My Final Year to Soar

For the tenth year in a row I ran the Soaring Wings Half Marathon. This was my first ever half marathon 9 years ago. I feel like my running journey has grown up with this race. So for this year to be the last... It's a bit devastating. Maybe I'm being dramatic, but there were so many emotions wrapped up in my race this year and that's how I feel.

When registration opened back in April I didn't know we would be moving half way across the country. All I knew was that I'd done Soaring Wings every year since my first time and I didn't want to break that streak. Then I found out that it was the last year and there was no doubt. When my family moved in July I wasn't sure I'd make it back. Obviously it happened and I'm so glad. However with the move came a major drop in running. When it came down to the actual time to train I decided to almost start from scratch and built a beginners plan. I was fine with whatever the outcome of the race would be, as long as I got to run it. We knew Scott wouldn't be able to take time off work to go back to Arkansas for the race so we talked to my dad about taking his place. Dad's training kicked off with a bang and soon I had a new worry- to keep up with him.

You see, for 9 years my parents have been to almost every Soaring Wings race. And the one or two they couldn't make it to, I received texts of encouragement and love through every mile. So for me, they were definitely still present. With Soaring Wings and every other race I have done, they have ALWAYS been the best support team. For me to be able to run this race with my dad was a very special thing. I so badly wanted to stay together but my training was nothing close to how well my dad was doing. Not to mention I don't have the hills in Florida that are pretty necessary for training when it comes to the course for Soaring Wings. I was nervous, to put it mildly.

After many talks Dad convinced me that he didn't care about our finish time and whether or not we walked a little or a lot. Our goal was to run this race together. That is what was important. Having talked to him I felt better as I drove into town, and I came up with my goals.

#1, My Good Goal (which is actually my best goal in this case)- Run the 13.1 miles with my dad and cross the finish line together.
#2, My Great Goal- Get my dad a PR. I didn't talk to him about this for a while. I was fairly sure he didn't know what time he needed and I figured with his training, I knew he could do it, but because of my training I wasn't so sure.
#3, My Amazing Goal- Finish with a pace around 9:30 which was close to what Dad had been averaging with his long runs, which were anywhere from 9:17-9:45 for his last few.

PRE-RACE~
Friday before the race my dad and I were talking details and after crunching numbers and going back and forth Dad said he wanted to go for 9:30. I had not told him my personal goals before this time. When I did, he seemed surprised to hear that *all* he needed for a PR was anything under a 10 minute pace! It seemed so easy. Yet, I was still a tiny bit concerned. It was all about the hills for me. I bring it up a lot, because I was THAT worried.

Friday afternoon my friend, Andrea, and I drove to Conway. We made a bit of a girl's weekend out of our time with the race so we went over earlier than totally necessary. This was Andrea's second half marathon, but first with Soaring Wings. She wasn't new to challenging courses though, as her first half was the Little Rock Half Marathon. (Check it out! The whole weekend is fantastic.) After going to the expo, taking a few pics, and checking out the Soaring Wings merchandise, Andrea and I drove the course so she could see what she was getting into.

Even though I've run this course 9 times before, driving it felt very different. VERY different. I remember thinking, on some of the more challenging parts of the course, that I don't know why they have been so hard in the past, or why I've been so anxious about them this year. I think I definitely learned a lesson in that. Obviously driving a hill is different from running one, but there's a huge mental game that goes along with all that. I think from now on if I drive a course I'll just plan for it to be 5 times harder. Maybe then it will all be ok! :-D

We drove to our hotel to get checked in and by the time we finished with that, my parents said they were close to Conway, so we went back to the expo to meet my parents. More pictures and another drive around the course with Dad and we decided we were definitely ready for dinner at MarketPlace Grill. We tried to turn in early but pre race jitters had us turning circles as Andrea and I gathered whatever we needed for Saturday morning.

RACE DAY!
I woke up Saturday morning before my alarm. No surprise there. I'm glad for it though because it allowed me to get ready a bit more slowly rather than feeling rushed. I dressed for the chilly but perfect race weather, wearing shorts with a tank top, long sleeves I knew I'd tie around my waist, and an extra layer which I knew I'd be tossing pretty early on, but since the coolest weather I'd run in was 70- with humidity- a couple times... and it was 46 race morning, I was too worried about being cold. I also had some knitted gloves.
Andrea and I left our hotel shortly after 6:00 to drive down the road to my dad's hotel, then made our way to my personal favorite parking area. There was a bank near the McGee Center that didn't seem to be open on Saturdays. If participants got there early enough we had some of the closest parking spots that weren't right on site, which were reserved for VIP runners. We walked the short distance to the building where we checked our bag for after the race and then the three of us walked to the start line. Last year I made a mistake in timing and most of us missed the National Anthem and prayer, part of the race that I find very important. So this year we were at the start line long before 7. And yet, we still didn't hear any of that. I don't know why, but I'm definitely disappointed.

Soaring Wings is a self seeded race, so we are able to place ourselves in the corrals where we feel we should begin. Dad and I placed ourselves just barely in front of the 2:05 pacer, as we hoped for a 9:30 pace. Andrea stayed with us until a few minutes before the race began and after traditional start line selfies she then moved to hang out with the 2:15 pacer. That was a little ahead of her goal, but it was a place to start that would keep her moving. Other than a couple texts later in the race, I didn't hear from Andrea again until I watched her cross the finish line.

Start Line Selfies :-D

The race started and I felt good as I try to settle in. It did not take long for me to take off my top layer. I tossed it by the time I hit 1 mile. Soon after that I knew I was going to need to shed my second long sleeve shirt. This one I wanted to keep though so I had to move my bib from my shirt to my tank top and I did not want to stop or walk to do that. It doesn’t seem like much but it definitely took some extra energy. Around 2 miles I finally felt settled and as comfortable as could be. I knew I had the first hill coming up but I also knew it was minor compared to the rest of the big ones. I really tried to just stay in the moment. Not even 1 mile at a time, but one street at a time. Or one block at a time at some points.

Neighborhoods decorated for Halloween were a fun distraction!

Almost 3 miles in
*Photo property of Run, Bike, Swim*

It was weird running the course and knowing that no one would be at the regular corners banging pots and pans for us, but at the same time definitely fun to be running with dad and pointing out where they would be. At each flag marker Dad would whoop and holler as we ticked each mile off. The first of four major hills came in the 4th mile. We pulled back our pace a little bit knowing that at the top we would be rewarded with an awesome downhill. Around 5 miles I felt like my feet were slipping in my shoes. I did not want to stop but I really felt like if I did I would be able to run stronger. Knowing there was a bit of a hill as we reached 6 miles I told dad I would stop at the top of the hill to adjust my shoes. It was less than a minute that we were stopped but obviously made a difference in our pace and time. Up to this point we had been maintaining a pace in the 9:20s. I can’t say I was feeling good, but I was feeling good enough to keep trying for that as long as possible.

A gradual decline after reaching the halfway point gave us a nice view!

I don’t know if it was the stop for my shoes or the pace and distance catching up with me, but I definitely had a harder time keeping our pace for the last half of the race. Even though dad had told me many times that we could slow down or a walk if needed (an agreement we had before even starting, that we were both supportive of the other one walking if needed) I still wanted to walk as little as possible and felt a little bit bad. He would have hated if I said that while we were running though. So after waiting as long as possible and reaching the top of a long incline heading into mile nine, I asked if we could walk between a set of cones.

One of many... Somewhere between 9 and 10 miles

For the next 4 miles I gave what I could. I did not have much energy for talking but I would listen if dad had something to say and acknowledge in short sentences. I walked through two water stops to refill my water bottle and those refreshed me enough to make it the mile and a half or so to the next. I walked through the last aid station, not for a water but to give myself a small recovery knowing that the big mile 12 hill was coming up. Before that though, as we complete mile 11, we get the most amazing and quite long gradual downhill. The down hills feel so great not only because the uphills are so hard but it also gives my legs a chance to use different muscles. After we made the turn off of the downhill the road is somewhat flat, compared to the rest of the course anyway, for about half a mile. And then the gradual incline that leads to the mile 12 hill begins. I braced myself mentally with each step closer. In the nine years that I have done this race I have not once ran the entire hill at mile 12. Even the years that I PR'd, I always walked this hill. To say it is a doozy is an understatement. I’m pretty sure I mention it every year that I have blogged about this race. Dad and I worked our way up the hill. I don’t know if I slowed down or held steady but I focused on what was right in front of me rather than looking towards the top. Except I knew there would be a photographer about 3/4 of the way up and while I was pretty sure any smile I attempted would be through quite a bit of pain, if I was able to get to the top without walking I wanted to have a picture of it happening. So I showed Dad where the photographer was and mustered up the best smile I could. 

THE Mile 12 Hill
*Photo property of Run, Bike, Swim*

After that I watched for the top. I felt like I was barely moving. But the top came. I was there! I ran the whole thing!! And then I was overcome with happiness and pride over finally kicking butt on this hill that has kicked mine for so many years. I did not WANT to walk at this point but I also could not breathe through my tears. We had less than a mile to go and if we walked much more we would be cutting it very close to not making pace for dad‘s PR. After I got it together we were at the top of a shorter hill that lead into the great downhill again. I pumped myself up and took off down the hill. Probably too fast considering my legs had felt like Jell-O for at least the last couple miles. I had to pull back a little bit once the road leveled out. For the last 3/4 of a mile I was flooded with memories of this same stretch of road. The first time I ever ran it. The time that Scott and I had met up with Angela and she very seriously asked a fire man on a bicycle for a ride. The time Scott and I had been leapfrogging with a lady who seemed to be struggling and we decided she needed to not finish alone. Three different times and points along the road last year when I ran it with my sister-in-law, and then went back and met my two brothers and watched them make their way to the finish line, and then met up with Scott and my other sister-in-law and watched her see through tears how close she was to finishing her first half marathon. These are the things that got me through the last six minutes of a race that had been especially hard for me this year. One foot at a time, passing one street at a time, picturing the finish line. And then we were there. There was a large group of spectators and volunteers on the corner cheering everyone on. We made the turn, and as we ran to the finish line other finishers were coming towards us cheering us on. Cheering the other finishers on. People called our names as we ran by them. Just like that we were done. Smiling as we crossed that line and in an instant crumbling in tears. For dad, I know it was mostly about having just run the race with me. He will be very humble about how he felt for this race. He had so much more in him that he could have given. He never mentions the fact that he could have kept on running, or the fact that he set a four minute PR! For me, all I wanted was to stay with my dad no matter how painful and hard it would be. I was afraid. I really thought that I was going to have to walk more than I did. My tears at the finish line were for sticking through all that and staying with my dad. Tears for being so proud of him for training so hard that he was able to set a PR and hardly look like he ran at all. And finally, tears because this was the final year to soar. 

Finish Time~ 2:07:40/9:45 pace

Overall Place- 331/1075

Female Age Group~ 32/120

We received our medals (and a frisbee this year too!) and saw my mom standing outside the finishers area taking pictures. 

We got some food and mom offered to hold it for us while we stayed inside the finisher's area waiting for Andrea. She had sent me a couple texts while dad and I were still running and based on those I knew she would be finishing soon after we did. I watched for her through crowds of other people that were waiting for their friends and loved ones. As soon as she was in sight Dad and I started shouting for her. Andrea looked so strong in her finish!! In talking with her later, she says that she realized she possibly did have more in her then she gave throughout the race. She was running in at a low eight minute pace to the finish line! Even with having more in her, Andrea also PR'd! 

I’m so incredibly proud of her and can’t wait to see where her own running journey will take her in the coming years. After more pictures we found a table in the sun and enjoyed the most beautiful weather we have had at Soaring Wings in many many years while trying to stretch out our aching muscles. 

Forever and always the Best Support Team 

*Photo property of Run, Bike, Swim*

*Photo property of Run, Bike, Swim*

After a while my parents left and Andrea’s family went to play at the family fun zone. Andrea was going to come to lunch with me and my parents so when she went to say goodbye to her family I stayed at the table and watched the finish line. Cue more tears. I know that I was exhausted and still riding a runners high from my own race, but I couldn’t help feeling emotional while watching these people finish their own race and also thinking again about how this was the last one. 

One last picture at the finish line

In talking with Andrea as we walked back to the car, we came to the decision that it’s possible saying goodbye to Soaring Wings was the release that I needed and did not have when I was saying goodbye to the life I had in Arkansas. There was so much going on in the couple months leading up to our move that I did not really have time to think about and process a proper goodbye to anyone or anything there. So in a lot of ways completing this race was the closure that I needed to really move along. The races I did, the jobs that I had, the friends and my family, are all parts of my life in Arkansas that I will always miss SO much. I think every part of the process I had leading up to and during Soaring Wings was much needed for so many reasons. I am extremely thankful that I was able to come back and run this race!

Thank you for the most amazing journey. I fell in love with long distance running because of this race. I don't think I'd be the runner I am now without Soaring Wings.

For even young people tire and drop out,

young folk in their prime stumble and fall.

But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.

They spread their wings and soar like eagles,

They run and don’t get tired,

they walk and don’t lag behind.

Isaiah 40:31, The Message