Off Topic: You have to want to finish.

It has been 3 full days since I ran the Derby Festival Mini-Marathon in Louisville, KY. I'm still in pain. My legs are still tight and my feet are killing me. I have been described as walking like I'm pregnant or even constipated. Either way I'm not moving normally.

You see, here is the deal. About 4 weeks before the race I strained/pulled my right hamstring. It felt like someone took a knife and cut my leg open and then balled up the muscle and put it back in my leg. Needless to say, it slowed down my training. I wasn't able to actually run much at all after the injury. I could walk but my hamstring would still bug me. Up until the time I injured myself I was running about 20 miles a week. The most though at one time was 6.2 miles. The most I had walked before the mini-marathon was 8 miles. I told myself though that I signed up to do this and I was going to finish. I was prepared the day of the race to walk the whole thing but I really wanted to run at least a mile with my dad and brother. So, we all got together in the crowd of 15,000 people and started the race together. After the first mile my brother took off because he is in the best shape. After about 2.5 miles my dad kept his pace and I slowed down. Right then I had a choice to make. I could tell myself that I was walking the rest of the way or I could want to finish bad enough to keep going. I kept going. Sometimes I would walk and most of the time I would run.

Then mile 8 came and the next obstacle with it. Every step after mile 8 hurt. My hamstring was on fire but that wasn't the most painful part. My feet were not ready to go past 8 miles. My shoes were not ready either. I could feel the blisters forming and my arches falling. I had 5 miles to go and I knew that every step was going to be a struggle. Struggle is an easy way to put it. I walked some and ran some. I was passed by many people. The pats on the back and the words of encouragement helped, but didn't stop the pain.

You know sometimes in life you have to want to finish more than you want to quit. That was me on Saturday April 26th, 2008. I finished my first half marathon. I finished in 2 hours and 21 minutes. Am I proud of my time? If I would have walked the whole thing it would have taken me at least an hour longer, but no I am not proud of the time. I am proud to finish. When I came across mile 13, my brother and my dad joined me. They had already finished the race but were waiting on me. They joined me for the final tenth of a mile. We all finished together and that is something I will never forget.

I look back on my first mini-marathon as a great experience. I got to hang out with my dad and my brother. The 3 of us haven't done anything like that in a long time. I got to experience what it mean to run with perseverance and finish the race marked out for you. I got to struggle and I got to finish.

My brother finished the half in 1 hour and 43 minutes. My dad finished in 1 hour and 56 minutes. Our next half is in October. We are running the one in Columbus, OH. You should come and join us.