Museum of Aviation Marathon....for Lindokuhle

I have known for the past 2 weeks that I've needed to write this. I have struggled, time and again to get to get the words out. Maybe it's knowing that this is the conclusion of my year of marathons, but whatever it is, it's been hard for me to find the motivation. I'm sure that sounds absurd. This should be a time of celebration. But quite honestly, it's been a time of hardship, and the run itself was just the beginning of that.

I had just spent a very fun, but exhausting week at Disney World with my family. After so much time gone for my races during the past year, it was really wonderful to have time with them. But it wasn't an easy week. I came down with some of the worst crud that I'd had in at least 5 years and physically I was hurting bad from the marathon. I'd managed through a painful race, but that was really just the beginning of the pain. We went to the parks at Disney Mon, Tue, Wed and Thur. I walked and walked and walked, but with every step I was in pain. Going into the race at Disney, I was concerned about my IT band. I'd been resting it over the previous couple weeks and was hoping for a good day. But as the Disney race progressed, I found that my lower left leg was hurting as much if not more than my IT band. It was that pain in my calf that plagued me the entire week.

On Friday morning we packed up for our drive to Warner Robins, Georgia. This was it! My entire year of running was coming down to this very last race, and I found myself increasingly nervous as the day dragged on.

We arrive in Georgia around dinner time and I had a traditional pasta carb loading dinner. But it was hard to enjoy the meal. I was honestly terrified with the idea of having to run in the morning. I was struggling with walking and I felt like my cold had gone to my lungs. I honestly didn't know how I'd be able to run. And now more than ever, I wished I didn't have to.

I have run so many marathons this year with pain, but I was having the most difficult time of all finding the strength to believe I could run this last 26.2.  As we drove to our little hotel room to get ready for bed, I started to feel panicky. I just didn't know how I could run, being this sick, and hurting this much. I felt like I was falling to pieces. My 10 year old daughter, Amira, tried to console me. "Remember with God you can do anything mommy; you can do this." And in that moment, I realized just how vital my parenting had become. You teach your children, giving them the foundation of strength and truth to grow upon. You hope that in moments of distress they will remember those truths, and cling to them. And here I was, feeling lost for the road ahead, and it was my daughter giving me back the truth I had been long instilling in her. I guess there comes a time in every parents life, when your child returns the advice you have long given them. I just never expected it to come so soon. It was the words I needed to hear, and more so because they had come from her. I was still stressed for tomorrow, but I found my spirit in a much better place as I fell asleep that night.

 Packet pick up

The next morning, Jeremy dropped me off at the pre-race packet pick up, which was held inside the museum. I thought it was awesome that in conjunction with our marathon, a shadow marathon was being held in Kandahar, Afghanistan the following day and soldiers would be running their 26.2 as well.

The Museum of Aviation Marathon started outside the museum, but was run almost entirely on the Robins Air Force Base. Because of that there was very little traffic to deal with, and even less spectators. It was a cold morning, with temps in the 20's, but windless and clear. Like a lot of my marathons this year, I made it my focus to just keep on foot in front of the other, and remember why I was running. It wasn't for the spectators, or scenery. It wasn't about the condition of my legs, but rather the call in my heart.

 Getting ready to start

This final marathon was for Lindokuhle, who is 12 and going into 5th grade. She is pictured here at an after-care program called Siyakhula. Volunteers in the community operate this program – they have two rondavels (a traditional African-style house) up on a big grassy hill. Orphans and vulnerable children go there after school to get a hot meal, help with homework, mentoring, etc. Lindokuhle is vulnerable to becoming orphaned because of her current living conditions, and is very poor. Her parents are unemployed and they do not have grants. There are many other children living in the same house. When 25:40 conducted the survey in 2009 to identify orphaned/vulnerable children, Lindokuhle said she did not have any shoes. Later in the year when this picture was taken, she had ill-fitting shoes that look like they are boys shoes. It's very typical for children to wear whatever they can get a hold of, regardless of weather it fits properly or not. You can see from the picture that she is singing at Siyakuhla with the other children, something they love to do this when visitors come.

 Lindokuhle's shoes

I had the picture of Lindokuhle, with her ill fitted shoes in my head. Running, I felt like I had ill fitted legs for this mission. Besides painful, I found that mechanically I was struggling to use the proper mechanics in my running form. I understood just how Lindokuhle must feel in her shoes and I prayed that my marathon would help raise funds to give shoes to not only Lindokuhle, but also the rest of the 2,000+ orphans that I've been running for. These children face such difficulty and hardship. What I have endured this year mellows in comparison, and any pain due me, has been a constant reminder of the real pain that brought me to run these marathons. We are talking about such precious children, the same as mine and yours, but struggling to survive. They face the darkness of AIDS and poverty, and the loss of their parents/family. And for all the times I've had to go to the doctor, or get physical therapy, at least I have the ability to do so! Often times these children are unable to get the medical care they need, for issues far greater than my running injuries. Giving a girl a pair of shoes, can bring far my hope to her heart than one can imagine. In a place where people have so little, the smallest gestures mean a lot.

As much as I physically struggled, I found myself strong mentally. I kept myself focused and with each and every mile, I found myself feeling more and more like celebrating. The fear I had felt the night before was gone and I knew that I would carry through to the end.

With a very small field of runners, and more of them running the half than the full, I spent most of my run alone. I actually enjoyed the solitude and it gave me time to really mentally process through everything that today meant. The course consisted of 2 loops, and while it wasn't overly visually entertaining, it was very flat and we got to see several F-15s take off and land as we ran the perimeter of the runway.

At mile 20 I got to see my family. Knowing that they would be meeting me, was sheer motivation during the miles leading up to it. It was a great pick-me-up and after taking a dose of pain killers at mile 16, I was feeling much more physically able to handle the last few miles left.

 Heading to mile 20

Those last 6 turned into a blur. I felt like I had complete tunnel vision for the finish line. Every mile brought me one step closer and that's all I could think about. Even the pain was pushed aside.

Just before I hit mile 26 I turned off my Ipod. I had been listening to music all day to keep me going, but now, the only song I wanted to hear was the cheering of my children. I saw my family, just feet away from the finish line and I broke down. Try as hard as I might, I couldn't help the tears. I stopped, once again to hug them and Jeremy before pushing for the last little stretch, finishing in 4:58.

 Mile 26

Trying not to cry when I saw my children

Hugs all around!

The final finish line

The race committee had been very kind to me, and after finishing I was presented a plaque, commemorating my accomplishment. I can't begin to tell you how good it felt to be done and to know I had finished my year! This had been a very special day for many reasons, partly because it was also my 30th birthday. I had arranged my races to end on this day because I couldn't think of a better way to finish my year and to celebrate turning 30!

 With my family after the race

 My time in Georgia was very short. After the race I got a shower, some hot food and then we made our way to the airport for our flight home. And once again following the marathon I struggled with incredible pain in my lower left leg.

I expected to take a few days off. I hoped that some rest and time would help with the pain, but once again I was proven wrong. And as a result, I have not run a single step following my last marathon on Jan 15th. Having to take 2 weeks off from running has been almost as painful as running itself has been! I've also tried different forms of cross training, but sadly, the pain is not gone. I finally went to the doctor to see what was really going on. After x-rays didn't given much insight, I got a bone scan. And now I'm just waiting on the results, which I expect to get this next week. I'll keep you all posted on the results from the doctor and what's to come.

I feel like I have so much more to give through running, but right now that all has had to be put on hold. It's hard to finish up an amazing year, with the possibility of the letdown of injury. But I know that I gave everything I could this year, and because of your support and generosity, over $14,000 has been raised for the children of South Africa! I can't thank you enough for that!  As I haven't hit the fundraising goal of $26,000, part of this journey continues on.  I will keep writing, you can keep donating, until I hit that goal; and I promise not to take so long before I post again!
 

Marilyn Monroe once said: "Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world." I didn't set out to conquer the world, but to change it.  Thinking about how much a pair of shoes mean for Lindokuhle, and what lacing up mine has done over the past 52 weeks, I do believe so much can be achieved when we make that choice to move. My journey may be over, but what about yours? Have you laced up your shoes? 

 

"Because the beauty of life, is not in what we get, but in what we give."

 

Final Race Stats:

4:58:22 - finishing time

164 out of 202 overall

33 out of 50 women

5 out of 8 in my age group (30-34)

The Walt Disney World Marathon....for Luke...

I'm sure you have thought I fell off the face of the Earth, but really, I just went to Disney World! I had every good intention of getting my blog post up while I was gone, but as life would have it, those good intentions flew right out the door. With the most wonderful, and insane family vacation ever, every hour of the day was filled to the brim, and my laptop was pushed aside time and again.

Jeremy and the kids

I had promised my children that after this year of marathons was over I would take them to Disney World. I figured at 10, 7 and 5, they were the perfect ages to enjoy it, and having never been before, you can imagine just how excited they were about going. While we were going for vacation, it wasn't going to be all fun and games. I was running the Disney World Marathon while we were there, but even as we prepared to leave on our trip, I felt hesitant about the run. I'd tried to lay low and rest over the past couple weeks. I'd had 2 weekends off from running marathons. I figured that was going to give my body some much needed healing time. I figured I would be feeling back to normal for Disney. I figured wrong.

 With the characters from Monsters INC

We got to Florida late on Thur night and I was eager for Friday to come. As part of the marathon weekend events, Disney offers children races and my kids were taking part in the Mickey Mile on Friday. It was an absolute joy to get to see my children run a race, and get to cheer for them. Being ever protective of her younger siblings, my oldest, Amira, made sure that they all ran together so no one would get lost or left behind. Holding hands they ran their mile in just over 12 minutes. It meant a lot to me to see them run.

 Proud finishers!

Over the weekend we visited some of Jeremy's family that live in Florida. The kids got to meet their great great grandma who is 90. We took in the beach for part of one afternoon, the weather just perfect for splashing in the waves

 Amira having a splash

Sunday morning came quickly and I don't think getting up before 3 am is anyone's idea of fun. Disney is one of the few races that requires you to get up at such an hour, as they have to close down the roads leading into the parks for the race itself. Jeremy was kind enough to get up with me and drop me off. Then it was time to sit in the cold and wait. I had heavy doubt about my run. I knew the cut off was 7 hours, so I'd have plenty of time to finish even if I had to walk parts of it, but I won't lie, I was very disappointed with how I felt. During my fall marathons, as things were really coming together for me physically and I was feeling stronger and stronger, I started putting a little ray of hope on Disney. I ran Disney 2 years ago, and while I wasn't trying to, I set my personal best marathon time of 4:02 on that run. I was hoping, if all systems were good to go, to try and go for a new best time on the course this year. But the weeks leading up to Disney, and the issues I was experiencing with my IT band, quickly trashed my hopes in that regard.

 Getting ready for #53

As I stood there, almost the 17,000+ that would run that day, I thought about how this run would be so different from the last time. I took the time to reflect on this past year. Surrounded by concrete, people wearing trash bags to stay warm, and a DJ playing rock music at 4am to a backdrop of the black sky; this was just another marathon morning. This reality (in some version or another) has been home for a year. In different places, and different settings, but it's all started off the same way. Excited people, nervous people, focused people, ambitious people. All of us looking for something, running for something. I have been each and every one of them. I have been excited beyond words, unable to sleep the night before my race. I have been nervous beyond tears, palms sweating,my heart beating like a drum, afraid of how my body will prevail. I have been focused, head phones in place, drowning out the sounds around me, only seeing the road ahead. I have been ambitious, pushing my pace, adding another race, ready to take on whatever is thrown my way. And today I would be none of those people. Today I would simply run a marathon, but it was who I was running for that defined me.

 Heading into Epcot

I ran for Luke, who just turned 5 on December 18th. The picture below was taken when he attended the Canzibe preschool, but now he is headed to a nearby public elementary school. Their school year ends in December and the new one starts in January. He is not technically orphaned, but is in the registry of 2,000 orphan and vulnerable children in the Ngqeleni Distict because he is considered vulnerable. His father is gone and he lives with his mom, aunt and grandmother. Luke’s mom supports herself and the household through the social grant she receives for Luke. Luke is getting medical treatments, most likely for HIV/AIDS. He is the same age as my son Austin and it's hard for me to not make that connection. I couldn't picture my son going through the things that Luke has had to face. I have been asked so many times this year, why did you choose to run for children in South Africa? They are children you have never met, you have never been to South Africa, so why them? The answer is simple. All I have to do is look at my children. I wouldn't ever want them to have to face what these children are going through. These children are born into a world with far much less hope than children here in the U.S.  The need is great, and if through my running I can help make a difference for them, then it is worth all the blood sweat and tears.

Luke

Luke is going to kindergarten, just like my son Austin. But his school is nothing like the ones here. The teacher to child ratios vary from 1:40 upwards to 1:90. I can't even imagine how anyone can teach a classroom of 90 five year olds! Also factor in the reality that there are no books, and very little supplies. Children like Luke, had been previously attending preschool at the Canzibe Mission, which was giving them so much, and now they are facing what the public education system is providing.  One of the missionary's from the Canzibe mission is working on starting a Christian elementary school and 25:40 is supporting his efforts. The goal is to start with younger grades (K-2) so that the kids coming out of the preschool can continue to be educationally challenged, be safe, and not in crowded classrooms. Over time, the school is planning to expand to older grades. This is a huge step in breaking the cycle of inadequacy of education and supplies that has left these children without any foundation for a future. This is about establishing a new pattern with the youngest generation. This is hope!

 Magic Kingdom

And it's programs like this that your donations go to support. So far over $14,000 has been raised this year through my 52beginnings project. For all of you who have donated, supported the children of 25:40 and my efforts, my heart overflows with thanks to you! For those of you who would like to still donate, please do! Donations are still open, and I intend to leave donations open even after these races are completed in the hope that I can continue to raise funds. Physically my body is in need of rest and repair, limiting me from doing more physically at the moment. But the need is still there and so I urge you to give what is laid on your heart to give. This is about changing the lives of children and it's through your support that hope is given!

Into Tomorrowland

In light of all that, how could this day be anything but victory for Luke? It wasn't about how well my legs did or didn't feel. It certainly wasn't about me setting a personal record time. We started out under the light of fireworks and the cheers of Mickey and Minnie. Like everything else Disney, this was to be a magical event.

 Giving Stitch a kiss

I could tell from the start that it was going to be a physically challenging day. Disney offers a very flat, fast course and we had perfect weather for a good run. But unlike the last time I ran it, I took a very different approach. Knowing my body wasn't up to being pushed, I looked forward to having a chance to stop and take pictures with the characters along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see all my favorite Disney friends and made more than a dozen stops for photos. While I dislike the fact that a lot of the race takes place on the roads in between each of the 4 Disney parks, the time in the parks is great fun. Running through Cinderella's Castle is my favorite moment of the race.

 What a view!

At times I struggled to stay motivated, especially in the later miles, as both my legs were hurting bad. I stopped at med tents more times in this race, than at all my marathons this year put together. As many people were completing in the Goofy challenge (running the half marathon on Sat, and now the full marathon on Sun), the race had med tents every couple miles along the course. They had huge gallon jugs of Biofreeze, a pain relieving gel. I stopped to use it at least 4 times on the course and the med tents always seemed to be busy with runners taking advantage of whatever relief they could get.

 Characters, characters, characters....what fun!

We finished in Epcot and I couldn't get over how much work this race had been. For such a perfect course, with perfect weather, I had seriously struggled both mentally and physically for a 4:53 finish. My Disney Marathon in 2009 had been mostly effortless. What a contrast!

 Going through Hollywood Studios

View from Animal Kingdom

More of Animal Kingdom

But in light of my finish and the fact that I now had the week to enjoy Disney World with my family, I didn't care that my legs hurt or that my time was less than stellar. I was done with marathon #53 and now it was time for some pain pills and family time.

Of course no vacation is without tragedy, and in our case, it meant Jeremy and I both getting ridiculously sick. There is nothing worse than having to spend the days at the parks, walking and going on rides when you feel awful, but neither of us wanted to disappoint our children so we suffered through. I honestly can't remember the last time I was this sick. I think it was about 6 years ago when I was pregnant with Austin. It was absolutely awful! In the midst of the germs, we tried to make the most of our trip and thankfully none of the children got our sickness.

Everyone had their own favorite moments. Mine included seeing the fireworks at Magic Kingdom on the last night of our trip and eating pancakes at IHOP at 10pm after having spent the whole day at Disney. Angelina and Austin fell in love with roller coasters after trying them out for the first time and went on every one they could. There is no fear in those kids! Amira loved all the parades, especially the nighttime electrical parade in Magic Kingdom.

 I know you can't tell from the picture, but Jeremy, Angie and Austin 

are screaming for their lives on this coaster!

It was a long trip, but it wasn't over yet. I still had my final marathon to complete in Georgia on the way home. Our time in Disney was wonderful, but there was still work to be done. And so Friday we packed up and made our way to Warner Robins, GA for marathon #54. This was it. It was all coming down to one more race and I couldn't believe I was down to my last 26.2.

Final Race Stats:
4:53:11 - final finishing time
6,209 out of 13,540 overall
2,151 out of 6,271 women
437 out of 1,083 in my age group (25-29)

My medal

My post on the Museum of Aviation Marathon, #54, will be up in a couple days.

A New Year....Happy 2011!

Everyone has a different approach for New Years. For some people it's a time to celebrate and party, party, party. Some people prefer to be homebodies, waiting for the ball to drop at midnight and then heading to bed. And then some people couldn't even really care about a New Year, aside from the fact that it means it's time to work on taxes and their health care insurance changed. And who needs to stay up till midnight, 10 pm is pushing it!

Regardless of your take on New Years doesn't change much for the calendar. Time remains the same, and weather you were decked out and dancing in Time Square or fast asleep, 2011 came.

What really matters, isn't how you celebrate, but how you plan to live it.

This time around everything was so different from what I would have imagined. On New Years Eve, my husband Jeremy ran a local 10k. He had signed up for it awhile back and I had been toying with the notion that I might run it with him. My original plan to run the Texas Marathon on January 1st had been scrapped. Since I had already hit my 52 goal, I just couldn't justify spending $500 on an airline ticket and leaving the family for another holiday. I found a no frills trail marathon/ultra event in Maryland that I could run for next to nothing on January 2nd. I figured I could make that work, but I hadn't anticipated having issues with my IT band the way I was. For those of you who don't know, the IT band (or technically known as the iliotibial band) is is a tough group of fibers that extend from the outside of the pelvis, over the hip and ending just below the knee. The band is crucial to stabilization of the knee during running and iliotibial band syndrome is one of the most common running injuries. Needless to say, I am more than well informed about the IT band. I have struggled with serious problems in my left leg during my 52 marathon journey and it was downright horrible. Having been through it all with my left leg, as I started noticing issues with my right leg, I had no question what I was dealing with.

I figured with taking Christmas weekend off and getting more than 6 days of rest between races I would be good to go for the Jan 2nd race. While rest really isn't really a part of my vocabulary, my attempt at a short Christmas day run made me realize I was only doing more harm than good. So during the next week I made myself do fast incline walking instead. I iced and stretched and all that good stuff, but I wasn't seeing much improvement. As New Years Eve drew near, I told Jeremy even though I wanted to, I didn't think there was any way my leg could hold up for the 10k. We discussed our weekend plans, and he asked me if I wanted to go out on Saturday night. I told him, I can't, because if I do decide to run the marathon on Sunday I'm going to need to be up early. He right away pointed out the flaw in my logic. If I didn't think I could run a 10k on Friday because my leg was so bad, how was I was considering doing a marathon on Sunday?? I had to laugh when he said it, and inside I knew he was right. I felt like I needed to hold on to that glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, I'd wake up the next morning and feel miraculously better. While I'm all for miracles, it wasn't my time for one.

So Jeremy went and did his 10k, running better than he expected. And for the first time ever, he ran a race, and I stayed home with the kids. 

Jeremy's race photo from the finish -  http://germani.zenfolio.com/p377515438/e23104a23

That evening we had our normal New Years Eve dinner, an arrangement of mostly unhealthy finger foods. Sure we had a veggie and dip plate, but there were also mini hot dog links, egg rolls, a cheese, salami and cracker plate plus BBQ chicken bites. Top it off with a pie for desert and sparkling cider, yeah, that was a finger feast!

Afterward we made our lists. Again I know some people hate new years resolutions, but personally, I find it to be a great way to give direction to my goals. I don't always make every goal every year, but it's good to know your focus. We add one other element to our lists, the highlights of the current year.

So as a family we sat down and made our lists. I even helped my 5 and 7 year old write down a few things. It's funny what can make the list! Austin, my 5 year old, listed seeing Santa as a highlight of 2010 and Angelina, 7, put cheerleading. My oldest, Amira, is 10 and had a full page of accomplishments/highlights from 2010 and goals for 2011. I was particularly impressed with one of her goals, to be more proactive. And I won't complain that keeping her room clean made the list too!

 Austin being Santa

Angelina having fun at cheerleading

With Amira this past summer

I wrote out my list as well. Spending more time with my family was at the top. I missed out on so much in 2010; I have a lot to make up to everyone, including Jeremy. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't have any running goals on that list as well.

Since long before 2010 was wrapping up, people have been asking me about my goals for 2011. While working through ideas, one thing in particular really stood out to me. But as I sat there, surrounded by my kids, notebook paper in hand, I surprised myself. I didn't write out the running goal I had been focusing on. Instead, the #1 running goal on my list was none other than....brace yourself for this one...
healing.

My body has been through a war, or so it feels like it. I'm about to turn 30 and yet I physically feel far more worn down than I would expect. And looking in the mirror, I feel like I've aged far more than one year in the last 365 days. Part of finishing my 52 marathons meant giving my body the healing it's been lacking all year. Right now I'm not ready or able to do near the work I have in mind for myself. I really mentally struggled with the idea of having to take time off from running and cut down, but now my body is saying you have to.

We stayed up for the New Years count down, let the kids do a toast and I gave myself a boost of faith in healing, by signing up for a couple spring marathons before the Jan 1st price increase.

 Me on New Years Eve

I started out 2011 with a weekend of rest. I didn't run a marathon this weekend and I was shocked by how at peace I was with that decision. For the first time ever, I signed up for a race, and didn't run. I was tempted to go and walk a marathon on the trail near my house, but I didn't do that either. I simply did nothing. Sure I helped put away Christmas decorations, and did laundry, but I just let my body rest. And it was wonderful!

The goal that I didn't write down, the plan that's been in my mind, is still my goal. Once I am past these injury issues, I will take it on, full force. So be watching, because I'm going to make a video with my goal and I'll post it on here.

But for now, the next focus is Disney World! I have 2 final marathons on behalf of 25:40. I will be running Disney on Sunday, and then the Museum of Aviation Marathon in GA on Jan 15th. These races had been planned as my final marathons on my 52 journey, and as such, will be a celebration with my family. My kids have never been to Disney World and I promised them that after this year of marathons was over we would go. As you can imagine, going to Disney World topped their lists as what they looked forward to most in 2011 and I am so glad to be bringing them with me. Donations for 25:40 is still open, so if you had been wanting to send in money and wondered if it's too late since I finished my 52, the answer is no! I plan to leave the donations open even after these last 2 marathons are finished. So please donate!!

How was your New Years? What goals made your list? Post them on the comments! I'd love to read them and you are much more likely to meet your goals if you make them public. So put a little confidence in your plans and let's see what everyone is shooting for in 2011!

Toasting in the New Year - Happy 2011!

Do what you love and happiness will find you.