Her Boots Were Made For Running
Saturday night I joined the ranks of the thousands of people in Portland who were no doubt having trouble sleeping. Not because I was about to embark on the 26.2 mile road race through various parts of the city the following morning, but because my little sister was.
Babycarrot sister had been training for a marathon that no one was quite sure she would be able to run, as she had been plagued with severe foot pain throughout the past year. She had taken nearly the last two weeks to rest before the race, but just the day before she had been favoring her stronger foot, as her other foot was still giving her noticeable pain.
On race day she miraculously felt not an ounce of pain coming from her feet. At least, not the kind of pain she had grown accustomed to feeling whenever she ran any distance. Throughout the day I’m sure there was pain. LOTS of pain. Marathon sized amounts of pain. But my babycarrot sister is nothing if not a trooper, and troop she did, all 26.2 miles without stopping once.
It’s difficult to express how inspiring watching a marathon is, the hundreds of spectators strategically placed throughout the course, rushing from one mile-marker to the next to catch brief glimpses of their particular beloveds so bravely and determinedly pounding the pavement toward the finish line.
Waiting for Theresa to come into view around mile seven I was struggling not to cry.
Standing there alongside a road I had driven myriad times before, I was suddenly struck by the sheer magnitude of the event, and the complex simplicity of it. Run. That’s it. Just run, from the start all the way to the finish. Keep running, even when you want to quit, even when you think you might fall over from sheer exhaustion or fear. RUN.
Along the sidelines there were mothers who roused babies at dawn to put them in strollers and pull them along. There were husbands with kids in tow, telling their little ones “Here comes Mommy; here she comes!” There were bright pink signs laden with bright pink balloons, and spectators who would cheer for anyone whose name they could read from their bib. There were runners under the age of 18, and there were runners who were grandfathers. There were runners who looked strong, who laughed and talked and thanked the crowd for being there, and those who looked like they were literally limping along.
There weren’t as many spectators, as many bands, as much activity as there would have been, I heard, supposedly because it was a pretty gloomy day weather-wise, Portland having traded its newly crisp clean and sunlight-laden Fall air for grey skies and drizzles with short bursts of torrential downpour.
We were still there, along with thousands of others; we were there for her. To see her finish a race she had vowed to start. And finish she did.
My little sister finished her first marathon in 4:09:52 with an average mile time of 9:32.
Out of everyone who ran the race yesterday, my little sister finished 2,560 out of 6,413.
(That’s her, waving in hot pink, around mile 7.)
Out of all the women who ran, my little sister finished 777 out of 3,057.
In her age and gender group of 20-24 (she’s 24), my little sister finished 71 out of 256.
Out of all the sisters in the crowd, I’m pretty sure I was proudest.
For the running savvy, and for posterity’s sake, here’s a breakdown of her times throughout the marathon:
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Bib #: 6977
10 Km: 55:05 (Mile Pace: 8:52)
8.9 Mi: 1:17:45 (Mile Pace: 8:45)
Half: 1:55:10 (Mile Pace: 8:48)
17.5 Mi: 2:36:21 (Mile Pace: 8:57)
20 Mi: 3:00:35 (Mile Pace: 9:02)
21.1 Mi: 3:12:18 (Mile Pace: 9:07)
Finish/Tag Time: 4:09:52 (Mile Pace: 9:32)
Gun Time (because they start in waves): 4:16:03
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After the race Theresa told me her favorite sign out of all she saw on Sunday was one that read:
“Your feet hurt right now because YOU’RE KICKING SO MUCH ASS.”
Agreed.
Okay even I got a little teary reading that.
^ I did too.
YAY BABYCARROT SISTER! So terrifically inspiring.
Your sister is awesome! Congrats on her finishing. I am in awe of those who run marathons.
And that sign is awesome. I’m going to borrow that for when my friend runs her marathon.
Woo hoo! Congrats to your sister.
We cheered on the sidelines of the Sacramento marathon last weekend and I cried numerous times. And our “Go Mom Go” sign (for my best friend) got LOTS of smiles. It was such a great feeling all around.
My favorite tee I saw during my half was one that read “my sport is what your sport does for punishment.” Second place goes to “does this shirt make my butt look fast?”
Congratulations to your sister!
That is so awesome! 8 and 9 minute miles for four hours? Kill me now. She must have felt like a superstar when she crossed the finish line. Congratulations!
That was a beautifully written post. I found that one of the most powerful moments of my life thus far has been the whole day of my first marathon. Just seeing all the different people who are competing against themselves for varying reasons, it’s very awe inspiring. Those are awesome times, your sister is amazing.
Your sister ROCKS. What a great finish time! On her first marathon? Insane. I bow to her. I run half marathons…slowly. Seriously. I have a shirt that says “This IS my race pace.”
There is nothing like completing an endurance event like that and I love hearing about other people’s successes on their races. Babycarrot sister is AWESOME. And you are excellent support.
Wow, I am so proud of your little sister :)
I am so impressed with Theresa! That is a FAST pace, and I am in awe that she did it without stopping! Give her my best!
Growing up, I was never an athlete. I wasn’t fast and I wasn’t strong. I was also a touch lazy. This is why I love endurance sports. People of all shapes, sizes, and ages can do it. You don’t have to be fast, you just need HEART, patience and commitment (and the ability to turn one’s brain off when the body stops feeling comfy).
Also, I love seeing pictures of you and your sister. It makes me thrilled that maybe my girls will grow up to really, truly love and enjoy each other.
Way to go, little sister!
Dude, I’m at work, stop making me cry.
Congrats to your sister!
Oh my gosh, this post got me all teary-eyed and mushy! It was so beautiful. Congratulations to your sister…what an amazing accomplishment!
What a great tribute! I’m all teary :)
Congratulations to your sister!!
Seriously… congratulations to your sister! Such and amazing accomplishment! Wow.
man, not only am i amazed at how someone can run that long without a break but how someone can a) wave happy like that around mile seven and look cute after running the whole thing is beyond me. good job BCS :)
Beautiful post and what a beautiful sister you have and are.
Lovely post. And I want to run a marathon so I can get me one of those blankets they all have on afterwards!
Oh, YAY! What a lovely tribute, Kerri! I am planning to run the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon here in San Diego next May… training begins in January. 26.2 seems daunting to me. I’m going to prove to myself that I can do it!
Your post reminded me of a quote I read in “Runners World” last month that was very inspiring to me: “There were days when I didn’t think I’d be able to run a marathon, but I’ll have a LIFETIME of days knowing that I did.”
Congrats to babycarrot sister. :-)
your little sister did kick ass. I’ve never run a marathon but I’ve done a 30K race (which is about 19 miles) and I can tell ya - it ain’t easy. So congrats to her! It’s certainly something to be proud of.
What a great post! Congrats Babycarrot! Last year I was on the train in Chicago with people going around the city during the Chicago Marathon. It really is such an amazing thing to watch and all those people should be so proud of their accomplishment! I know I can’t do it!
YAY for your awesome sister! I’m always in awe of people who can run such a long distance. What tremendous dedication! :)
I got all choked up reading this. It’s so great that you were there to cheer her on. I know that it means so much to those running.
That sign about the ass kicking? So perfect!
Congrats to her for a fantastic accomplishment!
Hooray for Babycarrot and her ass kicking feet!