Nike Women's Marathon

Here it is ! The "medal". That is the Golden Gate Bridge circling around the runners ! You too can get one BUT there is a catch....you must suffer my friend. My journey to the Nike Women's Marathon was over a year long adventure. When I first learned of it in 2007, silly me thought I could just "sign up" for it. Um, no this baby sells out in 3 days. Okie dokie then, I'll be ready in 2008 when registration opens, um wrong again. In 2008 the Nike officials thought it would be fun to hold a lottery type entry. Lucky me gets in and jumps threw the normal hoops of finding hotel and "cheap" airfare. Then I'm in "training mode". Let's just say the "hills" of Tennessee are pale in comparsion to the "hills" of San Fransico. Race Day was cloudy and dreary which is better than sunny and blistering. And there was a time limit to finish this 26.2 distance in - 6 and 1/2 hours, um, really. That was plastered everywhere. I was worried. That's a 15 minute, or so pace. I'm a walker, not a runner. My running days are over (since baby #3 in 2000 but that's another story). Enter the Good Lord. Yes, the big Guy upstairs. He does work in mysterious ways. Mile 11 to be exact. He comes to me in the form of a cute girl named Kate. Mile 11 is where the 1/2 marathoners separate from the full. She was alone also and we decided that it was good for us to hang together. Indeed it was. As luck would have it, my good knee was absolutely killing me, she had no idea that we had to reach Mile 18 by noon, so we were each other's cheerleaders. Misery loves company and all that. We did indeed reach Mile 18 way before noon, actually had 13 minutes to spare. It was Kate that also informed me that she saw on a flyer that we actually had 7 hours to finish - good we need that extra 30 minutes and it was me with the watch that would pace out each mile and it was both of us that talked us through this adventure. It was Kate's first marathon and my sixth. It was God who knew what he was doing bringing us together to get us to the finishline, it was a team effort, with the team just having met and being formed and yes miracles can happen that quickly. Though, I'm pretty sure, God knew about this way longer than Kate or I did, he was just waiting for the big event. It was Kate that heard the announcer as we approached the finish line "2 minute warning for the 7 hour limit" and looked at me and said "can you run?" I'm thinking "no and yes all at once, but I did not come all this way (literally) not to get that necklace or the tee shirt" So with my tortured good knee, I jog for a few more seconds to cross the line (with 20 seconds to spare) to get my "medal" from the San Francisco fireman dressed in his tuxedo holding the silver tray with the blue Tiffany box just for me. I'm sure he was thinking - what took you sooooo long??? Me too, buddy, me too.....