I Guess it Was a Half Marathon

Have you ever walked a half marathon with a stomach virus?

Well, I don’t recommend that you try it anytime soon!

I trained this summer and fall with a group of ladies from my neighborhood. We all have kids of various ages and tried our best to carve out a little time for exercise. There is nothing better than getting up early on Saturday mornings and walking along the Museum Reach of the Riverwalk and beyond.  We would be done in time to buy some fresh goods from the Farmer’s Market.

It was heavenly!

And then school started and everyone’s schedules got a little too busy. There were texts flying around about volleyball, football, games and practices and on and on and on. In other words, motherhood happened.

I was determined to participate in my 6th Rock and Roll Half Marathon no matter what. And little did I know that it would include the stomach bug!

It started about pretty well. The weather was perfect and the sun was shining.

About the time that we hit the Alamo, I started feeling a little queasy. I actually thought this was a good picture.

Well, it’s a good picture of my eyebrows.

We pressed on through the Pearl. I wanted to take a picture of my friend Karen while she was walking through the place where we had been training for months.

I thought this was a good picture too.

I obviously couldn’t see either!

After we made it up the hill by Trinity University, I told Karen to go ahead of me. I was holding her back.

I was starting to feel queasy.

And pondering life as I knew it!

And wondering why I didn’t think that I could possibly catch my daughter’s stomach bug from the night before.

I guess I did.

I kept pushing on because I wanted to finish.

I didn’t want to quit.

And then I did want to quit!

About that time my friend Joy comes and taps me on the shoulder.  She had done that exact same thing when we did our first half marathon together back in 2009. It was the same mile marker too! We chatted a little bit and then she booked it way past me.

It was ugly but it was done.

Her encouragement was all I needed to finish.

Although this was by far the slowest I have ever been, it probably meant the most of all.

No matter what life throws at you, there always seems to be a good friend there to lift you up.

Now, where are those saltine crackers?

Stay Sassy Y’all.