2012 National Marathon to
FINISH Breast
Cancer!
~In the Life of a Marathoner-Take
3!~
The three weeks leading up to the
marathon I was a hot mess. I found myself with a pretty nasty sinus infection.
And then TWO hurt feet…minor injuries, but enough to keep me from running 3
full weeks before race day. I was worn out and worried on what was in store for
me on race day. My goal was to at least push myself through the half, and if I
hurt too bad, sinus wise or feet wise, I would at least just walk the second
half.
This was the fifth year of The
National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer and I was officially known as a
Streaker (a 5time repeat). It’s an awesome feeling to be part of something so
great! There were over 10,000 participants for all the weekend’s races…with
about 2000 marathon and 5000 half marathon runners, 250 relay teams, and 1500
runners for the 5k the day before.
By the week of the race, the
organization had surpassed their fundraising goal, and by race day was well
over $514,000 raised. Donations are still being collected thru the end of
March.
I woke up race morning to 29degrees
with over 10mph winds, putting the wind chill ridiculously cold! It was record
breaking lows, after having an extremely warm winter. None of us were expecting
this. And none of us had trained through these types of conditions (well,
except maybe all the northerners that came down!) The race was starting an hour
earlier at 630am this year because of the tide which made it a long, dark, cold
morning.
I bundled up with ear warmers,
gloves, a tank, 2 shirts, long pants, compression leg socks, wicking socks,
with a warm up suit over top, and my tutu.
I met Norma, my 64 year old
neighbor, and headed over a block from the house to catch the shuttle at 5am.
The line was long, and we quickly found out there had only been about 1 shuttle
so far (they were supposed to start at 330a). We waited about an hour before
another came. People were getting extremely frustrated, and I was trying hard
to cancel out the negative vibes. Norma and I huddled together and tried to
shake off the shivers from the winds. I was getting nervous as I started to
lose feeling in my toes, but I tried to stay positive.
Two buses finally came and just as
we started to board, they announced that there was only space for 1 more. I
shoved Norma on the bus and told her to just follow everyone. It was her first
race ever, and I did not want her to be late. I felt bad for leaving her, but I
knew she is a strong woman and would make a friend real quick and find her way
to the starting line.
We waited another 15minutes for the
next bus only to find ourselves being taken the complete opposite way of the
Mayo Clinic starting line. Once again negative voices were all over the bus. I
finally had to speak up, and tell them there was nothing that could change the
past. We were at least on a warm bus, and there were still hundreds waiting in
the cold for their bus to arrive. Let’s at least appreciate where we are and
focus on starting the race in a positive attitude. People quickly quieted and I
was able to redirect my attention on strategizing my race. I definitely did not
want to start 5+ hours in a bad attitude. It helped that I received Good Luck
texts at that time from my friend Cory…probably the only person I knew up that
early, besides those that were in the race. It put a smile on my face. As soon as
the bus stopped, I darted into the Runner Village and scored the sea of pink
looking for my friends in their tutus.
I was panicking as the runners were
already lining up, and I couldn’t find my friends. I did not want to start
alone. I was relying on their support to get my pumped up. I then gave into
realization I would have to start the race alone. I threw off my warm up suit
and handed my bag to gear check. At that point, Toni texted me that they were
only 2 gear check tents away! I dashed to them, and gave excited hugs! We took
some quick pictures and went to line up. It was the most unorganized, extremely
crowded line up I had experienced at the race, but I also had never been late
because of the shuttle before either! They delayed the race by 10 minutes, but
they couldn’t delay much because of the tide. We were to run 2-3 miles on the
sand, and you can only delay so long…the tide will still come. I later learned
people were still being shuttled in an hour after the start! So, I guess we
were lucky after all.
Our walk into the corals I kept
yelling out for Norma and told my friends to keep an eye out for her. Toni,
Vicki, Stephanie were all planning on taking it slow, so we lined up in the
front of the last coral. Just as we entered, I heard someone say ‘Good luck
Melissa!’. I looked over and it was Norma!! I was so excited we had found each
other! We were in line long enough to take a couple pictures, and then the race
began! It took us 8 minutes to cross the Start. I wished Norma luck and darted
my way through the crowd.
It was hard to weave through the
slower runners, but I knew to expect that. All of JTB (first 3 miles) are
pretty packed so there is constant slowing down, and weaving around people. I
still think its better to start with friends though even if it is in the back,
than to start alone in the front of the slower runners.
The sun was quickly rising as we
approached the beach. Going over the bridge and the marsh is always one of the
prettiest parts of the race. I was just praying for a quick warm up, but it
seemed there were still a lot of clouds. Mile4 I felt I was warm enough, and
got rid of the ear warmers and gloves. I later learned this was the worst
mistake I was to ever make!
I was extremely excited for this
marathon. This was the first time I had several friends and family members out
on the course at different miles. At every distance I could just tell myself
that I only had to run so many miles to the next person! Chopping the 26 miles
into blocks definitely helped the mentality of conquering the distance and to
my surprise the race went by fairly quickly.
Right as I was about to approach
Pat and Julies house at M5, I noticed I was running next to Tim and Donna
Deegan, and Edith Perez….the ones responsible for this amazing event! It was
pretty fun to be shoulder to shoulder with them. I considered keeping their
pace because the crowds got more excited and cheered louder when they saw
them…but I quickly learned they were going a lot slower than I wanted to pace.
I pushed through and found myself at Pat and Julies house with a sign made with
my name and a glass of water waiting in hand! I gave hugs and told them Id see
them at mile 21 on the turn around.
Next up was the beach. Entry to the
beach was brutally cold….the coldest part of the race. The winds were extreme,
and my hands immediately froze. I honestly started losing feeling in my hands
and had to keep squeezing them to get the blood flowing. The waves were pretty
big, as the wind was blowing them in. The sand was perfectly packed and the
running was pretty easy except it was so cold it took your breath away. I ran
shorter distances, but every time I walked I realized it was too cold to walk.
So I would run. But then it would be too cold to breathe hard.
Right as all this was running
through my head, I heard my name called…it was Lucy and Suly! I had almost
forgotten they were at M6! I gave hugs and they pushed me through. The turn
around point for the half marathon was very hard to run by. I contemplated
turning just because it was so cold. But I was running well. There was no pain
so far, and my splits were pretty right on course. I was actually impressed
with myself. I had to take a deep breath and continue on.
Next up was the Amex (my work)
water station at M8. I was excited as I had planned ahead and gave a bag full
of goodies to Keri to store for me, just in case I needed something. At this
point I realized I never got the chance to go to the bathroom before the start
because everything was so rushed. There was absolutely no way I could continue
much further without going, however the porta pottie lines were ridiculous. I
absolutely did not want to add on 10+ minutes to my time by waiting in line! So
I continued on.
I arrived at the water station and
the first person I made contact with coming off the beach, I yelled, “Man its
Fing cold! “…like they didn’t know! (I found myself telling a lot of people
that the entire race. It was like I was surprised at how cold it was, and how
long it was staying cold! By this time usually the sun is up and the weather is
turning nice enough for short sleeves and shorts.) I later learned it was so
cold, the water cups were freezing over, and they had to keep dumping and
refilling them. It was exciting to run through the station with my fellow
employees! They were all yelling my name and a few had even made posters!
I grabbed half a banana and some
more GU out of my bag, gave hugs to Keri, took a picture, and continued on. The
very first house party I saw, just about a block away, I asked to use their
bathroom…thank god they said yes! In and out in just a couple minutes..no
lines!
Running through Atlantic Beach was
still extremely cold and windy. We were still only 1 road off from the beach.
The houses and trees were so close together the sun could not shine through to
warm us up. I tried to pull my shirt sleeves over my hands, but it really
wasn’t working. I even tried running with my hands under my armpits…yea, that
doesn’t work. I kept thinking about asking someone standing at their driveway
if I could take their gloves. I mean, they had to have more inside right? A lot
of the houses also had bonfires. I contemplated stopping at a few of them just
to warm up. But I really wanted to beat my time. I even turned one of the
corners and stepped into a puddle of frozen ice. I was lucky there was no
slipping! One of the houses even turned on their sprinkler and froze a tree…
icicles hanging….in FLORIDA!!
At this point the 5:15 pacers had
caught me. I decided I would stay with them for as long as I could. Jeff
Galloway was running about this pace too. It was pretty awesome running side by
side with him for a bit. He seemed to be in his own 30:30 pace though and was
running a lot faster.
I knew I had 10 miles to run until
I saw familiar faces again. Every time I have run this race, this is my ‘dead
zone’. M13-17 is where I end up hitting my first wall and my runs are slowed
and my walks are extended. However, the pacers pushed me through for a bit. I
felt comfortable. I felt strong. I finished the half in a good time. The sun
was shining a little more, and I regained feeling in my hands. At this point I
was receiving texts from my friend Brian and Liz. Perfect timing. How I cant
express how much just a simple text saying to keep going means so much to me.
I finally let the 5:15 pace group
continue on without me about M16 when I realized the pain in my ankle that
started a few miles back was not going away. I had never felt this pain before
so I was a little worried, but figured it would just go away. It never did. I
was surprised and lucky neither of my feet were bothering me and I really
didn’t have the usual knee pain that I get running long distance. Other than my
ankle, I was feeling Ok.
My dead zone went by fast this year
and I told myself I would just make sure I stay with the 5:30 pacers when they
reached me so I would be able to finish the race at my planned PR. The 5:30
pacers came really quick about mile 17. I ran with them, but then looked with
my Garmin and saw they were running under 10minute miles. There was no way I
could hang with them. I was worried for a minute, but then realized I would be
running through the Amex water station again at M18. I needed my friends, and
also my PB Sammie, banana, soda and asprin! More hugs and cheers were given
when I arrived and I quickly continued on with my mid race snack. I had learned
from previous marathons a couple years ago that my stomach could not handle 26
miles with just GU and Gatorade. I would get nauseous around this point, so the
preplanned bag drop was an excellent idea. No stomach problems this year!
M19 came and I could feel my legs
wanting to cramp. I needed salt. I felt so prepared for this race, having a bag
drop at the Amex station, and having support all over the course, but that was
one thing I forgot. Salt. At the water station, I saw a volunteer eating chips.
I practically reached into her bag, but regained consciousness and I asked her
for some. They gave me a bag. I shoved a handful in my mouth hoping it would
help. Each station I asked for salt, but everyone looked at me like I was
crazy.
Next up was Lucy at ‘The Brick
Wall’ M20. It came and went quickly. It is amazing how much energy a simple hug
can give you.
I continued around the corner by my
house where Dad was waiting on the corner alone. I was walking, and pretty
slowly at this point. I felt like I was a disappointment that I was walking in
front of him, but my ankle was hurting and I was still so cold. But I also knew
I was still making pretty good time to PR. I gave hugs and he walked with me
for a bit. He gave me the news that Norma had just crossed the finish line of
her first half marathon! I am so proud of her!
One more mile and I would be back
at Pat and Julie’s house, where all I could think is that they would have a
beer waiting for me! My pace had definitely slowed and I was walking a lot. Pat
must have noticed the fatigue on my face and walked the beer out to me in the
street. Oh how quickly that went down! I stopped and stretched and quickly my
hamstring locked up. It was so cold my muscles wouldn’t even let me stretch. I
did what I could and continued on.
I was now on my own. No one else
left except Tamara volunteering at the finish line. I still had over 5miles to
go. I knew I had to pull out some strength from somewhere. That is just when I
realized I never pulled out my mantra cards. I collected a bunch (about 13)
mantras and wrote them on little pink post its and put them in my pocket. My
thinking was I would read 1 a mile after the half. However, with all the
support I had on the course, I didn’t really need them until now.
On the back of my shirt, I put a
sign “SMILE when it Hurts! (…remind me)” I got so many taps on the shoulder,
and calls out as people past me throughout the entire race. It felt so good to
remember to smile. And it felt good to have strangers care. It was good
motivation too. If I was walking, it motivated me to run.
Just as we entered JTB for the last
3 miles, this lady passed me as I was walking and she said “it Hurts!!” I
smiled and said “yea it does!” I was just reading one of my mantras at that
point…it read “Run with your Heart.” I choked up as I read it, because honestly
at mile 23 that is all you can rely on to push you through. I started running
again and she was walking at this point. I reached out and passed the pink post
it to her. Oddly enough, it was on a heart shaped post it. I didn’t say a word,
just passed on the inspiration, hoping it would give her some motivation to
push through too. It felt good doing that, as at this point everyone entering
JTB in this pace is usually hurting. From that point forward, I decided that
everyone I saw struggling, I would pass on one of my mantra post its. It was
cool to see a little glisten in their eye as they read the little inspiration
and looked up at me and smiled.
Each one I read, I teared up.
Mainly because I knew the person that said it, or if not, then it just sounded
so appropriate at that time. Such as “If you are going to do it, make it count”
is one that is repeatedly said by my instructor at Baileys. She is probably the
strongest woman I have ever met and she motivates me every class to push it to
your limits. Then there was the “this is what you trained for”….yes, that got
me reminiscing about every month this past year. How quickly the year had gone
by! Did I actually just do a half marathon a month for a year?! Wow. I am still
just amazed it happened! And of course there’s “Go Big or Go Home” from a
complete stranger that saw me on one of my races and has followed me every step
of the way. Little does she know, I follow her too with her charity work and
love she gives to her fans and family. She is a huge motivator in my life as
well. Then of course the “if you slow down now you will regret it later,” the
“Suck it up Cupcake,” and the “the faster you run the faster this will be over”
were completely reliable at this point!
I could tell my ankle was hurt with
every step. But at this point, I was pushing my limits and running hard. The
pain was there but it was like I didn’t feel it. I guess I had reached that
mental block, that runners high.
I had finally made it to the
bridge. Less than a mile to go! I power walked up the bridge, as my legs were
tightening and running just didn’t seem possible on an incline. I actually was
walking so fast, that the guy running next to me at that point could not pass
me! I had to giggle to myself a bit… that even when I am weak, I am still
strong!
There were more supporters waiting at
the top of the bridge yelling our names! I was completely amazed at how many
supporters were outside in the brutal cold! I honestly thought the cold would
keep most of them inside, but they still bundled up and still showed their
support! Even at the top of this bridge where the wind was still whipping, they
stood there cheering me on!
I made it to the top and planned to
pick up a good pace going downhill and into the straightaway to finish. I knew
I could sprint it in. But just as I started to run, my right leg from my butt
to my calf completely froze up…. Charlie horse from hell!! I couldn’t move. It
almost took me down to the ground. Are you kidding me?! I stopped, but couldn’t
even stretch it. Shoot, I could barely even straighten it! I had to walk slowly
down the ramp. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me! I could taste the
finish! I felt like I had the energy inside to run, but my body was just not
letting me. I had never felt such a paralyzing cramp before!
It finally faded enough that I could
slowly jog, but I could feel the after effects so I could only run for a few
steps and then walk. I had never ‘not’ sprinted into the finish, but every time
I tried to increase speed, I could feel the cramp wanting to come back. I could
just picture myself crossing the finish line and the camera taking a picture of
me cramping up! LOL. Slow and steady like a turtle, I headed the finish line. I
then heard on the loud speaker “and here comes the Pink Tutu” I know he has no
clue who I am and what I have done, but it felt like he knew what mission I
just completed this past year. It was such appropriate timing. I smiled and
managed to finish 16minutes faster than my marathon PR!
Steps before I crossed, I heard my
name being yelled….it was Toni! She had waited for me after her half!! It was
the best feeling, to have someone at the finish line waiting for you! I
crossed, and looked for Tamara who was supposed to be volunteering, but somehow
did not see her. I looked at the VIP area, and saw Lin one of the race
coordinators that I have been volunteering with the past couple months. She
came and gave me a hug. At that point Tim and Donna were about the cross the
finish. It was such a great feeling to be around all these wonderful people at
this very moment!
I staggered through the Runners
Village to get my gear bag and meet back up with Toni. As I was collecting my
bag, the guy working the next table over asked if I was PinkFeet….it was Jesse
that I had met online! It was good to meet a follower and someone who understood
what I have been going through leading up to the race. I got a hug and we
talked about the craziness of the race day.
Beers were had with Toni and
Stephanie and then we were off to our buses. I stumbled into a seat where I met
a guy named Buck who was fascinated with my ribbon tutu. We had a nice
conversation on the long ride back and he seems like a good new friend.
What an exciting day!. …old
friends, new friends, love and support all around. It may have been a brutally
cold day, but the love all around warmed my soul.
Thank you to everyone for your
amazing continued support!
26.2 miles finished 5:37
It takes but one positive thought
when given a chance to survive and thrive to overpower an entire army of
negative thoughts. " - Robert H. Schuller