This was such a fabulous day! The weather was PERFECT for a February. It got up over 60 degrees and sunny! Wowzers! I got to see lots of my running friends and get lots of hugs and see lots of smiles. It felt amazing to be surrounded by runners again. But more importantly, I got to share Omi's first 1/2 marathon.
I will be the first to admit that our training was NOT what it should have been. We only got in our long training days. Which meant we only trained on the weekends with 5 mile, 7 mile, 9 mile and 9 1/2 mile walks. We did nothing during week. The schedule after school is just too crazy around here. On our very first 5 mile walk, we set a goal of finishing the 1/2 marathon in 3 hours 45 minutes. Since we were walking the entire way, I figured that would be a great place to start.
Once we arrived at the park, pre-race was spent catching up with friends, introducing Naomi and taking lots of pictures.
Then before we knew it, 3....2....1... GO! And we were off on our grand adventure!
I am not a newbie to distance running/walking. I have done several 1/2 marathons and several marathons, a 10 K, several 5K and one ultra. I know how to train. I know how to prep. Most importantly, I know how to run a smart race. Somehow, in the last year, all that knowledge and wisdom went out the window! I was too excited to be back on the course and too excited to share it with Omi. Rule number 1: Run the race at your own pace. Do not get caught up in the start of the race hype! Run your pace! Nope. Our first mile was 14:53! Holy smokes!!!
In our training, our fastest sustained pace was 16:23! The next 3 miles were 15 minutes and change. We then slowed down to our 16 minute mile pace. We were hauling butt, and the first part of this race, I kept checking on Omi. I knew we were busting tail and going faster than she was prepared for. She didn't complain. She struggled. I could see it on her face. I kept telling her how strong she was. We celebrated each mile with a high five. She was rocking this race. Even when she started feeling like her breathing and heart (the start of a possible panic attack) started acting up, I encouraged her to keep breathing and realize she is safe. She breathed through it and kept moving. She is such a rock star!!!
We finally reached the turn around 1/2 way point. We were so excited. We had even passed some people at this point. We were feeling strong. But all of a sudden, I started to feel like I was going to puke! I was dizzy and I was getting chilly. All of these are signs of dehydration. I had been so worried about her getting dehydrated that I guess I wasn't drinking enough myself. I was drinking... every mile I drank. The tummy issues could be that we had been going so fast for so long and not trained for that pace. It could have also been the Gatorade, which I never drink when I run. I'm not entirely certain. What I did know was that I needed to slow down and get my body back in check. I was also having some extreme pain in my toes. Usually, the pain starts around mile 3 and goes away by my 7. But it was only getting worse. I was struggling. I didn't want to say anything to Omi. I just slowed down our pace. I guess she noticed cause she asked me how I was doing. I told her I felt like puking. Her response: "Don't puke on me!" Gee, thanks, kid! Then she asked what we could do to help my tummy and I told her that I slowed down our pace already and I just need to breathe. She told me to listen to my body.
All of the advice I had given to her over the last few weeks, she was repeating back to me. Complete with, "Mom, its okay if we slow down. It's not about how fast we go, just about finishing the race."
She kept checking on me. She kept telling me how strong I was. She kept encouraging me.
At midway point, my daughter went from being the one who needed to be encouraged to being strong, and encouraging me. I saw the change in her the minute we reached the mid way point. All of a sudden, she had an air of confidence and strength she didn't have a mile before. And now here she was carrying me......
We got to mile 10 and she said, "Just a mere 5K left, Mom, You can do it." My response: "I fucking love you!" I meant it. I could not have been prouder in that moment.
She continued to cheer me on and encourage me. The tummy issues went a way and we picked up the pace as best we could in order to keep the tummy at bay. We reached the home stretch and we pushed it. We got to the last 100 feet and we took off in a sprint to cross the finish line together!
We did it!!! 3:40:28 was our finish time! We beat our goal time!
On the way home, I asked her how she felt. "In pain and so great!" That's my girl! And all night she has been wearing this new found confidence! She is wearing her sore muscles like a badge of courage... cause that is what the pain is. She is freakin' amazing!
As for me? I think I have a stress fracture in my left foot.. in my toes. I can't stand on my foot without extreme pain. For that matter, my foot is in extreme pain without standing on it. I guess I will be seeing my foot doctor next week. Joy!
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