October 18, 2009
Kathleen

I didn’t get to swim and run with my local group today (boo hoo!) so I went out on my own for a 6 mile run. Well, not completely alone. If you read my last blog you know, Cat Stevens is always with me. I can usually count on him to keep me going but today I was feeling blah, maybe a little lonely and definitely anxious to get to Texas. My mind starts wandering and I loose focus. I start thinking about blood sugars and blisters. Once I head down that path, not much can bring me back.

10 minutes into my run I see women….running….everywhere. 20,000 women are running the San Francisco Women’s Nike Marathon today. At first I think this is going to be bad for me. There won’t be room for me to run my regular route in Golden Gate Park. Like I said, my focus was zilch and I was looking for an excuse not to run.

Then, in a sea of women I notice one gal with a familiar body language. She is walking fast and her left hand is squeezing a finger on her right. Her shoulders, back and face are all working this “finger”. She is checking her blood sugar and she’s got one of those tough fingers that won’t cooperate and give her enough blood for a quick blood sugar check. I laugh, I’ve so been there. Then I see another woman with a sign that indicates these women I’m watching will finish the marathon in 6-7 hours and this was the halfway mark.

WOW! I realize that if I were doing a marathon, these would be the women I would be running with. I wanted to shout out to the woman checking her blood sugar, “Women with Diabetes Rock!!!!” but I already lost sight of her. I wanted to jump the barricade and join these women on their journey to the finish line but I assumed that would be against some rule and maybe I’d get arrested. That would be bad AND embarrassing. I can see the headline now “Woman with Diabetes chasing down another Woman with Diabetes in Golden Gate Park”.

Instead, I am engulfed by the energy of these woman and the volunteers and spectators cheering them on. I see many support people jumping up and down waving inspirational signs as their “woman” passes them. I see runners with big smiles as volunteers yell out “Let’s go Ladies, Great Job, You Can Do It”. I turn Cat Stevens off (a first!) and continuing running along side these women (from the other side of the barricade).

I imagine that the cheers are for me. I feel my feet moving just a lit bit faster as I listen to “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang blasting through speakers larger than my kitchen. I imagine I’m in Texas and I’ve already finished the swim and the bike and this is the third loop of the run. I feel good. Really good, strong. I look at my watch and I realize that it’s been almost an hour and I’ve done 5 miles. That went fast.

I turn out of the park and away from the marathon route to finish my last mile, alone and in silence (no Cat Stevens). I take several deep deep breaths and think that next week at this exact time I WILL be in Texas doing IT!!!

WOW!

Thanks to all the Nike Women Marathon runners I saw today especially the gal checking her blood sugar! You are a WILD woman and inspired me!!!!!!!!