Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” There is a lot of wisdom in that quote that is applicable to almost anything, not the least of which is running a race.
I debated how much detail to share about my Mississauga Marathon because, as you know, I was out for redemption. While I don’t get to tell the story that I wanted to, that one would have been boring anyway.
In fact, the first half, while not boring for me at the time, is pretty boring in the retelling – I felt strong and was right on target through the 21.1K split. Yawn!
After that is when it got interesting. To make a long story short, somewhere between the 23 and 24K markers I had an asthma attack from which I never fully recovered. I did a lot of walking, some sitting, a bit of staggering, lots of gasping and wheezing. So there I was: in the middle of Mississauga, completely lost, with an aching chest, a racing heart, a spinning head, and fortunately, a pacer, my brother, to keep me company and help me haul my butt off the curb a few times. I forged ahead, running when I could, walking when I had to, sitting when that was better than falling over – and eventually I made it to the finish line.
Sure, I was disappointed that I missed my goals, especially when it really looked like it was my day at last. But in retrospect, I really did do the best I could, with what I had, where I was. That, my friends, is my redemption.
I would like to say a special thanks to my brother, David. I am not ashamed to admit that had he not been one of the “things I had”, I might not have done the best I could.
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Congrats for sticking to your plan and finishing despite the conditions. This is the real show of strength and character!
Way to go! I had a similar day, and a friend to help me finish. Great first half and a completely nauseous ‘never eat a gel again ever’ kind of second half which included throwing a gel back up and neatly into a garbage can….and a lot of walking in the 2nd half.
It’s always good to finish! Hell, getting to the start line is more than half the battle!
You did an awesome job Karen…you finished this run with a smile on your face, and you should be proud of your victory over “the beast” AKA : Marathon !!!
Congrats again and soak in the adoration your fans pour your way…!!!
Great job on sticking to it Karen, if you didn’t have that breathing problem you would have smoked that course. In the end you proved that you are one tough girl and you are a winner in my books! Your stories here inspire a lot of us so keep up the good work.
Good job Karen.
Never run anything perfectly because you will make it more difficult to improve yourself.
Thanks, everyone! 😀
Yikes, Dave!! That sounds rough! But very considerate of you to hit the garbage can…
Vicky and Grant – good point, but for once I really would like to write a boring, drama-free marathon report! 😉
Way to go Karen,
I too ran my first marathon that day and remember seeing you and your brother. We acctually ran side by side for a while. It was my first marathon as a 51 year old grandmother and I was noticing your run/walk pace was the same as my steady run pace. We would run together and then you would break for your walk break and then not too long after the pair of you would come “waltzing” up behind me. I was facinated by this. You both then paced yourselves passed me and headed out young and strong. I was suprised to see you a bit later by the side with your puffer out. Wow! you are truley amazing. To even attempt a marathon with an asthma condition takes guts. I can’t help but feel that you conquered a marathon within a marathon. I am so amazed to hear that you actually finished. I too did finish at a slower pace than I had hoped. I too did the best I could, with what I had and where I was that day! Well done, maybe see you next year!
Congratulations, Lori, you Marathoner, you!! 😀
And thank you for your kind words!! You are very sweet – maybe we’ll run “together” again soon! 😉