Thoughts Before My First Half-Marathon

Three months ago, I joined a marathon training class, and here I am a few days away from participating in my first half-marathon.  The leader of the class sent a very encouraging email to the participants.  Here are some excerpts:

"For every participant, the Marathon and Half Marathon can turn doubt into hope, and discipline into dreams come true."

OK folks it is almost show time!!! ! feel like a mom who is sending her children off to summer camp for the first time. Isn't the 1-2 weeks prior to a merrython great!!! Eat lots, sleep lots, cut back on your exercise regime, be cranky and irritable with good reason, and spend endless moments writhing in anxiety!!!!! I have heard from some of your colleagues here and there about how excited you are. That is great. Remember it is perfectly acceptable to have butterflies in your stomachs...you just have to get them to fly in proper formation!!! (and to not vomit) That comes automatically as soon as you take your first step across the start line (not the vomiting).

You are about to embark on a wonderful journey that will provide you with an extension of your limitations, the strength and will to do what you previously may have only dreamed about. What a great gift you have earned for yourselves. I only wish I could be a small insect (and one which produces only good thoughts) on your race numbers the day of your event. But I do know that although I won't be running alongside you, that you will be in my thoughts and prayers for a safe and meaningful journey.

Remember, there is only one time that you will run your first half or full marathon. Experience the moment and do not wish the miles away. Regardless of how you feel (and you may likely ebb and flow), it is all about the journey. The finish is only a “line” that you cross. Your journey will stay with you forever and one that you are likely to recall again and again. Smiles will cross your faces when you are in the midst of conversations, immersed in thought, and struggling through those endless agendas. You will be changed when you cross that finish line. The preparation is done, the exam is about to commence, and finally the celebration will be yours to own forever. Savor the moment, you have earned it, and you will never be the same again!!!!

Go forth in victory (where did I find that one???). Remember, if you are at the start line for your respective event, the odds are extremely good that you will make it to the finish line. Your journey will be revealing, physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. I wish you only the very best. You have all worked hard and are most deserving to embark on this incredible journey. As I always told my students in Outward Bound, you have been in the safety of the harbor long enough and you have learned all that is necessary to go out to sea and handle any crisis you may encounter, as well as to enjoy the peacefulness and confidence of knowing you are prepared. You are now Outward Bound.

May you find great joy and meaning in your effort, I wish you only the very best…………….remember it is all about the journey!!

For my Rochester friends, come cheer on the runners.  The race organizers will even provide cow bells!!

15K Race Recap

In preparation for running my first half-marathon, I ran a 15K race as a dress rehearsal to see how the past three months of training is paying off, and to see if I'll really be ready to tackle 13.1-miles in a couple of weeks.  The evening before the race I bowed my heart before the LORD in prayer and asked Him what He wanted to teach me this time out.

As I quieted myself before Him, I heard Him say, "What is the date tomorrow?"

"May 5," I answered.

Then He asked, "How far is the race?"

"15K."

Then it clicked...May 5 = 5-5; and I'm running three 5K's = 5-5-5.  There is great significance to the number 5.

The number 5 is the Biblical number for GRACE, and with the date and the three 5K's, it comes to five-fives.  Then I heard Him say, "I am leading you into a season of grace, and you will experience grace multiplied."

WOW!!

I actually got a decent night's sleep.  The weather was perfect for running, and the route was beautiful.  I was feeling good at the start line.  I headed to the back of the pack not wanting to get run over by more aggressive racers.  My goal was to just cover the distance; it didn't really matter how long it took or if I came in last.

BANG!  We started.  My strategy was to continue my 3/4-mile run and 1/4-mile walk intervals throughout the race.  I'm using the RunKeeper app on my iPhone to keep pace, and I also have a prompt set to tell me where I am every 30 minutes.  The first 30 minute prompt told me that I was 3/4-mile ahead of my regular pace.  I felt great!  I kept going.  The next 30 minute prompt I was even a bit farther ahead of my pace, and at the third prompt I was almost a full mile ahead.  I was indeed experiencing grace in this race!  I did start feeling fatigued during the last two miles and walked further than I should have.  I'm still learning how to conquer the self-doubt and negative thoughts that creep in when my body is tired...something all runners struggle with.

I rounded the last corner and saw the finish line, and I was shocked when I saw the time...I finished 22 minutes faster than I thought I would (even though I was the last one across the finish line).  I was a bit tired, but I felt great, and the finish line cookies were awesome.  It really doesn't matter that I came in last.  A "dead last finish" is better than "did not finish" which trumps "did not start."

13.1-miles--BRING IT ON!

Pain: Hurt vs. Harm

Pain is inevitable.  It's a part of growth.  I don't necessarily believe that pain is bad.  There's a difference between pain that hurts and pain that harms.  Years ago I met with a counselor while working through depression.  Those of you who have ever worked with a counselor know how emotionally painful it can be to talk about all the things you've buried over the years.  It's hard to dig those things up, look at them, recognize them for what they truly are (whatever that is for you) and then to finally let go and move on.  The counselor often used stories to help me face my pain.  He told me about a time he worked at a rehabilitation hospital.  One of his duties was to help patients into and out of the therapy pool, and depending on what was going on with their bodies, this could be very painful for them.  He told them, "This pain may hurt but it won't harm you."

Pain that hurts is temporary and is often a part of the healing process.  Recognizing that pain is a part of the healing process helps me to face it more readily.  As part of my training towards running a marathon I also incorporate strength and core training with a personal trainer each week.  The exercise can cause pain, but once the pain subsides I realize I'm stronger.  It's so much fun to come back to the exercise that caused so much pain a few weeks later and now find I can blast though it.

A few weeks ago the long run was 11.5 miles.  My strategy was to run 3/4 mile and walk 1/4 mile and focus on one mile at a time.  It was a gorgeous day and we ran through some of the most beautiful scenery in our city.  The first 7 miles went really well.  I was feeling good and ready to tackle the remaining 4+ miles.  Then something unexpected happened.

When I hit mile 9 my body began to freeze in pain.  Not due to cold.  Everything from my neck to my ankles froze in pain, and my feet hurt excruciatingly.  Then the battle in my mind began to rage.  Can I push through?  Should I stop?  I thought about a woman in our running group who was suffering with a stress fracture.  I wasn't sure if I was injured or merely fatigued.  I tried to run and then got really dizzy.  So, I decided that I would walk the rest of the way back.

Let me tell you, even walking was painful.  Everything hurt with every step.  At the point it became most painful, guess what song came on my iPod?

There may be pain in the night, but

Joy comes in the morning

Perfect!  I still hurt everywhere, but I was grateful to God for using this song to show me that this was not the harmful pain of injury...just the temporary hurt of fatigue.  

A few days later I read an article in Runner's World magazine: Survival Training (link below).  It was about a newbie runner who completed a training run with a Navy SEAL.  He experienced much the same pain as I described above.  Then the SEAL whispered in his ear:

 "You ran long and hard to feel this pain—embrace it, let it go through you. This pain is your reward!"

This is something I'm going to remember as my mileage progresses.  It's a good lesson to learn, and it's one you can only learn from experience.  Is the pain I'm experiencing harmful or is the hurt temporary?  Pain is my reward and will make me stronger in the end.

It feels so good to be moving for a good distance at least once a week!  Covering roughly ten miles is just not big of a deal.  The most I had done before this was a 10K race back in the 80's.  I was moving faster then, but ten miles is still ten miles!
Some of the best memories are the views of the city that I would not normally see.  Running on foot provides the time to look around and soak it in.  Driving in a car is often too fast for that.
Exercise is a good thing.  Doing it with a spouse makes it that much more "do-able" (when you have kids).
It's worth it, and I enjoy it.
Enough said....

Bruce (Rebecca's Husband)

Life is Lived on the Hills

My apologies to whomever I'm stealing this thought from as I can't remember where it is that I heard it.

Life is lived on the hills.  When you flat line it means you're dead.

Hills are usually a metaphor for challenges, and we see the most challenge in climbing uphill.  However, I'm learning that running going downhill is just as challenging.  Running uphill requires strength in your hamstrings and glutes.  Running downhill causes increased impact on joints and requires strength in your quadriceps.  It is much different from cycling.  There's no coasting downhill in running.  Both require strength.  That's why many races advertise a "flat and fast course," and runners like those because they can run fast and strive for setting a personal record.  However, runners also know how important it is to incorporate hills into their training in case there are rolling hills in the race.  It's best to be prepared.

One of my favorite TV shows is Globe Trekker.  It is a travel show, and trekkers go to remote and interesting places around the world.  Each episode usually concludes with a trek up a famous mountain.  One episode I remember best is one that showcased Switzerland.  The climb was up the Matterhorn.  As arduous as the climb to the summit was I couldn't help but thinking about how precarious the climb down would be.  In fact, they pointed out how many climbers were injured or killed on the descent.  Yikes!

The long run this past weekend was 9.5 miles through some of the hilliest neighborhoods in my city.  We made it to the first water stop and then started what I thought was a pretty steep climb.  I almost made it all the way to the top when I needed to stop and walk.  Another runner warned me that there was another hill coming up.  I thought, "Okay, I'll just recover a bit and then be ready for the next hill." We rounded the corner and even with craning my neck I couldn't see the top of this hill.  It was too steep for me to run and took most of what I had in me to walk up.  I didn't feel too bad because I could see other runners in the group walking ahead of me.  We made it to the top and still had about 4-5 more miles to go.

I think it was about mile 7 or 8 when the fatigue really set in.  I am doing a run/walk method of running 3/4 mile and walking 1/4 mile.  I was on a 1/4 mile walk break looking ahead and seeing yet another hill ahead of me.  About that time the driver of a dark red van started honking and waving at us.  I knew it had to be someone I knew, but I couldn't see who it was.  Even though I didn't know who it was it was such a boost to know that someone was cheering me on, and I really needed it at that point.  I did find out who it was later, by the way. 

The walk break was over and it was time for another 3/4 mile run and the next hill was approaching.  My husband said to me, "I bet you're hoping the next walk break will hit just at the base of that hill."  You know what?  The 3/4 mile interval ended just there--at the base of the hill, and it was a 1/4 mile walk up and then the route flattened out a bit.  Whew! 

We made it to the end, and I'm noticing that something is starting to happen to me.  I'm actually beginning to enjoy running!!

Love Endures



One of the many obstacles runners face during training is illness.  What do you do when you get sick?  I found out.  A couple of weeks ago I was hit with dizziness and overall fatigue.  I'm going to call it a flu, although I didn't have any respiratory symptoms and no fevers and no body aches.  Just really dizzy, and a dull ache developed in my right lower abdomen.  The ache progressively worsened over a week, so I called the nurse line at my doctor's office.  I was instructed to go to the emergency room.  Long story short, it was nothing serious (thank God!).  The pain was from a cyst on my ovary which went away on its own.  However, the dizziness persisted, and it was the night before my scheduled 7 mile long run.  I debated with myself about whether or not I should go or not.  I asked my husband what he thought, and he refused to tell me what to do.  Well, after some wrestling with God in prayer, I decided to go for it.  I was tired of always having reasons for postponing training.  Everything I read online about running while sick stated that it was safe as long as the symptoms were above the neck and no fever...which I qualified for.  So, with a pounding headache and scratchy throat I set off on my 7 mile run the next morning.  

The good news was that the temperatures were a balmy70+ degrees (in March!); however there were 30-45mph winds to contend with.  I trudged through the first two miles pretty well, but when I reached mile 3 I really got discouraged.  I wasn't feeling well, and I doubted my ability to make it through 4 more miles.  My husband, who ran with me that day, said, "The aid station is coming up."  I thought, "Yeah, if it's still there."  The last time I ran the aid station was packed up and gone by the time I got there.  Thankfully, we made it just in time.  The volunteer had just shut the door to his truck and was about to leave.  I drank some Gatorade and felt better.  I couldn't help but thinking about Jonathan being revived after having a taste of honey...sometimes sugar is good!

My husband and I set out for the rest of our run.  He had the map, so I leaned on him for directions through the labyrinth of trails in the middle of our course.  We went around a bend and came to a dead end.  We turned around and came to another obstacle.  After a bit my husband started to laugh as he realized he was holding the map upside down.  It's funny now...it wasn't then.  In any case we found our way back on course, and through the wind we made it to the end, and our 7 mile run ended up being 8.5!!

It was definitely challenging.  The scripture that came to mind as we were running through the fierce winds was

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

(1 Co 13:7)

My husband, who absolutely enjoyed the run, said to me, "I'm so glad you hear from God."  I answered that the only reason I'm running at all is because He asked me to.  I also know that it doesn't matter how long it takes to make it to the finish.  This is all about the journey, and I am convinced that if I could make it through this challenge I do have what it takes to complete the half marathon.

This Is The Year

This is the year!  This is the year that I will complete a marathon.

Looking back over my running log I realized that I haven't run regularly since September.  I ran a beautiful 10K race, and then got sick.  Got better.  Got sicker.  Got better.  My kids got sick, sleeping patterns were disrupted to the point that I was averaging 4-5 hours of sleep per night, and it didn't let up for weeks.  I was in a continual state of exhaustion.  My intention was to run the Lace Up Against Breast Cancer half-marathon on February 12.  I registered for it in November and had a good training plan figured out.  It wasn't until mid-January that my life returned to some sense of normalcy.

Weeks of no running.  Would I be ready to tackle a half-marathon?  I seriously doubted it.  I talked to my trainer who challenged me to try to get in a nine-miler and see how I felt.  Honestly, I had three weeks to train for the race, and it was a stretch to run 3.5 miles.  I made the decision to downgrade to the 5K race instead.  I wasn't selling myself short; I was being realistic.  I know that one big mistake people make when learning to run is doing too much too soon, and they usually end up injured.  As a mother of two small children, I owe it to them and to my husband to be wise in how I approach this goal.  So, I ran the 5K.

It was a chilly beautiful day.  Temperatures were around 20 degrees with a light wind and best of all--NO ICE on the trail!  That was my biggest concern.  I could handle the cold, but I didn't want to risk injury in icy conditions.  I joined with over 400 participants (combined with the half-marathoners and the 2-mile walkers), each one of us there for different reasons.  My reason was to keep up with my running goals, but the evening before the race I was praying and asking the LORD what He had on His heart for this race.  It seems that He usually has something to teach me as I'm going through this process.  He brought to my attention something so obvious.  I can't believe it didn't occur to me before, and I'm ashamed to say that the purpose of this particular race was completely lost to me as I was focused on myself.  The purpose of this race was to raise awareness of the fight against breast cancer, and there would be people there who were touched in some way by this horrific disease.  This Bible verse spoke what I believe was God's heart:

"So I pray that God, who gives you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in Him.  May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."  Romans 15:13 

At the registration table there was a special place for "survivors" to register.  I noticed that some wrote notes on the back of their race number bibs and pinned them to their shirts stating, "Running in honor of _____________."  For some the race was a celebration of triumphing over cancer; others were running as an act of mourning the loss of someone dear.  My reasons for being there seemed small and petty.  Nonetheless, as my husband and I ran we took the opportunity to pray for restoration of hope and healing for these dear people.

The race went well, and I'm ready for the next phase of this journey.  I registered for the Med City half marathon at the end of May and I joined a marathon training group.  The group meets for an education session on Tuesday nights and then for a group long run on Saturday mornings.  The first Saturday run was this past weekend.  Most in the running group are experienced marathoners.  I was the least experienced runner there.  No matter.  I know the paradigm transformation I'm undergoing.  When I got into my car to drive to the meeting place, the car filled with the presence of the LORD, and I heard Him clearly say to me, "This is really going to happen.  You're going to run a marathon."  I wept the whole way there.

The group took off running and the leader of the group, a woman in her sixties who has run multiple marathons, came alongside me and said, "That's it.  Slow and steady.  Walk if you have to, and run when you can.  Remember, this is supposed to be fun."  Ha!