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Angels Watching Over Me

Today, I finished my second race, a 5K in our hometown. To say that I am tired would be an understatement. This was my first race after going to a pediatrist who advised me to lay off of running for 3-4 weeks and use machines at the gym. While my foot was well rested, I was too rested. The race was harder for me than I expected…fortunately, the Good Lord sent me another angel to help me finish the race.

My husband was also running and as first-timers in this race, we decided to follow the crowd to the starting line (because we didn’t know where it was) and ended up too close to the front…way too close to the front. In a major race, that would be the Elite Runners space. The Elites today were Cross-Country teens of all ages, and various runners who at any age (even 60 and over) could run a 6 or 7 minute mile and faster. So of course when the horn sounded, we took off running. It wasn’t too fast…or so I thought. But I had my handy timer on my wrist and right before we hit the 1 mile marker, I looked at the time and almost started walking right then. I looked over at my husband (something I will not do again) and told him he was about to run his first sub-9 minute mile…well almost. As soon as we hit the 1 mile marker, he started walking. I realize after the fact, that I should not have told him our pace…maybe he would have run a little further (he still finished his race though). Though it was much faster than my goal pace, I decided to keep running but slowing down so that I could live to see another day.

I didn’t think I would make it. By the time I got to the 2 mile marker, I was prepared mentally to just keep going, but it still hurt. Without my Ipod shuffle to encourage me with The Rocky Them or Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now, I was surely on my own and stuck with my own thoughts (which were not good all the time). It wasn’t until I was right before the 3 mile marker that a woman seeing me in distress, looked back and asked “Do you want me to run with you?” I told her “If you want to.” I really wanted to say, could you carry me please? But she looked like she was smaller than me. She ran with me the rest of the race…encouraging me the rest of the way and letting me know that the finish was right in front of us. She asked me where it hurt and I said my chest. She told me that her husband says if you raise your arms it opens your airways, but she doesn’t believe him. I raise my arms while I run…she asked me if it helped and I told her it did a little. She never left me and even ran across the finish line with me. I had left my husband behind (sorry babe) so that I could finish, but this runner slowed down so that she could help me finish. She was a God send. She showed me runner comraderie and hospitality that I am learning to accept. I hope one day I will be able to do the same for someone else. I cannot say if I would have finished without her, I have to believe that perhaps I would have…but I really don’t want to know.

© 2007 DahGurl.