It's not always about you

Today I finished the Run for the Dream in Williamsburg for the second year in a row.  Last year it was HOT and hilly and pretty miserable, but I posted a decent time (for me.)  I ran by myself and focused on MY race and finishing with MY goals.  This time, it wasn't about me.  Today, I had the honor and privilege of running with people who were finishing their very first half marathon.  It's humbling to be able to go back to that point - waking up for your first half.....getting the starting line for the first time....corralling up...and waiting....and then hearing the gun and starting to run. 

Photo credit to Joel Gorny

Today was different.  It was cool at the start, and wasn't supposed to get too much warmer.  It was still hilly, but they were different hills.  We stayed at the same hotel, but the starting line was right at the hotel instead of a bus ride away.  My knee was killing me from the beginning and I really had no idea what I had in the tank when I started this race.  Another major difference was that I was running with someone and it was her day!

A blast from my past and I reconnected through an amazing support group called the Running Turtles.  Peggy was running her first half and was a little nervous.  We line up, the gun went off and so did we.

The first mile was pretty crowded.  There wasn't much room to move.  We ran the  entire first mile out of courtesy and necessity.  It was hard to get to the side to start walking.  Peggy wanted a 12 minute mile and we got that for the first mile!  (That would be the last 12 minute mile, but at least we got one!)  After the first mile we left the back road of Colonial Williamsburg and started into my happy place.  We ran towards the Governor's Palace on one of the side roads of the Revolutionary City and turned right toward the Palace at the Palace Green.  While I was chatting more than running hard, I still got a little tingly feeling when I saw the Palace and the Green because of all of the memories came rushing back.....first night of college, years of Grand Illuminations, jumping the wall and running the maze...memories!  We then turned left onto Duke of Gloucester Street and past the Capitol.  The miles were flying by due to great company and feeling pretty good!

After we ran out of CW, the road to nowhere started.  We ran up Route 60 FOREVER.  We made a new friend along this stretch who was also running her first half.  We trudged along...still making pretty decent time.  When the stretch on 60 ended, we turned into a commercial park and weaved around until we came to a super secret trail that was opened especially for us in the gated Kingsmill community.  The trail was shaded, which was nice, but had rolling hills, which was not so nice.  We kept running and walking and chatting and enjoying the course and the view!

I don't remember much about miles 6-11 or so.  I do know that we picked up some new friends...one was another first time half marathoner...and rand past a golf course, which reminded me a lot of the Disney Princess Half Marathon course when you come out of the Magic Kingdom.  Seeing the Mickey golf cart would have been really nice during that section!  I do know that I tried really hard to be in tune with what the girls around me needed.  In my experience, people aren't going to tell you when they need to walk more or slow down or sit on the curb and cry for a minute.  I tried really hard to watch them and listen to them and suggest an extra walk if someone needed it.  Most of the time...it was me who needed it.   They indulged me as much as I indulged them.

From there we weaved ourselves back through residential streets on the way back to the College of William and Mary!  This was the part I had been waiting for...I was going home to William and Mary! We saw a familiar face when we got back to Williamsburg.  Peggy's BRF and fellow Running Turtle, Amanda, had driven to Williamsburg to surprise her!  We passed some wonderful Williamsburg residents (one of whom had already finished the race and was sporting her medal....yep, I stopped to take a peek!) who were spraying us with water.  We came up by the Campus Center, ran through the parking lot (new addition this year...totally unnecessary...who wants to run through a parking lot at mile 11.5??) and started up Jamestown Road.  We ran past my college dorm rooms and turned up Landrum Road between Old Campus and New Campus.  (I still didn't like this.  The College of William and Mary is one of the THE most beautiful college campuses in the country.....take away the parking lot loop and let us run around the Sunken Gardens.)  We passed the new library and the Crim Dell and turned toward William and Mary Hall, dreaded hill by the Lodges and the finish!!  We were hot (the chill of the morning had worn off when we lost the shade) and tired and slowing down a lot!  We passed the language houses, Freshman land, the BEAUTIFUL new frat houses and could see the turn to head to the finish line.   SURPRISE!!  Another change from last year....this time we had to run around William and Mary Hall and the parking lot before we could go toward the finish.   I didn't like that very much.  I still felt pretty decent, but I was ready to be done and take my family to Busch Gardens.  Somehow I ignored the course change on the map, so I wasn't ready for it.

We finally made it around the parking lot (what was with the parking lots???) and got up the hill by the lodges.  It didn't seem as steep this year.  In fact, Peggy asked if that was it.  We walked up it, but it wasn't as much work as last year.  We saw my friend Meghan who waited for us at the finish, smiled for a picture, and went into Zable Stadium for our victory lap!  We lost the rest of our new group of friends when we got into the stadium.

Photo Credit to Meghan Gorny

It was nice to make our friends along the way, but Peggy was ready to finish and I was determined to finish what we started together.  We ran past our families and crossed the finish line of her first half marathon!

I don't know what would have happened if I had run my own race.  I might have been faster.  I might have convinced myself that my knee hurt and I was done at mile 2.  I don't know.  But, sometimes it's not about me.

Photo Credit to Joel Gorny