Nike Women Half Marathon
Rebecca is Alice's best friend, her biggest cheerleader, and soul sister. Just a couple of weeks ago, Rebecca ran the Nike Women Half Marathon in honor of Alice. Please take a moment to read Rebecca's heartfelt recount of the 13.1 miles she ran for Alice.....
On Sunday, April 28th, I was one of some 15,000 (mostly
women) runners to participate in the inaugural Nike Women Half Marathon DC to
benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). I ran the half marathon with LLS’s Team in Training,
and was responsible for raising $1,800. The LLS has done and continues to do so
much for people suffering from blood cancers and, considering my best friend
has Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML), it is a cause that’s dear to my heart.
On
to the race recap! The day started nice and early and by 6 a.m. I had parked on
Pennsylvania & 17th St., right by the White House. I jogged over
to the starting area in Freedom Plaza, along with hordes of other women ready
to run. There were bright colors everywhere, spectators ready to cheer, music,
and in the background, right as the sun was rising, the Capitol! I knew it was going to be an amazing
race as I took it all in – I love DC! I found my corral and was ready to go. I
checked and retied my laces, fixed my socks, made sure my Pandora station was
set to Euro house music with a fast tempo. This part of the race always reminds
me of the horse races – everyone is so pumped to run and the energy is
electrifying. After the national
anthem and a moment of silence for Boston, we were off! I have never seen so
many people, and this was not my first half marathon. The course was fun and
there really is nothing like running in your city. We made our way to Arlington
and I could see planes landing and taking off from National airport. We passed
the Lincoln monument and ran by the Kennedy Center. It was all so beautiful
that the first 7 miles were almost easy because I was so distracted by the
excitement of it all. There were spectators with the wittiest and funniest signs
– “I love fast women” really made me chuckle. As we made our way through the
city I knew I was running fast because well, I could definitely feel it, and I
tried to stay well ahead of the 2:00 pacer. I think I was actually having fun running this hard! We
finally made our way to Hains Point, a little peninsula that juts out into the
Potomac river, which I knew was going to be the hardest part of the race
because it.so.booooring. Beautiful, yes. But boring! Not to mention there were
maybe five spectators to cheer us on. I mentally prepared myself for this
challenge, until, my Pandora station decided to stop working. The panic! I was
sure this was a test. I tried to think of why I was running this race – I
played a montage of me and Alice throughout the years: us as little kids
playing random games in the pool, bossing our younger siblings around, her
wedding, my wedding. The birth of my goddaughter Katie. Her bone marrow
transplant this summer. I had to stop because I was getting teary eyed and
there was no way I could possibly keep running while sobbing. My mind started
drifting to random things while chanting “one foot in front of the other” to
keep going. Finally, we were done with Hains Point! Oh the joy! Up a ramp and
through the tunnel and back towards the finish. We passed the 10 mile mark and
this is always the hardest part for me, because my body feels like it’s
breaking down. I started getting chills and cramping and then, out of the
corner of my eye, I saw my friends Kristin and Boris with massive signs
screaming “Rebeccccaaaa!!” When I heard that I’m pretty sure I screamed back
and freaked out anyone near me. I started picking up my pace because I knew I
could and would finish this race under 2 hours. I was so touched my friends
woke up so early on a Sunday morning to come cheer me on, and that really gave
me the extra “oomph” I needed so badly at this point. I had a little over a
mile left but it seemed so very hard. We made our way in front of the Capitol
and I while I was huffing and puffing, envisioning myself collapsing on soft
grass after the finish, I saw a woman in purple with TNT Washington/Alaska next
to me, smiling. I think she mentioned something about my shirt but I couldn’t
hear and mumbled something like “Meeeh whaa I can’t do this!!!” She said “Yes
you can! You got this!” and made sure I stayed with her when my body just
wanted to stop running. She coached me till the very end, and we crossed the
finish line together, at 1:54, my personal record!! I hugged and thanked her
and told her I was running for my best friend who was having her transplant
this summer, then started crying.
I was not only exhausted from running 13 miles harder than I ever had
before, but emotionally drained as well. The journey of fundraising for this
race, keeping in mind why and who I was running it for, my wonderful friends
being there to support me, and the encouragement of this stranger, was all so
overwhelming. I have never felt
more blessed and in love with people than that morning. It was such an incredible
experience and one that I will always treasure.
