The Electric Run... Here's How It All Went Down

I signed up months ago. It seemed it would never get here. I looked forward to it, dreamed about it, wondered how it would it all turn out. Yesterday, the day of reckoning arrived. Would the running I had been doing all this time pay off? Would it be enough? Would I end up walking? Would I walk or run across the finish line? I was a bundle of nerves.

My friend, Jessie, signed up to run it with me. She can run 3 miles any day of the week. She told me she would be my cheerleader. I was very thankful to have her there with me. Neither of us knew she was going to have to turn into Jillian Michaels to get the job done, but more on that later. :-) Her neighbor and friend, Heidi, also joined us for the race. Heidi is now my friend too, but I didn't know her before yesterday. Both of these amazing women were crucial in getting me across that finish line, and I'm convinced you never forget who you ran your first race with. 

Okay, so the race begins in waves. Every 5 minutes or so they count down from 10 and let a certain amount of people through. I'm not sure how many waves went before it was our turn, maybe 6 or so. Finally, we cross the start line and it immediately becomes apparent that the walkers are going to be hard to get around. I was worried that we were going to end up walking because it was so hard to get around them in the beginning. We are having to run outside the cones marking the path. Thankfully, that didn't last too long and things got easier. 

We're running, the music is great, the lights are great, the other runners/walkers costumes are fun to look at, but all that quickly starts to fade away a bit as the run itself becomes harder for me. When we pass the 1 mile mark I realize I haven't run much further than this without stopping.... EVER. I focus on getting to 1.5 miles (or around there) because I know there will be water there. I just wanted water. And to walk, I really wanted to walk, but I wasn't giving up yet. So I kept going, but right before we reach the water I began to tell Jessie, "This was a bad idea. I can't do this!" She said, "Yes, you can! Water's up ahead, keep running." And so we did. 

I know the water station was supposed to be halfway through the course and I also know I've already run farther than I ever have before and that is surely something to be proud of. But I came to run the whole thing, yet I just didn't see how that was going to happen. I was dead tired already and only halfway in. We tossed our water cups and picked up our pace again. This was also the point at which I ripped off all my glow stuff (necklaces, bracelets, rings) and threw them in the trash can. They were unbearable, lol! The race was at the speedway and this part was closed in. It was hot, and felt long. Here's where I started saying "I don't want to do this anymore!" over and over, and where I started to cry a little.

Jessie and Heidi assured me I most certainly did want to do this and cheered me on. My friends could easily have gone ahead and finished far ahead of me, but they stuck with me the whole time. We kept running. 

Then I saw the 2 mile marker. That should have been good, right? Wrong! That's when the tears came. That's when I felt TOO worn out to go on. That's when reminding myself that "it doesn't get any worse than this" flew out the window. That's when Jessie and Heidi needed their pom poms the most, and trust me,  they had a hard job! I cried more than I didn't that last mile. Around 2.5 miles I couldn't take it anymore. I said, "Jessie, I can't!" And I started to walk. She said, "Okay, walk. Walk for one minute, until we get to that cone up there and then you're going to run again." I said, "No, I can't. You and Heidi run, I'll walk." She said, "Are you going to go home and tell you're kids you WALKED across that finish line? No, you're not. THAT cone right there... run." And we ran. And I continued to tell them I couldn't, even as I did. And they continued to tell me "Yes, you can, and you are... see?" Even random women I didn't know saw my tears and my struggle and told me I could and cheered me on. It was an experience like no other. 

Oh! I forgot to mention the hills! There were hills... more than one. Grrrr! The first one was early on and not too bad, but the ones that came later, when I was already near or in tears, those were killer hills. Jess would see them before me and say, "Head down, look 5 feet in front of you, it's not that big" when it really was. I think she's done this a time or two. :-) 

Finally, we see the finish line off in the distance. Ahead of time I had thought seeing the finish line would give me a rush of adrenaline and change my attitude. It didn't happen.  Once I could see it, it was too far away. I kept telling Jessie and Heidi I just wanted to walk across it, but they kept telling me, "No! You do not! Keep running!" And I kept running though my body was screaming "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" I kept running because Jess and Heidi knew I could and knew I wanted it, and knew all I needed was friends to keep me moving. 

Jessie, Heidi, and I ran across the finish line together. I was Wonder Woman, Rocky Balboa, and all three Power Puff Girls rolled into one in that moment! I know I did it, but I couldn't have done it without my friends. Thank you Jessie and Heidi, for not leaving me, for running at a slower pace for me, for not complaining about my "I can'ts!", for letting me cry, for pushing me beyond what I thought I was capable of. I love you both!