"Whenever anyone asked if I had a goal time, I
said no. This was my first half and I just wanted to complete it. That
was a lie, of course. Everyone, no matter what he says, has a goal time,
even if it's vague." - Marc Parent
I have seven wonderful nieces and nephews. I'd like to share a story about my oldest niece Rebekkah. Though the story is about Rebekkah's first half marathon, it is really about my second half marathon with Bekkah. Bekkah is 20 and the daughter of my sister Veronica. As is apparent in my recent entries, I have taken up the hobby of running. It has been a challenge that I am very much enjoying and that I'm working really hard at. Surprising to me, it has actually inspired family and friends alike to get back into running as well. I can only imagine that if they see me, a person who was not a fan of running, doing it, that they know anyone could do it.
After my first half marathon in November, my niece Bekkah started running more consistently as an addition to a year of putting in time at the gym and eating healthier. As a reward for her hard work, I got her an entry into the 3M Half Marathon in Austin that was going to happen in January 2013. Considering she had a very strong base already, I gave her a 6 week training plan to help her get ready for the race. I was impressed how how diligently she stuck to the plan and how much faster than me she was in completing her runs. It pays to be in shape kids.
By the time the race came along, I was confident that Bekkah was more than ready. The only real question would be what time she would finish in. I, on the other hand, had been dealing with assorted injuries that kept me from training. I felt like each time I felt good enough to run, I would come back from that run upsetting the injury again. I had problems walking and my knees ached. It was a mix of too much too soon, not being in good enough shape yet, eating the wrong foods, doing the proper stretching and most likely the wrong shoes for my running type.
I could have sat out the race been a good uncle and just cheered for Bekkah, but that wasn't the plan, the plan was for us to run it together. So I did everything I could to try and get as healthy as possible for the race. I went to a chiropractor for the first time, a massage therapist for the first time, a doctor to evaluate my knee, a personal trainer to strengthen my legs and core and I rested as much as I could. The resting part, though the part I'm usually the best at, was the hardest because I wanted to run more. It was time I started to be more healthy since I still had many leaks in that department.
Come race day I was not sure if I would be able to run, but I felt hopeful that I felt fine walking, which alone had been difficult the day before. I put on my knee brace on my troubled knee and we headed out to the race before 5 am for a 6:45 a.m. start. It was freezing, like windshield in the 20s as we arrived at around 5:30am. I was also not wearing enough layers and was unprepared for such weather. I still had no clue if I would be able to run, but the idea of being out in the cold just waiting and watching seemed worse in my mind than at least trying. Rebekkah was very excited as we neared the starting line and I was very proud of her. My only advice was not to stop, but to be careful. I also shared the importance of staying hydrated. I told her that I might not be able to make it, but that it is more important to try and fail than to decide you will fail and just not try at all. I was hoping to show that lesson by example while not being the poster child for making a pre-existing injury worse by pushing too hard and being too stubborn. It's a fine edge between the two. I had a knee brace under my tights and another knee brace over. My left foot was taped and I had no laces over the injured tendon from the week before. I was also in my old running shoes as the new ones with more support had not been properly broken in.
After the gun shoots, starting the race, we cross the start line and I wait for her to go ahead so that she can find her own pace, a pace faster than mine on a good day. I start running and within the first twenty seconds my knee just hurt too much, my left foot was aching and I had to pee super bad even though I had just peed twice in the hour before. So I take off the outer knee brace and take a few more steps and that doesn't help. Then I say fuck it to myself, and run to the side of the road, find some bushes and take a piss while I try to figure out a plan. I felt shameless but couldn't care less and no one there probably did either. The weird thing is that I started to feel better and now had a plan. I decided that I shouldn't try new things on race day, so I lower my internal knee brace to my ankle (essentially taking it off) leaving my knee bear since I can't fully remove it without removing my tights. I start to run and don't expect to last long, but my race was now truly beginning.
I still feel pretty bad and haven't really gotten too far from the start line with still 13 miles to go. I try to figure out what I'm going to do since there was a lot of distance (the entire race) to cover. Then I remember, every time I run I feel like I want to quit for the first two miles. I just hate it, my body tells me to quit and is pissed I'm doing this to it. But after two miles it just accepts its fate and everything changes and I can run and that is when I really start to enjoy it. So I thought, why not apply that today. I'll just go two miles and if I can do that and still feel terrible, I'll call it and know I gave it my best. After mile one, for no real reason, things started to get normal, then when I hit 2 miles, I was like shit, I might be able to do this thing. Now it seemed crazy I was saying that at mile 2 since there was a lot to go, but I just knew it.
Then to make things more interesting, my pace was much much faster than I had been training at (including the time I lost at the start to go and pee/think). It was still hard and my knee still hurt, but not the way it hurt the day before just to walk when I was in bed with ice packs and medicine. I was so impressed with my lungs as my cardio was more than prepared for this. I feel like the next 10 miles just flew by with little effort. Right before the mile 13 marker, my calves started cramping up. I've had calf cramp issues since my first hard football practice my before my freshman year in high school. Those cramps really hurt and all I could think was if I crossed the finish line by having to walk it would all not count to me. So I just kept running, scampering almost, trying to run through it, knowing if I pushed too hard the cramps would really kick in. I had forgot my salt packets because I changed water belts back to my old belt and forgot to move them too. I wanted to sprint at the end as I do with most of my runs, but I didn't because I didn't want to risk more cramps. As I crossed the finish line with what would be my worse photo finish ever, wearing a size too large t-shirt and a jacket tied around my waist, I felt accomplished. My brother, his wife Ashley, and Bekkah were there waiting and cheering. It felt great to have met that challenge. It felt even better seeing my time of 2:34 which although 34 mins slower than my half goal, was 30 mins faster than my first one I did and I was fighting off an injury. Bekkah had crossed at 2:13 and didn't stop at all. She ran a great race and I knew it was just the beginning for her. I was very proud of her and enjoyed hearing about her first experience and how happy she felt. When I think of her as a little girl, I just never would have imagined this day, maybe because I couldn't ever see myself as wanting to do something like this.
I imagine that the cold had to be good on the inflammation of my injuries, but that is just conjecture. Also, I did have a shot from 4 days before that was supposed to ease the pain and though it didn't feel like it helped much as I still hurt, that might have been when it kicked in. Either way it all worked out and I was happy it did.
I tried to cool down and stretch, but it was super cold again now that I wasn't running. As I tried to get into my brother's car, I got a terrible cramp in my calf. It was funny because it made me yell, but I just kept asking for a second for it to pass. Bekkah had salt packets and those stupid little things really do make a difference as I took those in and drank more water. It was my last cramp of the adventure. More training and better nutrition will solve that problem in the future. I still felt a lot better than I did after my first half marathon.
So long story short, I finished my second half marathon and did better than I expected to do when I planned to do it healthy. I didn't injure myself worse based on how good I felt in the days post race and Bekkah enjoyed it so much she came home and signed up another half marathon in February.
Here is Bekkah with her first finisher medal. I look forward to the many more to come.
I accepted that my original marathon plan was a bit too ambitious, though I do believe I could do it if I had to, but the cost would be not running for a long time after due to injuries I would be sure to upset. So I moved my first full marathon from February to June in San Diego. It might still be a bit too soon, but I'm going to do it. There is no question that I will complete at least one marathon in 2013. When I do this and it will truly be a couch to marathon story. The real question will be whether I can avoid it also being a marathon to couch story too.
After the 3M Race, Bekkah and I were treated to lunch by her uncle Ruben who might be joining Bekkah in a race in the not so distant future. He came all the way from San Antonio in the coldest of weather just to support his niece. That is a one supportive uncle. Bekkah was so happy to have him there too.
So now I'm trying to keep good habits. I'm trying to rest and heal up while still being active. My body feels constantly sore from my personal training sessions and my Spring half marathon running class is keeping me motivated. I'm getting monthly massages, seeing a chiropractor and trying to eat better. I must say, the running group class, an idea I was initially opposed to, is what has given me the most motivation. The people in there are really great and it makes the experience fun. There is more to come.
the right shoes
No comments:
Post a Comment