Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! 5 AM. Oh my. 5 AM. I’m not sure I’ve been up this early since……well, I don’t remember the last time I saw 5 AM. But here it is. RACE DAY.
I woke up pretty groggy, because, as I knew, the night’s sleep was pretty restless.
There was no lingering in bed with hopes of sleeping on into the morning. My sister had driven in and stayed the night. I listened to see if she were awake, too, before I began getting ready. I wasn’t sure how to dress, so I opted for warmth in case it was too cool for my pleasure. I put on my running shorts and my new Susan G. Komen shirt; then, layered on a pair of sweat pants and zip-up hoodie. Ahhhh, nice and warm, as the temp showed 67 degrees outside. Plus it was damp from the night’s storms.
We both sat down and ate a “runner’s” breakfast…… I opted for some oatmeal and Tang; she went for the peanut buttered toast, a breakfast bar, and some yogurt. Both our nerves were “working” and I was hoping my stomach stayed “settled”!
We were out of the house within an hour. My husband and girls were following later and our parents were going to be about a half hour behind us. As we’re heading down the highway, lightning popped in the sky to the north and east. Hmmmm? That is not a good sign!
We arrived in Columbia and found our way to the parking lot behind Mizzou Arena. There were already lots of people gathered on the Mizzou campus between Faurot Field and Hearnes Center. The sun was coming up, but it was a dark, cloudy sky as we gathered our stuff and walked down to the gathering area. Lightning still crashed in the sky……..
My nerves were really making my stomach do somersaults! I tried to focus on all the people, what was under all the tents, etc. Anything to calm my nerves! The crowd was amazing and the energy spread! My adrenaline was starting to flow and I was getting excited as the crowd grew and grew. They had a stage set up and two folks did announcements. I couldn’t understand a word they were saying! It reminded me more of Charlie Brown’s teacher!
As the crowd grew, I saw more of the folks I knew who were from my husband’s school: Megan was there with her brother and his friend; the assistant principal, Greg; Title I teacher, Micky; kindergarten teacher, Michelle; guidance counselor, Cindy; and those I didn’t see but were there: Spec. Ed teacher, Rachel; and 4th grade teacher, Roberta, her husband and son. I also knew some ladies from my church that were attending, but never did see. They announced that over 4,000 people had registered!! Amazing! What an awesome feeling to be a part of this!
Time was fast approaching and so was the thunderstorm from the north……
We waited at the “starting” line when it began to sprinkle and lightly rain. My parents brought my sister and I some disposable ponchos, so we put those on to help stay somewhat dry. We didn’t start on time and I’m assuming it was due to the storm. They announced for the crowd participants to make their way to the “starting” line. As we were standing there, nervous as can be, we tried to keep limber by moving around, jumping up and down, etc. Excitement just took over!
10….9….8….7…..6…..5…..4…..3…..2….1…..GO!!! The mass began to run and here we go! Woo hooo! I can’t believe I’m doing this! I waved to my husband on the sidelines and then set my sights on all the people in front of me. My sister was soon out of sight and I got into the groove of the ‘Stephanie Shuffle’. Megan came running by not too soon after we started and whispered, “you rock!” as she went by. :)
The rain had stopped except for a few sweeps of mist every once in awhile. I soon decided I didn’t need the poncho and ripped it off. I was about ½ mile in when I saw a trash can up on a sidewalk, in which I deposited my poncho.
I loved the cheering squads along the route….most of them, anyways! They were very encouraging and very energetic!
Mile 1! Yeah, I ran to Mile 1, now where’s the water. :) As I approached the water station, I noticed the people in front of me weren’t stopping. Huh? Am I the only one that needs water already? Nope. They were out of water! Dude! Seriously! OK, Steph, you can do this!
The run between Mile 1 and Mile 2 had to be the toughest. I tried to run the downhills and walk the uphills. Lots of jog/walk/jog/walk. But I also wanted to make sure I had the endurance for the last mile…..to finish with jogging. I made it to the mile and a half point to the next water station. Thank goodness! Hydration!
Mile 2. Here we go. The last leg of the race. What was nice was the cool breeze that swept through every once in awhile. I like the fact that I wasn’t dripping with sweat and wiping it out of my eyes the whole time. But I was damp from the misty rain that was here and there.
My heart skipped as I saw how close I was to the “finish line”. Tears started to well up but I told myself I had to save those up for the end. Plus, I couldn’t sob now, I’d mess up my breathing pattern. :)
Downhills are soooo nice. That’s what the last leg of the race was. Nice! We wound down Hospital Avenue, under Stadium Blvd. through the Mizzou tunnel, around the east side of Faurot Field, to enter through the south side of the stadium. As I entered the stadium, I was overcome with emotion: 4 months of training, joy, pride…..
“Lord, let me have the endurance to cross that finish line!”
As I rounded the last corner, I got a severe side cramp. This….is….not….going….to….stop….me!
There’s Heather! We finished the race together! We embraced and then the tears came! What a feeling of accomplishment! How awesome to finish the race! To be a part of something so powerful!
Megan was there, too! Another tearful embrace for me. And my hubby: a kiss of praise and an embrace of pride. Kisses from my two beautiful girls and words of pride from my parents. Words can’t express what I was feeling at that moment.
I finished behind Megan and Heather, but according to them, we all finished in great times!! We watched a couple more people we knew cross the finish line and then we headed to take cover under the “canopy” because the rain started to pour!
And did it pour!!!! Due to the weather, there wasn’t a whole lot of standing around. My family decided to go out to eat breakfast, which was good, because I was hungry! We all went to Bob Evans and enjoyed a hearty breakfast. From there we exchanged “Good-byes” and words of “Thanks” before everyone went their way.
I came home and curled up under the warm blankets and took a nap. A perfect ending to a special day!
Thank you to Megan for encouraging me to be a part of this event and being a very special friend over the past few years.
Thank you to Heather, my sis, for doing this with me. We may have been miles away in our training, but we encouraged one another to do something we never thought we’d do.
Thank you to my husband and girls for standing by me and encouraging me to keep at it! I love you!
Thanks to my parents for supporting Heather and I and coming out to watch us, even in the rain!
And thanks to everyone who laughed their way through Heather and I’s blog, supported us from the sidelines, and supported us monetarily.
I LOVE YOU ALL! And I bid you farewell………..
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