The Tide will take us Out

We were on hour 4 of the canoe trip and every paddle was a battle against my will to give up. The narrow waterway winding through the tall reeds had finally opened up to a wide river, giving us hope that the end was near. After another hour and the end nowhere in sight the river seemed to grow longer with each tug of the rope tied to the canoe behind us. The day had begun with joy and another beautiful sunrise over the ocean and now it was ending with the sun dipping slowly beneath the river ahead. I glanced over the side of the canoe, staring down into the water that had seemed all week to be majestic and soothing. Now it looked black and ominous, seemingly stretching for miles beneath the surface. I started paddling again, thinking every second that I wouldn’t be able to finish this…

After I saw Amy at mile 13 the marathon course took me north of the hotels for the second half of the race. My first half time wasn’t bad and I still felt great. I had settled in to a nice rhythm and was running with a smile and the sun in my face. The day before I had created a marathon mix on my IPOD, to be used when I got bored or started to feel tired. Around the 15^th mile I turned it on and it instantly got me going again. I kept thinking I only have 11 more miles, I had run that so often in my training…I got this.

At mile 16 I got a nice surprise when I saw Amy’s parents standing on the side of the road! When you run a marathon without a partner it can get lonely, and familiar faces cheering you on and beaming with pride can get you through countless steps. I told them I was doing great and had some water. They wished me luck for the next 6 miles, at the end of which I would circle back around and see them again. I was doing great and felt the home stretch creeping up slowly but surely.

I almost didn’t run the marathon. In the week leading up to the race I became very sick. It started Monday, and by Wednesday I had a temperature over 100 and could barely move. I was defeated that week, unsure what I would feel like once Sunday hit. Marathon’s can be a very dangerous endeavor, every race people are pulled out for serious medical dilemmas. As I hit mile 17 my nose began to run. It sounds weird and it was a strong warning that my body was shutting down. A few hundered yards later my heart rate jumped to the point of some minor chest pains. I had run the whole thing up to that point but made a quick decision I had better take a break. I began to walk…and began to battle.

I didn’t start running again until a little after mile 18. Only a few miles before it felt like I was so close to the end and could cover the manageable distance left. Now it seemed like an insurmountable distance to finish. To make it worse the course took us through another military base, this one without any fans or marines to cheer us on. It was quiet and lonely. My marathon mix had reached its end and I began to really struggle.  Earlier in the race I heard a woman quote some wisdom and a warning: “When you run a marathon it doesn’t matter what religion you are, at mile 20 everyone sees Jesus.” Mile 20 is the common wall most runners hit, but for me it was mile 17-24. I walked and I ran, alternating until my chest began to hurt again. At mile 22 I saw Amy’s parents again, this time without much of a smile or many words. They wished me luck and encouraged me to finish it.

Throughout the race Amy had been receiving text updates about my progress. This is a great thing because you can tell where the runner is and how much more they have and even their estimated finish time. After I saw Amy at mile 12 and 13 she received a couple more updates. But since I was slowing considerably she began to worry and hope that I was okay. The last update came at mile 20. By mile 23 numbered streets began to appear. The marathon finished at 32^nd street and I was at 84^th street. I began to break down my distance, telling myself I would run for 10 streets then walk for 2. This helped for a while but then it just didn’t seem to matter and lost track of where I was.

Finally, with about 2 miles and seemingly years to go, I decided to make a last push and run until the finish. And just when I needed it I heard people cheering wildly for me and looked up to see the cutest cheerleader there running full sprint at me with her hands waving in the air. It was Amy, and our friends Elsbeth and Andy, and they had come to see me home. They were so excited for me and stayed with me until the final stretch. They promised me the finish was close and encouraged other spectators to cheer me on. Without them I would have walked the last two miles, but with them I ran most of it. As I turned the final corner and reached the boardwalk and the final stretch I felt nothing but happy. I was finishing a dream that had up until now seemed lost. I ran across the finish feeling complete.

Since the race was sponsored by Yuengling every runner was given four free drafts of beer and a bowl of Irish stew at the end of the race. At mile 18 the thought of this stuff made me feel sick. After I finished it was the best drink I had ever tasted and definitely the most deserved! We celebrated on the beach until my legs were about to give out and then headed back to the hotel for a very welcoming rest.

Amy told me after that she was worried I wouldn’t finish. I agreed, knowing it was all I had to make it happen. But after years of only wishing I would run a marathon, nothing would have stopped me from crossing that finish. It was an awesome experience and I am so glad I did it!

The sun had set and twilight was disappearing. Our canoe trip had become somehow peaceful. Nobody was talking, the only sounds were cutting of the paddles through the water. As we reached hour 8 we finally heard a scream and saw the finish, the rest of our group and the dock. We had made it. As we pulled into shore none of the guys said anything. We piled into the van and went to a shower house to clean up for a much needed seafood buffet dinner. With that shower all of the struggles and turmoil of that canoe trip were washed away and we dined in pure bliss of what we had accomplished. Running a marathon was the second hardest thing I have ever done. And in those moments when I was alone and felt like quitting I thought of that trip, of my friends and family cheering me on, and I knew the only choice was to keep moving forward, and trust that tide to carry me home. …#1: RUN A MARATHON.