Philippians 4:13

A new PR has been set and is ready to be broken. I know. I can’t believe I said that myself. Going in this I thought this would be the last one. But now I got the marathon bug and I am itching for another race.

Each of my three marathons holds a special place in my heart. Rome is Rome. Need I say more? I’ll never forget the miles of cobble stone streets, carrying the liter of Gatorade for the last several miles and stopping to take pictures of every historical structure. I’ll never forget stopping to take a picture of a beautiful church and then decided to walk only to find my mom standing right there! Oh the shame I felt in walking at that very moment. I’ll never forget the carbonated water that gave me gas which led to me sucking on the sponges in the medal tubs. I’ll never forget the feeling of seeing the Coliseum which meant I was only .2 away from completing my first marathon. And then the pain I felt the next day while walking up the steps to the Vatican.

I’ll always remember Dublin for the friendship I formed with Joanne, a woman who I have grown to greatly admire and to this day thank God for bringing her in my life. I’ll remember running with her, Ron and Jamie for the first 19 miles. The whole way we talked or listened to Ron sing but made the painful experience an enjoyable time. I’ll remember Mass the night before with Joanne when the reading was 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 (“My life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith…”) and having the feeling that God was there to watch over us on our race the next day. I’ll remember wearing my Cardinal hat during the race because we were in the World Series even though we lost to Boston. I’ll remember waiting at the finish line to see Tara and Chastine complete their first marathon. What a great feeling to be there for Tara as she completed this awesome accomplishment that seemed like such a dream only months prior.

But Memphis, I’ll remember for so many more reasons. Maybe it’s because it’s fresh in my head since the other races were years ago. But Memphis has been a great experience in so many different aspects. I’m going to miss the months of training I invested in this race because I grew so much closer to my Uncle Jerry. Before we found our similar interest in running Uncle Jerry was just my uncle. A good uncle who was always nice to see during the holidays. But now he’s the uncle that I enjoy talking with about life and feel comfortable devolving personal information to him. I feel like more of a friend then a niece which is really nice. I’m going to miss my three hour plus conversations with Sharlene who has become an incredibly supportive friend. I started off as her coach for St. Louis a year ago and now she has become my personal psychologist getting me through these last few hard months. I’ve learned that she is not only a great runner but an amazing listener who always has good advice. I made new running friends: Ray, Bridget and Scott and even though they couldn’t come to Memphis they were there in spirit. I couldn’t have gotten through the training without these five amazing people. I owe them my PR. The five months of training were great and I always looked forward to the conversations we would have during the runs. We all ran the same pace so the training was a breeze. Training is so much easier when you have someone to talk you through the miles. The hills during training were endless and were greatly appreciated each time I came up against one in Memphis. I can proudly say I ran all the hills!

The start temperature was approximately 48 and had a finish temperature of 58. Incredibly unreal for December. There were actually times that I was hot! I couldn’t shed off enough clothes. I’ll never forget seeing Frank and Rachel (Patricio’s wife) at mile three. Seeing him brought me great joy! He is such a supportive husband and I am truly blessed to be his wife. And then seeing him again at mile 15. Frank nearly missed me but he sprinted up the hill with the video camera to film me running. That right there is pure and honest love.

The hills, the hills, the hills. But each hill I cheerfully accepted and looked forward to reaching the top. It was the miles upon miles of crowned roads that left my toenails bruised and beaten. But luckily I was able to outsmart the caliber and got through the race pain-free. I remember the great feeling at the 13.1 mark when I realized we were running perfect 10 minute miles. Only miles later to have the 4:30 pacers catch up with us and quickly pass us. Ironically I finished a few minutes before one of the pacers. Needless to say he was pacing the wrong time. I’ll never forget the “your momma’s so fat” and “your momma’s so dumb” jokes around mile 15. That cracked me up! And what about the two 12-year-old boys playing the guitar and singing. When I waved to thank them, he screamed through the microphone, “KEEP ON RUNNING!!!!” I’ll never forget running past St. Jude’s Research Hospital and later in the race seeing a sick child on the sidelines with his father. And the mom who held her baby girl and said “thank you” to us runners. The pain in my heart for both children made me run stronger. I realized at those moments why I was doing this race and where my money was going.

I’ll never forget around mile 18 or 19 I found myself all alone. I remember the frightful feeling of realizing this was the first time since the last few miles in Dublin that I ran alone. And those were some rough miles. I felt great and I didn’t want to hit the wall so I quickly needed a pick me up. I tried reciting Psalm 23 but only got through the first verse. I tried the Hail Mary but it went by too quickly and the words weren’t giving me the energy. The Our Father never came to my mind. I tried remembering the passage from Dublin but the words got meshed together and it didn’t sound like anything biblical. And then I remembered Frank’s prayer that helped him through the last few months. But again I was fumbling with the exact words. But I knew that was the prayer I needed at that moment. I didn’t have Jerry or Sharlene to get me through the rest of the race. All I had was God. And right then I needed him. I felt strong but I knew any minute my mind was going to take over matter and I would walk. And there she was. On the side of the road around mile 19 or 20 was a woman holding my verse: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” At that moment I realized I could do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And I would do all things through Christ who strengthens me. For the remainder of the race I prayed this over and over again. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I WILL do all things through Christ who strengthens me. The rest of the race, which is supposed to be the most painful and hardest, became relativity easy. I had a smile plastered on my race and I felt like I was floating instead of running. I knew God was carrying me through those miles. He was the reason that my race was such a success. I finished in 4 hours 34 minutes and 53 seconds. I shaved nearly five minutes off my Dublin time. He was the reason I found five amazing people to train with during this adventure. The people that I look forward to getting to know outside of the racing community. He is the reason for all the hills I cursed during the training. He knew I needed them to conquer this race. He is the one that gave me the strength to get through the race in one piece. So in all honesty, I owe Him my PR.

And now I am back in St. Louis and wondering where the next race will take me. Maybe Nashville, San Diego or even here in St. Louis. Only God knows where these legs will take me. But for now the race is over but the memories will run on forever.