The reason I was running was that I needed confidence about my speed. In January, I'll be running in a half marathon in Disney World. For that race, I have to stay at a speed of 16 minutes per mile. If I can't keep that speed, I'll be pulled off the course and driven to the finish line (and I won't get my medal). So, by running in Grand Rapids, which has no time limit, I'm able to get a good view of my speed. As long as I can run it in under 3 1/2 hours, I'm good.
A Little History
It was a cool October Saturday morning in 2013. I was awake and sitting in front of my computer, probably on Reddit or playing a game. My wife came into the room and asked a question. "How long is a half marathon?"
My brain works like this: question in, answer out. No thought behind it. So I say, "13.1 miles."
"Thanks" and she goes back into the living room. It was a couple of minutes before the meaning of that exchange clicked. I ran into the other room.
"What are you doing?" I know my wife much too well.
"There's a half marathon tomorrow and I'm thinking of running it. My friends think I'm crazy because they've been training for 6 months for it and I'm just now thinking of doing it."
Her friends are right. But when she gets it in her mind to do something, it's near impossible to talk her out of it. So the next morning, I found myself in a crowd of people, waiting for my wife to finish running. Her goal was to finish in under 3 hours. She did it in 2 hours 53 minutes.
Back To The Present
So this year, It's me who is running and she's on the sidelines, cheering me on.
The sun hasn't risen when we get to the YMCA, where the race begins (and will end). I haven't been feeling good for the past week. I'm coming down with the flu. Great. The most difficult race in my life and I'm sick. If I was well, I'd really push myself and try to beat my wife's time. But since I'm not, I'm just going to try to beat the 16 minute per mile mark. I hope.
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| Yes, I was thinking "What am I doing here?" |
I had set up my phone to play music while I was running, along with my voice every couple of minutes, telling me to run or walk. Pacing myself. That went out the window. I tried running when it said to run, but I skipped quite a bit and extended my walks quite a bit. Eventually, I just ended up ignoring it completely and ran when I felt like it.
About 4 miles in, I started getting warm. The sun was now up and it was going to be a bright, shiny day. I pulled off my jacket and tied it around my waist. I took off my gloves, so I could repin my number onto my shirt, since it was first on my jacket. I stuck the gloves in my pocket. I guess one fell out, because about a mile later, a guy came up to me and said I'd dropped it. I wasn't about to go back to get it now. Just keep one glove and keep moving.
That became my mantra throughout the race: Just Keep Moving. When I crossed the 7 mile check point, I was at 1 hour 40 minutes. At that pace, I'd finish in 3 hour 10 minutes. Mentally, I wanted to push and go faster, but physically? Nope.
The first 7 miles are in town. From mile 7 to about 11, it's out in the middle of nowhere. Nothing to see, except corn fields, and trees. Oh, there's the water treatment plant. Don't step on that dead skunk. Grab a water and Gatorade at each aid station. Ooh, this aid station also has gummy bears! Get some of those, too.
At about mile 9, my body decided it was done. I went to begin running, and almost ended up on the ground. So I kept walking. While I was tripping, I'd hurt my leg. I had pain in my left leg from my hip to my ankle. It was only through strength of mind that I stayed up. (Strength of mind? I have a mind?) Just Keep Moving. Just Keep Moving.
I don't remember passing the signs for miles 10 and 11. I kept my eyes on the ground ahead of me and kept moving. As I went, there were more and more people on the side of the road, cheering us runners on.
Finally, I turned a corner and there it was in the distance: the finish line. I had to cross that line, no matter what. After I crossed, I could collapse and it would all be over, but first I had to cross that line. Just Keep Moving.
My mind was so focused on the finish line, that I went into tunnel vision. I really couldn't see anyone on the side of the road, even my mother or my wife. (That's fine: my mother didn't see me run by either. Don't worry about it, mom.) I found the strength to run those few hundred feet or so.
After I crossed the line, I got my medal, got a foil blanket to get warm and went through the line to pick up some after race snacks: banana, orange, yogurt. I didn't realize just how cold I'd gotten during the race, until I noticed I was shaking. Not just shivering, but a full out shake. And I still had to find my family and get back to the car.
I pulled out my phone and texted my wife, telling her where I was. (Not an easy feat, considering how much food I was holding.) She came and got me and we walked (very slowly) back to the car.
In the end, my official time was 3 hours, 13 minutes, 22 seconds. Slower than I'd wanted, but faster than my goal for Disney. And any way you slice it, I'd finished.
Disney World, here I come.
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