Proud to Run Like A Girl

Race Recap for the Run Like A Girl Half Marathon in Bellingham, Washington

If someone had told me two years ago that I would have a finisher’s medal for a half marathon hung around my neck I probably would have wondered who I had stolen it from. A half marathon? Are you kidding me?! There’s no way I could finish a half marathon. 

But here I am - Veronica Smith, Half Marathon Finisher.

First, I have to admit it was a pretty big challenge just to find a half marathon that took place on a Saturday out here in Washington. I’m a pastor, which means I work on Sundays...and that’s when most races take place. When I finally found a race I couldn’t believe my luck that it was not only relatively close (less than 2 hours away), but designed specifically for women! So, while using FaceTime to talk to my best friend Laura back in Maryland for support and encouragement, I registered for my very first half marathon - Run Like A Girl Half Marathon in Bellingham, Washington (a little over 2 hours north of Seattle). 

My family and friends are mostly in Maryland (that’s where I’m from originally), so it was really important to me that my husband, Riku, be in attendance for moral support and most importantly to be able to drive me home. We booked a hotel near the race course for the night before, giving me the best chance to get more sleep prior to the race, and started figuring out the schedule for the weekend.

The day before the race, just a few hours before we were planning to leave for Bellingham, my husband finds out that he has been scheduled to work on Saturday. I am immediately devestated. I need him there. Otherwise, I’d be all on my own. I try calling and texting with friends and family in the area, but no one is available. Riku spent the morning trying to find someone to cover for him. Finally, we decided that we would go ahead and drive up to Bellingham and check in to our hotel. I would drive and Riku would continue trying to find a sub for work. 

Getting things packed up for the weekend.

Riku asking, “Why do you need SO MUCH STUFF for ONE night?!”

The drive to Bellingham took twice as long as expected because we left several hours later than planned. We hit traffic the entire way and an hour and a half drive ended up taking three hours. We finally arrived at our hotel and by the time we got there, Riku had found folks to cover for him at work the next day during the race. I was beyond relieved and felt like I could relax a bit more and focus on the race. We took our things to our room and then walked down the street to Olive Garden for dinner. 

Night before the race pasta dinner! Grilled chicken and cavatappi pasta. YUM!

Our silly fruity drinks with dinner. Riku had the one on the right!

We finished dinner and went back to the hotel where we enjoyed a swim in the indoor pool, a dip in the hot tub, and a couple of minutes in the steam room. It was a nice way to end the evening. I got all of my gear set out, painted my toe nails Orioles orange for luck, and was tucked into bed beside my husband by 10PM. 

I set my alarm to say, “Get ready to Run Like A Girl!” It was nice waking up to that in the morning for sure. Not to mention all the text messages of love and support from my bestie all through the night and into the morning too. My Facebook page was filled with encouragement as well. My stomach, on the other hand, was filled with knots. 

Everything laid out for the race - from toothbrush to headphones and everything in between.

My running outfit. Lots of layers because of unpredictable weather.

Orioles orange toe nails!

We packed up all our stuff and headed downstairs to the hotel lobby for a free hot breakfast. There were so many things to choose from, but I had planned out what I thought was not only best for pre-race energy, but also for pre-race nerves. I ate slowly, choking down every bite because the butterflies in my stomach were taking up so much space. After checking out we loaded the car and headed to the course. 

Pre-Race Breakfast: bagel, half cream cheese, half peanut butter, a banana, and a cup of coffee with milk

I picked up my racing bib: Lucky 777! (My favorite number is 7, by the way.) Then hung out to take some pre-race pictures and do a little stretching. I got a few text messages of folks cheering me on while I warmed up and that got me smiling, but I was still really nervous...and COLD. It was overcast and a little misty out...and for the first Saturday in October, pretty chilly (45 degrees at the start). 

The race began a little late. Actually, a LOT late. I stuck to the back for the start, knowing I’d be slow, especially since I’d had the stomach flu earlier in the week. The race coordinators gave out instructions and explained where aid stations and bathrooms would be (I made sure I stood in the long line and used the bathroom BEFORE the race though!). Riku stood with the other husbands, boyfriends, brothers, etc. and watched as we started up the hill for 13.1 miles out and back on roads and trails and up over a mountain. 

The first few mile weren’t too bad and the aid stations were really cute. They all had themes - Princess Mile (we got crowns to wear), Superhero Mile (bracelets like Wonder Woman), Chocolate Mile, Bubble Mile, and so much more. I kept a pretty solid pace until I got to mile 3 and it started pouring. In my head I was thinking, "Hey! I just ran a 5K! WOOHOO! (pause) Oh wait, I’ve got to do this four more times. Ugh.” The rain continued for several miles and I had to slow down pretty significantly to safely climb the mountain trail - Chuckanut Mountain is NOT my friend with its high elevation and steep trails. The rain just made it even harder to scramble up over the tree roots and rocks in the mud. 

When I got to Mile 5, women who had reached the halfway point had turned around and started running past me. I had thought when that started happening I would get depressed, but instead, I was so encouraged by all their cheers and shouts of support for me. These MUCH faster women runners were taking time to wave, clap, high five, and hug ME. The girl at the back of the pack. I picked up speed and pushed to the halfway point where a local high school cheerleading squad cheered us through the turn around. I was so pumped when I realized I had just completed a 10K - the longest distance I had run in a race, ever! 

Each aid station offered gel cubes, water, some sort of trinket or special item, and of course, lots of love, support, and encouragement. You couldn’t help but smile and pick up the pace after seeing these fabulous folks. At one point, Riku even joined me on the trail to take photos of me. I was so focused I didn’t realize he was there until I had gone a half mile with him behind me! He took a short cut back to the finish while I geared up for the last few miles. 

I slowed down again for the steep hills, afraid I would slip as I picked my way down the muddy trails on the side of the mountain. A lot of women had decided not to complete the entire race and had cut back early, so I spent a lot of the last half of the race on my own in the woods with the Puget Sound beside me. I had a lot of time to think and reflect on what I was doing...and I used much of it to pray and thank God for the strength to finish. 

A view of the Puget Sound during the race. 

This was what things looked like for me for most of the end of the race.

I listened to music most of the race, lots of high energy songs and songs that just bring me joy. I could hear a few times when I would get a text message from someone encouraging me. I paused at one point, right before the last 2 miles to read a couple messages from Laura and got teared up. I was so close. My legs were burning. My heart was pumping. I was drenched with sweat and rain. Covered in mud. Completely wiped out. I saw the sign for Mile 12 and sent Riku a text message letting him know I wasn’t too far from the finish. The last part of the run was on pavement, which was a difficult transition to make after running for 8 miles (4 out and 4 back) on a soft trail in the woods. The folks running the aid stations were still there, cheering me on, telling me how close the finish was.

I rounded the sidewalk at the top of the hill heading back into the park again and could see the finish. I picked up my pace. If I was going to do this, I was going to do it right - I was going to power through the finish at a run. 

I knew I was going to be one of the last to finish (especially since so many only went halfway and turned around and came back because it was so cold and rainy), but I didn’t care. I was about to finish my very first half marathon. I got closer to the finish line and picked up more speed, a garland of balloons, cheerleaders, a small crowd, and a bunch of firefighters waiting for me. But who I really wanted to see was my husband. 

Suddenly, I got a horrible cramp in my calf. It burned SO much that it took everything I had in me not to stop running and limp through the finish. I tried running differently to keep it from hurting as much, but I was close to tears. I had made it within a few feet of the finish line and I was scared I might not make it. I prayed and prayed and prayed, “Please God, I’m so close! Please help me to pull strength from that last gel or cup of water to run to the finish!” 

Before I knew it, I was running across the finish line. When I realized what I had just done, I started sobbing. 

I, Veronica Webber Smith, had just finished a half marathon. 

The race coordinators had arranged for a local fire company to give us our finisher’s medals - handmade necklaces by a local artist. All the firefighters were really handsome, but I didn’t care, I ran right past all of them and straight into my husband’s arms. He hugged me and kissed me while I cried. Someone nearby reminded me to get my medal, so one of the firefighters clasped it around my neck as Riku took pictures. The race wasn’t officially timed, but I had tracked on my phone with Nike and finished in 3 hours and 26 minutes. 

A handsome fireman putting my finisher’s medal around my neck. 

Finisher’s medals - handmade necklaces from a local artist - hang on an antique fire truck at the finish line.

After the race I did some stretching to soothe my muscles and drank water. I also made sure to text Laura and a few other folks about being finished. And of course, I posted it on Facebook too. We got in the car and headed to downtown Bellingham for lunch at a Mexican restaurant, grabbed a few things from the grocery store for me (I wanted an orange Gatorade SO BAD for some reason!), and started heading back home. I knew the drive would be long and uncomfortable, so I did my best to keep moving and stretching throughout the long car ride home. 

We saw this rainbow during the drive home. 

With my husband, Riku, at lunch post-race.

By the time we got home all I wanted was to get out of my gross clothes and take a hot bath with epsom salts. I soaked my aching body, stretched as much as I could, got a nice massage from my loving husband, and went to bed. 

The next morning, I woke up to get ready for church and proudly clasped my finisher’s medal around my neck. My husband kissed me and reminded me how proud he was of his, “half marathoner runner wife.” I broke out in tears. 

I had finished a half marathon. I had earned this medal. 

And it most certainly would not be my last.