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gilliansquirtle · 13 years

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I GET BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS! (That’s you.)

Yesterday, I became a half marathoner.

Is this real life?

For the past 4 months or so, this half marathon has been my biggest goal, but I can honestly tell you that in the past few weeks, I really doubted that I’d be capable of finishing.

My last run before yesterday was 2 weeks ago. 9 miles, the farthest distance I have ever run. But that run was a very rude awakening for me. I could only run six miles before pain began to shoot through my leg and then I had to walk/fartlek the rest. I cried the rest of the way.

With that run fresh in my memory, I have been feeling extreme anxiety about the half marathon. When will me knee begin to hurt? Will I have to walk the second half? Will people think I had failed? Most importantly, will I feel like I had let myself down? Will I get emotional and quit out of shame and embarrassment?

All of these questions had been nagging at me for the past few weeks, making me very nervous about even attempting the Jazz Half Marathon. My confidence really began to waver. Who did I think I was, attempting to run such a race?!

BUT THEN I GOT A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS!

Cue day before:

I cannot thank you all enough for your messages of encouragement and support. You lifted me up when I needed help, and I want to hug you all for it!

Still feeling anxious, I went out onto the porch (where many a stressful time is spent) and while out there, I found a package addressed to ME! A lovely lady had sent me an encouraging care package, equipped with the nicest, most thoughtful card. It really set me at ease and warmed my heart. Thank you, darling!

Then came dinner with Jason and Trish!

We went carb crazy and gossiped about The Internet and had a lovely time. Knowing these 2 would be running with me was also a huge comfort.

Tumblr time, and SLEEPS.

Cue morning of the race:

5 am alarm, HOLY MOLY IT’S COLD. Oh Shark Week’s here too, COOL BRO. Nervous laughter. Must get dressed, eat oatmeal with nutbutter and banana, and head off on my bike to meet Trish. Trish’s friends agreed to drive us downtown to the race, SO NICE OF THEM. They had been partying last night and were super tired and talked about all the debauchery. It was hilarious considering our lives our evenings/mornings were so different. (Sidenote: I’m not jealous at all of people having Halloween fun- I’d much rather spend the weekend the way I did any day.) We got downtown and saw runners everywhere. CUE NERVES OUT THE WAZOO. Trish’s friends gave us high fives and we hopped out into the cold dark world. (Sorry for the melodrama, it could have been worse!)

T minus 40 minutes! Portapotties, bag check, freezing butts off, finding Jason, walking & stretching: check, check, check, check, check & check!

As the time got closer, I texted with Brenna, Claire and Kiera. Thanks for the last minute support, ladies!

Before I get into the race, let me pause just tell you again: I couldn’t have done this without the support of my friends and family. SO! I took some reminders with me into the race!

Earrings!

My family, especially my mom and sister came with me in my earrings! Mom bought them for Brenna and I for a little extra Irish luck.

Bracelet!

Two of my best friends, L & A- L bought it for me in Cuba!

ROCKSTAR STICKER & CHAPSTICK!

Kiera! Claire! REPRESENTING ALL THE INTERNETS!!! Yes, you too! You all came with me through your messages, texts, thoughtful gestures, and stories of inspiration.

I needed to bring these things with me to remind me that people believed in me- just in case I forgot to believe in myself!

Anyways, back to the race. The 3 of us walked over to the start of the race as the national anthem was being sung, and not long after, the racers were off! It took about 2 minutes to cross the starting line. In that first mile, it was great! Everyone was in such a good mood. As we got into it, the 3 of us split up, but Jason and I played a little bit of leap frog haha.

Going into the race, I decided that I was going to try run/walk intervals in an attempt to baby my knee and prevent the ITB from becoming an issue. I began doing 10 min run, 1 min walk and it was going fine. I could feel my knee by mile 1 or so, but it didn’t really hurt- it was just letting me know it was there... This is where I saw Jason! I trotted up to his side and said a quick hello, and we chatted for a bit, and then I trotted a bit ahead. On my next walk section not long after, Jason caught up to me again! From there, we ran together for a few miles as I adopted his 7 minutes run /1 minute walk. At that point, I was becoming very conscious of my knee and it was starting to make me panic a little in my head, so it was really nice to run and chat a little with Jason. I hope that was okay with you, Jason!!!

Around mile 2.5, the knee started to actually hurt- it was only an ignorable amount of pain, but I really began to worry. I kept going over and over in my head the idea that I might not finish, but I didn’t want to let myself give up. I was trying to have fun, but the anxiety was threatening to overtake my brain!

At this point, though, we met a really cool lady who told us that she had just ran a marathon in Portland, OR 19 days ago! I thought she was a beast. She was really cool and she definitely sparked some tumblr-esque motivation inside me. The music at Lee square didn’t hurt either.

As we got to mile 4 or so, Jason peeled off to hit an aid station, and I decided to keep on going. We didn’t see each other again until the finish line! This was on St. Charles Avenue- a MAJOR comfort to me! I always run on St Charles Avenue because it offers soft grass & dirt on the neutral ground/streetcar tracks, a scenic landscape, and easy out-and-backs. We weren’t supposed to run on the neutral ground, but did anyway, and it felt just like so many training runs (but more exciting!).

I also resumed conversation with marathon lady, in which she told me more of her story: 10 years ago when she was 26, she had had both hips replaced. She spent the following 10 years stretching and weight training, and jumped back into running with her first race, a half marathon, earlier in the year! WHAT?! Then of course she also ran the full 19 days ago, and was currently running a half. She told me her doctor didn't like the idea of her running, but she reasoned with him saying that he was going to have to replace them one day anyway- why shouldn't she wear em down? Hahaha, she was too cool! I told her it was my first half, and she congratulated me!

I don’t know if it was the familiarity of St Charles Ave, the motivation of this woman’s story, adrenaline, seeing elite runners pass me on the other side of the road, or what, but after I passed the 6 mile mark, my knee pain abated a lot! I was able to push it to the back of my brain and kept running for the most part. It’s a miracle!

As we reached the park, there were more people spectating, a few bands playing, and a generally merry atmosphere! Ain’t nothing in the ‘verse could stop me!

I met another runner in Audubon Park around mile 8- at this point, I was having a great time, and I starting cracking a few jokes to the people around me. This man was speed walking next to me as I was “running”, so I joked to him that his walking pace was the same as my running pace! It was funny to me and it seemed to ease the tension in his face a bit. He smiled and told me, “I’m trying!!”. It was a first half marathon for both of us! He was doing work. As I pulled ahead, he wished me a jolly “Good luck!” and that put a big smile on my face. There were also roller derby people in the park! And I passed a friend of mine! She cheered me on :)

Leaving the park, I finally found mile 9, and after that, every step was a distance PR for me! I made sure to remind myself that. At each subsequent sign, I shouted in joy to all of the runners around me- “LOOK, MILE 10! MILE 11!!! Etc.etc.” Yeah, I was that girl. It was a great feeling knowing that I still felt good! In fact, I pretty much felt awesome until about mile 11. I got pretty sluggish by then. I knew that my pace had slowed down a lot, but I couldn’t really make my body push much harder. My knee wasn’t hurting that much, but OH BOY MY HIPS. Ha, I’ve never had my hips ache before during a run, it was so foreign!

The cheerleaders were the best in those last few miles! One woman cheered for me by name. About a mile later, 12ish, a man and a woman were standing on the sideline. The man said to me, “Come on, Gillian! This is your race! You look great, finish strong!”, and when he said that, I could feel the tears coming. I let a few come down my face, but then I realized I couldn’t breathe very well, so I made myself stop it! Ha.

I saw cameras at mile 13, and I had the biggest goofiest smile on my face, because I knew that as soon as I turned the corner, I’d have just .1 miles left! I could SEE the finish line. Nothing in the whole world could have wiped the proud smile off of my face. I know that I was going pretty slow by then, but there was a lady running right next to me who had been with me for the past few miles, so we sort of played off each other and made each other run faster. She finished a few seconds before me, but I didn’t even care. I cried as I crossed the finish line, tears of JOY of course. 13.1 miles in 2:35:16. Not my best pace, but I worked hard for that and am so proud! This was 4.1 miles longer than I have ever run!

It was incredibly emotional for me. Knowing that I had finished when I had been doubting myself for so long… it just made me feel an intense pride in myself. I’ve never really felt that before. I want to do it again!! ...Except not right now because I could be related to a penguin based on how well I am walking today...

Anyway, I got my medal and cried, and then a felt a tapping on my shoulder- Jason! He had finished a few minutes ahead of me. I gave him a hug, and we walked over to the sidelines to see if we could root Trish into the finish line. We missed her cross the finish, but found her sitting in the grass after. WE THREE WON THE HALF MARATHON AND WE HAVE MEDALS TO PROVE IT.

There were refreshments and music waiting for us in Lafayette Square. I don’t know who the band was, but I was on such a high that I decided to get up and dance! There was already a half marathoner couple up there killin it on the dance floor, and the lady was so happy to see me join them. Everyone else was sitting in the grass. I showed the world my joy through my awkward dance moves for a few songs until I realized that my knee hurt! Haha. It was great.

PIZZA TIMES. Deep dish pizza and ice cream FTW! (Thanks for the ice cream, Jason!) I scarfed down my food. Also, my favorite part about going to eat with the racing stuff on?

Waitress: Did you all just run a race?

Us: Yeah, a half marathon!

Waitress: Oh wow, where was it? Downtown?

Us: Well it started downtown, then we ran uptown, and around the park, and then we ran back downtown...

Non-runner people: :-O

After foods and conversation and jubilation, I walked home and tumbl'd and spend the evening watching Doctor Who and lazing.

The lazing carried over to today.... I am walking as if I'm just learning how to walk. It's ridiculous, but hey, my hips hurt! Now to figure out how to get my bike before I need it to go to campus tomorrow... I am not walking 2 miles to class........

SORRY THIS WAS SO LONG- here! GPOYM- Gratuitous picture of your medal!

Thank you all for being my biggest cheerleaders and for believing in me when I didn't really believe in myself! You are all the BEST! Especially mah sissy, BRENNA! (My biggest inspiration, but that's understandable.) Love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#jazz half marathon #novel #race recap #sorry it's so long!!!#jrfred #whatisupwithtrish #runningwithguts #rfgr26 #buildingothersup

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