"Stay With It!"

Yesterday, I ran my second half marathon!

It was hill after hill after hill after hill. Whoever said Kansas is flat is wrong!

The weather was cool and so foggy that you couldn’t see the top of the some of the hills.

It was hard.

Particularly at mile 12.

There was a steep hill at mile 12.

As I was running toward it, a man was running toward me--the wrong way! (Actually, I found out later he was one of several ultra marathoners, who, after running the 13.1 miles from Topeka to Auburn, turned around and ran 13.1 moremiles, from Auburn back to Topeka.)

I didn’t know if I could make it up that hill. As the ultra marathoner and I met, I said, “There’s another hill!”

“Stay with it! You’re almost there!” he encouraged me.

And those three words, “Stay with it!” were my mantra for the next 12 minutes!

And I finished, and I met each of my goals! I finished! I ran the entire way! And I eclipsed my time goal!

Here are a few things I learned during the race:

1. 1. The power of support. You can’t achieve a big goal without support. I stayed with one of my best friends in the world while I was in Topeka, and was able to relax into the support she provided me, from fabulous fresh-baked bread and a fantastic stew the night before the race, to a comfortable bed, to a fantastic tub for my post-race cold soak, to delicious chocolate chip cheesecake after the race, to delightful and meaningful conversations.
   

2. 2.The power of team work. I am so grateful for the organizers and volunteers who handed out Gatorade and water at the aid stations, who monitored the course on bikes and in cars to make sure all the runners were safe, who served us pancakes after the race, the photographer who got shots of all the runners and posted them on his website.
   

3. The power of surrounding yourself with successful people. Each person who ran that race was successful, and it was a joy to chat with. . .

1. •the lady from Minneapolis who said, “I’m slow, but I get the job done!”
   

2. •the gentleman from Topeka who used this race as part of his training for the Eugene Marathon.
   

3. •the kind lady at the start of the race who, having run half marathon many times, said, “It’s challenging, but doable,” when I was expressed concern about the hills.
   

4. •the experienced marathoner who won her age group and said to me during the pancake feed, said, “This is one of the hardest half marathons around!”
   

But what will stay with me forever was the brief encounter at mile 12 with the runner who said, “Stay with it!”

Sunday, January 17, 2010