One week ago today was a very significant day for so many of you at the Surftown Half Marathon and 5k. Some of you ran your first half marathon, some of you ran your best half, some of you struggled through an injury, some of you simply did what you could to get to the finish line, some of you ran the 5k with your best friends. No matter what you did, how you did it, or why you did it, you crossed that finish line. One week ago today was also a very significant day for me, because I did NOT cross the finish line. The Surftown Half was my first half marathon in 2011. I ran this race in the inaugural year, have run it every year since then, and had planned on running it every year until I was physically incapable (in my mind I was seeing gray hairs) I wanted to be one of the people who had run it every year of its existence. For the past 2 months, Ive been struggling with a stomach problem. It got in the way of the necessary training runs for the half. It made running unbearable and miserable. The idea of not running the half was killing me. Unbeknownst to this group, you supported me to make the right decision, all the way through race day and I want to thank you for that! Your posts about injuries, illnesses, recovery, your messages of encouragement and reminding me of the bigger picture, all of it helped me come to the decision to sit this one out. I was not quitting. I wasnt bailing. I wasnt wimping out. I was responding to my body. I was taking care of myself. I was thinking about all of the races I have yet to run. I got to know so many of you (although I only knew 4 of you in person). I needed to be at the race for you. So I signed up to volunteer at 5:45 am, so I could join you on the course on my bike and cheer you on. You gave me purpose and joy that day. Every time I saw an OutRunner on the course, I was inspired and proud to be part of such a wonderful group of people. Yes I wanted to be running with you, but you kept me distracted from that thought. I focused on you, and finding as many of you as I could. I did struggle at the finish line, watching you finish. Knowing what it felt like to complete the race, and wanting that so bad. But you quickly distracted me again when I got to meet so many of you face to face for the first time. After a week of reflecting, I have to thank you all for your support and friendship. You turned what could have been a mentally miserable day into something so memorable. Much love to my OutRunners Special thanks to Elizabeth, Nicole, Brian, Kristen, & Jacquelyn
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 02:52:39 +0000
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