On May 1st, I ran the Lincoln, NE Marathon. It was a rainy, windy and chilly day. I knew going into race day what it was going to be like. Every marathon that I have run (this was #5) has its challenges. This would be no different.
This was marathon number 2 out of 4 this year for me. I had trained well for this race and didn't miss any long runs due to weather or anything else. I was prepared as I "toed the line."
13,000 had registered for this marathon/half marathon. Right at 3,000 were running the full (I think the weather kept many away as only 1,062 finished the full) so I knew after the 13.1 mile mark, the "herd" would thin out.
As I approached the half way mark, I was running a comfortable pace but I had started to experience some discomfort in my right knee. I knew the next 13.1 miles were not going to be on the pace I wanted, but I was determined to finish this race. My discomfort turned to pain just past the 21 mile mark and I slowed down and even walked more than what I would normally.
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As I woke up the morning of the race, I looked out the window and it was raining. I had told my wife the night before that if it was raining, I didn't expect her to come with me to the start but she could track me on the app and meet up with me at the end. Chris is my biggest cheerleader. She can be seen or should I say heard, at these races with her monster cowbell in hand. This cowbell has a VERY distinct sound and I can usually pick it out, from a distance, and know that a well needed kiss and hug was near.
During this race, I heard other cowbells and they were a nice reminder and encouragement, even though it wasn't Chris ringing it.
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I told myself, right as I passed mile 21, "I cannot be defeated AND I will not quit!" over and over. I wasn't going to quit, even if it meant walking the final 5 miles. As I was approaching the 22nd mile, I saw the marker, "Mile 22." This took me back to a book I read over Christmas of 2014 about the New York City Marathon called, "A Race Like No Other." In chapter 22 there was a piece about an everyday champion...a runner like most of us. She had battled back and was recovering from alcohol addiction. Her story was woven throughout the book, but mile 22 was special. It told a story of her training and one of redemption. It had an impact on me and continues to inspire me to this day. So when I saw Mile Marker 22, I said to God, "Lord, I'm hurting. I'm in pain. I need Your inspiration. I won't quit, but I don't know if I can physically finish." and RIGHT AT THAT TIME, I heard someone clanging a cowbell. How cool was it that right at my point of struggle and helplessness, that my God would have something that I recognized as a point of encouragement ring for me to hear....as if to say, "Tim, we can do this for 4 more miles." As I got closer to the sound, I saw that it was my wife, Chris, who was the one ringing the cowbell for me at Mile 22 and cheering so loud (the pic above is me approaching her) with nobody else around. To say I was emotional is an understatement. I grabbed ahold of her and told her how much this meant to me, at this specific time, and through tears, I kissed her and said, "I'll see you at the finish."
I still struggled through those final 4 miles, but now NOTHING was going to deter me as I kept hearing the "sound of encouragement" with each step.
You know, in some races we have, all goes well and in others they don't go so well. Some days in our lives go well where other days don't go as well. Either way, we need to just keep moving...keep pressing on to the finish!
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