Runniversary 5 Years Strong

I have made it 5 years as a runner! I started running simply to prove my family wrong. My sister was challenging my brothers to run a half marathon, and when I chimed in that we should make it a family affair, my whole family laughed and said there was no way I could ever run a half marathon. Since then I have become a lifetime Half Fanatic by running three half marathons in 50 days, and I finished a marathon while raising money for ALS research in memory of my grandma.

The races aren't even the best part of my running journey. I have had so many amazing runs in amazing places with amazing people. There have been difficult runs that challenged me mentally and physically, and those runs may not have seemed amazing at the time, but those are the runs that have made me a better person. I have met wonderful people in the running community who will be friends for life no matter the distance or time between us. I have found gratitude and strength through running. I have had the opportunity to contemplate deep philosophical and spiritual questions, and I have had the opportunity to just zone out. I have gained so much from running that I never anticipated when I started this journey.

I usually try to do some special run for my runniversary. I run my favorite route or challenge myself at a time goal for my run that day, or I run with a friend to celebrate. This year was different. I didn't run at all. I walked. Not only did I walk, but I went down to the treadmill in my basement still dressed in my pajamas, bathrobe, and flip flops. Yes. That's the truth. That's how I spent my 5 year runniversary. I am 29 weeks pregnant, tired, and relegated to walking. I didn't want to walk that day, but I dragged myself down to the treadmill to walk, slowly. I didn't really feel like it in my current state, but I did it. That's the thing. There have been times in my life when I didn't want to run, and there have been times like now when I couldn't run for various medical reasons, and in the beginning, I used to take winters off just because it was easier. But despite my groggy and tired days on the treadmill, yes sometimes in my bathrobe and flip flops, I am still looking forward to getting back to running.

I have no clue what my postpartum running journey will be. I have no clue how long it will take me to return to running, and I have no clue what I will be able to expect when it comes to distance or races in the immediate future, but I do know that I want to return to running. I am looking forward to the routine that grounds me, challenges me, opens my eyes to gratitude, builds my self-esteem, and helps me manage stress. I am happy that running will also give me the chance to set an example for my son. I will show him how to set goals, put in hard work even when it's difficult, and follow through until my goals are met. Running has done so much for me, and I know that it will be one way to set a good example for my son. I am excited for my future as a runner even though I can't run right now, and I have no idea what that future will look like, but I am excited to see where it takes me.

Philadelphia Marathon Finisher

My alarm went off at 3:30 am on Sunday, November 17th, 2013. When it went off, my first thought was, "why in the world did I decide to do this?" I got out of bed, sleepily scrambled to get things together, and grumpily made my way to the car in my trash bag to stay warm. My sister was excited, and my husband was more than kind and supportive considering what he was doing and about to do just to be there for us. He even walked us all the way up to the corrals and watched us go in just to make sure we got where we were supposed to be without a hitch up to that point.

It was cold. Don't get me wrong, I know it could have been FAR worse for late November in Philadelphia, but it was what I had to deal with at the time, and it didn't feel great while it was happening. I asked Grace if would be a big deal if I just went back to the car to wait with Matt while she ran. I was only mostly serious... I was so scared standing around in the cold knowing that there were hours and miles standing between me and a warm shower. We wandered around looking for a warm place to wait, and we ended up running into two customers from the running store that I work at, and we talked to them for a bit, which took my mind off my impending doom.


As we waited around in a starting corral to run, I was both nervous and excited. We had agreed that we would each run at our own pace since neither of us was really trained and ready. As we passed the starting line, Grace turned around, tapped my bib, and said, "remember why." And we were off. I decided at that moment that I would need to just settle into a slow, barely-jogging 12 minute pace. I said to myself, "I can do this all day if I just stay at this pace." Then within the first 3 miles, I managed to pause my Garmin without realizing it, and break my headphones. Yep. That's Michelle Style. I didn't let it get to me though. I just turned my watch back on, stuck the earbud that I managed to fix in my ear, and I just tried to run at my own slow pace.

The first 8 miles were gravy. I felt great the whole way. Between 8 an 13, things got a little rougher because the lines for the porta-potties were so long, and I didn't want to wait for them to open up. I was straight up walking by the time I got to mile 14. I stopped for a bathroom break again once I found some without a line that weren't overflowing...which yes, some of them that I stopped to check were. And I walked the next two miles, and caught up with Matt during that time who walked with me for a bit. Around mile 19, I started crying as I saw my sister on the opposite side of the out-and-back portion of the course. We stopped to hug and congratulate each other on making it as far as we had and that point and reassure each other that we were going to finish.

When I hit mile 22, everything went downhill for me. I thought, I only have 4 miles left. That's nothing. But the pain in my legs was intense. My hips were aching so much that I wasn't sure I could put the force of attempting to jog on them anymore. Two things went through my mind at that point: 1) I can never have children because this is pain is probably my physical threshold. 2) I can't even imagine how much pain my grandma was in, and I felt for her more than I ever had before. My brother Joe called me just as I passed the 25 mile marker, that gave me the push to pick up speed slightly as Matt joined me to jog the next half mile before he sent me on my way to finish.

As I entered the finishing area, the announcer asked me what my bib was about, and I told him I was running in memory of my Grandma. He made an announcement about my grandma and reminded people that all of us have someone in our lives who inspire us, and it is great to remember those people. Just before I crossed the finish line, Mayor Nutter high-fived me and gave me a big hug as the tears were pouring out, and told me great job, your grandma is thankful and proud. Grace was waiting for me in the finishing area, and with tears in our eyes, we hugged and laughed, and cried a little bit more, and then hobbled our way down to take pictures and get food.

We made it. It was hard. I wasn't sure if I was going to make it at some points, but I finished. It took me FOREVER, but I made it. I am not sure yet if I will attempt another one in the future, but I know that I was nowhere near ready for this distance when I stepped out on the course, but I raised money with the help of several very generous friends and family members, and I made it to the finish line of a marathon before my 26th birthday and one year marking of my grandma's passing. In the end, the time doesn't matter. I accomplished all of the important goals. Thank you so much to every person who has supported me during the last 6 months as I trained, complained, quit training, complained some more, and went through a roller coaster that leads up to a marathon. I appreciate every single one of you!