My hero. Well sort of.

Well we did it!  We won the race...  I mean we finished the race.  But we may as well have won because we did so good!  It all started Saturday at 5am.  

I woke up feeling great, and so did Steve, the new lover of running.  We got out of bed and were ready for action.  I had my trusty toast, and him his Cheerios, and with that we knew deep down that this day was one for winners, champions really.  We left when it was still dark, the only low of the day, but soon the sun started to rise and I realized quickly that there could not be better weather for a race.

We took the Trax train to the start line, and chatted with a lovely doctor as we rode, who I can safely say was far more nervous than we were.  In fact, I didn't have an upset nerve in my body.  For once I was full of excitement and confidence on race day.  A great feeling.  Steve... he was feeling a little nervous, though he tried to hide it the best he could.

As the race was about to begin Steve was anxious to start.  I think I annoyed him with the calm and professional manner I was flaunting.  But, as his coach, trainer, and wife, I needed to set the proper stage.  And then we were off.

Off we were!  Things were great from the start.  What a strong runner he had become.  I did my best to keep him entertained, and keep his mind off of the race.  Each clock we passed brought me great excitement and I would cheer for him loudly and jump up and down.  What a motivator I am!  At one point I yelled, "You are my hero."  He looked over and said, "You need to meet more people."  This entertained the runners around us.

As with any race the last few miles are the most challenging.  I had to step up my motivating, and tried all I could to keep him on our amazing pace.  I tried jokes, I ran ahead of him (he hated that) and then I just gave him his space (after he told me to be quiet).  The last mile I tried as nicely as I could to tell him he needed to keep the pace I was setting so that we could get in under 2 hours.  I knew the pain he was in because I had been there so many times, but I knew he could do it.  He looked slightly deathish, but capable.  

I think that now is a great time to talk about how I was feeling during this race.  Can you say... LIKE A MILLION BUCKS??  I could have killed this race, and had an amazing time, but kept my end of the bargain and stayed with Steve.  Which I was just fine with.  Now, I will talk about the last 10th mile of this race.

As we came around the corner towards the finish line, I reached down to turn off my IPOD.  I like to hear the crowd... and the next thing I know Steve takes off sprinting like a mad man.  I wasn't sure where the fire was, but apparently it was under him.  For each step Steve takes, I take two.  Not to mention, that I HATE running on those stupid cobblestones at the gateway.  And sprinting on them... NO WAY!   So I did my best to keep up, while in shock.  I saw the clock and it said 1:59:30, but I knew that we started late, so we were in good shape.  No need to freak out!  

Here is where it gets good.  First, remember that I waited for him the WHOLE race.  As he sprints, he starts to reach his hand back to me.  Like he is saying, "Come on weakling you can do it, just a little farther..."  I was in shock.  How dare he make me look weak in front of hundreds of people!  I was the strong one... remember??  I finally caught him right at the finish line.  I cannot wait to see how the pictures turn out.  SHEESH!  But, I forgive him.  

It was such a great race, and to say that I am so proud of him would be a huge understatement!  He is so strong, and finished at 1:58:40.  A killer time.  That race just flew by and was a blast.  We are both so excited to do a marathon together this fall.  A marathon where I will be crossing the finish line first!  At least I better.

As I sat and watched other runners finish, I saw a man coming who was around 80.  He was giving it his all as he ran to the finish line.  He looked strong, and proud, though his legs were small and his body seemed tired.  The crowd went wild. My eyes filled with tears.  It made me realize that anyone can do this.  Anyone.  And really, any of us can do anything that we set our minds to doing.  It may make us tired, and it may be hard, these things often seem impossible, but if we set our minds to it we can do it.  Me and you, and everyone!  All it takes is the desire, and the determination.  

Work hard and rest later, but for heaven sakes... set a goal a hard goal, and JUST DO IT!

Last year Steve could barely run a mile.  Last year my leg was so hurt that I wondered if I would ever run again.  This weekend, we ran 13.1 miles together.