3-7-12: Ran 1.81 miles again. Last run before the big race. I am really excited and looking forward to FINISHING something!
3-9-12: A day that I'll hopefully always remember. My bib number: 788. My partner, my rock through this race: Sarah O'Bryan. The race: The Shamrock Run, in downtown Savannah, GA, starting in City Market and winding around several squares, Forsythe Park (the whole thing!), back around the squares, and finally finishing back at City Market. The weather: drizzly, wet, sometimes raining. I was so happy to share my excitement with the beautiful city that I love. My husband was so supportive, and so proud of me. I had told Sarah that this run would be a metaphor for me. I was going to cross a literal finish line but would take away an even more important lesson for my life: if I set my mind to do something, I can do it! I couldn't wait to start!
The air horn sounded (I was a little disappointed; I had wanted a gun!) and as soon as we crossed the start Sarah and I began jogging. My goal was to jog for the first mile, which would be the first time I ever ran continually for a whole mile in my life. About three minutes into it I had doubts, of course I couldn't run the whole mile! But then, after we rounded the third square, our families were there, cheering us on. I have never felt so proud! I love them so much, and the fact that they were cheering for me made my heart full. We left our families behind, kept running, running, longer than I ever had... and I knew it had to be close, the one-mile mark, when
I fell flat.
When I got up, my hands were burning and my knee hurt, but mostly I was embarrassed... then I saw it. The one-mile marker was twenty feet in front of me. I couldn't run since I was shaken up, so I walked past it. I felt like a loser. Who was I fooling? I couldn't stop the tears, they came and I was so tired from all that running, and so stupid and it just wasn't supposed to be this way... ugh.
Luckily Sarah, after making sure there was nothing really hurt on me, insisted we run again. So we did. We ran around Forsythe Park. I wanted to walk so much more than Sarah seemed to. She was always in front of me. I just really wanted to walk and she just. would. not. stop! So I kept jogging. And jogging. We saw our families again, and they gave us high fives! We were almost there! I was cheered on by a stranger (probably drunk) on the side of the road and tried to let that motivate me. I begged Sarah to walk. She did, for ten seconds. She insisted that we run accross the finish line...I could see it up ahead! ok, ok, I have to do this, but my body is soooo tired... step, step, step...Sarah slowed down and, side-by-side, we crossed the dang finish line with incredibly large smiles on our faces (inside joke!). I did it. Someone took our picture. I waited til we met up with our families for a minute, then we were done.
I had finished the race.
It was hard, wet, and I fell. But I ran most of it, and my time was great, for me- 45 minutes 16 seconds- a 14 and a half minute mile three times in a row! Official race results:
1631 Trish McKay Savannah GA 788 32 F 45:16.6 14:36/M
Trish, don't let falling flat in that race be a metaphor for your story. That's just downright funny, and the more confident you get in your amazing ability, the more you will learn to laugh at yourself. You stood up tall when you fell. That's your metaphor. You picked yourself up, and you kept going. You, my dear, officially rock.
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you , Molly! That's what Ben said, that getting up after the fall and finishing anyway is a better metaphor...but it's just not what I wanted, ya know? I wish I could be cool someday and not a dork! Thank you for cheering me on!
ReplyDeleteDorks of the world unite, friend! We dorks have to stick together.
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