Another Double! Part 2....Harrisburg Marathon...for

Going into the weekend my goal had been to finish Richmond on Saturday and assess how much I had left for Sunday. Thankfully, in spite of being sick, things came together for Richmond, giving me new found confidence that I would be well enough to run Harrisburg on Sunday.

Although it was a downright gorgeous fall day on Saturday, when I got home from the marathon all I wanted to do was sleep. I got a hot shower, short nap and tried to work on replacing calories. Asking my body to run another 26.2 in the morning meant I needed to eat and I still had no appetite. I got my clothes ready for the morning, laid all my gear out on the counter and plugged in all my gadgets. I watched a movie. But I still couldn't eat much.

I have a bad habit of getting less than average sleep during the weekends of my doubles and this weekend was no different. I got 6 hours on Friday night and another 6 on Saturday night. Sunday morning I was up by 5am, getting ready for my 2 hour drive to Harrisburg. I actually don't mind early morning drives like that. The roads are empty and it's peaceful and quiet. Coffee in hand, I headed out the door.

I arrived with plenty of time to pick up my packet and just relaxed in my warm car. And for the what seems like the trillionth time in the past few months, my Garmin was having battery issues and refused to turn on. I'd be running this one blind and lucky for me, it wasn't a big deal. As long as I could finish, time wasn't really of the essence.

View from the bridge before the start

Anyone who runs doubles will tell you every weekend is a different experience. Different courses, different conditions, and its always a matter of how well your legs are prepared for the work that second day. As we lined up for the start, I began doubting my race in Richmond. I had run it significantly faster than I had planned, especially with having to run again the next day. I hadn't really paid much attention to my pace yesterday and I was hoping I wasn't going to regret that today.

 Everyone ready to roll!

Starting out we ran over the bridge from City Island, a small scenic island in the Susquehanna River. The views were lovely, and the temperatures once again perfect for running. It's not uncommon for my legs to be tired and somewhat heavy at the start of the second marathon on a double weekend. Within a few miles things start to warm up and everything is a bit easier. Today, I didn't notice any tiredness. As a matter of fact, it didn't feel like I had run at all the day before. Strange as that was to me, I wasn't about to question it, and hoped that it would continue to hold true for the rest of the day.

We headed through the historic Shipoke area along, running along the water and I did my best to take it all in. I ran Harrisburg last year for the first time, and today I noticed so much more than I remember seeing last year. I think my taking photos on the courses this year has made me appreciate the beauty of my runs in a very different way. My eyes are not just scanning the road, looking for footing/potholes, the next mile marker ahead or where the next turn is taking us. This year I've been seeing the world through the eyes of a photographer, always looking for something to capture and take away from the run. And there was lots of beauty to take from Harrisburg.

I paid no attention to my pace, but tried to just run comfortable. I felt good and I had no more head fog. We got to make a loop on the Island, crossing back over the bridge we had started on, and then heading back over another bridge, that we would cross one more time to hit the finish line. Before I knew it we had covered 9 miles and I felt like we had just started. I love it when time stands till on a run.

The middle section of the race is run through a bleak area. It seems very industrial to me (and imagine that, after looking at the course map, I saw that the road is named Industrial Road).  It lacks the beauty given in the earlier portion of the race. Large rigs were passing us as we ran along the side of the road, the exhaust fumes making it that much more unpleasant. This part of the course was just as uninteresting to me last year, and I didn't bother to take any pictures. Trust me, you are not missing anything here. The one good part, it was mostly flat.

Nearing mile 19 we made our way out to Wildwood Lake Nature Park and ran a few miles back in the beauty of nature. Unfortunately, this area also offered the only real hills on the course. They were not extreme, but this late in the race, all hills feel like so much work.

This kid was all over the course cheering us on

I gave it what I had left and during those last few minutes I focused solely on Michael, the 12 year old boy who I was running for. He is about to have another birthday, right before Christmas, but he is unlikely to have any celebration. His mother died many years ago and he does not know where his father is. Thankfully he is attending school, and takes part in a food program sponsored by 25:40, that provides emergency food parcels for those who are in serious need. As you can see from his picture, he is very thin and is probably malnourished. Children like Michael get big tubs of peanut butter as a part of their food parcels and it means the world to them.

 "Michael"

Whatever energy I could muster up I did. And I pushed till the very end, crossing the bridge and hitting the finish line in 4:18.

 The finishing bridge (picture taken earlier when we were heading out)

I felt overwhelmed with emotion as I was handed my medal and began walking from the finish area. I don't deserve a medal, Michael does. I can run, I can push myself, but I don't know how I would manage to live the life he faces. It's been such a long year. This weekend was a big push with being sick, and somehow I had managed to run faster than the day before. Somehow my body had allowed me to do what seemed impossible to me. And right then and there I wanted to fall to my knees and thank God. He has carried me through 46 marathons this year, and I can't begin to express just what that means to me.

We all travel our own roads, our own paths. And the road I ran today I traveled for Michael. He may never know me, but through this journey, it's my prayer that his voice is heard. His needs are made aware and he can find new hope..and a new beginning.


"Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed." - Psalm 82:3

Final Race Stats:
4:18:41 - Finishing time
568 out of 917 overall
145 out of 296 women
23 out of 36 for my age group (25-29)