finished!

This past Sunday was the Utica Boilermaker race. It is the event I've been training for, for the past few months. I was pretty sure I had developed the physical stamina for it, but I was still nervous about it.

Figuring out how to get there turned into an ordeal. The past several years there has been a chartered bus from Rochester to Utica. Originally I planned to get a seat on the bus. Then I was in contact with old acquaintances from Lima and discussed carpooling. That fell apart, just in time for me to find out the bus was full. I almost ended up driving myself, dragging my sister along for support, when a seat opened up on the bus. Thankfully I was able to ride instead of driving.

There were about 13,000 runners descending upon Utica Sunday morning, plus family and friends for moral support. This is why I was glad to ride instead of drive, especially my first time at this event. The bus driver dropped us at the start and I was able to find the registration, bag check and starting line with relative ease.

The support from the citizens of Utica is amazing! There were 6,000 volunteers, plus tons of other people lined the streets to cheer and ring bells and clap and play music... just amazing. I particularly appreciate their enthusiasm, since I was in the back of the pack. I could understand if they only cheered and partied for the front-runners. That's the exciting part. But they were still hanging out and clapping and cheering for the stragglers like me. Utica rocks!!

The beginning of the course is a gradual up-hill. There were signs to indicate this was East Utica. The East Uticans had signs saying "You're off to a great start!" This stretch culminated in a final hill in the golf course, which dumped us out into South Utica. The South Uticans were just as festive and encouraging as the Easterners at the beginning. I think South Utica was relatively flat, and there was wonderful breeze. The day was just lovely for a run like this.

The next neighborhood was called Yorkville/New Hartford (I think). This area, too, had tons of specators cheering. It also contained a "military mile" to honor servicemen and women. Kind of a patriotic theme going on, including in the music played. The final stretch of the race was in West Utica. Again, lots of people cheering and encouraging me to keep going. I really appreciate these folks, because at this point, the front runners and back runners were quite stretched out. It took me about 2 hours to get to West Utica, and early people had passed through there more than an hour earlier. It was a big party. This stretch, around mile 7, was another gradual up-hill, which can sap a runner's strength, but the West Uticans had signs saying "It's all down hill from here!" So, I knew sooner or later I would crest the hill and cruise to the finish line.

Honestly, the hardest part of the race was in mile 9. It was so close to the end, but I was really getting tired. People who I didn't even know high-fived me and offered ice cubes and encouraged me to keep going. There was such a good spirit and enthusiasm for the day. It was all so overwhelming.

Overwhelming because I achieved the goal I set out to accomplish. Overwhelming because complete strangers offered friendship and encouragement. Overwhelming because of the sheer number of people all around me.

The hardest part of the day was after the race. I crossed the finish line, but could not find a cup or bottle of water anywhere. I am sure the water was there, but because of the throngs of people, it was hard to move and hard to see anything along the periphery. Eventually, I found a lemonade to drink. From there I stumbled upon a sno-cone table and the bag-check to pick up my bag. My bag had the map of the "party" zone, which helped me immensely, after I was able to locate my bag.

Once I had my bearings (but still no water) I managed to find the goody bags, the t-shirts, a beer (still thirsty and Sarnac was a key sponsor of the race, after all), and a lunch. At that point, rather than waiting in line to shake Sen. Schumer's hand or dancing with the party band, I opted to head back to the bus where I knew my water bottle was waiting. It was a good decision. I was able to change into dry clothes, drink some water, eat some sustenance, call my sweetie to let him know what happened, and relax in the a/c.

Now that this is complete, my plan is to try to maintain this level of fitness for a while. I hope to run the Race with Grace on Thanksgiving. I have a friend who may be doing this for the first time with me (very exciting!!). I am not sure what will happen after that, but I really want to keep running and keep my weekly mileage where it is now, rather than having to start from zero again. 2009 was a rough year, and I lost ground in my physical fitness. But I'm back on track, more or less, now. So let's keep the momentum going!

I can't say enough nice things about the people of Utica. I hope I can run there again sometime. I would also love to try to inspire people of Rochester to have as much enthusiasm for the Rochester Marathon... I'll be thinking about how to do this. I'm also thinking about volunteering with an organization called Girls on the Run, mentoring young girls. I'd love to facilitate a chapter in the City where I live... Again, thinking about how to do this and hoping that if it does open up, that it could be a way to touch people with the Gospel. Running is good, but Jesus is oh so much better.