Complete a Marathon

In the summer of ’09 (mid-list creation) my sister asked me if I’d run a half-marathon with her. I’m not a runner, however, in 2003, I ran a half-marathon with a friend of mine. For some strange reason, I turned to Megan and said, “Well, I’ve already run a half, so why don’t we train for a full?” ...I’m sure the only reason those words came out of my mouth was because I said them while sitting in a boat drinking a beer. Anything seemed possible at that moment in time…



Since I’m not a natural runner (is anyone really a “natural” runner anyway???) crossing a finish line wasn’t enough incentive for me…I needed to know I was running for a greater purpose. So after some research, we made a decision to train with, and raise money for, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). A month or so later we found ourselves at the kick-off meeting officially committing to a 26.2 mile run and raising $7,800 for LLS.


When I ran my half-marathon, I thought, “13.1 miles is plenty. I can’t imagine ever doing a full marathon. 26.2 miles is a long way...and the thought of having multiple training runs over 13 miles seems awful…” I won’t bore you with the details of the various training runs for the marathon, but the big-picture over view is: we had decent weather for the majority of our training so for the most part running outside wasn’t too bad. It started to get uncomfortably cold in mid-December (the marathon took place mid January) and I finally drew the line with outdoor runs at 20*. The thought getting up at 5:45 a.m. to run 15 miles, around a lake, in 7 degree weather wasn’t going to happen…I think my rationale was reasonable. Generally speaking, it was fun to hit different milestones throughout the training. The first milestone took place in November when I ran the farthest I had ever run…15 miles. The other milestone (at least mentally) was the 20 mile training run in mid-December. I knew if I could run 20 (in the cold and snow)…I could run the 26.2.


Normally, I’m a very level headed, rational thinker. When most people run a marathon their thoughts and fears are, “Will I finish”? “I hope I don’t get a knee injury.” Or, for those with a competitive edge, “I want to finish in the top 10% of my age bracket.” Nope. Not me. My fears were more along the lines of, “I hope I finish without a heart attack, stroke, blood clot, or aneurism…” Not so “level-headed”… Actually, my fear wasn’t TOTALLY irrational…and here’s why. (Oh, FYI, some of you reading this…especially if you’ve known me for a long time may be surprised by what I’m about to type. So, know this isn’t a “secret”…it’s just never come up in conversation…) BUT, ever since I’ve been 3 years old, I’ve been an insulin dependent diabetic. So, my heart attack/stroke concern wasn’t totally off base.


My other “concern” (and this is a more logical concern) was: “Will I hit ‘the wall’?” In talking to a few marathoners, I often heard stories about how your body starts to “shut down” at mile 20. And how, “the last 6.2 miles are the hardest.” When I asked people to explain what they mean by “your body starts to shut down” they’d often say, “You’ll see…” What the…?!?


The night before the race, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society hosted an inspirational pasta party dinner. Two individuals spoke that evening. The first spoke primarily to encourage us physically. He reminded us that completing the race wasn’t about winning or getting the best time. He also pointed out that only 1% of the population has completed a marathon. He did a good job of easing nerves and inspiring us to have fun and savor each moment along the way.


The second speaker was the father of a girl who passed away of Leukemia a few years ago. His talk centered around “Yes, tomorrow you will run 26.2 miles, but the greater accomplishment is the impact you had on LLS”. All the Team in Training participants for this event raised a total of $1.6 million. I’m not sure if you know this, but that’s a lot of money.


Towards the end of his daughter’s life, she created a list of the “10 Secrets Living”. Since her list is so insightful, I’m sharing it in hopes that my friends, family, and fellow bloggers will also be encouraged by the wisdom of this 15 year old girl, I hope it will help to put some things in your life into perspective as it did mine.


10: Deal with life one day at a time.


9: Turn every life experience into a learning experience.


8: Always look for the positive.


7: Try to do at least one new thing everyday.


6: Be true to yourself.


5: Touch as many lives as you can.


4: Enjoy the little things.


3: Don’t sweat the small stuff.


2: Hold on to your friends.


1: Make everyday count.


I really like her list. It’s simple yet deep. And what I love about it the most is written by a person who clearly knew life here on earth is temporary.


Ok, I hate switching gears like this, but I’m going to for lack of a better segue. Since this is a blog about the marathon…I should probably write something about the actual race experience. I didn’t have a heart attack, stroke, blood clot, or aneurism…Yay! We could not have asked for better weather. Sunny and about 72*. Every mile was marked by a live band and a water station...which made the miles go by pretty fast. I ran solo the majority of the time which meant it was a lot easier to pace myself. Though I didn't break any records...I was able to finish strong...which is better than my original goal "not to die". :)


Mile 21 was probably the “breakthrough” mile marker. At that point I found myself thinking,”I’m actually going to complete a marathon!! –and- I’m actually feeling really good…!” –and- “I'd actually consider doing this again." Plus, it didn’t hurt that the band on the side of the road was playing, “I’m Proud to be an American”. I honestly started getting a little “vaclempt”.


Though my diabetes doesn’t play a major role in my day-to-day life, there was something really cool about the fact that I was a diabetic and I was running a marathon. I think one of the best things I did throughout the race was simply listen to my body. If I needed to stretch, I’d stretch. Walk, I’d walk. Get water, I’d get water. If I felt like I could keep running…then I’d keep running. And, much like on my safari experience, I was struck by the fact that God and His creation are pretty amazing.


As for the next day, well, I felt great! I think it’s because I stayed on my feet and kept moving after the race.


Am I glad I did it? Definitely. Will I do it again? Maybe…nothing is ever out of the question.

The First Wild Card—Sponsor a Child.

At the last minute (basically the day I turned 30) I amended my list “rules”. I decided to give myself two “wild cards”. After all, the list really is just a way for me to be intentional about doing and experiencing new things. Yes, there are new things I’m doing outside this list, but for the most part they’re inconsequential—like the other day I went to a new bar and grill. I never thought of going there before, nor is there anything all that unique about the place…therefore a place like that will never be “wild card worthy”. On the other hand, a few weeks ago, my friend Krista invited me to a Christian concert. I don’t go to many Christian concerts, but for some reason, I decided to go to this one. Mid-concert, I learned concert proceeds would support an international adoption agency, “Holt International”.

Over the past year I’ve prayed about the list. That God would use it, teach me, reveal himself…and basically not let it become simply a “year of Holley doing whatever she wants”. Honestly, I don’t have any specific plans for glorifying God in any of these items, I just trust that since I’ve prayed, God will lead me different places.

Back to the “Wild Card”. About 10 days before the concert, the earthquake hit Haiti. Like many, I found myself thinking along the lines of, “How can I help”? And, “Which organization should I give to?” When I learned Holt International had a “sponsor a child” program…which included Haitian children, it didn’t take me long to decide this is a “wild card worthy” item. I love this because I have no idea how long I will sponsor Marie, but she will be a good reminder that God hears my prayers and is faithful. She will also be a good reminder to pray for the people and country of Haiti. And $30 a month will remind me of all that I have to give thanks for…and that my money can (and should) be shared with people who have far greater needs than my own.

Paging Dr. Phil...

Since the majority of my family lives in town, more often than not when we all get together, the dinner tables are split between kids and adults. I go back and forth between the two…but truth be told…I like when all of us cousins are together at the “kids” table. :)


None of the cousins are married. The kid table (which sometimes includes family friends) ranges from age 6 to mid 30’s. Thanksgiving ’08 three of us were in our late 20’s / early 30’s (I was the only girl in the “late 20’s”) and three more (including Ryan) were early 20’s. That Thanksgiving, we found ourselves in a conversation about dating…specifically discussing MY dating life.

I don’t remember the details, but I do remember learning from Ryan that Facebook is for “booty calls” and Match.com is for “serious” relationships. News to me… but that does explain all the inappropriate wall comments on my Facebook page… (KIDDING!) I also remember Ryan gave me what I like to call the “Dr. Phil Challenge with the Ryan full money-back guarantee”.

Dr. Phil is/was somehow affiliated with Match.com. He has (at least had) some guarantee you’ll find true love on Match.com within X number of months…if not…you get your money back. I was (and still am) a skeptic. Ryan told me if I signed up for Match.com and didn’t find “love” in 90 days…HE would give me my money back. Honestly, I wanted to take him up on the challenge just to prove him wrong. Could I possibly get Dr. Phil to give me my money back and Ryan to pay me on top of it? Did I actually have the potential to make money with online dating? Sweet. :) Oh, but it sounded so mean make my recent college graduate cousin reimburse me for something I “knew” was doomed for failure. To make a long story short, I told my table not to get their hopes up, but I’d “think” about it.

In the meantime (and totally unrelated) I came up with the idea to do this “non-bucket list”. Many people gave me ideas for things to add to the list. Four or five people encouraged me to sign up for Match.com. (Not sure what that says about me…) but ANYWAY, one of the categories in my list is “do something uncomfortable”. It seemed that was an appropriate place to add Match.com…right next to skydiving.

Disclaimer: Though online dating is great for some people, I’ve never been too interested in the idea. My views on online dating are simply based on MY experiences, and personality so in no way are they a judgment on those who enjoy (or enjoyed) online dating. All that to say…I tried it…and pretty much hated everything about it. Granted, I only gave it 30 days…but that was enough.

Here’s my thinking:

A. I’m not a good emailer

B. I’m not a good phone talker

C. I have a hard time justifying a meaningful email to, or hearty phone conversation with, a total stranger…when I have real-life friends to whom I owe return calls/emails.

D. It’s unnatural to click on a “no thanks” button to tell someone (who you know NOTHING about) that you’re “not interested”. It just seemed so cold.

Not only that, but the world is small…especially St. Louis. When you first sign up… you get a lot of “activity” on your page. I replied to this one guy because he seemed normal and low key. Well…turns out we have mutual acquaintances and I know exactly who he is (however, he doesn’t realize I know who he is). Not only that, but multiple (unrelated) people confirmed he’s bad news. Honestly, I probably would’ve gone out with him, just to come up with my own conclusion BUT all he ever did was text or call just to chat. Sufficed to say…considering point “B” above…it fizzled.

For the record, it wasn’t ALL bad. One of my friends was on Match.com at the same time as me…I thought I was funny when I “winked” at her and sent her a message to tell her she looked like the “after” picture for a Weight Watchers ad. :) In addition, when I signed up for Match, I was in the middle of training for a marathon. One of the guys I talked to has run 44 marathons. What?!? Yes…FOURTY FOUR! Needless to say, super nice guy, and really helpful and encouraging to talk to re: training. He even made a nice donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma society.

Some people think I’m silly for only giving it 30 days, and in all fairness, I probably should’ve given it more time. But I dunno, it just wasn’t a fit. All that to say, it takes a lot for me to say that a door is permanently closed…or permanently open. So who knows…maybe some day in the future I’ll take Dr. Phil up on his challenge, until then, match.com isn’t for me.