It seems that every time we watch a race and cheer for runners at the finish line at least one of our kids thinks they want to run the next time. Last fall when Bailey watched her dad run the St. George Marathon she asked if she could run it the following year. Mat and I had decided a while ago that if our kids wanted to run the marathon when they turned fourteen that we would let them. We asked Bailey if she would commit herself to training and commit to completing it. She said yes. Bailey said she also wanted to beat the course record for her age group. After the first few attempts at getting her out to train she decided she didn't care about breaking any records. After a few more attempts at getting her to train long distances she decided she didn't care if she even placed in her division. After MANY attempts at getting her to train as the race grew nearer she flat out said she didn't want to run.
We reminded her of her previous commitment and expressed that we had paid for both the entrance into the race as well as expensive running gear in preparation and that we expected her to keep her commitment. She grudgingly agreed to run it. Then, Mat got sick....
Coughing and wheezing, sleeping all day, sick. Of course Bailey wasn't going to run to train without her dad so everything came to a standstill. As the week of the marathon approached we were trying everything (aside from antibiotics because apparently we are idiots and didn't think of that) to get Mat better. We kept thinking it was just a cold and would go away. He kept saying that he felt better but was clearly getting worse. He considered trying to run two days before the race and couldn't get out of bed. So....race day came...
I stayed up until 1:00 trying to make sure the runners had good treats, a good breakfast, all their gear in order, and good music for the run. At 4:00 the runners awoke. I sent them with various food and they went on their way. At 6:00 I was able to calm myself back to sleep. At 7:00 I received a text update saying that the two runners had begun the race. Excited I was able to get back to sleep shortly after receiving the update. When I received the update at 6 miles into the race less than an hour later I got excited! They were on pace to finish under four hours (which was crazy to me considering how little training they had done). I got dressed and told the kids that we would be going to watch them as soon as I go the next update at 13 miles. I NEVER got that update. So much worry weighed me down from not receiving the update I couldn't move. I sat on the couch and stared straight ahead. After 30 minutes I finally decided to see if runners were being recorded at the halfway mark or not. I finally figured out that the sensor was recording!!! Soon after that I heard that they were spotted in Winchester so we made our way to the finish line. We decided we couldn't wait at the finish line that we needed to see them sooner. We went to Diagonal and I can't fully express how incredible it was to see my little girl...smiling...looking strong...and beautiful! Mat looked like he felt great. In previous races he tends to look a tad sea sick at Diagonal so I was thrilled. The two ended up crossing the finish line in 4:31! Definitely a proud mommy moment. It was then that Mat told me how sick he really was. He wanted to get in the car and get home to rest. He slept most of the day and really struggled to even walk. Apparently he put on a happy face to keep Bailey going but later said it was the most difficult race he has ever done. I'm so impressed by my sweet little family. Now Caleb has been asking to run it next year...
