January 30, 2011

Sunday 1/30/11

Today was the 2011 Houston Full and Half Marathon.  

Matt and I have run the Houston Marathon several years and as a member of the Houston Adventure Racing Team (HART) we have had the opportunity to train and run along side an entire team of incredible athletes.  This year we did not run the marathon -- but those from the team who ran decided to wear “SuperMonkey Fight Like A Girl” Temporary Tattoos.  This very cool idea came from “Team Coach Weihan Lin”.  Pink Bracelets with the word “Strength” were also provided to the team by Debbie Tucker.

SuperMonkey Temporary Tattoo :)

The event started at 7 am this morning and the team had several folks along the course on their bikes providing the racers with much needed support.  Matt and I staged ourselves at the team tent / flag which was between mile 24 and 25 of the 26.2 mile race course.  The HART Racers started trickling by us as early as 10:30 am.  The day was a little chilly on my freshly shaven head - which by the way brings an entirely new world of element sensations.  Due to the rainy weather we saw a lot of muscle cramping marathoners -- but overall a remarkable amount of “good spirits”. 

I Love Team AWESOME!!

We were able to see most of the HART Full Marathon runners as they ran by and while I have participated in the event several times -- I will say this spectating has an entirely different list of rewards!!  By staging ourselves this close to the finish we were able to see a wide range of emotions and strength.  It is inspiring to watch the runners from the sideline and see that the immediate impact of your encouraging words can move someone to push through their obvious pain.  

A marathon is really an independent journey of self-discovery and even when people run together it is up to each racer to find the inner-strength to make it across the finish line.  Racing pushes you to your limits and beyond, a marathon is no different.  It is during this time that racers decide what is important to them:  a personal record, a first place finish or a fond memory.  During this time of my life I have learned a lot about my own limits and what is important to me:  enjoying the company of others and physically mastering my symptoms / my body with the goal of keeping things as normal as possible during this absolutely abnormal time of my life.  

The race was followed by a lunch at Jax’s Grill where most of the runners and supporters were able to have a meal and talk about the race challenges (while I couldn’t really taste my first cheeseburger since chemo it still made me happy).

HART Marathon Runners and Supporters

It is weekends like this that remind me of the value of friendship and the power of a positive attitude.  

“We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon."
Emil Zatopek