The Finish Line

 

 Last Friday I picked up my number and a race packet to 'run' in my first 15k, The Badger Mountain Challenge. I use the term run very loosely. It was more of a walk, hike, occasionally jog sort of race. I still can't believe I actually finished the race. Mind you I was nearly last and beat by an 85 year old woman but.... I finished! 

A few months ago, my friend Dawn asked if I wanted to run in the Badger Mtn Challenge with her. I confidently answered yes and planned out a training schedule in my head. I'm always so efficient and 'with it' in there! Needless to say when race day was fast approaching, I knew racing this 'together' would be a picture at the start of the race and one at the end. Truth.

Last fall after a 3.5 month struggle with countless health problems, her sweet baby girl Molly, went back to heaven. I have never lived with the devastating loss of a newborn baby and she has never been through a heartbreaking divorce. But, we both 'speak' grief (does that make sense?) and so there is an understanding between us that is very comfortable. We remind each other that 'we can do hard things' and this race fell into that category.

She is also a hair dresser and we were cracking up- we both used our flat irons prior to an 8 am race. I love that she understands the need to have decent hair even on race day.

 I had looked at the time results from last year's race to determine how fast I would need to hike/walk/jog. It is a trail run and was up, down, around, back up, around and down a mountain. A total of 9.3 miles that I wanted to finish in less than four hours. I felt pretty confident I could finish, I just wasn't so sure how fast I could do it.

It was windy most of the race, especially on the back side of the mountain. There is a stretch of the race that follows a farm road through an orchard and that is where I was s. l. o. w. I did not exercise/train once after Nathan's accident which was exactly two weeks before the race. Multiple times I planned on hiking to prepare but I was often faced with the choice to train or to be with my kids. I chose the latter every time. I don't regret that for a second but it does explain finishing 428th out of 441 racers.

 The mass of racers spread out early on the trail. It wasn't hard to tell which racers had been training and were more prepared. Most of the race I spent between an older woman with a long, white ponytail and an outback woman wearing a Crocodile Dundee hat. If the woman with the ponytail is the same 85 year old finisher that beat me by 13 minutes, hiking is a good sport to keep you young. I was also passed by another older woman wearing high waisted jeans and a beaded belt. I can't even imagine hiking/running 9.3 miles in jeans and a tight belt. But hats off to her, she's faster than me.

Dawn's husband is a serious runner. His goal was top 20 and he came in 21 (up from 35 last year). He planned on finishing his race and finding Dawn to finish a second time with her. Scott killed that race and finished in 1hr and 19min. Dawn was amazing too, she finished in 2hrs 15min.

Here's what makes these guys so great. After Scott climbed the mountain again to finish with Dawn, they both climbed the mountain again to finish with me. I almost cried right there on the trail when I saw them. The stairs at the front of the race are steep and hard to climb. I felt the love because they climbed them again for me. Kind (and fit) people do that for their friends!

I hurt my knee on the last 10 steps off the mountain and was certain I would be a gimp all through spring break. I could barely walk the first few hours following the race. Thankfully, ice and ibuprofen will do wonders when you've put too much stress on a knee joint. After Sunday, it didn't hurt again. Huge blessing so I could keep up with these kids during break.

Water never tasted as good as it did at the finish line!

I met my goal of finishing under 4 hours and finished in 3hrs and 19min. I wasn't the last finisher across the line but I was very close. Only 13 people came in after me. Still, I'm proud of myself for finishing with little to no training and I have a time I can definitely improve with more preparation. It was hard and a couple times I felt discouraged about my pace. But even with those discouragements, I knew I could do it if I didn't stop (metaphor about life?). I'm grateful to have a friend like Dawn that encouraged me to stretch myself. It was a big stretch for me but in the end, one that felt good. With 12 months of recovery, I might just do it again next year.