Kathleen's Blog

I had such a great run yesterday. Granted it was cold, a bit slick, mostly overcast and I am still adapting to running at 5280 feet of elevation. But it was a great run. It was probably one of the better runs I have had in years. Yup, years!

After I ran New York, I just couldn’t get motivated to run again.  I ran all 26.2 miles and loved every single mile of it.  The crowds were great, the weather perfect and it was such a great way to see one of my favorite cities in the entire world.

I finished and when I crossed the finish line I had this incredible moment of bliss/amazement/pride/relief/wonder. But then, I hit the proverbial wall.  I didn’t hit the wall during the marathon, I ran smack dab into it at mile 26.3 with the lonely realization that no one was there to celebrate with me.  Other runners were being congratulated by family and friends and I was just standing there.  I am quite sure it was exhaustion, but I have a very vivid memory of crying on the steps of the Natural History Museum, unsure of how I was going to walk another step, much less navigate the Subway and Ferry to get back to Staten Island.  And feeling very Alone.

In the end, I made it back to Staten Island, just fine. Smelly, Limping, Sweaty, Crying and Exhausted. What a mess I was! I think in that one day, I started to associate running with an incredible, arresting sense of being all alone. I just couldn’t find the passion for lacing up my running shoes after that day. And then I was sidelined by a pretty serious case of Sesamoiditis in my left foot and a mild case in my right foot.  The only treatment was to stop the activity causing the pain. So I stopped running.  For over a year.

I eventually decided to try again, but after being able to run marathons, it was a bit demoralizing to struggle to finish a mile.  So I stopped running. Again. Then I married a cyclist and so we started cycling and I stopped running. Again.  And then we moved to Denver where the air is thinner at an elevation of 5280 feet.  I tried to run and then stopped. Again.

But recently, I haven’t allowed myself those same excuses. I’ve started running. Again. And yesterday, I ran and I actually felt like a runner. Again. Granted, I am not in marathon shape, but I am pretty sure I can get there again.

But during this great run yesterday, I started thinking about some of the people who inspired me become a runner:

Daddy – He’d go for a run and I’d hop on my bike and ride alongside him. We talked a lot over those miles.

Melissa Short and Jennifer Gundayao – When I got to college, they made sure I understood I could run just as well as any of the boys, and if I couldn’t, then I better figure out how. Quickly.

Eric Wilson – Even all these years later, it is still his voice I hear in my head calling Cadence.  And then calling me out for my turn.

Tony Smith – Taught me running uphill is the same as running downhill: put one foot in front of the other and stop whining about it.

Will Stromberg – A real runner – it was inspiring to watch him fly around the track and to this day, it is his form I try to replicate.

Jay Collier – Maybe I can even run New York again, but this time, I know Jay will be there waiting for me at the finish line 🙂

Love, me