The Final Post

It is now 48 hours post marathon and I sit to write my final post. I had full intentions to write while we were in D.C., but time did not permit. It was a weekend filled with wonderful memories and unforgettable experiences. We arrived on Friday around 11am and headed to the hotel to check in. Once we dropped our bags in the room, we headed towards the MetroRail to go to the Expo. It was quite the experience trying to figure out the Metro system! By the end of the weekend, we were pros at figuring out which train we needed. We arrived at the Expo where I received my race packet, which included my race bib, t-shirt, and giveaways. We walked around and visited all the vendors for a couple hours. It was a lot of fun. There were a lot of people and I found it to be slightly overwhelming at times. I was trying to be careful not to be on my feet for too long at a time, taking short breaks to rest. After the Expo, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for our trip to Old Town (just outside of D.C.) for the Alexandria Ghost Tour. We had a great time in Old Town...did some window shopping, ghost tour, and a nice dinner. The weather was really chilly and windy, making it a nice change from the hot and humid temperatures in Florida. The following day we headed for Union Station to meet the Double Decker Tour Bus. However, we were a little discouraged when we arrived because we were told that there was a rally scheduled for 12pm-3pm and as a result some streets were closed. The main route that would tour the city would not be running that day due to the rally. We knew there was nothing we could do about that, so we stayed positive and took the "blue" route towards Arlington. We got to see a lot of the city along the way, including the White House, Federal Reserve, and Arlington Cemetery. There was so much to take in during our sight seeing. The buildings are massive and the architecture is amazing. By lunchtime we decided to hop off the bus and stay downtown to grab lunch and get a closer look at the White House. The crowds were out of control, and at a moment, I found myself completely overwhelmed by all the people. I never thought of myself as one to be so sensitive to crowds, but perhaps with all on my mind, it was just too much. Mike could tell that something was wrong with me and I had to get myself some lunch and try to re-center. We found a relatively quiet place to grab a sandwich and I did feel much better after I ate. We walked over to the White House to take pictures and finished up the afternoon with some shopping. Saturday evening we met up with the running group in the hotel lobby for a celebration of the race and last minute pep talks. I found myself to be relatively calm the eve of the race. I was confident that I had trained as much as I could train and really had no regrets in terms of my preparation. I also knew that my success in the race would be a matter of perspective and the grace of God. Despite my calmness, I slept with one eye open all night. The hotel failed to give us a wake-up call two mornings in a row and luckily I had set my phone alarm as a backup. But oversleeping wasn't an option on race day. I was awake and ready to go. Race temperatures at the start was 46 degrees and I believe it warmed up to about 58 degrees by the middle of the day. We all met in the hotel lobby at 6:40am and headed out together on the 1 mile walk to the start line. It was game time. The mass of people crowded in the corrals caused for some close personal space! As I approached the start line, I heard Mike screaming my name...I looked to my right and he was waving at me...Jason trying desperately to find me on the camera. "Wow, they saw me!", I thought to myself. We headed out onto the course and the runner traffic was heavy for a while into the race. People were throwing their sweatshirts, gloves, and hats on the street as their body heat was warming up. By mile 3, I approached the first incline I had heard so much about. I didn't find it to be more challenging than what I had trained on during the year. My breathing remained the same, stamina strong, and no change in pace. However, around mile 5 my right knee began to give me intense pain. It felt like IT Band pain, which if you remember from previous posts, after too long it will not allow to continue running. I started praying continuously and paying attention to my gait to make sure I had good posture. I couldn't understand why my knee was hurting so bad, especially this early in the race. I couldn't imagine that the few inclines early in the race could bother my knee so much. Just when I started to panic, the pain would subside a little bit. Then it would return again, and then it would subside. Going into the race, I was confident that the strongest part of the marathon would be the first 3/4 of the race. My longest training run was 19 miles and I had managed to beat that during training. The unknown was mile 20 plus. I couldn't have been more wrong! By mile 17, I finally told my coach, Mary, that my knee was bothering me and had been since mile 5. She told me I should have told her earlier! I just didn't want to put it out in the universe that I was hurting. I wasn't ready to consider what would happen if the pain would not subside. Mary handed me Alleve and I quickly prayed for a miracle. Within 5 minutes, my knee pain was virtually non-existent! We made the last loop before the bridge which signified mile 20!! Suddenly, I felt energized and recharged. What I thought would be the most difficult part of the race, became the most powerful. Along the race, we met another runner named Sarah. She was a survivor of Thyroid Cancer. At mile 22, we both felt a surge of energy and we left the pace group. We kicked it up a notch and busted out the last few miles. As we were approaching the 26 mile marker, I told her, "Let's sprint across the finish line!" She said for me to go and she would be right behind me. At that moment, I clicked a switch. I felt my gait roll up to my toes, my calves flexed, my arms propelled me forward, and my breathing was my fuel. The last .3 miles of the race were up-hill. Marines lined each side of the last 100 yards until the finish line. As I came around the corner and up the hill, one Marine told me to "Dig Deep" and I heard him and just continued up the hill. The only other thing I remember hearing was the sound of my husband screaming "Go Jenn, Go Jenn, Go Jenn!!!" It was the most powerful thing I could hear at that moment and will never forget what that sounded like. I crossed the finish line and was almost in shock that the race was complete. There were no tears, just pure satisfaction. I walked ahead to the line of Marines waiting to drape medals to the runners. I stepped up to him and he said, "Congratulations, Ma'am." This whole process, lasting most of the year, had come to an end. An end that declared success and achievement. An end that my husband and son were able to witness. An end that will forever define who I am. I have accomplished many things in my life that have been the result of fighting against the world and how I am shaped among others. But, I haven never accomplished such a fight against MYSELF. The distance race truly is a discovery of the self. I am honored that my body allowed me to partake in such an event. All the family, friends, money, and education would be worth nothing without my health. I am grateful that today, I have good health. I never know what tomorrow will bring. What I do know is this...I began this journey in hopes to complete a bucket list item. What I found in the end, was a closer look at what my soul is made of. I am already thinking of what I will do next! Perhaps another marathon? Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. My hopes is that you enjoyed reading about all the series of events that went along with my training and perhaps maybe even learned something. I have heard from many of you that I have inspired you to work towards YOUR goal. I want you to know that I believe in you and my only wish for you is to find YOUR power within you. It may not be in the form of completing a marathon. Life is short, and you DESERVE to experience self-discovery, in whatever form it may take. Remember this, to live each day as if it were your LAST, you would be trying to remedy all the mistakes you had made, all the regrets, all the things unsaid. If you live each day as if it were your FIRST, you are freed from all obligations, all guilt, all regret. Peace.