Well, we did it! On Saturday December 3rd, Calvin and I ran our first half marathon! The weather was great and we accomplished our goals: to finish, and to finish in under 2 1/2 hours.
But let’s back up and talk about how awesome our team was.
After reading Raechel’s post this summer, the seed was planted and I was going back and forth, back and forth talking myself into and then right back out of, running the St. Jude half marathon. But after talking to Calvin about it, we both decided it was a great way to stay motivated to run. So we committed! It took a little while for our team to virtually assemble but after working the logistics for a couple of months, 17 {mostly strangers} became Team Finding My Feet.
Photo credit for all race images: Ryan Myers
And now those same 17 people are 17 new friends! We seriously had the best time. Most of the team arrived on Friday and we met up at the expo to pick up our race packets. After the official introductions we walked around the expo looking at all the goodies. And after we had looked at everything, they went to check into the hotel and we finalized our dinner plans.
We dined at Amerigo where we filled our bellies with delicious pasta and thoroughly enjoyed all being together and talking about our training, goals, and those 13.1 miles we were about to run. Conversation was easy and there was plenty of laughing. And if we didn’t have to wake up before the sun the next morning, I’m sure we could’ve talked all night.
Surprisingly, I went to sleep easily and slept great! I was fully expecting to toss and turn with nervous energy all night, but I was grateful for a good night’s sleep. When we woke up at 5:00am on Saturday, it was dark and cold. We quickly got ourselves ready, made smoothies, packed snacks and water, and made our way to the hotel to meet up with the team. The hotel had a lot of runners staying there so they were giving away breakfast bags packed with fruit, yogurt, a bagel, and water. They even let Calvin and I have one–score!
Once we were all ready to go, we carpooled downtown and parked easily. The crowds were just making their way into downtown when we arrived around 6:45. We found the starting line and spent some time taking pictures, stretching, and getting mentally prepared for the race. It was cold but sunny and it looked like it was going to be great weather for our run. To stay warm, we waited inside the Double Tree’s lobby until 15 minutes before the race.
The whole morning I was just really excited and ready to actually do what I’ve been training for all these months. I was a little nervous, but not nearly as much as I thought I would be. I think running the Cooper Young 4miler and the Race for the Cure 5k helped prepare me for a race environment, which helped calm my nerves.
But neither of those races were as crowded as this one! When we got to our starting corral, we couldn’t even see the starting line. We decided to start in corral #10 which was a 10:20-10:40 mile pace. There was an announcer getting the crowd pumped up and calling out the start for each corral. Music was playing, people were cheering, and I was actually pretty warm packed in the middle of all those people. We waited for our turn to start with two other Finding My Feet teammates, Chelsea and David. To keep ourselves calm, we just talked about random things and pointed out the interesting people in the crowd. Like the ladies in pink tutus, the guy that looked like John Krasinski {Jim from The Office}, and all the people who were wearing shorts and tshirts and how cold they must be.
And finally it was our turn to start! Mayor Wharton was at the starting line waving, and we ran down the block past a huge crowd of supporters cheering, waving, and holding signs showing their appreciation. The start of the race was really fun. I was so pumped up and kept forgetting to maintain a steady pace. The energy of the crowd was so awesome, it made me feel like I could just take off sprinting. Fortunately, I had Calvin to remind me that wasn’t a very good idea. At the first half mile we saw Raechel’s husband Ryan and we waved as he took our picture.
Please note: I did not run like this the whole way. This was my spaz wave for Ryan.
That’s David pointing at Ryan and his wife Chelsea in the purple.
We made our way through the South End of downtown, ran along Riverside, saw the Memphis Bridge, and then turned on Beale Street. We took a walk break up the hill and then enjoyed running down Beale and giving the crowd high-fives. And before we even realized it, we had run 5k!
Somewhere between miles 4 and 5 we entered the St. Jude campus. I was fully expecting to be an emotional wreck when I saw all the kids with their families and all the loved ones holding signs with pictures to represent those that couldn’t be out there cheering with us. But there was just too much excitement to be sad. I guess I should’ve known that. I’ve visited St. Jude before and it isn’t a place full of sadness. Everyone is so thankful to be there able to receive the best treatment available and there is just so much hope and laughter. Running through the campus was the same way. We ran under a balloon arch, on top of messages written on the street with chalk, and past so many people who were genuinely thankful for what we were doing. But I definitely didn’t feel like their hero. Those kids are inspiring and if anyone should be called a hero, it’s them.
Please note the shirtless man with inappropriate shorts. We ran by him for a while and at one point he was talking to Calvin about his shoes. Super nice man. Super short shorts.
Once we left the campus, miles 6-9 were spent on North Parkway running past the back of the zoo and through Overton Park. This was definitely the most difficult part of the race for me. And if it was up to me, I would make this part of the course the beginning of the race and save all the famous Memphis landmarks and the St. Jude campus for closer to the end. There just wasn’t as much excitement and I don’t remember very much except that we ran past the stinky zoo, my music stopped playing, and I was really hungry. There were times where I just wanted to sit down and rest for a while. But I stayed motivated by running until I got to a water station and then taking a walk break while I drank some at every stand.
Calvin was a huge encourager through those grueling 3 miles, and a sweet encouraging text from my best friend Stephani really helped get me through. Her timing could not have been any better, but that’s to be expected, she is my best friend after all :) Also, I think it’s worth mentioning that I am thankful for iPhones! I seriously don’t know if I could have run 13 miles without mine. It was my music, my link to the rest of the world, and the primary way I communicate with #teamFMF. So thanks Steve Jobs.
Once we were out of Overton Park, we ran down Poplar for miles 10 and 11. We were on the home stretch and I was excited but exhausted. We passed several fast food restaurants that smelled so good, Calvin joked that we should stop and have some fried chicken before we finished. Oh, it was tempting! At one point around mile 11 I noticed a woman in front of me wearing a shirt that said, “St. Jude Mama.” I remembered seeing her back in Overton Park and thinking how incredibly strong she must be. Not only does she have a child battling for her life at St. Jude, but she also found the time to train for a half marathon to support those that allow her family to receive such great care. As I was thinking about all this, I noticed her make her way over to the sidewalk and stop to hug a little girl with no hair who was sitting in a wheelchair. And then I got emotional. But it was emotion that made me so proud, thankful, and determined to finish what I started training for so many months ago.
The last few miles were so surreal because the furthest we ever ran during our training was 11 miles so with each step we were doing something we had never done before. It wasn’t long before we passed mile marker 12 and realized we were just 1.1 miles away from our goal. As we turned the last corner I noticed the stadium lights in Autozone Park. When I pointed them out to Calvin I remember him saying, “Ready to finish?” and I nodded as we ran downhill towards the stadium entrance.
Photo credit for this series: Abby Wood
If you look closely you can see Calvin and I as we approach the finish line!
Yes, we held hands as we crossed the finish line. And yes, this is a screen shot from the official race photos.
I hope I never forget those last moments of the race. The excitement of entering the stadium and running to the finish line was incredible. There were so many people cheering and the path leading up to finish line was crowded with other runners who had finished earlier but gathered around to congratulate us. Our official time was 2:26:31 and we were so proud, even though I’m pretty sure it just looked like we wanted to die. Or at least sit down.
Not quite the same excitement as the pre-race pictures, huh?
We received our medals and spotted my family in the crowd. We waved as they took our picture and then waited to have our picture taken with Elvis and our medals. 
Or at least I thought we did. This is what we actually looked like.
No Memphis event is complete without Elvis!
Then we spent the next few minutes stretching and catching our breath and went to find my family and the rest of our team. Everyone finished: exhausted, sore, and hungry, but so grateful to have accomplished our goal.
Clearly, Raechel and I were excited!
A lot of people ask me about the “runner’s high” and before I started training I just thought that was something people made up. But I stand corrected and can honestly say I’ve experienced it and it’s an awesome feeling. I won’t say that I immediately felt it after finishing the half, mostly I was just super tired and really hungry. But I can’t deny that you quickly forget those feelings and get excited for the next one. Yes, I said the next one. There’s already talk of a #teamFMF reunion at the Country Music Marathon {or half marathon} in April! So, anyone up for a run?
P.S. You can read Raechel’s recap and see more pictures here and Keight’s here.
Awesome! Congratulations!!