Savoring the Improvements: Justice Run 2
After a rough start and a grueling finish (is there another
kind?), I came in at nearly the same time as before. The morning started at
5:00 am. I woke up my brother and he woke up two of his kids, Bella and
Christian. The 4 of us, and my mom, headed for the Panther Pavilion in downtown
Fort Worth along the banks of the Trinity River. The marathon runs along the
path following the river. It’s a 13.1 mile loop that marathoners have to run
twice. The city was still under a downpour with no let up in sight. We sat
under the event center canopy and waited for 7:00 am.
The race had been pushed back from the original start of
6:00 am due to heavy rainfall.
A quick look around told me those of us running numbered
less than 20. The marathon doesn’t usually get as many participants anyway, but
the weather clearly had an effect on the participant’s decision to show up. My
brother got an alert shortly after. The organizers were pushing it back 2 hours
to 9:00 am. They must have also realized it would still be dark till at least
8:00. Normally not a huge deal but with driving rain and deep puddles it could
be treacherous.
We decided to go find a coffee shop and get out of the rain.
We found one just a few minutes from the pavilion that would host the run. This
one was on a major city block corner with impressive floor to ceiling windows
facing the whole of the city. We were able to watch the weather get worse, as the
morning light tried to peek through the darkness. The sun never made an
appearance but the darkness relented a bit. At this point I thought they might
cancel. When we went back to the pavilion a much larger crowd was there waiting
to run.
The event was on after all.
I was having second thoughts about running in this miserable
weather. But with all the others lining up and checking their watches I fell in
line and prepped like the rest. I borrowed a hooded sweatshirt from my mom,
mostly to keep the rain off my head. I didn’t bring a hat, so I had to deal
with wearing it for the first half of the run. Once they shouted “GO!”, we
hustled through the first few hundred feet jockeying for position. The puddles
appeared shortly after that. We tried to skirt the ankle-deep water by running
through the grass along the side. But when the mud threatens to hold your shoes
in place, it’s best to just trot through like a hefty Clydesdale on your way to
the barn. I should’ve said “carefully” trot. I noticed a few runners slipping
on the mud underneath the water covering the path and took cautious steps.
Once you step in the water a few times you accept it and
splash on. Your shoes won’t dry, but neither will they be full of water the
whole day. It gets a little easier after that. I checked in on my pace and
heart rate like I normally do. Not that it matters all that much, but I’ve
never been able to keep a 10 minute pace beyond the halfway point. It always
jumps up to 11 and then 12. I could run harder and keep myself at 10 but my
energy level won’t allow it so late in the run. During training this isn’t a
problem. My heart rate too was up in the 160s during the race, which is high
for me. I like to stay just below 150.
I’ll need to do some research to figure out why my heart was
thumping so quickly. I wasn’t running faster but for some reason, it was
working harder. I’ve googled around since the race to get a sense of how it
might have happened. Coffee is likely the culprit. I always drink one cup
before a run but because of the delayed start, I had two. It’s hard to reconcile
one extra cup of coffee as being the deciding factor, so let’s call it a
contributor.
If it seems like I obsess
about these minor inputs, it’s because it takes a lot of work to get here. I’m
still in the ‘just happy to finish’ portion of my ability. But eventually I’d
like to get faster and start breaking some personal records. Along the way I hope
to weed out bad habits and learn how to best prepare. The sense I get from those
who’ve run a lot more than me, is that training is highly personal. What works
for a similar runner won’t necessarily work for me. It’s a puzzle, a problem to
be solved. I enjoy it. Mostly I like to savor the improvements, no matter how small,
and be encouraged by the progress.
The rain eventually dropped off around the 10 mile mark. The
drizzle continued for most of the race. The last 4 miles or so were almost too
much. I knew I’d finish at a slow clip, limping and scooting along. My knee was
begging me to stop and my legs felt like I had bags of ice melt wrapped around
them. Having done this before, I knew to just grit my teeth and lean forward until
I passed under the bright archway with the glorious word “Finish” across the
top. The pain really is temporary, but the story lasts forever.
So I’ll keep going… and thank God for His strength in my weakness.
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