I ran this 1/2 marathon last year, as well as this year… Last year,
it was special, as it was my first 1/2 marathon, ever. I had an
automatic PR, no matter my finish time. This year was different. I
did not run it seeking a PR, as I had a running partner. Much more
important to me than anything. My mom. My mom was once a runner. I
remember basically growing up at the park, always waiting on Mom to
finish her run. The last time she ran a 1/2 marathon was in the mid
1990’s. She went to run the Disney Marathon. Unfortunately, she came
down with a stomach virus the day before, and was so dehydrated, she
only made it 1/2 way. Since that time, life got a bit hectic, and she
wasn’t able to keep up with running… Just over 2 years ago, she
made a statement that she wanted to run one last marathon. I told her
I would run it with her… Oh, wait! 26.2 miles? Me? A smoker, one
who has never successfully ran to the mailbox, much less 26.2 miles?
Oh, my, gosh. What was I thinking? Well, to shorten that story, I
ended up running the marathon. Not with my mom, but I had the
privilege to get my sister to finish the 1/2 marathon. Another few
months passed, and my mom mentioned to me that she would like to do
the Mercedes 1/2 Marathon, and the only way she would be able to do it
is if she drove the 2 hours to my house and we would run all of her
long runs together. So, for months, my mom would make that weekly
drive. We would run, we would eat (my favorite being the Country
Omlete at IHOP!), we would visit. In December we sent off our
registration forms, there was no turning back for her! As February
15th approached, I was getting more and more excited for my mom! I
told her that I was going to be there with her, every step of the way!
Race day begins on the chilly side. That’s ok, one of our last long
runs was done when it wasn’t quite 20 degrees! We took off, I was so
excited! Here we were, mother and daughter, running together,
enjoying the challenge the 13.1 miles brings anyone, at any pace!
Around mile 8, I remember getting choked up. I thought about how hard
my mom worked for this, how many aches and pains she endured in
training, all the miles and hours she spent driving to my house to
run. As we came to the finish line, my chest was hurting with pride.
My mom made it the entire 13.1 miles! She had just a little left in
the tank to pick up the pace for the last couple of turns to the
finish line. I remember her grabbing my hand as we crossed the finish
line, and how we both just stopped and hugged (sorry to those who were
behind us!). Words cannot express how happy and proud I was of my mom!
Now mind you, neither of us are fast runners. But it is with extreme
pride that I say we finished in less than 3 hours, my secret goal for
us! 2:50:04. During our journey, I quit smoking in October 2007, and
my mom quit smoking in January of this year. My sister, who ran this
1/2 as well (in 2:18:26!!!) has made the decision to quit smoking as
well!

So, that is my tale of the Mercedes 1/2 Marathon…  Bring on CMM, and 26.2 miles of pain, I mean of enjoyment!