So we had a good running day today and everything was perfect. I’m not sure why I got so lucky, but I will take it and remember this day forever. The weather was beautiful during the race – 50-65F, sunny, no wind, and best of all I felt great. I was perfectly fueled and hydrated, set up with my Garmin/HR monitor, equipped with energy gels, wet wipes (for those potty breaks), and chapstick. I didn’t take the ipod with the new playlist I created especially for the Lincoln Half, but I wanted to run smart and safe, and listen to my body.
As expected, I had a few light leg cramps starting in the shins during the first mile. However, the need to pee at the very first porta-potty made me stop and wait in line. I stretched out my legs and the waiting helped loosen them up. After the short break, I was off again….and I was running and I didn’t stop again!
I started off with a long sleeve shirt that had “Green’09” written on my belly, and I took it off at 3 miles and held on to it the rest of the way. I had intentions of tossing the shirt, but after I took it off, I just couldn’t get rid of it; after all that’s my kid’s name. On my tank I wrote “Baby on Board” with fabric paint right on the belly. A few times spectators and volunteers yelled it out at me, each time I smiled and waved. A girl that I ran beside for a few moments heard the comment and peered over at me…and said, “Holy Hardcore!” That made me laugh. I passed her.
Lately I have been beating myself up about my training runs. There were days I the past three weeks that I couldn’t even go 2 miles. There were days that I cramped so bad I couldn’t even walk back to my car or home, times where I had to sit on a park bench or neighborhood curb to recover. Today, the longer I ran, the stronger I became. The closer I got to the finish line, the faster I ran. I didn’t once think I should walk. I didn’t once think it was too hard. I didn’t once think I was handicapped at all by my baby. I was empowered. I took water at every stop whether I was thirsty or not, and took my energy gel at the 1h mark as scheduled. I was a well-trained athlete, possessed by something that was unexplainable.
About a half mile from the finish I saw Rodney and Matt talking, leaning up against the guardrail. I said “Hey guys” ever so nonchalantly and they were shocked to see me so much earlier than expected. Since I knew where they were and still had energy left, I sped up, completely in the zone, rounded a few turns into the finish line. My official time: 2:09:51. This is 20 minutes more than my PR and 20 minutes faster than I had predicted. Either way, time meant nothing to me on this day. I was just ecstatic to finish so strong and even-paced.
I ran alone the entire time, but not really. When I crossed the line and over the pads for the chip time, I put my hands on my belly and said Thank you. I also want to say thanks to all my cheerleaders, all of you who said I could do it, all of you who inspire me each day to keep doing the things I love, and truly understand what it means to have accomplished this today.
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