Have you ever noticed, that no matter how far in advance you make travel plans, the last couple of hours before you leave are still complete pandemonium? It never fails. There must be some kind of law that states that very thing. Heck, I've seen less chaos at European soccer matches than what's happening at our house 1 hour before leaving on a trip. Throw a 16 month old baby in the mix, and the Stress Meter is pegged at Defcon 5. Of course Friday was no exception to that rule, and the morning was spent doing all the things that should have been done last week, and sweating bullets about being ready on time. We finally did get everything in an acceptable state, and left to pick up Aidan from school at 2:00pm.
After we picked up Aidan, we made really good time getting to the airport and parking our car. Once at the airport and out of the car, the "making good time" ceased to exist, and the Stress Meter once again peaked at Defcon 5. You know, there are very few things in life that I would be willing to take a beating for instead of doing them, but right there at the top of the list is...going through airport security and flying on a plane with a very excited 6 year old, and a VERY LOUD 16 month old. It's pretty bad when you find yourself repeating the phrase "please let it be over soon" quietly to yourself over and over. In all honesty, I guess the trip there could have been worse. Aidan occupied himself most of the way playing his PSP, and he was actually pretty quiet. Christopher on the other hand, occupied himself for the first 15 minutes by trying to see if he could get louder than the two jet engines to either side of us. It was quite the competition with no real winner. He fell asleep shortly after that to a thundering round of applause. Ok, not really, but I am sure that most of the people in the direct vicinity were secretly high five'in each other.
We landed in Memphis about 5:30pm. and Nana was there to meet us. After picking up our rental car, we were all on our way to the hotel about 30 minutes after we landed. Once we got to the hotel and unpacked, we made a bee line for Romano's Macaroni Grill. Lori and Cricket needed to carb load for the race, so pasta was in order. I on the other hand, I did not need to carb load, but you know what they say....."when in Rome".
After dinner we drove back to the hotel, and waddled to our rooms. We tried to get to sleep fairly early because we knew that the 5:00am. wake up call would be brutal. It was, but only because Christopher decided for the very first time in his life, to suffer from gas. It keep him up much of the night, and in turn did the same for us. Uhhhhh.....note to self.....pack gas drops for any future trips. As bad as it was for me, it was much worse for Lori. You see, as it turns out, running 26.2 miles is hard on a full night's rest, much less 3+ hours of sleep. I bet she'll remember those drops next time.
We called Cricket to wake her up, and not only was she feeling wonderful about the early hour, she was also stoked about the 27 degree temperature outside. I believe the first word I remember her saying was "coffee", although it could have been "killme" considering what was in store for the morning. The idea of running 13.1 miles or 26.2 miles at 8:00am in 27 degree weather just doesn't sound very appealing when you type it. Actually, come to think of it, it doesn't sound very appealing to me when you say it either.
After getting dressed and having a little breakfast, we set out on our journey. Just before we left the hotel, I snapped this picture of Lori and Cricket channeling their inner Elvi for strength.
Once we got in the car, I was told in no uncertain terms, that my first order of business was to find the nearest Starbucks. Coffee was on the agenda....well at that moment.....coffee was the agenda, and as far as my well being was concerned...priority one. We went through the drive through, purchased their fix, and with Lori and Cricket in Java Heaven, we quickly made our way downtown.
We found a garage to park in that was about 4 blocks from the starting line. I snapped this photo right after we got out of the car.
Just look at those 27 degree cheery dispositions. Ahhhhhhh.....just smell that crisp morning air. We made our way to the start of the race, and actually had about an hour to spare. So, what do you do when you have that much time before the race? Do you take that time to stretch? Do you take that time to warm up? Do you take that time to go over your race strategy? An uneducated marathoner like me might think so, but noooooooooo, that would be wrong. The first order of business is to find the warm Starbucks around the corner and go relieve the cold, and the first cup of coffee that was consumed on the way over. For some reason, Cricket and Lori preferred the warm Starbuck's bathroom over the frozen port-o-potties outside. While the girls took care of business, Aidan and I got a big cup of hot chocolate. Here is a picture of Aidan at Starbucks enjoying the heat.
The race was done in a staggered start, with 2 minute intervals between groups. Lori and Cricket were in the 5th group, and they did actually stretch and warm up a bit once we got to the starting area. Here they are at their starting area.
We had 2 minutes before her start time, so we snapped on last family photo.
She joined the other masochist in the street, and gave me one last smile.
You could tell that she was actually enjoying herself, and it was great to see her so comfortable. She definitely learned from her last marathon. The gun sounded, one last "goodluck" was yelled, and she and Cricket slowly faded into the sea of people.
Aidan and I made our way back to the car, and headed back to the hotel. Wyatt and Jackson and Christopher had stayed behind at the hotel with Nana. We got back to the hotel about 9:00am and I'm not sure who had it worse.....us in the 27 degree weather, or Nana with 3 boys to take care of. Although she said that Christopher had been a little angel while we were gone, I'm pretty sure she was happy to have some help.
We stayed around the hotel for a little over an hour, and then we got in our vehicles and headed back to downtown. Cricket was going to be the first to finish, and we wanted to make sure we got there before she crossed the finish line. We found a place to park, and made our way to the Memphis Cardinals Baseball Stadium. The finish line for the 1/2 marathon and the full marathon were both set up inside the stadium. After fighting our way through the crowd, we finally found a place to sit/stand the watch for any signs of our first family finisher. About 20 minutes after we got there, I noticed Cricket entering the field and I made my way over to snap a picture of her finish.
I was very lucky that it came out clear. Most things that are moving that fast usually come out blurry. (embellished a bit) Congratulations Cricket on your 1/2 marathon, we are all very proud of you.
Instead of going back to the hotel, we decided to stay for the next 1 1/2 hours and wait for Lori to finish. That 1 1/2 hours seem to last forever. It probably had something to do with having to watch and referee Wyatt and Aidan during that time. I am not exaggerating when I say that those two together can take years off your life. They are a handful. Christopher did OK, but he started getting tired at the end. We all waited with eager anticipation for Lori to round the corner and come into view.
Seeing all of the participants cross the finish line with both pain and joy expressed on their faces is quite something to behold. It takes so much training and determination to run 26.2 miles, and strength beyond words to fight through all of the pain. Watching them finish, and seeing that rush of emotion flow from their bodies as they cross that line is really extraordinary. You can't help but tear up as you see a father pushing his Cerebral Palsy inflicted son's wheel chair across the finish line as the sound of a huge ovation fills the air. You can't avoid filling up with pride as one stranger helps another stagger into the stadium as they use sheer will to shuffle their feet the last few yards. Magical.
It was now Lori's turn to make that final turn into the stadium, and as soon as her hot pink jacket came into view, we all cheered her to the finish. Here she is crossing the finish line.
Her official time was 4:09:46 and she placed 965 out of 3000 entries. She was able to knock off almost a full minute per mile from her first marathon. Here she is after the race, wondering how in the world she was going to make it to the top of the bleachers to get out of the stadium.
That flight of stairs, at that moment, looked like a huge mountain. She was hurting, and had suffered sever leg cramps about the 22nd mile. She paused only for a moment to catch her breath, and then she made the slow arduous climb. I of course was standing at the top, waiting to give my beautiful wife a big hug and let her know how proud I was of her.
The remainder of the trip was pretty low key. Lori and Cricket both soaked in hot baths to work the soreness out of their muscles. They were both moving pretty well by the time we left on Sunday. We ate at Chilis on Saturday night, and we toasted their victories with a delicious margarita. The plane ride back was suprisingly uneventful, and I was thankful.
Lori, Dianne (Nana), and Cricket together raised almost $2400.00 for the children of St. Jude's Hospital. It's a wonderful cause, and they all deserve our gratitude for their efforts. Their selflessness and compassion is a testament to their being. They are good people and I am proud to be part of their family.
Congratulations!
William
2 comments:
I could never have gotten through the 26.2 and all of the miles along the way without you and the boys supporting and encouraging me all the way. Thanks for being such a wonderful husband and best friend. I love you very much!
Lori
The coffee shot is by far and away captures the essence of the moment. I'll call that my game face.
Cricket
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