This is the question my four-year-old daughter asks me every time I run a race. I always answer, "yes, because I finished." As I mentioned in my previous post, I was more than a little worried about this particular race because of the number of hills. Krissy and I gave in to nervous laughter many times previous to the start of the race. We had not trained adequately for this event and we knew it. I don't know about the rest of you, but I tend to look around me at the other people preparing for the race and say to myself, "if she can do it, surely I can do it." Oh the assumptions we make based on age, body shape and size. Any of you who runs races knows that these things mean nothing! I first realized this last year when I ran my first marathon. Somewhere around mile 22 a woman at least 20 years my senior and a good 30 to 40 pounds heavier than I jogged backward past me checking to make sure I was okay. Given this knowledge, I'm not sure why I was taking inventory Sunday morning - but I was. I guess we take comfort where we can. These mental comparisons often turn to motivation during the race. Such thoughts as "I have to get around his obnoxious ego" or "I can't let a 70+ year-old woman pass me," are sometimes all I need to help me up yet another hill.
The weather was perfect, the course was brutal and the company was great. We finished faster than we had hoped and left feeling strong. Thanks to my dear friend Krissy; it is a joy to run with you. Thanks also to Melissa Etheridge, Coldplay and the many others helping me keep the pace. Finally, thanks to all of my fellow runners who, without knowing, kept my butt moving. I hope I'm still running the Garden of the Gods Ten Miler when I'm in my 70s. Maybe then if my daughter asks, "mommy, did you win?" I can answer truthfully - "yes dear, I took first for my age group."
