The Big 5-0!

May 17, 2014

No…I didn’t just have a birthday – although THAT ONE is a mere 9 months away.  The “Big 5-0” is for the fact that I just completed my 50th lifetime Half Marathon!  It happened at the Geist Half Marathon on Saturday May 17th which you may have read about HERE.

The journey of getting to my 50th race has bounced around a bit.  Initially it wasn’t supposed to take place until 2015 when I actually turned 50.  Then when I realized that I would get close to completing it THIS year, I needed to decide which race it would take place at.  Overall, I think I chose the correct one.

Hitting your 50th Half Marathon is sort of a big deal – in my opinion.  Although the wind was knocked out of my sails when I met someone in April that was completing his 200th!  But…you’ve got to get to 50 before you can get to 200. 

So, I’ve made plenty of posters for my husband’s “big” events.  My very first – albeit sad - attempt was for his first marathon in Chicago in 2007.  This was the first time I noticed that friends/family had posters to cheer on their athlete, thus I made a mad dash to the local CVS after the race started bought some poster board and markers and made a very tragic CONGRATS sign.  Hey, it’s the thought that counts, he loved it and we still have it.  Then I made one for a triathlon that he did in my home town and then the grand daddy of all projects was during his Ironman Triathlon in 2008.  He got cards, a poster, personalized M&Ms, a pimp cup and a professionally made banner.  By this time, I KNEW what I was doing.  I’ve made posters for friends for their first time events as well.  So, was it wrong of me to want a poster (or something) for my 50th half marathon?  Is that selfish?  I honestly don’t do things for other people so that it will get reciprocated but…it would be nice every now & then.

Similar to what I did for her, my friend MYMW did contact some of our friends and so I received some congratulations cards almost every day the week leading up to the race.  It certainly was fun going to the mail box that week!

Now race morning rolls around and my husband tells me that he’ll meet me up there at the finish.  Umm…okay.  I get it that he would have to get there WAY early and have nothing to do for the next 2+ hours so I wasn’t too disappointed.  I told him that the race started at 7:00AM and we agreed that the should get there at 9:00AM just to be on the safe side.  I left the house at 5:20AM and I was pretty sure he went back to sleep.

While out on the course, I’ll admit that I looked around for maybe some random friend that might show up to cheer me on – but nope, nothing.  Then as I’m rounding the corner prior to the straightaway to the finish line, again I look for a familiar face.  Still nothing.  Finally as I get closer to the banner and timing mat, I see my husband on the right side, I hear a “WOO HOO” from him and I can tell that he has either take some pictures or video.  But what do I not see?  No poster, no flowers, nothing.  Yes I was glad to see him but there was part of me that was disappointed.  I thought for sure he would ask our friend SJCP to make a poster for him to have.  That maybe he would have stopped in the local grocery store on the way up and purchased a bouquet of something.  SIGH. 

I did noticed on the opposite side that there was someone with flowers, balloons and champagne.  I might have said out loud, “Wow, look at that.  I wonder what was special about their race?”  Hopefully it didn’t drip too heavily with sarcasm.

I then learn that he almost missed my finish!  Although we discussed 9:00AM, he thought 10:00AM was the time to be there.  Had the race not started 20 minutes late – especially since I finished faster than I thought I would – he totally would have missed it.  Grrrrr

So I get my medal, some post race snacks, loiter for just a bit and then we leave because we have to stop at the dealership to sign the paperwork for his new car.  Yep, I finished my 50th half marathon and he gets a new car.  Totally fair, right?  Just kidding, it was random that they coincided.  I left before he did and headed home.  Oddly he called and wondered if I was home yet.  Weird.  I wasn’t but I was close.  And this is why he had called:

Okay, so I guess he did good after all.  And once he got home and we talked about the day, he said that he purposely didn’t have anything at the race because he wanted me to think he was being a bit of a loser and not doing anything for me.  I admitted to him that I WAS disappointed when I saw him with nothing at the race.

It was fun to watch cars drive by slowly to read the sign. 

The following day, my neighbor came over and did a “photo shoot” with me and my 50 friends/medals.  That was so much fun.  Take that Michael Phelps – you and your (only) eight medals around your neck!

Yeah, I think I’ll keep him.