Tuesday, Apr. 20, 2010
It seemed like a great idea at the time...
Emily Jarrett, Journal Staff
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Off the record, I have a pretty amazing family. And like most amazing families, we’re also just a tiny bit eccentric.
Last May, my cousin Julie got the idea in her head that she wanted to run a 10K. This despite the fact that she had never attempted a 10K before or had even run long distances. But she trained hard and finished the St. Louis Halloween 10K in just over an hour.
She had caught the marathon bug.
In early November, while telling the family about her experience, she mentioned she was planning on running in the Go! St. Louis half marathon in the spring and if anyone wanted to join, it would be a great family adventure.
A few members were excited at the idea and immediately signed up for the marathon.
I, unsurprisingly, told Julie I had no intention of stepping foot near the race. Of course I would be there to cheer the family on – I’m an excellent sideline cheerleader and, more importantly, they were having T-shirts made up. I’m a sucker for a themed T-shirt.
But when race day arrived and my alarm clock went off at 4:45 a.m., the only thought that kept going through my mind was – this seemed like a really great idea, four months ago.
When we got to the starting line in downtown St. Louis, I was amazed at the sheer number of people there. I knew there were more than 17,000 competing and thousands of people there to cheer them on, but until you actually see that many people in one place, it doesn’t hit you.
Fortunately, the night before we had worked out a meeting place and we quickly found our runners – five planning on running the half marathon and four part of the relay team that ran the whole marathon. Despite the chilly weather, they were nervous, excited and ready to run.
“My strategy? Just keep running, is there more to it?” joked my cousin Melissa.
After seeing them off at the start, the official family cheerleaders and I found a spot at the six mile marker, keeping our eyes peeled for our family.
And let me tell you, looking for six people in the midst 17,000 was a feat in itself. But when we saw them we screamed and cheered and called their names to give them that extra boost they needed at the almost half-way point.
My favorite part of the day, however, was at the very end. The half marathon runners had been finished for hours but we all sat in the family waiting area, watching for our relay team – which had two generations of runners – to cross the finish line. My aunt was finishing up the last mile when the other three relay runners met up with her. Watching the team of four run across the finish together was pretty amazing. And a little bit inspiring.
My grandma, who was there the entire time to cheer her kids and grandkids on, had originally intended to be part of the relay team. She said walking six miles was “nothing” – she regularly walks three miles a few times a week – but a recent fall forced her to drop out.
Luckily, my cousin Jake was able to step in and be “Edie” for the day, but my grandma is pretty determined. She’ll be walking in next year’s marathon, which is a month after her 80th birthday.
I suppose if my 79-year-old grandma can train for a marathon, I have no excuse not to.
However, I have a feeling I might again be waking up with the thought, “this seemed like a really great idea months ago.”
Emily Jarrett is a staff writer for the Journal. To respond to today’s commentary, call 816-282-7018 or e-mail ejarrett@bluespringsjournal.com.
