Amazed....

Yesterday was a big day...ranking up there with college graduation, wedding, births of two children. Top 5 things that I have done, now adding 1/2 marathon. People are so right when they say, if you want to win something, run 100 yards, if you want to experience something, run a marathon...
The experience starts when training begins. Training is painful, difficult, punishing...much like a pregnancy. My friend Brandy and I ran mile after mile together, talking, getting to know each other in ways that wouldn't be possible over a cup of coffee. Brandy and I went from being friends that spoke in the halls at work, to being close, close friends. Brandy and I had a standing date 3 times a week. Over the weeks we logged around 125 miles of running.
The excitment building up to our 1/2 marathon is the kind of expectation that you have at the end of your pregnancy, race date is like your due date, the day you are going to work extremely hard with an unimaginable reward at the end. The day before the race I attended my first Health Expo, where I picked up my bib, time chip, race pack and t-shirt. The vendors were a runner's dream! Clothes for working out, belts for racing, cool head bands...it was my 1/2 marathon shower!!!
The night before the race I had a calmness about me. I knew that I had fueled up sufficiently, I knew my plan of action for the morning, I had read books and magazines telling me not to freak out or get nervous because racing is 90% mental. Physically I was ready, mentally I was ready. When the alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. and I got everyone up and out of the house by 5:15 I knew that one of the great challenges of the day was over...I was terrified of oversleeping or having to leave someone behind because they wouldn't get up. Turned out that Andy, my Dad and my sister, Amanda, were all just as excited as I was!
Dawn's early light had not shined down upon Atlanta when we corralled into our start line. At 6:58 the race announcer began to sing the National Anthem. I prayed for me and Brandy to have a good race day, for us to be strong and steady and finish. 7:05 our line lurched and began our march towards the start line. We began our race at Chamblee Marta station on Peachtree Industrial which curves around some of the coolest parts of Buckhead and Atlanta. Mile 1-3 (the hardest miles) went by beautifully. My legs got warm, we were passing people up, getting passed, chatting and enjoying the view. Miles 4-10 were hilly but awesome. Thank goodness for hill training at Tribble Mill Park. We got sucked into pacing with a group of Marines chanting their cadences. I couldn't help but feel awe in their presence. They motivated us to go a little faster. Brandy and I played a little cat and mouse chase with those guys without really realizing it. They would pass us up, then we would pass them...no matter what I loved it when they said to take the hill...I knew what was coming and I knew I could take that hill!
Mile 11 came and I knew that that was the longest I had ever ran. Instead of intimidating me, it gave me a huge rush of adrenaline. Adrenaline is the most powerful thing I have ever experienced. Since I have been comparing this experience to pregnancy, mile 11-13 were the pushing miles. You know that something incredible is coming. At the start line we had a talk about leaving each other behind if one of us was having a hard time. Brandy said we shouldn't feel bad if one of us was feeling it and the other wasn't. I knew that no matter what, I was not going to leave her behind and I hoped she wouldn't leave me behind if I needed her. She and I had trained mile for mile with each other and today was not going to be any different.
Our race was a mix of her pushing me and me pulling her. By Mile 12 I had so much adrenaline pumping through my veins I knew I could fly the rest of the way. I ran ahead a little but I could not leave my friend behind. She needed me, just like I had needed her so many times during our training. She needed me to tell her to step it up and get to the finish. In my visualization of our race, I never saw us finishing without each other. I always imagined having a MarathonFoto of us together. Side by side we turned the corner, Olympic rings in sight, finish line ahead! At the perfect moment we saw our cheering section: Andy, Dad, Amanda, J.C and Kiley! Sprinting to the finish line for both of us, feet touching the finish line simultaneously, 2 hours, 5 minutes and 51 seconds after we started. A new PR for Brandy! My only PR but a darn good one for a start!
We hugged, recieved our medals, wrapped in Mylar, ate a snack, snapped some photos and celebrated. At our cars, Brandy gave me a present that she had gotten from my Health Expo shower. It is a Christmas ornament that I will cherish for the rest of my life. It reads: Running is cheaper than therapy! Truer words have never been spoken....