Women's Half Marathon

Yesterday I ran the inaugural Women's Half Marathon in Phoenix Arizona. There are so many reasons why I loved this race, but I have to start at the beginning to explain why this race was so wonderful.

In August, Jeff and I went home to visit our families and do some training in the beautiful Albuquerque summer weather. This visit home was especially nice because Jeff's mom, Nancy, was also training for an event. Back in May, Jeff's mom had decided to greet her 60th birthday with an enthusiastic middle finger (like mother, like son) by running her first half marathon. This race was perfect because it supported a great cause (Susan G. Koman) and was primarily for women.

During our visit, Jeff and I would wake up and head out the door to complete one of our training sessions. Nancy would join us. By August she was running a solid three miles at a fairly good pace and was feeling rather confident in her abilities as a newbie runner. Jeff and I were so impressed with her diligence and loved that she would call us to ask training tips. She even purchased a Garmin for training, which if you don't know is the life-line to any endurance-type training.

On one of our last days in NM, Jeff and I were finishing the last miles of one of our rides when we saw Jeff's mom driving. We waved in acknowledgment, but she looked somewhat troubled. When we returned to Jeff's parent's home, we were informed that Nancy had been called back to her doctor's office regarding her recent mammogram results. In my mind, I didn't think anything could be wrong and truly thought the results were likely a false positive. I mean the woman was sixty and running like she was a youthful athlete. There was no way she had cancer. A couple days later, a lumpectomy confirmed our fears. Nancy was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer. Our entire world was turned upside down in just a couple of weeks, especially for Nancy. The time she had spent training for the race was now filled with doctor's appointments and horribly difficult decisions. Fast-forward to present time, Nancy is still fighting. She has endured several massive surgeries and is currently completing very stringent course of chemo therapy. She is still training for an endurance race, just not one that involves running.

The day before the race I went to the expo to pick up Nancy's and my race packets. As I drove over, I couldn't help but feel angry that cancer had stole my race partner. It felt (and feels) like such a violation of life.  Why should I have to run this race without her?  I immediately felt saddened as I looked at her race bib that read "Nancy". As I began to wonder around the expo my mood quickly changed. There were hundreds of women around me. Moms, daughters, best friends, etc... Everyone was so excited and ready to race! Many woman had their Honor Bibs on their backs to acknowledge the person or memory of the person they were running in honor of. I, too, purchased an Honor Bib.

When I got home, I was really excited for the race. To make the day even more special, Jeff had decided to run in his mom's place. Even though the race was intended for women, men could run as long as they were supporting another runner or running in honor of someone. I was so excited. I went to bed pretty early that evening. Jeff, however, spent the evening making a shirt to commemorate his mother and the cause.

That morning, Jeff and I woke up at the crack of dawn and headed into Tempe. Jeff was a really good sport. He was decked out in pink including pink feathers and the word "MOM" written on both arms. Several women acknowledged and gushed about "how cute he was".

Since this race was exactly two weeks after our half Ironman, I was feeling rather fit and ready to run. I was trying to decide which pace group to run with and decided I would just play it by ear once we arrived at the race. My last half marathon was last January. I finished that race in 2:20. I knew I was fitter than I had ever been, but I was still unsure which pace group to join. (2:15 or 2:00).

As Jeff and I walked to the corrals Jeff said I should shoot for the 2:00 finish time. He convinced me that I had nothing to lose and I should give it a try. Jeff obviously runs extremely faster than this pace, but graciously agreed to serve as my official race pacer. I was pretty nervous to attempt this pace. I knew I could run 9:40/min miles for about 10K, but running 9:15/min miles for 13.1 miles was definitely pushing it. Jeff kept telling me that I had just endured a 70.3-mile race and that this race was a piece of cake. I decided to give it a try.

As the race began, the crowd was extremely enthusiastic. Everyone was drenched in pink and ear-to-ear with smiles. We started running and I actually felt pretty good. My heart rate was higher than usual but still within a my aerobic zone. The miles started to go by rather quickly. Jeff received a lot of attention (which I'm sure he hated). Several women commented on how "cute" he looked. I agree. He did look very cute:)

As we approached the last miles, I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. Jeff was very good to keep me focused and reminded me of proper form. He was a great help. The last mile was the hardest but was quickly eased as the crowd's cheers filled the air. Women with "survivor" on their shirts held signs reading "Thank you". Everyone was cheering with excitement.

The last .2 mile was fun! We were channeled through a crowd of people. We heard several people yelling, "Go Nancy!!" Jeff grabbed my hand and we crossed the finish line. I finished in 2:01:41 - a personal record!!

Prior to Nancy's diagnosis, we were just running this race because it sounded like fun and it was something we could do together. Yesterday I was running for a reason. It was one that had directly affected my family's life, and I truly couldn't think of a better cause. I was running with thousands of women who were not unlike us. It was so incredibly inspiring to see a group of people so dedicated to a cause and promoting it through fitness. Jeff and I ran for his mother and for all of those who couldn't.

Nancy, your strength and courage continues to inspire. We love you and look forward to running a half-marathon with you in the near future! Love, FnJ