Andrea (3rd from right) and the rest of the Runwells
In our semi-regular installments of What Would Another Mother Runner Do (WWAMRD), we’ve heard the dilemmas of Christy, who forgot to pack a sports bra for her midday run; Kelin, who slipped on a banana peel during a marathon, dislocating her hip; and Ellison, who scared off a would-be predator with some quick thinking. Today we introduce to you Andrea, a mother of two from Houston and long-time runner, whom we met on a lovely fall morning at ZOOMA Wisconsin. She was there with a load of mother runner friends, who had all dubbed themselves the Runwells. (The group got its name from Chicago corner–Rockwell Avenue–where they met/meet every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 a.m.)
Andrea hadn’t planned on being at the race: Her thoughtful husband had surprised her with a plane ticket for a girlfriends’ getaway, allowing her to see friends she’d been missing since she and her family had moved from Chicago to Houston in July. In the chaos and upheaval of the move, Andrea hadn’t run much since early June. According to her recollection, she’d run about three (3) miles maybe four–4–times since the start of summer, and it was now mid-October. Yet there she was with her running buddies. The night before the race, she registered for the 5K, but come race day, Andrea had to give the Runwells a ride to the starting line of the point-to-point half-marathon. The ladies got off late, barely making it to the starting area of the 13.1-mile race before the gun went off; Andrea didn’t have time to drive the 10 miles back to where the 5K was going off.
There she stood, at the starting line of a race she hadn’t trained for, surrounded by her beloved running friends. She was torn: Should she run 13.1 miles (sans race number) or not?
What would you do?
Sarah answers: Given that it was a beautiful day for running and I had precious few hours with my pals, I would have trotted alongside of them. (If it was pouring rain or it felt like a windtunnel, I might have a different answer.) Sure, my body might scream at me later, but there was no way my mind would let me get back into the van and drive back to the Abbey Resort (where the race finishes). The race was the centerpiece of the ladies’ weekend, and running it would make me feel like I was part of my precious posse again.
Dimity answers: This Midwestern girl would’ve done what we do best in the Midwest: make hay when the sun is shining. (Totally wrong cliche there, but you know what I mean.) Good memories, good story, and I’d be good until about mile 7, and then I’d whine to my friends about why in the heck–again, the Midwest–I was out there.
What Andrea did: She ran with the Runwells. Rather than race it, Andrea stuck with some who were going a fairly conservative-for-her pace. Andrea says, “My legs didn’t feel near as bad as I thought they would. I pretty much cussed from Mile 10 back to the Abbey: There was a cut-off I could have taken that would have eliminated the last hilly miles, but I kept going.”
What happened: Andrea’s legs, “felt okay after a few days,” which she attributes to being a dedicated runner for many years prior to the move. The ZOOMA weekend relit the running fire in Andrea: “It motivated me to run again.” Proof positive? She just did a 5-mile race on Sunday.
What would you, another mother runner, do?
And if you’ve got a running-related moment you’d like some clarity on, via WWAMRD, feel free to email us at runmother [at] gmail [dot] com. Thanks!
Oh, I love this story! Way to go BAMR’s! I think I would do the same thing. If you are not racing, your just running the course :)
Yep, I would have done the same thing against my better judgement!
That’s really food for thought! First, I would have been freaking out trying to decide what to do. I wouldn’t like the idea of not being certain I could finish. In the end, the stubborn side of me would have convinced the neurotic side to just run! I would enjoy the time with my friends, and enjoy just proving that I can do it. I make my toughest decisions by asking myself what I would be more likely to regret. I would regret not trying.
I would have run with my friends, trying to stick with them as long as I could. I think it’s great to have races that you do with friends just for fun. That’s how my group of friends are doing the Disney Marathon in a few weeks. A couple of us are dealing with little injuries, and one is doing the Goofy Challenge, so we are going to go in costume and run / walk our way the finish. It’s going to be a blast!
To run, or not to run, that is the question!
Well, I am crazy enough to do this on purpose. I started running in April of 2011. I trained for a 5k with Moms on the Run. In the winter, my running partner (at the time) found a race called the Hypothermic Half. It was cheap and convenient. So we signed up, having never run more than 4 miles! Where do we live? In Minnesota! Yep, ran it in February. We were dead last but WE DID IT and we had FUN! Needless to say, I made it a point to train for my next half.
I would have been a bandit and run without a number as well just to be able to enjoy the running times with my friends hoping that my body would remember the miles I had logged in the past.
love this story! and yep, would totally run it with the friends. Having just moved this summer, I would do anything for 2 hours to chat with my friends back home! Enjoy some running for old times sake! Love the story!