With 2022 in the rearview mirror, it’s a delight to reflect back over running accomplishments and favorite events, but it also made us wonder: Is there one mile that stands out over the course of your running career? A best-of-all-time mile that shines brighter than the others? We asked some of our BAMRbassadors to tell us about it, and today we’re honored to share Anna Carlson’s happiest mile with her daughter Maya.
How did you become a runner? My spouse and I live in Circle Pines, MN, and we have four beautiful daughters. I became a runner when our youngest daughter, Maya, was almost two years old. She has a rare brain condition called lissencephaly, or “smooth brain syndrome,” and with that come many health challenges.
Maya was going to a specialized therapy at the time where her therapist, Nan, was using the Feldenkrais method, which helps the body teach the brain vs. the brain teaching the body. Nan explained to me during one of Maya’s sessions that for Maya learning how to do one big movement meant learning each tiny step to get there, like you might need to do as if you were training for a marathon.
I had never run before and actually detested the times we had to run a mile in school. However, what Nan said stuck with me. When I told my spouse about it later that day, we decided we would both take up running. My encouragement was that if Maya could do it then I could do it, and I have carried that with me ever since.
We followed the Couch Potato to 5K plan online and ran our first 5K together at the end of that summer. That led to more 5Ks, then to 10K races, 10 miles, then half-marathons, and in 2019 I ran my first marathon.
Was it easy to narrow down your happiest mile or was it hard to choose? I have had many happy miles, but this one has always stood out as my happiest.
Tell us all about it. My happiest mile was the last mile of my first marathon in 2019. I had started a new teaching job in the fall of 2018, and at the beginning of the year we were doing a staff mixer. One of the questions was about a personal goal for the upcoming year, and the first sentence out of my mouth was “I am going to run my first marathon.” I surprised myself by saying that, but once I put it out there I knew I needed to go for it.
My BRF Rhianna told me about the Eau Claire retreat with Another Mother Runner and she was considering running the Eau Claire Marathon. I checked out the details, listened to a few AMR podcast episodes, and was sold.
I had a special running tank top made with Maya’s picture on it that read “Miles for Maya” at the top and had my favorite Bible verse, Philippians 4:13, at the bottom. My spouse was bringing Maya and another one of my daughters to spectate, so I was very excited to see them along the way.
Anna, in her custom tee, with Maya at their first marathon.
I had heard from other marathoners that the final miles would be tough. I was dreading that feeling, knowing that once I got past 20 it would be farther than I had ever run before. But when I crossed the 25 mile marker, my happiest mile began. The race organizers did a great job of preparing us for the quarter-mile hill right before the finish, and I knew that at the top of the hill I would find my precious Maya and would push her for the final 0.2 mile across the finish line.
I tuned out the crowd noise around me because I needed to focus. I concentrated on the music from my playlist that I had carefully put together and tried to make my feet move to the beat as I got closer to the hill that would be the beginning of the end. I repeated “If Maya can do it, I can do it” in my head and pictured myself finding her just before the finish line. I found myself smiling more than I had during any other part of the race because I was about to complete something I never thought I could do.
At mile 25.75, I charged up the hill with a speed walk, and my spouse called my name and pushed Maya out to me. With teary eyes I said to her, “Here we go, sweetheart, let’s get that finish line!” I sped through the last 0.2 as best as I could while pushing a wheelchair and heard the announcer say, “Anna Carlson, welcome home!”
While I thought I would cry more at the end, my biggest emotion was pure happiness. Maya had taught me to push through to do hard things and we made it across that finish line together. No mile could ever compare to that.
Any advice you’d like to share with other mother runners? My advice is to embrace the moment. Whether your happiest mile is during a long race like a marathon, a shorter distance like a 5K, or an easy run around your neighborhood, soak it all in. Remember why you are doing this and find your joy.
Anna, you are the true mother runner and an inspiration, and I’m so happy to have met and run with you!