Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCC

The White Rock Chronicles

"Well, there's one goal that's gone down the drain." I didn't actually say those words out loud, but I thought them time and time again. You know, when you're passionate about something, you want to try to spread that passion to your friends whenever you get a chance, and this was the chance of a lifetime. I wasn't even in on the meeting when this idea first came up, but the people who were involved, all close friends of mine, came to me with their idea right away. "Hey Preston, a couple of us want to run a half marathon, and a couple more want to try the full." (In case you're not familiar with what that means, a half marathon is 13.1 miles, and a full marathon is 26.2.) "Wonderful," I replied. "Count me in." So when we started looking for the right one to run, we discovered that the White Rock Marathon in Dallas even had a five-man relay, which could potentially involve quite a few more people. (The relay covers the entire 26.2 miles, but it is divided into five sections, each of which is covered by a different runner.) To make a long story not quite so long, Emily Stansbury, one of the originators of this plan, created a facebook page called "CLC Marathon Runners," and within twenty-four hours, it exploded into something bigger than we could've ever imagined. (CLC is short for Christian Life Church.) People that we never dreamed would be interested in running were saying, "Hey, we want to be in on this!" By the time marathon day came around, we had a total of twenty-eight runners involved, with the vast majority of them being members of our church. The age range of our runners went from age eleven to sixty, and almost every age in between, fairly evenly divided between male and female. I like to give credit to the proper people when I can, and I think it was Emily who designed our running tee shirts with our church logo on the front, and a neat design on the back that included a line from one of our favorite praise and worship songs, "I am free to run."

December 4th, 2011, marathon day, dawned with heavy rain, high winds, and the temperature was hovering at around forty degrees. That's when those negative thoughts began to invade my mind. For the majority of these friends who had trained and made the trip to Dallas for the big event, this was their first experience with anything of this magnitude, and all I could think was, "They're gonna be coming away from this with a deranged view of what running is all about." And who could blame them? Buses took the relay runners to their proper exchange points and dropped them off, leaving them to stand outside to shiver in the cold wind and rain while waiting for their turn to run when their team member would arrive to hand off to them. Then when they finished their leg of the relay, they would have to stand around waiting for a bus to arrive to take them back. For the full marathoners, half marathoners and the ones running the first leg of the relay, once they moved us from the shelter of the building where we were waiting for start time, it seemed like we stood around forever in the wind and rain waiting for the race to begin. Although I was wearing gloves, my fingers were so cold I couldn't grip the water cups when the people at the water stations would hand them to me, so I finally figured out that the only way I could work it was to hold out my hand with my palm facing up and have them place the cup in my hand. One of our first-time full marathoners took a spill when he was tripped up by someone jumping over a large puddle. One relay runner passed up her finish point without seeing it, and had to turn around and go back. The entire transportation system with the buses seemed to be total chaos, with people wandering around trying to find the proper place to go to find the bus, and then trying to figure out which bus to board. So you can see how understandable it would've been to hear phrases like, "I'll never do this again." There's no way I can take the time or the space to tell you everything I DID hear, but here are some examples of the unsolicited comments I've heard from my friends from postings on their facebook pages:

Leah Gordon: I just finished my leg of the relay!! By far one of the coolest experiences of my life.

Freddy Box: Humbled by the whole experience, but I had a great time with some great friends in Dallas! Cowtown may be next? (Cowtown is a marathon in Ft. Worth, Texas.)

Danny Chance, Jr.: I actually really enjoyed the run despite only 3 hours sleep. I would like to try and run the half.

Lee Ann Box: Didn't get a photo, but my very wet, cold leg of the Dallas White Rock relay is finished! Had a blast, Big D.

Elizabeth Williams: I had the pleasure of running with the Christian Life Church Members. I was touched by their excitement and unity which they had toward each other for the relays, half marathon and full marathon runners.

Emily Stansbury: I think we all were miserable, but the feeling of accomplishment is amazing!

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm pumped!! If they're talking about how much fun they had through the harsh conditions they faced in Dallas, I can't wait till they get to do it again under better circumstances, and that time may come fairly soon...they're already talking about the next one!

One other quick note: I wish I could remember how many compliments I received about my shirt! One couple caught up with me at around mile 12 and told me that they "loved" my shirt; then they started singing "I Am Free to Run." So the three of us ran along side by side for a while singing "Free to Run" together.

It was a day I'll never forget!!

Preston

Note: Today marks the 300th consecutive week I've sent out "Thinking Out Loud."