Wowza here it is. Finally. Have I been putting if off because it's too overwhelming to try to explain all the emotions that went into this race? You betcha.
The freezing cold running. The early buzz of the alarm clock. The endless laps on the track. The fear of leading Becky astray.... it was all worth it. Best 13.1 miles of my life.
The morning of the race, after I forced myself to eat a toasted egg sandwich and a few sips of Gat0rade, I lay in bed trying to fall back asleep. My mind was racing with a jumbled mess of thoughts "Do I know the coarse well enough not to get us lost?" "Will I be too slow for Becky?" "Will we finish without any major obstacles or will we have to walk the last 4 miles?" Finally I dragged my jittery body out of bed and went to look in the mirror. I needed to figure out why I was racing today. I decided this race marked another beginning to a huge step foreword in my life. (more on that tomorrow.) I returned to the bed, knelt down and prayed. I asked God "to allow me to be the eyes Becky needed today and for our legs to carry us to the finish." It's go time.
We started with a pace that we both thought would be manageable to maintain and we absolutely did. We ran 45 sec/min mile faster than I had planned and we kept that tempo through mile 9. We nonchalantly said, "Gosh, I thought this was going to be a little harder!" By mile 11 we were eating our words as our legs began to turn to sludge. Then mile 12 hit and we decided to pick up the pace and rock it out the last mile. We excitedly approached the finish line and when I witnessed the sweetest act of love. I glanced over as Becky's husband hurdled the barricade and jumped in the race next to his wife. The most endearing look of pure excitement, joy and pride for his wife consumed his face. He was so happy to see her finish that race he could hardly contain himself. It was totally rewarding to be a part of that.
(come to find out later... everyone was worried about us because we were so "slow." But Becky and I were super proud of our time and beat our goal.)
Just a few of the best advantages of running with Becky is the constant conversation companion, total trust and belief in one another, and all the extra cheers we would get because she's so awesome. I think every person who passed us took her courage as an inspiration to find gratitude in their bodies. I hope it made them surprisingly aware of what a gift it is to be able to run. It is a gift I've come to find total joy in. I can't believe I'm so lucky to be her guide runner. I love it.
So despite the fact that we came in much slower than our fans expected... I think we're addicted. We'll see you at the SLC 1/2 Marathon this April. Just look for the two awesome chicks tied together, running, and smiling.
Mucho gratitudo goes out to my one and only MR KDAY and his side kick BUCA. Becky's family, Mr. Messell and his entourage, the super sign makers - my big brother and his fabu- fam, and the R.Nells for their warmth and hospitality!
6 comments:
Congrats shannon! That is so awesome! You are my hero. I am sure Becky loved running with you too... I miss going on walks or running with you.
Hey! Congrats! I am so excited for you. I cannot believe you ran 13 miles. It makes me tired just thinking about it. Now if you will excuse me I need to go lay down :)
Congrats! And that last pic of Layla is toooo cute!
You are freaking amazing...we did it!!! Thank you so much for giving me the motivation to run this race with you...it was grueling, but fun and gave me the boost I needed--I CAN do hard things, SLC Half, here we come!
Shannon, thank you for sharing this. As a follower of Becky's & a legally blind runner/walker myself I am well aware of the gift of freedom, joy and team spirit you have given Becky. You are a beautiful person for giving her that joy. And awesome work on finishing the half!
That was a beautiful post. Made me cry!
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