Repost: Six Years a Marathoner

It's been six years. On Saturday, February 13, 2010, I sat in a hotel room in downtown Austin and wrote this post. I have a plan for marathon #2, but it won't be until 2017. That's a long time between marathons.

Chadwick at the 2015
Austin Half.

Meanwhile, the 25th Austin Marathon and Half Marathon is happening tomorrow, and I'm not running. However, since the race course passes directly in front of my house, I will be spectating (with orange slices at the ready--by gum, I learned from my own marathon experience). I volunteered in the info booth yesterday afternoon, as has become my tradition. I love race weekend in Austin, so much, and there is an extra tug at my heart when it comes and goes without me running it. There's an extra-extra tug this year, since the Austin Half was Chadwick's last race.

His last tweet, posted after he withdrew from the race.
He immediately headed to cheer me over the
South 1st Street bridge. He wasn't fine,
but we didn't know that yet.

It's cool to me that the anniversary of my first marathon lands on the exact same day this year-- Sunday, February 14. It will be even cooler once I get to experience marathon #2. Soon, I hope.

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On the Eve of Becoming a Marathoner

So, I've been composing this little entry in my head for a while; ever since I began my taper for the marathon which, as I write this, is just over 18 hours away. (Oh. My. Word.)

My running career began when I was 12 and thought that running track would be a fun way to hang out with my friends. (I was right about that.) Even then, there was no one who didn't know that I was easily the slowest person on the team. To put it another way, the fast people would be finishing the 800 just as I was entering the first curve of my second lap. And yet... and yet, those same people were still standing near to cheer in the slow people as we finished. Some of my coaches had a hard time believing that anyone could run that slowly, but again, I rarely heard anything but encouragement.

(In gym class, my classmates took pains to tell me that I run like a duck. And quack behind me in the halls for my entire freshman year. Thanks, guys.)

Since then, I had an on-again, off-again relationship with running until three years ago. I took it up again, found that I liked it, and then (and here is the secret to my sticking with it) we joined the West Texas Running Club. The club puts on monthly, totally-non-threatening, gives-you-something-to-train-for races. I love it.

Anyway. That was all background to the sappy part. I never would have stuck with this, I never would have striven for improvement, I certainly never would have thought about running a marathon without all the support and encouragement I've received from all sides. Running really is a non-team team sport, and I have a GINORMOUS number of teammates.

After the 2010 Austin
Marathon.

Chad got me into this mess in the first place. There are many people in the running club who are so encouraging, even (especially!) when they finish 30 minutes ahead of me. We've been blessed beyond measure by Shannon & Wendy's friendship; it calmed my nerves considerably to see a familiar face at our first race. (And Shannon graciously refrained from saying "I told you so" after I went out MUCH too fast only 10 minutes after he warned me not to.)

There are other runners at South Plains and at work who have helped with advice and encouragement. But I readily admit to being even more uplifted by non-runners, mostly on Facebook, who make me feel like an Olympic athlete when all I've done is a slow 3-miler. Especially so are the people who have said I'm an inspiration. And so this uber-slow, runs-like-a-duck girl has become a mostly-slow, still-runs-like-a-duck running girl, who gets by with a little help from her friends.

I couldn't have done it without your help. And so, on the eve of becoming a Marathoner, I say thank you. Rest assured that during the long miles tomorrow, I will be thinking of you. And thanking God for you.