I must admit... I have been putting
off writing this post. Not because it is difficult to write, but because
this will be the last blog post. And with this blog post, my marathon
journey officially comes to an end. Please know, however, that there is
no deadline for Cancer Research Institute donations and the fight against
cancer will not stop until we find a cure. Thanks to those who donated,
we are $4,320 closer to never having to mutter the ugly “c-word” ever
again.
I have been asked if I will take
this blog down now that the marathon is over, and the answer is,
"No." In my experience as a nurse and comforting dying patients
and family members, I have learned that the person dying is not afraid of death;
he is afraid of being forgotten and life continuing on as if he never
existed. Hence, Striding For a Cure was created with the intent of
honoring and remembering cancer victims. I will not take
the blog down because, more than anything, I want their stories to continue
being shared and their legacies to live on. We have not forgotten and we
will not give up. In addition, I was told by a few people that writing
their tribute was extremely difficult and emotionally challenging, but also
therapeutic. One person wrote, "I understand that you want these
letters for inspiration for yourself, but I think they are, at least in my
case, a means of reflection and understanding." I believe the
pictures and stories provided comfort for those seeking closure and I would
never want to take that away.
As for the marathon...
My alarm went off extremely early,
but I slept well and woke-up full of energy. In the bathroom, my fiance had
stuck Post-It notes all over the mirror. Most said things like, "You
can do it!" but my favorite was a very bad drawing of our dog, Rigsby,
that had the caption, "Very bad drawing of Rigsby." They made
me smile and it was the perfect way to start my day. I fueled up on a
Clif bar and drank two cups of coffee. By 6:15 I was out the door and on
my way to Grafton High School, the starting location for the race.
As we lined-up in the starting
corral, I had a moment of panic. One by one, my friends, Heidi, Nick, and
Greta, made their way to their respective (much faster) pace groups until I was
left standing all by myself. Granted, I was amongst thousands of people,
but I felt entirely alone. I think Heidi saw my eyes well-up with fear
because before she left, she gave me a valuable piece of advice:
"It might be a good idea to join a pace group." This
wasn't what I had planned, but at that moment I was scared and desperate.
And so, I surveyed the prospective pace groups and decided to join the
10:18 min/mile. I had done my long runs between 9:20 and 10:40 min/miles,
so I figured this would be a safe pace. Besides, the pacer, Jim, had blue
hair (a good omen, I figured) and I liked that the final time (4:30) was a nice
and round number.
As it turned out, joining the pace
group was my saving grace. Instead of running a marathon, I felt like I was
out for a jog with a group of friends. Not far into our run, we found out
that our pacer, Jim, was actually the owner of the company hired to pace
the marathon. I felt at ease with him leading and relieved to not
have to tackle the 26 miles all by myself. Running with Jim was
like having a personal running coach. Up the hills, he reminded us to
"take it easy" and "run nice and tall as if you're carrying a
telephone book on the top of your head." He helped me run effortlessly
and efficiently and I'm only sad it took me until the day of the marathon to
figure out there was an easier way to run. He also told funny stories and
corny jokes as we ran. I groaned at most of them, but was happy to be
entertained. Also, because I didn't have to worry about staying on pace,
I wasn't incessantly checking my watch and actually got to enjoy the scenery
and find familiar faces in the crowd.
In the remaining miles of the
marathon, I came across many more "Striding For a Cure" supporters.
Each time I was greeted by signs, hugs, high-fives, and happy
cheers. Seeing their faces made my heart swell and
adrenaline soar. My sister, brother-in-law, and nephew even sang a
song! They know my love for the movie Finding Nemo, so
they cleverly made a sign and sang, "Just keep running, running,
running. What do we do? We run, run. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ho. I love to
run." (Like this.) My sister said they made a lot of
runners smile and laugh. I’m just not sure if they were smirking at the
sign or their singing…. :) All my fans in the crowd made the other
runners slightly jealous. At first, I received comments such as,
“You must be from around here,” and “Wow, there are a lot of people cheering
for you.” Then the remarks turned into amusing questions. A fellow
runner asked, "Can they cheer for me too?" Another runner
commented, "If you run this next year, can you let me know what pace group
you'll be in? I want to run with you again." And my
favorite comment came from a guy who said, "I'm just going to pretend
my name is Andrea."
While I whole-heartedly appreciate
everyone who came out to support me, there are a few people I’d
like highlight. My parents gave up their Halloween weekend at the
campground to be at the race. If you know my parents and how much they
love camping and Halloween, you understand the magnitude of this gesture.
My friend, Melodie, and sister and brother-in-law drove down from Green
Bay. My aunts, uncles, and fiancé's parents gave up their
Sunday to spend it cheering for me. Kathy, the wife of Mile 9's Tom
Nyman, came to support me even though we had never met before. Decker (6
months old) and Ethan (4 years old) cheered me on, even though they
probably thought it was the longest and worst parade ever. And my 78
year-old grandmas trekked through the race route in order to see me, although I
am at least 99% sure they still have no idea what a marathon is.
My favorite part of the whole
day was seeing my family, friends, and coworkers along the race route.
The first people I saw were my sister's friends: Vanessa, Colin, and
their babe Pierce, near mile 1. They have the convenience of living
near the race route and stood at the end of their cul-de-sac. I think
it was pure luck that we saw each other, but I was excited to their faces.
The next people I saw were my parents and friend, Karen, near
mile 2. They stood apart from the crowd, holding their large signs,
shaking their blinking lights, and chanting, "Andrea! Andrea!"
I had a moment where I choked up with emotion and the runner next to
me gave me a concerned look. The noise I was making was a cross between
an asthma attack and moose mating, so the concerned look was definitely
warranted. But, I pulled it together, gave out high-fives, did a happy
spin, and ran on.
And the after….
It's hard to describe exactly how I
felt as I came through the final chute and saw my family and friends cheering
in the stands. I still tear up just thinking about it. Crossing the
finish line with them as witness is a moment I will cherish
forever. And thanks to my friend, Karen, I can watch it on video whenever
I please. After the race, I felt great. I was definitely sore,
but mostly I was blissfully happy. I had finished! In all the
"after" pictures, my happiness is evident in the dopey grin I
have on my face. Besides my engagement, I cannot
recall another moment in time that I have felt so overjoyed.
We gathered after the race at Water
Street Brewery in Grafton. I was greeted by a loud applause and
a room full of love. After giving out lots of hugs, I enjoyed a
juicy hamburger and tasty margarita and didn't feel the least bit guilty about
it. It was the perfect ending to the perfect day.
The most popular questions I
received after the race:
Would you do it again?
Given the right race and a
good cause, yes I would. Who is with me? :)
Do you still run?
Yes, but not nearly as much or as
far as I did during training. Nowadays, I enjoy taking my dog,
Rigsby, on 3-5 mile runs a couple days a week. For me, it's the perfect
distance to get the heart pumping, enjoy some fresh air, sweat a
little, get Rigsby some exercise, and be back home before my coffee gets cold.
How did you feel after?
Initially, I
felt great. But when the adrenaline wore off that night, I got
the chills and sweats and overall felt "icky." The soreness
didn't peak until the next morning when I crawled out of bed. I felt like
a wooden doll that had stiff joints and couldn't bend. Squatting to sit
was quite the task and standing back up required rocking back and forth
until I gained enough momentum. Luckily, I had the foresight to take
two days of vacation and could just relax. I pampered myself with a
haircut and color, manicure, pedicure, and massage. By Wednesday, I felt
fully recovered and was back to running.
Now what?
Now, my attention is focused on
wedding planning. October will be here before we know it!
Would you recommend the Milwaukee
Lakefront Marathon?
Absolutely! The course is
mostly downhill and the fall scenery is breathtaking. It is
well-organized and the crowd support is incredible. Concordia
University's marching band played as we ran through the campus, a
gentleman played an accordion on the side of the road, a lady played pots
and pans atop a hill, and numerous families had water stations set-up at
the end of their driveways. Most importantly, it didn't matter if
you were the first to finish or the last - the crowd support was
the same.
Any words of advice for someone
thinking of running a marathon?
Follow the training plan.
Experiment with nutrition and hydration supplements until you find what
works and then stick with it. Run for a cause. Find
a running buddy. Make sure you have a spare key so you don't
get locked out of the house after a 20 mile run. DO IT - I promise you
will not regret it.
What have you learned?
Dream big and work hard.
Wishing you hope, health, and
happiness,
Andrea
