my friend amynoie flew out from chicago to do the race with me.
friend time at target and jeni's ice cream? check.
relax in a hotel? check.
run a marathon? check.
we walked over from the hotel in what felt like the early dawn hours. many people. many people. so many people.
priorities before race time - check our gear, go to the bathroom, and line up.
the crowds put limits our goals.
we checked our gear, tried to wait in the lines to use the port-a-potties but a frustratingly long wait, and a small brick wall separated amy and me until the finish line. amy decided to hop the wall to get to the bathroom. my unorganized and bumbling self with my arms full of gatorade and my jacket and my earphones and an extra just-in-case banana. i couldn't jump the wall. i lost amynoie.
we'd have to start the race by ourselves.
the starting line was super sized.
lasers flashing in the trees.
ac/dc's thunderstruck blasting through a mile of speakers.
fireworks. tears. excitement, pride, and terror
this is going to happen!!
(mayor coleman <shown below> came to watch me run my first marathon)
ac/dc, bruce springsteen, even ke$ha sang out and got us all excited!
and
there were FIREWORKS!
i saw my parents (up all the way from georgia) and my sister less than a half mile in.
hi/bye.
i broke the race down into smaller, more achievable segments in my head.
- get to refreshments every mile and a half or so
- get to where people are waiting for me
- get to the timing mats that would text everyone how i was doing.
after gulping down some gatorade and water at each of the next few fluid stations, my next goal was to get to that 10k timing mat. under control. as my friend janelle told me, "run like the wind in a very consistent and reasonable pace that's comfortable for you." and that's what i did. every time i checked my watch, i was exactly where i wanted to be. yesssss.
think of a beautiful autumn day. the trees are perfectly red and orange. the weather is brisk but sunny.
that day was race day. a perfectly beautiful autumn day.
after the first timing mat, i had a couple miles before i'd look for friends.
it was about this point that it started to sink in: i'm running a marathon today.
and i only have about 19 miles left. oh dear. but i still felt good.
i was looking for megan but saw janelle instead at almost mile 9. OH HI!!! i had to back track a bit because i missed her at first. gave her a quick hug and asked her the most important question:
"is the text tracking working????"
i needed people to be able to follow along. i needed to know that people were with me.
the next few miles were a familiar trek.
german village with its spectators and their dogs happily crowding in around the runners.
the permanent smell of toast in the air.
schiller park in its tranquil sunday morning beauty.
the turn and push up high street
suddenly, the turn off for the half-marathoners was flashing on the large construction sign. i remember last year how quickly it felt like the turn off came. and now it was here again. except, i was going to continue straight.
almost as soon as we lost the half-marathoners, the spectators thinned out, the runners thinned out, the tumbleweeds blew by......
suddenly there was no turning back. the real race lay ahead of me. only marathoners ran next to me.
shortly after the turn off, i saw my parents and sister again. this time i could hug, say a couple words, and see what they'd been doing this whole time.
my sister was an amazing sherpa guide. she guided my parents all over columbus to see me at multiple points on the course. she was ready with good gu flavors since i couldn't fit enough in my little pouch.
the exchange went like this: you take this flavor, give me your flavor, and take this car key that i accidentally brought with me like a moron.
i don't think my parents wanted me to stand around and chat. they wanted me to go! go run!!!
so i was off again.
next segment in my head was sarah
i saw her and her daughter addi at mile 14. no disappointments.
HI!!
a brief hello and "you're looking great" with another sarah and i was heading off to campus.
next goal was to get to that stadium. i'd heard mixed reviews: "it's an exciting and meaningful piece of columbus history" or "it's a drag on my pace."
i don't think the stadium is what has a drag on people's pace. i think the fact that it's at mile 17 is a drag on the pace. i thought the in and out ramps were a little bit of a nuisance but the brief run through the endzone was really exciting and beautiful. i'm in the pro-stadium camp.
next segment - get to mile 19 to see courtney, janelle, jake, and evan. at this point, i NEEDED to see them.
a quick cut-through in the "corny field" was a bike path through the agriculture section of campus and it was loaded with motivational signs. i think i read each one. that was really a perfect time for all those signs.
it was around this point, my knee started to say hello. oh hey knee, what's going on. just running a marathon.
i had to walk it off. keep going. the pace was great. keep going. keep the pace up!
but i was starting to go to the dark side. oh dear. it's too early for this. 7 miles left.
i looked ahead and saw a group of people with a sign that said JOYCE! hey, that's my name. hey! that's my friends!!!!
"you guys, i'm hurting, i'm slipping to the dark side. what do i do??"
i wanted them to tell me what to do.
"you look great, joyce."
"keep going."
"you're doing it!"
yeah, you're right, i am!!! and with that i was off again. i think evan may have been recording that horribly pessimistic exchange. and for that i'm sorry. wah.
i had a second wind for a little while.
i don't know if you all understand the very important and intimate role spectators play in a marathoner's journey. strangers, friends, family, me - we're all in it together.
i need them it's proven again and again with the energy i gain from people cheering for me. and so i kept going.
around mile 21, i saw my friends from work! my friend with cerebral palsy in his electric wheelchair saw me coming. "joyce! there you are!!"
and my other friend who is non-verbal clapped and vocalized "JOOYYY!"
i looked to my friend that brought them for help. "i'm hurting."
his reply, "but you only have 5 miles left! just walk a little if you have to. just finish!"
and so i nodded, turned, and ran away to the cheers of my friends yelling after me down grandview avenue.
i walked on and off and found myself at mile 23. some random spectator saw me across the road and looked me in the eye and said reading my name off my bib, "joyce, do this right now, dig deep."
i clapped and started up again and then i thought, wait, what does that mean? dig deep? dig where? dig for what? what do i have left??? i AM digging deep. what does that mean?
i was in a dark, dark place. but at no point did i ever say to myself, i'm never doing this again. i just had to get to the finish. but i wasn't sure how. i heard in my head, this would be over faster if i run to the finish instead of limp.
my sister met me at mile 25. i couldn't smile, wave, i could only nod. she thought i didn't see her when she waved for me at first. no no, i saw you, sheryl, i just don't have the energy anymore to outwardly acknowledge you.
she met me right at the last water station.
again, i looked to her for help. "i'm hurting. every time i run, i have to stop in like a quarter of a mile."
she walked behind the water table watching me as i walked and tried to sip my last gatorade.
i felt like poop. i've run 25 miles. i've got nothing.
still had a mile and change to go.
sheryl stayed with me. she walked on the sidewalk when i walked. and then she ran on the sidewalk when i ran. she was always in my peripheral.
that last mile, i ran the rest of the way in. it was miserable but then i heard the finish line echoing down the street. 3/4 mile to go.
every once in a while, sheryl would yell out while running down the sidewalk, "YOU GOT THIS, JOYCE, YOU'RE ALMOST THERE!!!"
saw my friend sarah again. unfortunately she was recording this mess. i thought i had given her a look of pleading for help. but this looks like i was scowling at her. help me.
finally i made the turn into the finishing chute.
the music was loud, the spectators were forcefully calling me by name to keep going and finish.
i saw my parents crying and yelling for me to go. dad was waving at the finish saying, "you're right there, it's right there!" i could hardly acknowledge or look at them.
the announcers were promising that 26.2 miles was behind me. all of these things carried me in.
the road veered and the finish line came into view. people continued to cheer for me and i never took my eyes off that finish line.
this was an indescribable day.
and i am a marathoner.
https://vimeo.com/109387866
