Humbling Memories... my real strength

Most times running is a solitary exercise for me, but every once in awhile it's not and it seems those times are the most memorable. Perhaps it is those very moments that brought me back for more this year. I wanted to share with you, a few of these great memories...

Last year I had my first 20 mile run right after Christmas. We were down at our little beach casita enjoying the winter version of the Sea of Cortez and time off from our crazy work schedules. The town of Puerto Lobos is home to Mexican fisherman and few hardy Americano Families. We have all be come great friends. There is a family that we have become especially close to. Mason & Natalie and their 7 kiddos. They are quite the crew - always full of fun and energy. I don't know how they do it with all those kids, but their house is full of love - that is for sure! Anyway... I was very nervous about the mileage I had to do that day and pretty worked up over it. I set off and up and down the dirt road I went, and turned around at 10 and came back. At about mile 18, I was seriously wondering if I was going to make it. Every bit of my legs were aching, I was tired, I was miserable and beginning to doubt myself. I still had about 2 miles to go when all of the sudden over the next hill came Mason's giant white Ford Van with little blonde kids all hanging out every single window, waving arms and yelling, " Go CJ! Go CJ!" Natalie was up front offering water bottles and bananas and all I have to say is all of that excitement and energy made me forget my misery and kick it into a higher gear and make it home with a big smile! I will always cherish the memory of how Mason's family changed everything about how I was feeling with their cheers and energy. One of my favorite running memories...!

Another favorite memory was during my marathon last year. I was really worked up about what was going to happen after mile 22 since my training program only had me run up to 22 miles. Seriously, I was a wreck about entering that place I had never been before. I was terrified! So as I approached the 22 mile marker and was mustering up all my mental strength, a wonderful thing happened. Loving Man showed up and began running next to me. It was February and he had just had meniscus surgery in December! I was yelling at him to quit running and he wouldn't have any of it, he just kept running with me! Finally after about a half mile, I was able to convince him to head back to the car before he got too far away. He later reported he could barely walk back! But wow... what a great sense of love I had for him for showing up and taking my mind off that horrible 22 mile marker demon! He was there, right when I needed him. He was listening to all my whining! He put together a plan to help me through it. A great running memory.

This past week I had another experience that has turned out to also be yet another one of these awesome running experiences! Sweet Cha was manning the camera and so I have pictures to share with you! Let's see if I can paint this story for you...

We are back at the beach casita enjoying Thanksgiving Week by the sea and of course, I am running each day like I am supposed to! Friday was another 18 as I decided to repeat my weeks of 16 and 18. The night before the run, the Cha and I took Jeepy and my GPS and marked my dirt road in 2 mile increments with spray paint.



We clocked out to the 9 mile turn around point. Turned out right there, near by the road, out in the desert, was someone's discarded smoking apparatus. It was bright green and we figured that would make a fine pillar to hail the 1/2 way point of my run. Turns out there was also an old shredded tire stuck in dirt at exactly the right place. What luck!



It struck me that the Cha was so willing to help me with all this work of marking my run and it warmed my heart. (It might have had something to do with me letting the 15 year old drive the jeep!) Check out her co-pilots! She is getting really good at shifting the old manual trans on Jeepy.



And of course, this story would not be nearly so accurate without this road sign assuring runners the path would not be easy...!




So with all of our mileage markers complete, we headed back to the casita in the sunset for left over turkey dinner and a good night's sleep before the big run.


Beautiful - always...

So here is where the story gets really good... (thanks for hanging with me!)

I start my big run early the next day. It was very cool and damp due to a little evening rain and it was a wonderful day to run. I had my iPod jamming with great tunes and at about mile 6-ish, here comes the Cha, driving up in Jeepy with a bag full of gatorades to stash for me at all the mile markers. She snaps this shot of me, and I remember, I was feeling pretty good then and loving having a support team!



I make it out to the shiny green mile 9 turn around and am headed back when at mile 12, I see Jeepy coming up over the rise! Here comes the Cha again with GU and more gatorade! She is such a loving Cha! Note that in this picture the smile is taking a little more energy to muster up! The sun is a little higher now and it is getting warm.



And off I went with just 6 more miles to go! Here are some of my motivators - I had these guys to keep an eye on me... just in case I had any notion of stopping, they were there to remind me that any animal down was fair game!



Finally the little village of Lobos comes closer in site. I trot by the little grammar school, past the cop shack and one last turn up the main road toward Mashi's little Tienda. Mashi's store means I am close - almost done! And up ahead I see some vehicles in the road and then I begin to make out something catching the light... what the heck???!!! There was a finish line set up for me!!!!



Another wonderful family I have grown to love down there is the Dunn's. Fran is like my adopted Mom and Eddie is the funniest old guy on this planet. He is always making you laugh and playing jokes on everyone. Their son Kevin and his buddy Chuck put together this finish line for me to run through. They glued all this colored paper on a piece of Caution tape and tied it to the fence by Mashi's and to their truck! CLASSIC! They even used Mexican Flag Colors! As I came running up, Kevin was shouting - "Don't Quit! Keep going! You're in First Place!!!" It was hysterical! And I had a cheering section right there at mile 18 and a finish line to run through! Funny thing, it was a STRONG Finish Line and almost sprung me backward! I mustered all I had and broke through! Probably the only finish line I will ever be the first one through, but wow...what an incredible bunch of friends and loving Cha I have to help me with this crazy addiction of running I have! I almost cried when I saw everybody and what they did for me that day while I was all self absorbed in my run. What a great family I have, what a great extended family of friends I have. I am blessed.



Here I am a little later - on the porch with all my ice packs - chillin and hydrating and enjoying the morning sun.



I still can't stop smiling at my most recent favorite running memory... It occurred to me that running has humbled me in many ways. While I am so into myself and my progress and my next run, there are a bunch of wonderful people around me, cheering me on. And without them- I may not be able to accomplish such things. I hope you are gathering these kind of wonderful moments. Send me note, post a comment and share your moments!