I never dreamed I would do this, but I did...I never thought I'd know what it felt like to run for 5 hours and 19 minutes straight, but now I know! I fought laringitis and a secondary infection that wiped me out a month before the race, I struggled to keep things together when I pulled my tendon on my 20 mile run two weeks before the marathon and had to succumb to sitting out of my runs, icing the heck out of my foot just to get it better. No, I am not a specimen of all that running is, but I pushed my own limits and I went beyond my boundaries, and I accomplished the goal: I FINISHED!!!
The alarm sounded way too early a week ago Sunday and it also signaled the start of something I hoped I could complete. I changed clothes twice, put makeup on (which I laughed at myself for doing!), drank my power shake and finally laced up my shoes. It was now or never.
The gun sounded and there I was with 4,000 others heading in the same direction: The journey and the finish line. It is amazing how much faster time goes when you are running with someone beside you. We are not meant to be alone! I had the privilege of running with a lady named Nancy from mile 7-13, where she finished the half-marathon. We talked about her decision of whether to keep her public school job or teach in a private school and we shared stories along the way. She met me back at mile 24 when I was wanting so badly to stop and she cheered me on! Thank you Nancy!
Out of the blue, I saw my old college friend, Suzi Anderson-Haggeman running beside me. What a surprise! I found out that it was her grandpa for whom the Lincoln Marathon was started. Olympian Lewis Robbins Anderson...what a legacy!
I saw my friend Luke getting ready to make his dash to the finish as I was rounding the corner of mile 17. He's pretty much a monster when it comes to running. 3:09 for your first marathon? Yea, that's pretty good! Way to go, Luke! Thanks for dragging me into this (and waiting for me at the finish line!)
And what shall I say about my dearest friends, Jessica, Candi, Jenny, Melissa and Jessica Foster? They ran like wild women all over the streets of Lincoln, dodging one way streets and blocked intersections just to meet me all along the way and scream and holler my name...I love you, girls!
At mile 23 I really wanted to stop, I hurt all over and was so tired and then I started talking to myself out loud, "You can make it, Krista. You are TOTALLY going to make it!!!" I made up this mantra from scripture: "I run like a man not beating the air, gonna win the prize, win the prize..." and so it went to the rhythm of my pounding steps, over and over again...
There is something so completely spiritual about all of this. The idea of perseverance takes on a whole new world for me. What it really feels like to go when you don't want to go anymore. To push and then push harder just to get one foot in front of the other. To know that people are cheering you on, running beside you, but still in the end, we each have our race that only we can run...Thank you God, for teaching me something new all the time, I just didn't know it would come in the form of a marathon!
Lastly, I want to tell you what it felt like to round the corner and see the finish line only .2 miles ahead. A feeling washed over me that I can't quite compare to anything else. I caught myself off guard as it came into view and as I heard people start cheering my name from still a distance away. The tears were in my eyes, throat, stomach and I couldn't quite catch my breath as I realized I was about to complete what I'd been working towards for 5 winter months. I cried and smiled and ran with a new burst across the finish line...No, I wasn't fast, but I was consistent. And when I hurt, I said a prayer of thanks that I had legs to run on and a body that was healthy enough to get me the distance. What blessings!
I'm thankful for this adventure! I end with a runner's prayer:
Run by my side-live in my heartbeat;
give strength to my steps.
As the cold confronts me,
as the wind pushes me,
I know you surround me.
As the sun warms me,
as the rain cleanses me,
I know you are touching me,
challenging me,
loving me.
And so I give you this run;
thank you for matching my stride.
Amen!
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