The Cheers Do Help

I had my brother, sister-in-law and niece visit this past Labor Day weekend - the main occasion being my niece wanting her dad and I to run with her in the annual Rock & Roll Half-Marathon here in Virginia Beach. I ran a couple of marathons (2 Dallas and 1 Boston) about 20 years ago and did a half-marathon at Nauticus in Norfolk back in '04 so it's been a while but I accepted. What the heck!
I will tell you that 20 years DOES make a difference in the pain you feel, for sure. It's 13.1 miles so I had to make sure I was ready for some pain because I experienced it, for sure, during several training runs..... nothing strong enough to stop running but enough to play with your head and try to CONVINCE you to stop. So I made sure I had my I-Pod shuffle ready to go with lots of good "running" music. I bought a special set of earbud headphones that would stay in no matter what. I wanted to "get lost in the music" while I ran. The music did wind up helping somewhat. I finished in the top 40& - a slow time, but I finished. I have to tell you that it wasn't as much the music as it was all those folks cheering along the route. Not one face was recognizable BUT the encouragement was genuine and you had to feel it. Every time I would run past a larger crowd or group, any pain subsided and I was able to glide for that particular distance. The finish line area was totally awesome as far as those cheers were concerned. As "Feeling Stronger Everyday" by Chicago played in my head, ironically, the crowd was thick and loud at that finish area and they were the main reason I finished the last 100 yards in a dead sprint. So....if you ever hear anyone say that the crowd did not affect them, don't believe it. A crowd of positive, encouraging folks DOES make a difference. If you were part of that crowd Sunday at the Virginia Beach Rock and Roll Half-Marathon, here's a special thanks from one participant for helping me finish strong! You all deserve a medal!