Grandma's Weekend

The last 5 days have been quite a ride. It has been a roller coaster of inspiration mixed with twists and turns of fear, surprise, doubt, joy, pain, triumph, support, and relief. We have been going nonstop since Thursday so today has been the first day I've had a chance to sit and shake off the aftermath of the ride that just came to a jolting stop.

We spent over 12 hours in the car from Thursday to Sunday, driving 641 miles total. From Northfield to Duluth, from Duluth to Hayward (and back - twice), from Hayward to Medina and then from Medina back to Northfield. It was 12 hours of talking, laughing, thinking silently, reminiscing, looking for bears, jamming out to Carrie Underwood, and trying desperately to stay awake. It was a weekend unlike any other. One that I will probably never forget. It has been stored deep in the memory of my heart as the weekend of Grandma's marathon. My 2nd full marathon.

I have to admit, at one point in my life I was the one thinking or saying, 'Run a marathon? Yeah right - those people must be crazy!' But after crossing the finish line at 26.2 miles for the second time, I completely understand why we do it. And I now understand that when I thought or said 'they must be crazy', I knew it was coming from a place of doubt that I would never be strong enough or good enough to do it. I was humbly reminded this weekend that there is no mold of a marathon runner. We come in many shapes and sizes; we vary in age; and our paths to get to the start line differ greatly. Our inspiration may be different but the motivation to overcome self doubt and to take on a challenge does not discriminate among anyone.

It was an early morning, getting up at around 3:30am to head to Duluth in time to catch the bus to the start line. It was absolutely pouring the entire way to Duluth. Lightening was lighting up the sky and I slowly began to question what was about to happen. Luckily, much of the storm had died down by the time 7:33am came around - when I crossed the start line and began on one of the most emotionally and physically draining journeys of my life.

I saw Mike for the first time around the 3 mile marker. I was very surprised to see him that early because I didn't think I'd see him until mile 9 or 10. I was feeling great, just getting into it. I was with the 4-hr pacing group and was hoping to stay in between them and the 4:20 group. I think I smiled until at least mile 4 from seeing Mike. It was so much more than him watching me run. After all... it only takes about 9 seconds to run passed someone and then it's on to the next point. But it was a reflection of the dedication and commitment we have to supporting one another through this marathon of life and marriage. I felt supported - in that 9 seconds and in every second I ran without him. THAT made me smile.

I remember starting to feel stiff around 7. Part of me panicked because I was only in the beginning and had nearly 20 miles to go! My panic turned to worry and I began to think about how much this was going to suck if I hurt for the rest of the race. I can honestly say I never once thought about stopping. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that I was going to be anything less than stubborn about finishing.

Mike was in between mile 7 and 8, which was one of my lowest points of my race. I was worried about how I felt and I know that it was written all over me. He gave me a gel pack (which is DISGUSTING, by the way), ran with me for a minute and told me he'd see me around 12 or 13. Off I went!

The halfway point was one of my favorite moments. I crossed the checkpoint at 2:01:00 and I was happy with my pace. The checkpoint was sponsored by Target (they were one of the official sponsors) and they were partying! There were tons of spectators cheering, music playing, people dancing and lots of water and snacks being passed out. I took my headphones out and embraced all their energy. I was uplifted by all the positive energy and almost forgot that I hadn't seen Mike since 7.5. Before I knew it, I was coming up on mile 16 and I spotted Mike's awesome orange shirt. :)

I remember thinking to myself that there was a woman standing awfully close to him and thought that was rather bizarre since there was plenty of space in the crowd. When the woman took her camera down, I realized it was Mike's sister Tricia! I was very surprised to see her because I had just talked to her about how we weren't going to see each other until July! It was her birthday weekend and she came to Duluth to celebrate with friends and decided to come watch with Mike. I was so thankful for the extra support and smiling face. And clearly you can see I was surprised!

I don't remember anything really from 16 to 22. I specifically remember mile 22 not because it's known as LemonDrop Hill and it is the biggest incline of the whole race but because I burst into tears at the checkpoint. It was the first time I felt close to finishing. I was emotionally and physically drained and was at my weakest point. And then the bagpipes set it and everything raced through my head at that moment. All the training, all the early (FREEZING) mornings, the sick feelings after super long runs, the time and energy and effort, squeezing runs into the work day, the friendships I made with my running friends at work, the times I just left the office to run off all the stress from the day, the moments I doubted my ability to get through it, the 2 weeks I had to take off because of my stress fracture....everything came to my mind at that moment and tears streamed down my face all the way up the hill. People cheered, I cried. I wasn't in pain, which is probably what spectators were thinking - it was just an emotional moment that I didn't want to use the strength to control.

I pretty much remember every mile after that as I got closer and closer to the finish line. I took in each moment, with no headphones, and embraced all the people and support. There weren't many stretches between 22 and 26.2 that were sparse - people were everywhere. And apparently there were a lot of Gustie fans at the end because a lot of people cheered for my Gustavus shirt. Gustie pride always shines at the best times.

I reached the final stretch and could see the finish line. I heard Trish yell my name and I smiled, knowing they'd understand I was saying I'm almost there!

I finished in 4:21:00 - I crossed the start line at 00:3:18 so I crossed the finish at 4:24:18 but my final time was 4:21:00. Here is the link if you want to see me stumble across the finish line: http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/videoResults?rid=6144&race=355#

I am so thankful for all the support, encouragement and well wishes. I truly couldn't have done it without everyone. I am lucky to be healthy enough to run and even luckier to have amazing people in my life. Thanks for running this marathon of life with me, Mikey. I wouldn't want to do it without you. Next year, want to run all 26.2 together?! :)

We spent the rest of the weekend recovering in Hayward with our favorite Riegelman family. Fishing, looking for bears, eating West's Dairy ice cream, cruising on the pontoon, eating at the original Famous Daves and playing Yahtzee was a perfect way to recover. Clint and his family are like family to us and we are so thankful to spend time with them.

We are heading out East for a week to visit friends, family and new cities. :)
Talk to you on the other side...