Race Report Postscript

It has occurred to me that I left out a very important piece of my race report of the Sunburst Marathon. Gratitude.

Here are a few of the things I am most grateful for before, during and after the marathon:

Before:

• Safe travels to South Bend, Indiana
• A very nice, quiet corner hotel room - thanks to my husband (my personal travel agent)
• A delicious dinner which I carried out from a little jazz restaurant/bar called Trios, located just a couple of blocks from my hotel
• After viewing (on the Weather Channel) a very large and dangerous storm cell approaching our daughter & son-in-law's home in Chatham, Illinois and calling to alert them - the storm skirted around their town
• Listening to the thunderstorms and rain during the night

During:

• A 6:00 AM race start which allowed runners to finish earlier in the morning
• The ample fluid stops - 24 stops over the course
• The volunteers and police officers who kept the course safe for all of us
• The three families of geese, 3 mother geese each followed by their goslings?, who crossed the road in front of us, while both cars and runners stopped to allow their safe passage
• Having the physical capability to run in such extreme weather conditions
• The cheering and support provided by the spectators who were very aware of the challenging race conditions and encouraged us to keep moving forward
• Friends and family who kept me in their thoughts and prayers while I was running

After:

• The ice-cold towel given to each finisher
• The Popsicle that was the perfect post-race treat
• The fruitcup - red grapes, cantaloupe, watermelon (which required more work than the typical basket of mushy 1/2 pieces of banana often found at the finish)
• Being able to run 26.2 miles, in tough weather conditions, and feel well enough to shower, checkout of my hotel and start driving (feeling well enough to shower, checkout of a hotel and drive a car is something that some people would love to be able to do)
• Safe travels to my sister's house
• Talking on the phone to my 3-year old granddaughter, Madison, as I was leaving the hotel

As I look at the list above, I feel as though it is incomplete. Those of us who run marathons regularly are so accustomed to running, that we can take much of that experience for granted. We are so lucky to be able to run, to enjoy 26.2 miles of the outdoors, to have volunteers and spectators take time out of their Saturday morning to support and encourage us, to have a group of people in a community to work all year to provide us with a venue to run a marathon.....

So, thank you!