Those of you who have talked with me in the past about marathons know I have said numerous times that I would NEVER do a full marathon. I would say I had no desire to find out what happens to someone after 13.1 if they keep going. I am not sure what changed in me but something did and I did want to see what it feels like to keep going when I would normally cross the finish line.
So, once I uttered those words to my Team in Training family, there was no turning back. I said it out loud and had to move forward and make good on my statement. Next, I decided that in order to finish in the cutoff time that the Rock n' Roll races have, I would have to do more than walk. Up to this point, I had walked each half marathon that I had completed and loved it! I would take pictures along the route and enjoy the race either by myself or with my crew. I never thought I would even entertain the idea of adding running to the mix because I hated running. Let's be realistic; there is a lot of me to run around with and that was one of the reasons I hadn't wanted to in the past. Knowing I had to buck up and bite the bullet, one of my coaches gave me a run/walk plan for this season. He was a coach I had not worked with in the past and I was kind of nervous because he is all business when it comes to running. I love all my coaches that I have had and they are all my good friends but I think it took an outsider to come in and say, "you should run for this long and then walk for this long and see what happens." And so it started. I coined it "Project Hurt Less in January" because I am not dumb. I know it's going to hurt but if I did everything in my power to prevent it from hurting less, I was going to.
We had our Kick Off for the Season in August and I followed the training schedule to the letter. Man, I was not ready for this part-time job called training for a full marathon when you have never run before. What is this sweating thing? I used to be able to run errands after going to the gym but not anymore; I was gross! And why didn't anyone warn me about the whole legs feeling like bricks thing? Sheesh! What I didn't expect was to enjoy it so much! Running is truly therapeutic and I needed that after the whirlwind of a June I had.
At the same time, I was trying to figure out what I was going to do about a job. Luckily, the part time opportunity of working for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society fell in my lap thanks to little Katie and her mommy's maternity leave, so I was still busy. In addition, I ended up having the opportunity to teach in the classroom for the first time in a community college setting. This was something I could not pass up since I had no previous experience and the department chair was willing to give me one. Man, that is one time consuming activity! I am so glad I did because I know that I can do it and know what to expect. I was also still teaching online classes so technically, I had 3 part time jobs and was training 5 days a week for this race. I was busier than when I actually had a full time job!!
So the training months went by and I think what I needed during this hectic time was a goal to reach for; something that I had never done. In the process, I lost some poundage; which made running easier and and continued to enjoy the whole new experience of running and walking. I have always known my TNT peeps were supportive but in embarking on the uncharted waters of a full marathon, I remembered why I am with this organization outside of the obvious mission of curing cancer. Every week, there were encouraging words and high fives, which was no different than any other season except for the fact that I really needed them this time. I was doing something so new and foreign to me and I forgot how much that support helps in the process. I cannot tell you how much it meant to have people tell you over and over again how proud they are of the progress being made and how excited they were to see me accomplish this goal. As the Saturdays flew by, I started running more and the intervals increased, which is still something that I laugh about since I said I would never run. Along comes the Women's Half in November, which was my first race where I was going to see how this run/walking thing works during an actual race.
What I needed at this point was proof that I had progressed and the Woman's Half game me that! I finished with my best time yet: 3:02. Many of us had personal bests that day and I have to think it had a little bit to do with the fact that we were all out there running/walking in honor of our friend and TNT Teammate, Heather. She is a breast cancer survivor and this was her first race back after treatment. We formed our own little team - The Purple Nurples! Heather is amazing and such an inspiration to all of us and we wanted to do this for/with her to celebrate her battle and that is exactly what we all did!
Here come the holidays.....I was so excited because I had made it this far in the season with no new injuries. In fact, my shins and feet were fantastic, which was a worry because of issues I have had in the past. Nope, my main source of pain was just the stress related knots that always exist in my shoulders. That's not going to go away completely until this household is fully employed and I know that. And it happens.....I catch the crud that is going around. Down and out for a good 10 days with a hacking cough that is not okay. One trip to Urgent Care and some drugs later, I am okay. I accepted the fact that I didn't get another long run in because I was so sick and decided that I had trained hard for this race and that I was going to be okay......with a little help from my friends of course.
The last practice of the season is always a little bittersweet because it means the season is almost over. All of our locations come together and run the last few miles of the course for PF Chang's. As we are getting our info and directions for the weekend, the group was asked who was doing their first half or full marathon. I never raise my hand because it's not the first time for me so I kind of spaced the question. I heard my name and it was one of my buddies from another training location telling me to raise my hand. I love that my role as Mission Captain for the past 5 seasons has given me the chance to get to know people from all of our training locations because there are some really cool people I would have missed out on. I have so much support on race day and I am so fortunate because that is what is going to get me to the finish line.
Speaking of support on race day......I believe that I have a pit crew that rivals Ricky Bobby. What happens when your friends decide to do a different race? One hops on her bike with a pack filled with snacks and supplies and the other two do their own mini full marathon as spectators. I swear I feel like I have known these people for years and years but in reality, it's only been one or two if that. My circle of friends who have come out of these different race experiences have been the one's who have been there for me the most when I have needed them. Checking on me long after the supposed friends from my old job stopped caring. I really found out who were my real friends during that whole ordeal and it never failed, my TNT peeps were always there. So, nothing less will happen on race day. What is amazing about this group is that I know there are people who will finish their race hours before I will and they will be at the finish line when I cross. That's what we do; we are a TEAM.
So, I felt compelled to share my thoughts as race day approaches (and I am avoiding grading...again) and really just send out a huge thanks to my friends and family who have helped me along this journey these past months. Those who I saw every Saturday, or every trip to South Mountain, or our long runs. Those who have emailed me in response to mission emails or those who have responded on facebook. My family who have donated this or past seasons and who will be out there for me this weekend and have supported me each race that I do. Ed for putting up with this hobby and always being at the finish line. All your support and encouraging words mean so much. Thank you!! And to my TNT family.....a huge Go TEAM to you and good luck next weekend or in a few weeks in CA.
Stay tuned on facebook for updates.......I am better about that than blogging as you can tell.
1 comment:
Soooo proud of all you've accomplished this season, Joy! Can't wait to cheer you across the finish line next week!
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