What was your most meaningful race? Here's mine -a very special one.

This post was inspired by ESH at Sweat Once a Day who wrote such a wonderful post about me. It got me thinking about my own mother who may not have inspired me as a runner but certainly was an inspiration in many ways. It was also inspired by Christina at Lazy Bones Running who is posting an intriguing question each week. It made me think of a question I would like to blog about and to invite others to do the same.

What is the most meaningful race you have run? It could have been meaningful for a variety of reasons: your first marathon, running for a charity to raise money for a special cause, running with a friend or family member, running in memory of a loved one.

The last reason is the reason for my most meaningful race. My mother died when she was 53 when I was just finishing my first year of college. It left a huge hole in my life which continues to this day. I wanted to do something special in her memory when I was 53. The marathon that I was planning to run that year was past my birthday so I would be 54. I decided to focus on a half marathon that I was already running in the spring.

Once I decided to do this my brain went into overdrive with many ideas. I wanted to raise money in her memory but I wasn't sure how. I decided to just ask colleagues at work and friends. My goal was to get 53 people to donate. I came up with a short note that explained what I was doing and why and passed it out. I didn't know who to ask at work and didn't want to leave people out so I asked everyone hopefully making it clear any amount or nothing was acceptable. I thought maybe I would raise $100.00.

The response was incredible. Many people donated various amounts to my race. Several people asked me to run in their mothers' memories also. I was touched by the number of people who gave me $53.00 realizing the significance of that amount. I had told people I was going to donate the money to St. Judes Children's Research Hospital which was a favorite of my mother. She was also a teacher (like I am) so donations benefiting children were very appropriate. Sixty-four people ended up contributing to this cause. I raised $1415..00, far beyond my wildest dreams.
The race itself was fantastic. Each time I reached a mile marker, I thought there is another $100.00 for the cause. I had prepared a play list I was listening to. I played songs from each decade my mother was alive. I listened to Dixie Chicks in between each decade to easily separate the decades and because they are just plain fun to run to. Ready to Run was my starting song. I listened to songs from Swanee (Al Jolson - 1920s to Fire and Rain - James Taylor , 1970s.) I included some Frank Sinatra to honor my father too. I was just past the last decade when I crossed the finish line. My cousin had sent me a St. Jude medal which I kept in a pocket and fingered from time to time.

The weather was also great. I had a time goal of a pace of 9:30 a mile but this was a hilly course and I didn't know if I could do it. I had told my daughter to meet me at mile 11 because she wanted to run the last two miles with me. But I was ahead of my pace and had only a mile and a half to go when she met me. It meant a lot to me to be running part of this race for my mother with my own daughter. I really worked the last few miles still hoping I could meet my goal but I didn't think I had. Much to my delight and surprise my pace was 9:28 a mile. It was a good ending to a very special race.