Over the weekend, I ran my first half marathon. The Rock n Roll New Orleans Mardi Gras Half Marathon is a 13.1-mile race that winds through pretty much the entire city of New Orleans, and in October, I set out to conquer the distance. I didn’t really know what to expect, but after my dad and I crossed the finish line together on Sunday morning, I can definitely say that I learned a few things along the way. Going along with the theme of last year’s Nike Women’s Marathon, which was “I Run To Be,” here are 10 things I learned during the training process and the race itself that made the event incredibly meaningful.
I Run For Those Who Can’t. A half marathon is really long, and training for it takes even longer. I trained for the race for four months, and logged enough miles over that amount of time to run from Washington, DC to Philadelphia and back. I woke up early every Saturday for four months, and ran in all kinds of weather, so the experience wasn’t always fun. Before you set out on this daunting adventure, it helps to have a reason for it. My reason, other than the fact that I already like running, a half marathon was on my bucket list, and I wanted to get into better shape was because I wanted to fundraise for the American Cancer Society, which is the official charity of the Mardi Gras Marathon. The day after I registered, my mom’s best friend passed away after a 30-year fight with cancer. Everybody has their reason for running, but I needed something big to push me across the start line and keep going.
I Run For My Friends.
In addition to training for a half marathon, I had to raise $1,300 for the American Cancer Society. This involved sending a lot of e-mails, and talking about the race a lot. Especially as a college student, I felt uncomfortable asking my friends for money. However, once people learned about the cause and understood how important the race and the fundraising was to me, smaller donations began to trickle in. And while the $100 donations I got from my relatives were amazing and helped me reach my goal, the $15 and $20 donations I got from my friends were the most meaningful.
I Run For My Fans. If you’re in a city that hosts a marathon, I highly recommend spending at least 20 minutes watching the race and cheering. It means the world to people who are running it that others are willing to wake up early and stand on the side of the road watching them run, even if you’re cheering for someone other than them. I had friends at four spots on the course—and I was so excited to see two of my sorority sisters waiting at Mile 8 that I ran off the course to hug them. Another of my friends finished the race 40 minutes ahead of me, but waited around Mile 12 for me to run by.
I Run For Complete Strangers. The total strangers who stood on the side of the road, as well as the people running the race, probably don’t remember seeing me run past them. But they kept me going, from the kid who stood on his porch chanting “USA” as the race went by to the families drinking mimosas on the sidewalk to the guy whose car was towed because he accidentally parked in the course.
I Run To Inspire. I crossed the finish line with my 56-year-old father, who was also completing his first half marathon. My dad used to run a lot, but other obligations injuries had started to take a lot of his time and he couldn’t run as much. When I was home over winter break, I convinced him to run in a local 10K with me, which eventually led him to decide that he would complete the half marathon, too. He was pretty sure he would only do that one, but yesterday he asked me to send him the information for the next half marathon I’m running in May. It was so amazing to cross the finish line with my dad, and I’m so excited that we were finally able to do this together. One of my friends, who was waiting for me at the finish line, told me that after watching me do the half marathon she had decided she wanted to run it next year. I’ve been able to see all the rewards running and being healthy has had for me, and I hope that others will be able to see me and decide that they can make amazing changes to their lives, too.
I Run To Be Inspired. The guy who won the full marathon ran the 26.2-mile course in 2 hours, 18 minutes, and a few seconds—faster than I ran the half marathon! He qualified for the US Olympic Trials. Another person, who I met running with the American Cancer Society, beat skin cancer 15 years ago and is now completing his first marathon, after already completing several half-Ironman races. One of my friends ran the full marathon after losing a month of training, while another cut 30 minutes off her time and is now 20 minutes from qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Because we’re all doing things that most people don’t even dare to attempt, we can all inspire each other to keep going and do better.
I Run For Chocolate. Well, for more than chocolate. I love food, and training made me feel better about eating whatever I wanted. However, it also made me a lot more conscious of what I was eating and how it made me feel (for example, Dominos Pizza made me feel like crap). When I didn’t make the best choices, however, I could still balance them with running.
I lost eight pounds while I was training for the half marathon, and during the next one I plan to pay even better attention to what I put into my body so that I can go even faster. I still plan to eat chocolate, though, along with less-healthy foods in moderation.
I Run For New Orleans. The city that I chose to call home during my college experience is one of the coolest cities in the world, and the race showcased New Orleans for some 33,000 people, many of whom traveled long distances to get there. The race started in beautiful Uptown and the Garden District, where people got to run past Tulane University and the famous Creole Creamery ice cream shop, and past the shops of Magazine Street and the antebellum mansions that line St. Charles Avenue. Then it wove through the French Quarter, where people passed famous music venues like Tipitina’s and the House of Blues, as well as Jackson Square and Café DuMonde. The race then went past the Treme neighborhood, and finally to Mid-City and City Park, which hosts New Orleans’ famous Jazz and Heritage Festival every spring. The course shows off the best of New Orleans, and I hope it will leave people wanting to come back for more.
I Run To Finish. While the entire race was obviously amazing, the feeling of accomplishment as you cross the finish line is unparalleled. Four months ago, I’d set a lofty goal—run a half marathon in two and a half hours and also raise $1300 for the American Cancer Society—and on Sunday, I beat my time goal by six minutes and my fundraising goal by more than $300. It reminded me that everybody can do anything if they set their mind to it. Seeing my mom and my brother and two of my friends at the finish line was amazing, as well, because their support and that of all my other relatives and friends was what kept me going throughout the morning.0
I Run To Keep Going. Now that I’ve discovered running, I’m excited to keep going, running further and faster. I’m already registered for two more races, and I’m looking for at least one more to complete in 2011. Because some registrations have already closed, I’ve also started to plan my 2012 race calendar, which will hopefully include the National Half Marathon (or who knows, maybe I’ll have reached the marathon by then) in my hometown of Washington, DC. In the immortal words of Muhammad Ali, “Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” Whether it’s running a marathon, losing 20 pounds, or getting an A in chemistry, you can do it. I dare you.