Cowgirl Up

It did in fact rain, and the wind was horrible, but this is really about sitting on a curb and being pleasantly overwhelmed when you realize that you are more than you thought you were.

The Lincoln Marathon is a great route - good crowd, well marked, well timed, lots of aid stations, etc. The first 13 miles the marathoners and the half marathoners run together. Just before Mile 13 the routes split and the Half Marathon runners loop through the campus and finish. The Full Marathoners take the route around the football stadium and then head out to the Hill and the Lake. Mile 20 comes right after a hill.

I was awakened by thunderstorms in the night, but it was just rain by the time the race started. Rain is not that big of a deal to run in as long as it is not torrential. Which is actually what we had on Saturday - 18 inchesof water on our main street near the University. I worried about a delayed start and bad weather and for the first time I actually entertained the idea of just doing the Half Marathon if the weather was crummy and the start time was delayed.

I wore my running skirt, braided my hair, and then I spontaneously grabbed my cowgirl hat off the coat rack to keep the rain off and wore it the whole race. It was good to have a gimmick. Spectators along the route would callout to me, "Hey, Cowgirl!" "Lookin' good, Cowgirl!" "Love the hat!" It was great.

The first half went really, really well for me. When I got to the split forthe Full Marathon it hit me that rather than go finish the Half that I was going to go out and run another thirteen miles. And I mean that in the best way. It is hard for a non runner to understand, but I was really happy that I had trained to do 26 miles and not 13. I have run the Lincoln Half Marathon 6 times. This was my first full Lincoln Marathon. I have cut off from the Marathon Runners to finish 6 times, but this time I was only half done. When I took the turn off for the Marathon I felt myself begin to cry. My chest started heaving and I couldn't breathe. I was completely overwhlemed with emotion.

I sat down on the curb while I hyperventilated and another runner stopped and crouched down.

"Are you ok? Maybe you should just do the Half?" she asked.

"No!" I gasped. "I'm fine. I am just happy. I feel really good."

I stood and began to walk and forced myself to stop crying. It took me a good quarter of a mile to get myself back together enough emotionally in order to run. I grinned. And then I ran another 13 miles.

Because I am a Marathon Cowgirl.