St. Goerge Marathon 2011, pushing Mom

Several years ago my brother, sister-in-law and I were running. I know, wow, we were running. Anyway, my brother got the idea to push our mom from start to finish in the St. George Marathon. He wanted to get all of our siblings together to do this. I loved the idea and we moved forward in putting this idea into motion. I have six siblings and not all of them are runners but we figured that if we gave everyone enough time, they could all be ready. Sadly, I figured someone would probably be pregnant so not everyone could do this. When it came time to sign up for the marthon, not everyone was on board but we did have my brother, two sisters, my sister-in-law, and me. We contacted the marathon and asked for permission then set to work looking for a chair to push her in. It required much dedication and some pestering, but we got permission to push my mom. My grandma found us a sponsor and my sister found the chair. My Team Triumph is an amazing organization that sets "captains" (physically disabled people) up with chairs and "angels" (able bodied runner). They set us up with a chair and Robert J. DeVry sponsored the shipment of the chair.

We got the chair about a week before the marathon. Two days before the marathon we went for a run pushing my mom. We didn't get her centered in the chair and the chair pulled to the side all 5 miles. After that run, I was really worried about the marathon. I should probably mention that this was one sister's very first marathon. Race morning the weather was a little warmer than we had hope for. My mom has MS, which is why she is wheelchair bound and she cannot sweat. If she gets too hot, she just melts and it takes hours to cool her back down and it just wipes her out for the rest of the day. The beginning of the marathon is always kind of crazy. It takes a few miles to find your place where you are pacing the same as the people around you. With that running wheelchair, it was a little crazier. That was the most incredible marathon I have ever run. We would pass people or people would pass us and they always had a comment. So many people were inspired and thought what we were doing was so amazing. My mom's reaction was the best. If she was able, I know she would have run a marathon with us. We were simply able to do for her what she couldn't do. She has seen the marathon from a helicopter and loved that experience but right in the thick of the running crowd is an entirely different experience. 

Because of the weather, we had to leave the sister who was running her first marathon. After we got Mom to the finish line, my brother, sister and I went back for the other sister. We had shirts made up for us because we wanted people to know why we were doing this. As we passed people going back up the marathon, so many people told us that what we did was so amazing. I had no idea that we had had that effect on people. Our goal was simply to give Mom the marathon experience. We were able to do that but we got so much more. Hands down, that was my most memorable and favorite marathon. 

Thanks for checking in with me and come back again soon. 

Boston Marathon II

Haha. I bet you thought there was no way I would be back so soon. Here I am. I'm writing today because I just finished reading the July edition of Runner's World magazine. They have devoted about 70 pages to the Boston Marathon. Other than the plane ride from Boston to Minneapolis the day after the marathon, I haven't spoken to anyone about Boston that was adtually there except my husband and we really haven't talked about it much since that first week.  Reading those first-hand experiences was, I don't know. Perhaps I should advise right here that if you haven't seen the Runner's World for July, beware that it is graphic. There are several pictures of the finish line shortly after the bombings and of people who we injured. Those pictures are graphic. That being said, the magazine is worth the read. Those stories needed to be shared. They surfaced feelings though that I didn't realize I still had. Don't get me wrong. I am mostly okay. I have moved on. There is still part of me that is not okay. I don't know. That part of me may never be okay. It may always be an open wound. It may scab over. I have no idea what my next race will be like for me. Even though I have already run another race since 

Boston, I think it may have been too soon to know what it will really be like for me. Only time will tell. 

I was robbed of the opportunity to cross the finish line of my first Boston Marathon. I was stuck just short of Mass. Ave. for more than an hour as we waited for the BAA to come let us know what we needed to do and go and expect. I never got to turn onto Boylston and hear the roar of the crowds as they cheer me and my fellow runners through the finish line. I missed the climax of my experience to Boston. I was cheated and I am still struggling with it. I had feelings that I am ashamed of. I was frustrated and angry that I didn't get to finish the race. I wanted to know if I would still get a medal. I wanted to know if the BAA would allow me to come back next year without qualifying. Reading 

Runner's World made me feel better. Many runners felt those same feelings that I felt. And they too felt guilty about it. 

Boston was an amazing race. It was a beautiful day and seriously fun. Right up to the time we got stopped less than a mile from the finish line, I was having a wonderful time and I was so glad we made the trip to Boston. I echo the sentiment of someone (I really wish I knew who it was!) who said that bombing the Boston Marathon was a bad idea. The picked the wrong group of people. Runners are used to adversity. We run through it. We are used to pain. Runners are strong, not just physically but mentally and emotionally. We will be back next year an we will be stronger than ever. 

Thanks for listening to me rant and ramble on. Thanks for checking in with me and check back again soon. 

50 miles? Ready, set, . . .STOP!

So you may be wondering, maybe not, how our 50 mile run went. The short answer, it didn't. Our last training runs I think I told you about them. Ryan was sick so we didn't go as far. By the next day, my brother's knee was bothering him. He knows everything about evereything so when he wasn't sore the  first day but really sore the next, he started worrying. After some at home testing, he started thinking that his original idea that he injured a ligament may have been wrong and that he was healing. We postponed the run for about a week and a half. After some rough days at work, my brother decided it was time to see a doctor. Last week he saw one and he told my brother he is pretty sure he tore his miniscus. That means surgery. They've ordered an MRI but we know that's what it is. I won't go 50 by myself unless it's in a race. It's just too far to go alone. So, needless to say, the 50 is off. I can't figure any way to do it. That really frustrates me but it is the way it is. 

I ought to add here that we have purchased a new home and sold our home so I have been busy trying to get ready for the move. That's the reason I haven't recently posted and will probably be sporadic over the next few weeks. I promise that once we get settled I will be better about posting. I'll write about when we pushed my mom in the marathon and my son's first half marathon. 

I hope everything is going well for everyone out there. Thanks for checking in with me and come back soon!