Positive Results by Sabrina

When I met Rochelle, I had no idea what an amazing impact she would have on my life. She was my running mate on my very first night at BARC. Admittedly very insecure about my pace and ability, we bonded over what it was like to start a new group. I shared some of my health hurdles and my fears about starting to run again. She shared some of her health journey with me, her amazing recovery and reminded me confidently that we all start somewhere. We bonded with the other ladies over the importance of words. Instead of “I’m sorry I’m slow,” I told the ladies that I had been working on phrases like “thank you for running with me…waiting for me…being there for me.” We talked about the power of positivity and the difference it makes for you physically and mentally. In the dark that night, we had no idea how many times this message would repeat among our circle of running mates.

We have shared many miles over the last few years. Side by side but also a ton of just cheering for each other. Rochelle was one of the people to excitedly cheer for us when we found out that Amelia was on the way. She made it to the baby shower, while squeezing us into her busy schedule, and she was one of the first friends to offer to cuddle sweet Amelia if I needed to go to an appointment or get out for a run. When our diaper bag got left behind after the Rock n Roll race, it was Rochelle, still partying at the festival, that retrieved it and delivered it to us. She’s one of the awesome few who, knowing I’m without transportation, regularly makes a point to check on me and make plans to come visit with me and baby, when she returns home from one of her magical race vacations.

Which brings us to this last weekend. Rochelle was home on a break, in between World Major Marathons. Her health story is remarkable, and not my story to tell. But I have been honored to have a seat in her cheering section and watched her fight a fight that most of us could never handle. She’s fought with grace and continued to run as her best form of defense and a healthy coping mechanism. After racing her FIRST MARATHON in Chicago, with a quick detour to Detroit to race a Mile, 5k and Half Marathon, she’s heading away to race in New York this week. Before flying away on her grand adventure, Rochelle offered to accompany me on the last long run of my first marathon training block. We teased about her restless legs and inability to stay still. Her training plan called for full rest days, including a massage, but she only has an on switch. No off, lol. 

Her training plan called for 4 miles on Saturday, but we knew Rochelle wouldn’t be happy with anything under 6.2. It turns out Rochelle lives very close to my sister, who happened to be our first water stop, so I edited my planned Garmin route to include her neighborhood. The plan was to pick her up for a few short miles of sisterhood. We jogged along discussing her own marathon training, how many dance breaks her races include and just exactly what it’s like to stop and eat a full meal after 13 miles when your body doesn’t like the small packaged options that so many other runners use. She reminded me to have fun and to honor my training.  At our set ‘turn around point’, we decided to alter our route and run Rochelle home. After she refilled our waters, she decided she wasn’t done and headed back out with us for “just a little more.” For her, it was the easy run that wouldn’t end and I loved it.

Coach/Dr. Irina had the same contagious issue. Once we decided to run Rochelle back home, we knew that Irina’s planned 13 miles was no more. She went from the 5k she planned to race that morning, to planning 13 miles on foot, plus 7 on the bike, to completing 19 miles on foot with me. Add some bonus Auntie time carrying Amelia around to cheer for my last 0.25 miles then lunch with AJ, and her awesome day was nothing like she originally planned either. 

This is Coaching. This is Motherhood. This is true friendship.

This is the awesomeness of our running community. 

We show up for each other. We surprise each other and ourselves. We encourage each other to reach for new goals and no matter what they are, and how they differ from our own goals, we cheer loudly and authentically. It’s no secret that running this marathon is 100% something I am doing because of the love of an amazing friend. This journey is not one I wanted to embark on until next year when Amelia was older and I had more control over my body. On the flipside, I’m grateful that it’s happened the way it has. It’s allowed me to prove many things to myself. The least of which is how amazing my circle is. How many people have said “Let me know if you need support on a long run.” And the ones who didn’t wait for me to be brave enough to ask but instead followed up with “how many miles are you running this weekend? I’d like to share some of them with you.” How others have offered to be an aid station for me or pushed Amelia so I could run with both arms. The time I spent at Dream Run Camp, that would not have been as much of a priority for me right now had I not had this race on my schedule. ….The miles are memorable and priceless.