Shame-rock Shuffle 8K? Not quite...

I woke up this morning fully expecting to have a bad race. Due to work and family issues, my training has been sporadic at best. I'm a back of the pack racer on a good day and-- well-- there hasn't been an abundance of good days. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself.

More important to me than the actual running are the friendships I've made and the ones that have deepened because of the sport. For the first time ever, I'd be undertaking this particular rite of spring without my close friends. Teresa's heavily into training for the Boston Marathon. Bonnie has retired to Texas. Sue's still recovering from a serious health problem.

Last night I decided to figuratively bring my loved ones with me on the run. I replaced the shirt I was planning to wear with a Boston Marathon t-shirt that Teresa bought for me last year (through it, maybe I could channel a bit of her speed). While standing amid the 25,000 people at the start, I decided to run a mile for everyone. Mile 1 for my mom. Mile 2 for Bonnie. Mile 3 for Teresa. Mile 4 for Sue. And the final mile for myself.

The weather was ideal. The rain/snow held off and although it was a little windy, temps were around 34 and the sky was overcast. Perfect conditions for me. As we passed SAIC on Columbus, I thought about how well my painting is going lately and that got me started with a surge of adreneline.

I thought about how proud my mom is of me, no matter how crappy a runner I am. The course was different this year and somehow the mile markers seemed to come a little faster. I thought about Bonnie, about how amazingly positive she is. I didn't feel tired. I thought about Teresa-- the best runner I know. I thought about what she told me on Friday when I expressed my doubts about the race... "you can use the negative energy as much as you can use the positive... you are capable of much more than you think you are."

I was into the 4th mile on Michigan Avenue and somehow I was not faltering. I thought about seeing Sue for lunch tomorrow and how emotional that will be. As I made the final turn up Mount Roosevelt, I did it for me. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. Sheer willpower was making me run a decent race, despite my doubts and fears and lack of focused training. I'm not sure exactly how that happened. But when I crossed the finish line, my time was 51:52. A new PR by 53 seconds. Wonders never cease. Thanks, friends and family. I love you!