Women Rock Half Marathon

Half naked firemen, a jeweled finishers pendant, champagne finish, men in tuxedos ushering us to the start line - how could this race NOT BE THE BEST RACE EVER, right???!!! Well, despite all of the glitter, frills and pink champagne, this all women's race was less than stellar or fun for me. However, like all of my races this year, I learned a lot more about myself as a runner and was once again flicked on the forehead by God.
As we walked to the shuttles to take us to the start line, a woman asked me about the names on my legs. I explained to her what I was doing with BTS and she told me that her son, Ryan, beat a cancerous brain tumor. Ryan, who is also a runner, is involved in the fight against brain tumors through an organization called Humor To Fight The Tumor. "Humor" has a gala every October in the Twin Cities that features a silent and live auction, live comedy, a dinner and inspiring stories from brain tumor survivors. The goal of "Humor" is to move people through the power of hope and laughter to contribute to the important work of the American Brain Tumor Association. Hearing that her son was doing so well and also fighting the fight against brain tumors - I had a little extra pep in my step. This was going to be a great race.
As the race got underway, everything was feeling great. Mile 1 - fast. Mile 2- a breeze. Mile 3 - Are we really at mile 3 already? Mile 3.5 - Getting tired. Maybe I should take my gel. Mile 4 - Who put cement in my shoes? Mile 4.25 - Come on gel, kick in any time. Mile 4.5 -  Hello??? Gel???? Are you there? Mile 4.75 - Alright, who put bricks in my thighs? Mile 5 - I AM DONE! After mile 5, my race took a nose dive and I was struggling. I'm not sure if it was the course, something I did or just a bad day, but I was having my first ever (kinda surprising this had never happened before) meeting with the WALL. For those of you who don't know, "hitting the wall" is a term that runners use to describe a point in a race where you seriously think you can't go on. Your energy is gone, you are mentally and physically tired and moving your legs feels impossible. And at this race I hit it hard. I have ran races before where I got tired and the run didn't feel the best, but this was different. If I didn't want that damn champagne glass and finishers pendant SO BADLY (and the fact that I didn't want a DNF on my "record"), I would have quit. But, I shuffled on. I focused on my "reasons", asked them for strength and pushed through. The finish wasn't pretty and I think by mile 12 a 90 year old man in a walker could have passed me, but I did it.
The last 3 miles I had to keep telling myself "This too shall pass" and it did. I had a tough race, I crossed the finish line, drank my champagne and went on about my day. But for some of those who I asked for their strength during the hard parts of my race, it didn't pass. Sometimes I think we take for granted that there will always be the point where the hard parts will get easier and we can go on with our lives. And unfortunately that isn't always the case. But by running for brain tumor awareness I hope that one day everyone who battles brain tumors can say "This too shall pass".