26.2

The Marine Corps Marathon was such an experience. We woke up at "0-dark-thirty" as my daddy says. We had to take a shuttle over to the start, and we got there very early. As in, we didn't even have to wait for the port a potties! We walked around, listened to a small prayer service led by a Marine chaplain, and found a place to do some stretching. It was horribly cold out. I was worried, but Phil had checked the weather and assured me it was supposed to warm up once the sun was out.

The corral I was in was quite a way back from the start- it took us about 20 minutes to get to the start line after the race started. Finally though, we were off, jogging through a street strewn with plastic garbage bags people had been wearing to keep warm. I was careful to step around them so I wouldn't fall.

The first few miles were tough- as usual. I don't usually feel warmed up until I've done about 10 miles. We had some hilly sections, but truly not bad compared to what I am used to, living in the foothills of the blue ridge mountains.

It was amazing how many spectators were out there, cheering for us. There were so many people that yelled "Go Patti" which always put a smile on my face! At mile five, there was a group of people that had their little dachsund with them, and it looked just like my "nephew" Gismo. So I stopped to say hi and give him a kiss! The people thought that was great and took our picture.

After mile five, we were in a place where we were running along the river- which meant the wind picked up even more. I truly was cold, my fingers felt so cold they hurt and my legs just seemed to stiffen up. It made it so hard to run. I tried to just ignore it and I kept thinking that if I tried to run a little faster my legs would get warmer and looser. That never did seem to happen, though.

The water stops were plentiful, and all run by soldiers in their BDUs. They had powerade at just about every stop, so I kept my water bottle full. They also had gu and beans, but I stuck with my beans. Phil kept trying to meet me at every point he could, and helped me keep up with eating them. I don't like eating so much when I run so it was great to have him keep up with it. He was a super help to me- just like in the rest of life!

When I got to mile ten I started to wonder if I was going to make it through the bridge closing. My legs felt like tree trunks! I also did not have my ipod and I know that would have helped me...but they were not allowed. I tried to keep motivated by thinking about my daddy, and how his chemo treatments took longer than any of my runs. I also knew he was out there on the course somewhere waiting for me.

By mile seventeen I was seriously worried I would not be able to finish the race. Phil met me and I told him I needed my windpants but he was afraid they would bother me. He ran along with me from mile seventeen to mile nineteen, just talking to me and encouraging me. Right around mile nineteen, my daddy was on the side of the road in a wheelchair, with my cousins Donna and Jim and their Grandson. I ran over to daddy and gave him a big hug and told him "This is all for you". Funny that he told me I came up so fast on him he couldn't really get a picture- because I did not feel fast at all!!

Seeing daddy at mile nineteen gave me a huge lift, and I needed it! The bridge was REALLY long! I pulled over to the side of the road to stretch, which was helpful but also was hard to start running again. I started "marking" people telling myself "just stay with them" or "see if you can pass him" etc. I needed to make little goals because having 6 miles still ahead of me seemed impossible. I also knew that somewhere up ahead, was my coach and he would be running with me at the end of the race.

Phil met me yet again and kept me going. We ran together again, just chugging along. Really, the only things that bothered me were: the tops of my feet from feeling the laces, the blister on the back of my left foot, and the tightness in my legs. I tried to ignore it and just concentrate on getting there. I wanted to get that finisher's medal!

My coach John met me with about a mile or so to go, and we went to the finish line together. While we were running there, John was talking to Phil about running a marathon. Phil had run about a half marathon just trying to keep me going! Now we just had the uphill to the finish- John and I ran across the finish line together- I was done! There were photographers at the iwo jima memorial, but frankly I was just to tired to go get my picture taken. I wanted to get to the team in training tent because daddy was waiting there for me.

How wonderful it was to go into that tent and see Daddy waiting for me! We hugged and just felt so relieved. It was all over- all the months of training, all the months of chemo. All the time of painful muscles, of exhaustion from chemo. The blisters, the needlesticks. It was over!! I was so proud to hang that medal on daddy's neck and tell him "This was all for you daddy."