Who are you running for?

It was race day and we were as ready as we would ever be! We (Brian, Kristi, Jenny, Vince and Fr. Jonathan) had headed up to Cleveland on Saturday afternoon and went to the Race Expo to get our bib numbers, timing chips and a bunch of free stuff! We headed back to my parents house, where Fr. Jonathan said mass for us, and then dad made us an amazing homemade pasta dinner! We were well satisfied with all of our carbs!

We went to bed early to prepare ourselves for the early rise we had ahead of us! I was anxious and excited, so it took me a little while to fall asleep.

The alarm went off bright and early at 5:15am. As I rolled over to cuddle with Brian, his whispered to me, as he did so many mornings as I got up during training..."You can do it!" I got up and started moving slowly to get ready.

We woke up to rain. (Brian had prayed the night before that God would give us the perfect weather that we needed) Although the rain wasn't so fun, it did help keep the temperature down.

So, we finally got all of us out of the house and my dad drove us down to the starting line. We covered ourselves in white trash bags to keep ourselves dry. We jogged a few blocks to get to the starting line and had just a few minutes to wait before the official start. We got there just as they were letting the wheelchair racers go...wow! They amazed me! We chatted with fellow runners as we waited in the rain.

A few minutes after 7, the horn blew and we were off! About 5 minutes later Mom and I crossed the start line. I slapped the banner as we passed under it! We were off!

Before we knew it we were at the first water station, about 2 miles in. We both had to use the bathroom, but didn't want to stand in line at the port-o-potties, so we kept on moving.

Mom would run a bit ahead, but kept an eye on me. My leg was doing good, but I was still moving a bit slow. My breathing was a bit labored, but it finally evened out in a few miles.

I met up with Mom at the next set of Port-o-potties at the mile 4 marker. I couldn't hold it any longer, I had to wait in line. I decided to stop my watch while I waited for the bathroom, so I could get an accurate time.

Mom was kind enough to stick with me for the first 4 miles, but then I told her it was ok for her to go ahead. She was a bit concerned about leaving me alone, but I knew I would be fine. There were enough people around.

The rain finally let up after a while, coming back here and there. There were garbage bags, t-shirts, gloves, and sometimes even socks, all over the course that runners shed along the way.

I kept on truckin', enjoying the view of the lake, and answering the question "Who are you running for?" The Wellness Committee at Franciscan University, offered to get us shirts to wear during the race. The front of the shirt read "Franciscan University Runners" and the back said "Ask me whom I am running for?"

I chose someone different to run each mile for, so it made the journey much more personal. So my answer every mile was, "I am running for the Glory of God and this mile is for my dad, my baby, my sister, my husband, etc!" See below for who had which miles. It was really neat to hear peoples reactions as I told them my answer. I always thanked them for asking, it was nice to have them ask.

At one point I saw this older man, he had to be at least 60 or 65. He was walking fast and doing a little jogging, to the point that I almost didn't catch him as I was running. I was excited to catch up with him so I could encourage him along the way. As I finally did I said, "keep it up, Sir! You are doing awesome!! You inspire me!"

I made my way to the half-way point under 1:30 (according to my time) and was glad to see Brian, Adam and Dad shortly after the halfway mark. I saw Brian first waving his hands on the side of the road! It was sooo great to see him!!! Adam was taking pictures as I passed, and I jogged by Brian as I gave him a sweaty kiss! As I turned the corner, I saw Dad and he ran about 200 feet with me to the next turn! Brian was at the corner as well and cheered "Go Mama GO!"

I ran with a bottle of water and drank water at EVERY water station. A few things people told me about running while pregnant: Stay hydrated, don't overheat, and keep my heart rate under 140. So, I stayed hydrated and decided to walk a lot during the last few miles, due to keeping my heart rate down. The rain and cooler weather helped keep me from being overheated.

It was great to see how many Catholic churches we passed on the course...4 in total. Jesus was with me all along the way! Mile 10, mile 11, mile 12....I was almost there! My legs were sore, my back was sore. My quads were getting stiff. I would walk, but then I had to run again just to keep my muscles loose. I started thinking about Vince, who the day before had decided to do the whole marathon, even though he had just trained for the half. (GO VINCE!)

Shortly after I started mile 13, my mom came to run with me. She had finished in about 2:48 and was feeling pretty good. She ran along with me until I entered the gated area for the finish line. I could see the end in sight!! I was a little light headed at one point, so I ate a few raisins, and felt better.

About the last 2 tenths of the race, the runners were surrounded by spectators cheering us on! It was great! I passed two kids who were waiting there to have runners give them high 5's as they ran by, I was sure to take their gift of a High 5! They were excited that a runner finally came over to them. I kept on pushing and kept on running...the finish line was so close!

I saw Jenny just before I crossed, standing their proudly with her medal around her neck, cheering me on!! I was so proud of her for finishing! I couldn't wait to get my medal!!

I did it....I crossed the finish line! Arms up and all! It was glorious! I got my medal and couldn't believe it was over!

After I crossed, I saw Brian, I just wanted to jump the fence and jump into this arms, but I made my way through the rest of the fenced in area and he greeted me at the end. He hugged me and I just cried! I did it!! I was done!!!! I ran a half marathon! I couldn't believe it! I stayed there in his arms for awhile and just took it all in and enjoyed the moment.

Soon, Mom, Dad and Kristi were there to congratulate me as well. It was a great feeling!

My body was soo sore, that I could barley move, so I stretched as much as I could. I waited in line to get a massage and I was glad I did. Going to the bathroom was kind of a joke. My back was pretty sore! I saw a guy who had run the marathon, sitting there with a cold beer, eyes closed, just taking it all in, and I said "I bet that beer tastes great!" He smiled and said, "yeah ya know I do this just for the free beer! " I said "I do it for the free massages!" We both laughed! We realized that we both had to be a bit crazy for doing this, that we had to find some perks for it!

As I hobbled to bed last night, Brian said to me, "Well, was it worth it?" I quickly responded, "YES!" He later asked me, "Will you do it again?" I quickly responded, "Nope!" I really don't see me running another half-marathon. I don't think my body is cut out to be that kind of runner, but I will do other races, 5k's 10k's. But I will leave the longer races to others who are built for running like that. I look forward to doing a shorter race that I can run the whole time. I know I can do those shorter distances, because I have done them in my training.

So...this is the end of running for me until my legs recover. I plan to keep up some running or biking during my pregnancy, but no more training for me!

Thank you to everyone for all of your support, all of your advice and encouragement! You were a huge part of this accomplishment with me! It is not about the race...It is about the journey!!

(PICTURES TO BE POSTED SOON!)

Miles:
1. Dad
2. Adam (my brother)
3. Kristi, Vince, Fr. Jonathon, Jenny (my fellow runners from Franciscan)
4. Our baby!
5. My friends (especially Liz and JM who were running a half-marathon in China with me!)
6. For the conversion of hearts
7. For the women from my church who were at the Tea that I spoke at a few weeks ago
8. The Meier Family (My in-laws)
9. Amber (my sister)
10. Ryan ( my brother)
11. Mom
12. Jarrett (my brother)
13. Brian ( my husband, my love, my greatest cheerleader, the father of my child, the man of my dreams, my knight in shining armor!!)

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