I headed to Miami set on completing my 23rd Half Marathon in 2012 and my 10th Rock N Roll event in 2012 to achieve Mercury status in the Half Fanatics and Rock Idol status for RNR. Despite the foot injuries and the pain that running had become due to them, there was no doubt that I would cross the finish line....I'm too hard headed to give up...and just in case I caved, George had promised not only to run with me but to carry me across the line if he had too. My journey through running has changed so much since I started training in the fall of 2009....even since my races throughout 2010 & early 2011. While my early running was focused on my goals, performance, and achievements, along the way as I met more runners it somehow morphed. I still have my personal goals, but Richard O'Brien captured the essence of the experience when he said, "Running is not, as it so often seems, only about what you did in your last race or about how many miles you ran last week. It is, in a much more important way, about community, about appreciating all the miles run by other runners, too." Whether it is my friends worrying about my injuries and their impact on my run/goals or me cheering on another friend as they work towards their goals, we all genuinely care about why each of us is on this journey and helping each other reach their goals. When one of us is having a bad day, someone is there to carry us along; when we are having a good day, we'll do the same for another. I went to Miami knowing this was it for 2012 for me...I wouldn't see these folks again for some time. My next registered race is not until March 30th 2013. I hope to add races before then, but I'd committed to taking the time to heal before making any further plans. I was also intend on just finishing the race and having fun doing so. And I was excited about running with George! Despite being one of my best friends and having met through running, we had never actually run a race together! The startline was beautiful on race morning.
Seeing my friends made it even more special!
We headed to the start line and got into our corral. David had run a HILLY 50K the day before so I was worried about him as much as he was worried about my foot.
In no time we were off.
The first mile wasn't too terrible. We joked and ran. Beth briefly joined us and passed us just as quickly.
The pain begin to set in and I began to consider walking, despite how early it was. I was in pain and saw no point in suffering through it. I knew David would encourage me to walk - worried that I'd do more damage. I knew George would let me walk if I said I needed to. And just as I was about to, Jim joined us. Jim would NEVER fault anyone for needing to walk, but I couldn't let myself walk with him being there. How could I, when Beth was so far ahead of us despite here battle with drop foot? If you are unfamiliar with drop foot or Beth's efforts, please check out her blog at: http://getbackuptoday.blogspot.com/
I kept going. The pain was only really bad when the road angled...so I stayed in the center to avoid the crowing and muttered when there were hills or exit ramps, that way I wasn't suffering. George and Jim carried me through the first 6 miles with George entertaining us and Jim's presence keeping me honest. As I've stated 100 times over, the first 5 miles are always my hardest and today was no different. One of my favorite running quotes is by James Dyson: "What I've learned from running is that the time ot push hard is when you're hurting like crazy and you want to give up. Success is often just around the corner." If I could just remember this every run from miles 3-5 I'd be fine! As we turned off the Julia Tuttle Parkway my foot was no longer painful and I was settling into a good rhythm and enjoying the race. I know I wouldn't have made it there on this particular day without George and Jim though; and I can't thank them enough for getting me through.
The 'middle miles' of the course were rather uneventful. Jim dropped off during this time. George socialized and met new folks. I plugged along, thankful the pain was gone and enjoying George's antics.
Overall the course was nice. The views were great and other than a few bridges it was fairly flat. There were ample water stops. There were stretches without crowd support but there were also stretches with great crowd support. If you NEED constant crowd support/energy, perhaps this isn't the race for you, but if you can get yourself the occassional mile or two without cheering then give this one a shot!
By the time we climbed the exit ramp to head back to Miami Beach, George and I had hit our silliness threshold. The fun was just beginning. For the first half mile on the return we just laughed and ran, enjoying each other's company.
Somewhere around mile 9 - 10, we got goofy.
We thoroughly enjoyed the remaining miles and crossed the finish line together in 2:11:01, smiling. After finishing we met a new friend, Cat, who had enjoyed our antics over the miles.
I received my Rock Idol and we met up with friends to celebrate and discuss our accomplishments and upcoming challenges.
For me, this marked the beginning of my rest and recovery - no running, no pressure on the foot - I intended to continue lifting weights and get my cardio via swimming or pool jogging....though I wasn't looking forward to it and knew I'd suffer fitness losses and running withdraws! But at the moment I just enjoyed my friends and the fact that I'd met my goals for 2012 -0 AND finished Miami feeling good.
"Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional." - Haruki Murakami
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