Friends are gifts

Last week, my nieces’ friend/classmate/fellow athlete was killed in a car accident.  She was driving with two other friends in the car, apparently lost control, and hit a tree.  She died at the scene.  Fortunately, her two friends, though injured, are expected to survive.  Unfortunately, it is believed that none were wearing seatbelts.  A beautiful young 16 year old….gone in an instant.

This terrible tragedy brought some sad memories flooding back for me.  Back when I was about 22 years old, I lost my friend Ellen in a car accident.  Driving home alone, she hit a tree located in the highway median strip.  This bright, bubbly, beautiful, funny girl was gone.  I looked up to Ellen.  She was a few years older than I and was just so great to be around.  We worked together, but we laughed together more.  On that Friday, I remember waving goodnight to her and offering the casual, “See you Monday!” It was a week before Christmas and it was far from festive, with Monday never arriving for Ellen.

I have friends who have come and gone through normal situations that are a part of life.  I have friends who I’ve reignited the flame with; I have friends I had to let go of because the relationship had grown toxic.  I have work friends, running friends, puppy friends, and of course, Facebook and Blogger friends.  I smile at the unexpected text from a friend that simply says, “Hi” or “I miss you”.  Through my old and my new friends, I feel truly blessed.  Friends like Ellen were perhaps only meant to come along in a short, but meaningful way.  Others like my nieces’ friend will stay frozen in time as a youthful 16 year old.  Both were gone too soon, but I believe both packed such a punch, that even though their lives were short in length, what they brought us was something big enough to remember for a very long time.

The other night, we had a surprise visit from a friend and her children.  Actually, we technically never saw them.  They knocked on the door and fled.  But before fleeing, they left this –

They made our night.  And I think we made theirs….by not catching them!

When we give ourselves wholeheartedly to friends and receive the same back, it’s such an amazing and satisfying feeling.  Gifts are meant for giving, but with friendship, it is meant to be given and received – at the same time.

Friends are truly gifts. 

Paying it forward

A couple years ago, I had my sights on the Cape Cod Marathon.  I trained and felt ready, but by mile 19, the wind had beaten me up..  That’s when Meaghan jumped in!  She ran alongside or in front of me (whatever was needed) to help me get passed that “ick” feeling of the final stretch of the marathon.  It was the best feeling ever to have someone there to help me through those moments that we all have that come in the form of “OMG, why do I do this?!” and “I just want to stop”.  Having her there turned those thoughts into, “I just have to hang on until I see Meaghan”.

On Sunday, I got a chance to pay it forward.  The race:  Smuttynose Rockfest Marathon.  The runner:  Carrie. 

Scott and I set up shop at somewhere between miles 9 & 10.  It was spitting out and a bit windy.  We were dressed for the weather, armed with our cowbells, and ready to cheer.  As runners started approaching, we started watching for our friends.  We saw Karen first, who was running Rockfest Half in preparation for Baystate Marathon in a few weeks.  She looked strong and happy.  Next, a runner approached us and yelled, “Hey, are you Lisa waiting for Carrie?”  I didn’t know this girl, so probably had a big question mark on my forehead.  She continued running passed us and yelled back, “I’m Jen from DailyMile!”.  Scott is aware of all the social media of course, but doesn’t partake.  He was stunned and cracking up at the same time.

Next arrived Carrie – a bit faster than we had anticipated.  She looked good too; very focused.  Knowing I was meeting her at mile 20, I made a mental note of the time I saw her blow by us.  A short time later came Sue and Kellie.  This was Kellie’s first marathon and they looked great!  They were keeping a nice, conservative pace and seemingly had not succumbed to the “going out too fast” bug most newbies (and not-so-newbies) are bitten by.

From there, I started peeling off layers to prepare for my run.  Scott and I ran to mile 20 (double loop, so it wasn’t that far) and waiting for Carrie.  Picking her up just before mile 20, we fell into step with her.  Scott cut through a side street to get back to the car and a group of runners “called him out” that he “cut the course”.  He assured them he wasn’t actually running in the race and continued on.

For me, the 6.2 miles was so much fun!  We talked - and then didn’t.  I ran slightly ahead of Carrie and tried to keep an eye on both the pace as well as her body language.  She seemed OK, so I continued to push the pace.  I didn’t push the pace in a dangerous/bonk kind of way, but just tried to keep her from slowing down.  I know full well how miles 20 – 26.2 feel, so I rode the clutch a bit – pushing, then easing up a touch, pushing some more.

As we approached the finish, I peeled off to the side and she finished her race.  She obliterated her old 3:56 PR with a brand spanking new 3:42 PR!  Did I contribute?  Probably.  Does she owe me anything?  Hell no.  I got such a charge out of pacing her.  The fact that she got herself trained and prepared, both physically and mentally, to run a marathon was ALL HER.  I was thrilled to be a small part of something big.  And now that I’ve been the pacee and the pacer, I see that both roles are equally rewarding.

Looks like Carrie sees it too, since she will plan on pacing Karen in her final miles of her marathon in a few weeks.  Paying it forward….

Tapering sympathy pains

My goal tomorrow is to achieve a “supporting PR” at Smuttynose Rockfest Marathon!  Sue, Kellie, and Carrie are running the full; Karen is running the half as preparation for Baystate later this month.  Meaghan’s off to tackle Wineglass Marathon.  All are eagerly awaiting the start of their races….

And so am I!!!

Seriously, you’d think I was running tomorrow.  I’ve got course maps, cow bells, extra waters for our friends, and my own running stuff that will enable me to help run Carrie through that final 10K part of the race.  

And with that, I’m pretty sure I’m having taper sympathy pains….

• This morning, I felt achy knees
• After achy knees came an achy right hip
• I craved pasta today and shoveled it in like it was my job
• And I’m just overall cranky today.

Yep, sure fire signs of a tapering marathoner. 

I’m guessing I will over-carbo-load later as many do the night before, have a terrible bout with insomnia (what’s new), and awaken tomorrow with butterflies.  So, my running friends, I am experiencing it right alongside you!  I’m excited for you all to have great races and can’t wait to celebrate your awesome accomplishments!

Have fun!!!!

“You can’t always get what you want……"

…. But if you try sometimes, well you might find you get what you need”

This past Wednesday, Scott and I anxiously awaited word from BAA to tell us if our qualifying times would be fast enough for 2014’s race.  After reading lots of conversation online about the tighter than tight times and the larger than life number of registrants, we braced ourselves and hoped for the best.  What’s ironic is that Scott, who is clearly a much faster runner than I, had less of a chance of getting in because his time was under a minute of his qualifying standard.  While I, the slower one in the family, managed a 1:20 window of wiggle room.

And at the end of the day, neither was good enough.

I called Scott to tell him the news.  A few minutes later, he called me back and just about yelled into the phone, “18 seconds Lisa….you needed 18 seconds!”  Yes, I know.  I had done the math in those few minutes since we first hung up. 

Sure, I’m disappointed.  But I get it.  They have to draw the line somewhere.   And through Facebook and Runner’s World forums, I read of many runners who had a 3 second window that determined they would sit out 2014’s race.  3 seconds is a whole lot more jagged of a pill to swallow than 18 seconds.  It’s all relative.

Like the Rolling Stones verse at the beginning, I didn’t get what I wanted, but I have emerged from this experience in a good place:

• I’m so glad they invited last year’s runners who couldn't finish due to the horrific bombings to return to run AND FINISH.  If I lost my spot to one of them, I’m more than OK with that.
• I’m grateful and fortunate to have run 3 Boston’s thus far and body/mind willing, will be back for more!
• There are so many great races out there; I’ll try a new Spring race on for size
• My ultra appetite has been suppressed for long enough; this change in plans might be just what I need to conquer some BIG plans.

OK, OK, so maybe I sound a little too glass-half-full here, but I do mean it.  I’ll celebrate this sport I love by volunteering again or by supporting from the sidelines, but either way I’ll celebrate.  And for Boston 2014, I’ll celebrate the hope that this race will now symbolize for all who were injured or lost as a result of last year’s tragedy.  And maybe that’s all I need for now.

Two 'Halfs' DO Make a Whole

Over the last month, I have happily run a couple of no-pressure half marathons with friends.  Some old friends, some new friends….all fun!  Although I have one more race planned for this Fall, Ghost Train 15 Mile trail race, all of my “heavy lifting” races are in the books!  I’ve truly been running for fun and it’s been perfect.

Two weeks ago, I took the bait from Carrie and registered for Applecrest HalfMarathon.  I was a little hesitant at first, since Applecrest ran only 2 weeks after Quebec City Marathon.  But I found my legs to be quite cooperative and just as importantly, my head was excited to join in.  By race day, we had a fun little posse headed up to Hampton Falls to run. 

The day was warm and the course was packed with rolling hills.  My 3 comrades were using Applecrest as a training run for various October marathons, so the pace stayed generally comfortable and at times appropriately cautious – didn’t want anyone injuring themselves!  The race was very well organized, the shirts and medals were cool, and the after party had something for everyone:  face painting, food, music.  Great New England atmosphere!

Merging friends - Meaghan, Me, Carrie, and Karen

Soon after Applecrest came the bait from Meaghan, “Any interest in running the Wicked Half Marathon in 2 weeks?”.  After an appropriate amount of whining about the early start (7:00 am, which meant a 4:30 am wake up!), I succumbed to the peer pressure and registered for this coastal run through Salem and Marblehead, MA. 

Not as hilly as Applecrest, Wicked Half took us through Salem and out to beautiful Marblehead neck.  Although the clouds kept the sun away (thanks!), the views were still gorgeous.  The homes in that area are something else altogether –

source

Just as Applecrest delivered, Wicked Half was also very well organized, had good traffic control (those streets can be very busy on a Saturday!), and again, offered cool race bling.  After we finished together, we made a bee-line to the Inn on the Square to dive into some of this post-race goodness –

Yeah, we look miserable, huh?

And the collective bling for all our work –

Although 2 half marathons most definitely do not make a whole marathon, 2 halves of my runner self certainly make a whole Lisa!  My more serious/driven side who focused on managing the race at Maine Coast Marathon and who broke through a PR time that seemed ready to settle in for a long winter’s nap welcomed my impromptu/fun side who focused on having fun and enjoying the company of old and new friends alike on some of our more beautiful New England half marathon courses.

Even though it’s only September, I am finding myself already thinking ahead to 2014.  Not to rush 2013, but I have a few ideas marinating and am excited to see how it all plays out!

Anyone else already thinking about 2014?  Anything you want to share?

Running knows best

Why do I do this to myself?  Why do I toss aside the one thing that I need most when things get stressful?

Running.

This week was crazy.  It was chaotic and everyday felt too long and too hard.  And I believe the moment I allowed my running to go by the wayside, that’s when things felt suddenly too big.  On Friday, I hauled my very tired self into work and, upon entering the building, fumbled with my umbrella.  SPLAT – a big fat raindrop hit me in the forehead.

Queue lump in throat.  Seriously?  I’m suddenly THAT fragile?

Fortunately, I packed my bag with a steadfast plan to run at lunch.  I had the time blocked off and I refused to over think it.  So what if I hadn’t run all week?  It would be easy to continue sliding into yet another run-less day, and so on….  Of course I wondered if my legs would remember what to do after four days and miraculously, my legs remembered what to do after four days.  I was pleasantly surprised when I glanced at my Garmin early on and saw –

I didn’t feel like I was working that hard, but those were some good numbers staring up at me.  Cool, the legs are cooperating.  But I knew I had a long run with Scott the next morning, so I pulled back –

Riggghhttt.  Fail on the pull back.  OK, this time I was going to pull back for real –

So, there’s that.  Fortunately, it’s not like I was throwing down 7’s (in my dreams) and I honestly felt so energized that the run felt effortless.  I guess that’s my reward for inviting running back into the fold.  The moral of the story is this; don’t stop running. Ever.

The End.

There’s a sticker for everyone!

After shamelessly adding a new running related sticker to my car sticker collection (the 42,2K from Quebec City), I found myself driving in back of a car today with this gem stuck on the back:

Cracked.Me.Up.