Why Run When You Can Cheer

Squishy ran a half marathon this past week-end. It was her second go round. Her inaugural 13.1 mile bout was with the Washington DC National half marathon. She ran it last year on cold rainy gray March day. I honestly didn't think she'd run another one and I am pretty sure she uttered words to that effect when we saw her at the finish line. But time is a miraculous balm. It truly does heal, or at least it leaves you with the illusion of healing. It chips away at the edges of your memories so you're left with recollections of the pain . . . 'I could barely dress myself I was so sore.' But the visceral fades away. You no longer remember the actual feelings you just remember that it hurt.

It is this very phenomenon that keeps the sport of marathoning alive. If you don't believe me go stand at the finish line of a marathon and watch the runners come in (not the top runners b/c they all just look like they've been out for a Sunday stroll despite having traveled 26.2 miles in the time it takes most of us to wash our hair). They look like they have just been dragged through the depths of hell, twice. And a third of those people have done it before and half of them will do it again. I don't quite understand it but I have succumbed to it myself so I know where of I speak.

I do believe that a big part of this ability to leap frog over the agony straight to the glory has a lot to do with the fans. More to the point, it has a lot to do with your fans. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing quite like the sensation of having an entire city of strangers cheer you on as you run past them in a race they've wisely decided NOT to run. It is a special sort of euphoria and it can carry you extra miles you otherwise would not have had in you.

But the real joy, the memory bright spots that will overshadow the fact that you wanted to cry like a baby at the thought of having to bend over and untie your shoes, are the fans that are there just for you. The people you know, who drag themselves out of bed, strategically place themselves along the race route, and scream your name like you just won THEM the lottery when you shuffle by. And when they have signs, multiply that joy by a factor of 10. Not that you can actually read by the time you find them but the fact that your friend did arts and crafts for you is just the most wonderful feeling.

So, today's post is a shout out to the world's best 1/2 marathon fan. I was with her in Squishy's first race and she really is about the best fan you could ever ask for. She made me feel suuprted and cheered on and I was just a fellow Squishy fan - and a poor one by comparison. She pops up all over the course and manages to be simultaneously sincerely concerned about your race and totally entertained by the idea that you're insane enough to go running about for 13 miles. She can juggle a camera, extra water, extra food, AND your sweaty clothes. So when Squishy, and her friend Angie, signed up for a second half marathon Kelly was right there as #1 fan. This time around she topped herself with the addition of a sign and a post race donut the size of Jupiter.


So, if you've got a big race coming up you might want to see if Kelly is available. I promise you, you'll have the race of your life. Or at the very least you'll get a sign and a giant dessert treat of your choosing.

In case you were wondering, Squishy and Angie ran the Va Beach Shamrock Half Marathon and completed their 13.1 miles in 2hr and 38 minutes. All told, this is a pretty amazing trio of "a couple of mom's from Warrenton"

Squishy in case you were wondering, the Washington DC National Half Marathon is in two weeks ; )