On Sunday March 25 I ran the Rock CF Rivers Half Marathon in Gross Ille. The race is for a great cause as it raises money to fight the genetic disorder Cystic Fibrosis. http://www.outruncf.com/about/. Before the race I picked up my race packet at the high school and stopped by the Medals 4 Mettle donation booth and donated 17 of my past marathon medals. Medals 4 Mettle is a wonderful organization that donates earned race metals to people battling life threatening illness. The pain I suffered during the raises was just temporary, but patients that truly suffer every day will wear my medals around their necks. http://www.medals4mettle.org/. Above is a picture of the Rock CF race director and Rock CF Foundation founder Emily Schaller and the Medals 4 Mettle Michigan Chapter Representative Joe Burns holding the medals that had been collected at the Rock CF River Half Marathon just before they were given to Detroit children.
Race morning I was not feeling confident, and definitely a bit nervous as I had not been for a long run in quite some time. It was also my first race in 2012. At the start line all that was running through my head was the Steve Holy song, "This is gonna hurt, this is gonna hurt like hell, this is gonna damn near kill me."
It was a pretty morning, and the weather was nice. The houses along the water were beautiful and there were even some flowers blooming. My goal was to just have fun and finish and use it as a training run, I was not truly racing. I was hoping to run the first half and walk the second. I ran much more of the race than I thought, although at times my running pace had gotten slower than my power walking. The great thing about Sunday morning races is definitely the top 40 countdown on the radio. I alternated between Ryan Seacrest and Nick Cannon. It was a welcome distraction from hearing my pounding footsteps and erratic breathing. Around mile 13 I saw my husband at a stop sign waiting for me. I was so happy to see him. I didn't smile and I didn't say hello. I just said "I hurt", and we ran the last tenth of a mile to the finish line. An army soldier put the medal around my neck and I was all smiles, secretly daydreaming of laying on my couch like a vegetable for the entire afternoon. My time was 40 minutes slower than last year. I know that sounds like a lot for 13 miles, and that's because it is! It's a tough pill to swallow when I look at it on paper, but I feel okay because I know I really gave it my best on that day, and I know I will improve greatly by the end of the summer. I am pretty sure my Mom is faster than me now. There's a good chance she's going to cross the finish line before me next week at the Martian Half Marathon. I think it would be a first, but I would be nothing but proud.
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