This past weekend, I had the privilege of participating in the Country Music Half-Marathon in Nashville, Tennessee. The word privilege might seem a little misleading, but the race was an incredible reminder of how much God has blessed me with the ability to run, lungs to breath, and a mind that can remain focused on a goal. I had a blast!
Back in January, I posted that I was going to enter this race. It was definitely with much trepidation due to all the issues that I have had with arthritis in my hips for the past several years. However, all of my fears were wiped away as Clint and Emma joined me in being excited about this. In my pictures below, you’ll see the major sacrifice Emma had to make by waking up at 6:15am! Clint and Emma both woke up super early to take me to the start line, went to their Saturday morning date at Waffle House, and then were down by the finish to cheer me on. They were so incredibly encouraging!
I have no doubt that I will do another half-marathon. I didn’t train much for this one except for my morning routine on the elliptical. That certainly wasn’t enough prep for the hills (seemed to be mountains) on this course. However, I will have to say I felt better after this race than I ever have after a 5K or a 10K. I could definitely understand what people about catching a second wind. I felt like I was finally settling into a good rhythm as I passed the 10K sign on the course. I did run all of the downhills and most of the flats. I jogwalked the uphills.
As I arrived at the starting line, I realized that the performance apparel industry is much bigger than I realized. Many of the people at the start line seemed to have trained as much as I did, but definitely spent a great deal more time picking out the perfect outfit. I wore my NCCS Jog-A-Thon shirt. I wore it for two reasons…one, so I could be reminded of all the awesome folks at NCCS and all the fun we have together…two, so people might think I have a history with running oriented things. The shirt became quite the talking point on the course…not just because it is glow in the dark yellow either! There is a huge Moe’s advertisement on the back as they sponsor a lot of our big events at NCCS. Many people behind me were commenting…”Moe’s would be awesome right about now!”
I also was greatly encouraged by my shoes. I am not a serious runner by any stretch of the imagination. However, I did see several folks who were obviously serious runners that had on the same shoes as I had. I figured that had to be a very good sign!
There were people of all shapes and sizes participating in both the half-marathon and the full marathon. It was extremely well-organized by the people who put on the Rock and Roll Marathon Series. I had so much fun being able to encourage people on the course and then watching many of them turn to encourage someone else. There were families lining the course almost the entire way with several country music bands sprinkled in. There was a lot of laughter and more than enough water and snacks. The people of Nashville really put on a great race and I’ll look forward to doing it again in the future.
It is hard to believe it has already been a week. The recovery wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I thought. There was a brief moment on Monday morning when I thought about throwing myself down the stairs in our house rather than trying to walk down them…but other than that, it’s been fine. I have taken quite a few Advil this past week and am thinking of getting an Advil shirt to wear in my next race. But…for now, thank you all for your encouragement. God definitely used this race as a way to remind me that I have a ton to be grateful for!
