Cypress Half Marathon

On Sunday, November 15, Keaton and I had our first major test of this entire process. The Cypress Half Marathon.

In the days prior to the race, I was getting antsy and had some nerves floating around. The Friday before the race, I went to pick up my packet and that’s when things got real for me. The check-in volunteer handed me my race day bib, and I immediately got butterflies. I forgot that I had requested to have Keaton’s name on the bib, so that was really cool to see. I couldn’t wait to show him!

I started my trek across town, to Crosby, to spend the evening with my extended family. Plus, Keaton and I had made plans to watch Duke’s first game of the 2016 season. When I first saw him, he was fussy from a long week at school but, he cheered up pretty quickly once he was out of the car. Erika and I got the boys situated and even got dinner started before tip-off. At 6:00 we were ready to go and so were the Blue Devils! Keaton and I were glued to the game for the first half. After the first 20 minutes, the good guys were up 17 and Keaton and I were ready to eat! The remainder of the evening was quiet and under control. There were three adults and two children so kudos to us! #winning

Saturday was a blur. I worked all day and Keaton had his last baseball game of the year. He even had his picture in the paper the following day! Wish I could have been there bubba!

Sunday morning. 3:36 AM. Wide awake … Heavy Sigh …

5:15 AM the alarm goes off. Finally. The excitement has set in. At least for me. My mom, dad, and sister are also all awake to take me to the race. They don’t seem as excited. They think I’m crazy. After we move all four cars around, we’re out the door at 5:45. It should take us 25 minutes to get to Cy-Woods High School but, it seems like an eternity. Not because I’m nervous or anything, but because the two in the front seat can’t agree on which route to take. Keep in mind that both routes will end up at the correct destination, but yes, let’s try and figure out whose opinion is better. Jenn and I should have taken our own car.

We made it! Holy moly. There are a ton of people here. The four of us look like a deer in headlights trying to find Ricky. Ricky is a friend of mine and Jenn’s that is running the Cypress 5K and will run the Woodlands Marathon with me in March. He’s done races before so I was happy to meet up with him prior to the start of the race. We chat as they all try to calm my nerves but nothing is really working. The entire family joins me on the walk over to the start line. I jog a few times up and down the street to “warm-up” as the MC expresses a two minute warning. Here we go. No turning back now. I head into the masses and find a crevice towards the back. The MC is counting down and I’m searching for some solace. I turn on Pandora and thank God for Taylor Swift. We’re ready. 3, 2, 1, GO!

Miles 1-5:

This has already been overwhelming and I’ve taken maybe 10 steps. The crowd at the start was great! All these people that you’ve never met and probably will never see again are all cheering you on. We round the first curve and I remember to start the time on my watch. I’ve only crossed the Start Line maybe 30 seconds ago but we’ll see at the very end. My goal is to finish 13.1 miles in about 2 hours and 15 minutes and I can see the pace team ahead of me. For the time being I want to force myself to slow down and just keep them in my sights.

I see mile marker 2, which is the first on the course, and the competitive side of me is coming out. I’ve caught up to and now passed the 2:15 Pace Team. So much for slowing down. The race began to feel like a big game of Mario Kart in the fact that you had to weave in and out of all these people. It would have been so much easier to have some turtle shells to throw.

Between miles 3 and 4 there were multiple families and spectators out cheering us on. One kid had a sign that read “Run faster .. Church starts in 2 hours!” There was no way I’d be ready for church in two hours.

Right after mile four, we turned on to Mason Road and I could see my parents and Jenn up ahead. I was feeling good at this point in the race. That also surprised me since I had looked over my shoulder a few times and could no longer see the Pace Team. I got a boost from seeing my family and ran towards them to get a high five. I could tell they were starting to enjoy themselves as well.

Miles 6 –8:

These were probably the toughest miles of the day. Miles seemed to be getting longer and longer. I remember rounding the corner on to Mueschke Road, where the relay exchange was being held, and thinking, “I’m only half way! UGH!” My feet were beginning to get uncomfortable and I know my pace slowed significantly. I was in major need of some motivation.

Miles 9-13.1:

At mile 9 I saw my family again and a sign that read “I marathoned Scandal last night!” You get to talking about Jake Ballard and I am on my way! Ricky met me at mile 10 and jumped in to finish the race with me. He was a huge help and definitely pushed me to pick up the pace.

I don’t think that was necessarily Ricky’s plan but he made it! At the time he joined me, I was going at about a 9:45 pace. He kept looking at his watch and we kept getting faster and faster. Mile 12. Halleluiah! The miles were again beginning to feel longer, but I kept telling myself the faster I run, the sooner it’s over. We’re at a 9:15 pace at this point. We could see the school, and I picked up the pace again. 8:38. About half a mile left … Just go. “Sharon?! Hey girl!” Keep going. I can see the finish line around the corner … Stride it out. My dad is right in front of me, and I can tell he’s fumbling with his phone. Just keep it in your pocket dad because I’m about to pass you up. Put our head down and go!

2 hours. 4 minutes. 45 seconds.

In my expert opinion, this is one of my greatest accomplishments so far. Again, I don’t consider myself a runner and have hated long distance running my entire athletic career, but finishing 13.1 miles in about 10 minutes less than what I thought I would ... I’m pretty dang proud of myself. And I think Keaton is proud of me too.

I finished the race, earned our finishers medal, and got a hug from Ricky and my dad. Sharon was the next person to come up and congratulate me! Sharon, thank you! I firmly believe I would not have finished as fast as I did, or felt as good as I did during the race had it not been for you! #besttrainerever

My mom and sister then came up and gave me a hug. We stood around not really knowing what to do as I guzzle water from my Whataburger cup. Completely makes sense that Whataburger is a sponsor for a race. My dad is reliving his glory days to Sharon and telling her about the first time he went for a run in Houston. That was 1980. It was also the last time he went for a run in Houston. We’re working on changing that.

We make our way inside the school just to wait in lines for the finisher’s shirt and beer glass. Soon after, the rest of the gang walked in and well … I’ll just leave this here. That smile is all I wanted.

Eleven of us: Me, mom, dad, Jenn, Keaton, Kason, Erika, Kory, Ricky, his wife Ally, and my friend Heather who had also come to support us, all then went to breakfast. Thank goodness because all I had eaten was a banana, and my stomach had been growling since mile 2. If anyone lives near or around Cypress, I would definitely recommend the Southwest Scramble at Cypress Breakfast House. Real Good. I devour my meal, and Keaton is going to town on some French Toast. Happy Campers we are!

I’m winding down and am starting to fade. As I sit at the table reflecting on our 13.1, I look at him and just smile. He’s so happy right now. I believe in this guy. We’ll keep pushing for the full 26.2 and after that, who knows what we’ll do next.