I have ever witnessed and I was SO happy I got to. I felt my emotions welling back up. I turned to my right to hide my tears and was so happy to see Karen dabbing her eyes as well. We both laughed at our little moment:) It really was SO UNBELIEVABLY CUTE!
So the miles actually passed more quickly then I thought.Knowing I had a formula run 12 walk 2 was SO helpful, menatally and physically. We made our way from one side of the peninsula to the other. We made our way up to the turn and I was SO overjoyed when I saw the guy holding the sign that said
half <- full ->
I had been -> in the car and there was a "bad ass mother" of a hill that the Full runners had to run...TWICE! I did not envy them. I made the turn. Heading back towards the other side of the peninsula. I caught myself starting to wonder if my kids and Joe had maybe gotten lost : ) What I really kept thinking was please let them get here, because if they drove all the way up this way almost 2 hours, this early in the morning and got lost and don't see me... I don't really want to have that conversation :) Hey it helped me pass time. I saw up ahead runners making another turn. It was "our hill" we were almost half way. We started running up and up. It was time for our walk break, but I really just wanted to get that hill over with. That and Karen was still running, I couldn't stop if she was going! As we reached the top, we started to walk. Karen looked at me and said "thanks for running that hill with me, I didn't want to but I figured you were." I looked her and said "I only did cause you were!" It can be really helpful to run with someone at times like that ;)
Soon we were at the turnaround. We were also all together now. Karen, Kelli, Jodie, Jen and I. It was starting to feel like a regular run class, all of us talking and laughing while we ran. As we made our way back down the hill I spotted my family. Joe, the kids and even Harley were there cheering us on. My kids ran up to hug me as I ran by. The girls were laughing and happy to see some local support as well. Getting high fives as they passed. I think it helped put a little pep in all our step. It wasn't long after that I looked at my watch and realized we had five and a half miles to go, which is the same as our training loop. We also had 60 minutes to reach our goal which was more time then we needed to complete that distance before our goal time. I felt myself perking up. We could totally do this. That last mile we had run in like nine and a half minutes. That was fast! Granted we ran down a giant hill...but who cares, I'll take it :)
We turned another corner and soon we were heading back on the same road we had started. Again a volunteer holding a sign Full <- Half Straight! SO thankful I was on the Half track. Mentally I didn't have it in me to even THINK about doing another loop! Full runners... I bow down! Happily I stayed straight :) My family flew by a couple more times in the van, pulling over to cheer for us and then flying by again, honking and waving. We passed Jodie's mom who was waiting for us near the 11 mile mark. She looked so proud. And soon we were to the turn towards the State Park and the finish.
"Only a mile and a half to go! You're doing great!" the police officer, directing traffic said.
So now we are back to where I started. By myself. My girls ahead of me and behind me, but all of us together in spirit. I kept running. I saw Kelli's car parked, the bathroom we stopped at and knew I had 1/4 mile to go. My leg was throbbing and my mind was wandering. The water was lapping up on the beach and I saw people approaching me with their finish metals proudly being worn. OK now I was really ready to be done. Encouraging words were being directed my way by the finishers. "Keep going! You got it! Almost there!" I pushed, I fought, I rounded the bend to see my friends finish! My pride in them and our group drove me that last 100 yards. I saw Joe, Maddie, Harley just on the other side of the line and heard Keegan and Delaney screaming cheers from the tree across the street, they had climbed. I ran hard through the finish. 8 minutes faster then I had planned. Overjoyed! I kissed Joe and Maddie and then instantly turned to cheer for my friends still coming in. Everyone was so happy. We did it!!
As we walked back the 1/4 mile to the car to grab things, Karen and I laughed about the power of the mind. For 13.1 miles we were able to run for 12 minutes and walk for 2, and each time able to start running again. But this time when we stopped running as we finished, we all seized up like Tin Man. I could barely walk ;) The mind is a powerful thing, but obviously SO WERE WE!
We all went and grabbed coffee and then made it back to see Rachel, our amazing coach, CRUSH her best marathon time yet! It was so awe inspiring to actually see her kick it into her last gear! Just hauling ass across that finish! I've got one thing to say about her and that is SHE IS THE WOMAN! We were all so proud of her! She had started us out on this journey. Telling us how capable we were of accomplishing these things. I had heard her but I don't know that I believed her, until I crossed the finish line. I think throughout the race we all were envisioning ourselves during those first few run classes. Struggling through those two and three mile treks. Yet here we were hugging each other, saying WE DID IT!
Girls, I could NOT have done it without you!
Rachel, thank you for leading us on this journey. Can't wait to see where you take us next ;)
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