This past weekend was spent in the wonderful city of Austin. It was a running weekend that we made into a family affair...which made it hectic but a whole lotta fun!
Mike - my hero of a husband - took the brunt of the parenting responsibilities for our three hoodlums while I prepared for the run with my running buddies. As you can see, it was a very tough job for him...
Friday night was spent at The Salt Lick...a Man vs. Food establishment...and I have to say it was some of the best BBQ we have enjoyed in a long time.
Saturday was filled with two great meals...breakfast at Trudy's and dinner at Baby A's. While the runners checked out the Livestrong Expo and drove the 13.1 mile course we would be running, Mike took the kids shopping on South Congress and to Austin's comic book store.
Before sunrise on Sunday morning, we were gathered at the State capital with twenty thousand of our closest friends to start the race. Since my running accident last month, I have not been very diligent in my training, and I knew going into this race that it would be tough...the hills alone were enough to get me cussing. But, I went into the race with the mindset that I will finish - walking or running - I will finish. I didn't put the pressure on myself to finish in a certain time or to beat my time from Vegas.
When the race began, I felt strong. My pace was faster than I expected it would be...and as I rounded mile one, I saw Mike and the kids cheering me on. Somehow we had the luck of booking a hotel that was on the race route...a spot we would pass by twice! I ran up to where they were standing and gave them a high five, and my eyes filled with tears. I didn't expect to get emotional seeing them there cheering me on, but it shook something in me. This was the first time they have seen me do anything like this and having them there was a proud moment for me.
I was surprised at how emotional the run was for me. Personally, I wanted to prove to myself I could do it. Thoughts of self-doubt continued to swirl around in my head throughout the run and I kept pushing them aside. Runners in front of me had messages of inspiration on the back of their shirts...running for their loved ones battling cancer...running as a survivor of this terrible disease...running in memory of a fallen soldier. I even ran with a pack of soldiers carrying the American flag high in the air.
The race is for the Lance Armstrong Livestrong Cancer Foundation, and lately it seems that cancer has been surrounding the people I love. My beautiful friend, Donna, who battled breast cancer over a year ago just found out that it is back. Also, one of my strongest friend's 8 year old grandson was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in his leg and is undergoing chemo and an upcoming surgery.
Everytime I would start to doubt myself, I would think about them. They can't run right now, but I can. My brother-in-law who was killed almost five years ago in Iraq protecting our country can't run, but I can. The woman holding up the sign at mile ten who looked me in the eye and told me thank you for running for her because she was too weak can't run, but I can. That is what kept me going.
The hills weren't as bad as I imagined they would be...some were gradual while others felt like they were straight up! The killer hills were in the last three miles of the race, and I slowed down to a walk a few times while conquering those. Other than that, I tried my hardest not to walk except at a water stop.
As I rounded the corner to the finish line, I sprinted with everything I had left in me. I smiled at the race announcer as I passed him and he called out, "Go! Stacey Go!!!". I was famous for a milisecond...and it was fabulous!
After the race, I was tackled from behind by my cheering squad. They were proud of their Momma...and they immediately began calling dibs on the water, gatorade and snacks I was given after the race.
I surprised myself with how well I did - I beat my personal records for the 10K and for the half-marathon. My GPS time for the half was 2:23:49, but my chip time was 2:27:05...and I have to go with my chip time as the official time. Either way, I beat my Vegas time!!!
We ended the trip with a stop at Hey Cupcake to celebrate and then headed home...back to reality and a pile of dirty laundry to tackle.
All in all, it was a great weekend. One that I highly recommend to anyone wanting to feel inspired.
