A Proud Sister

I woke up this morning at 5am to get ready to go downtown to see Linda, my younger sister, run her very first 1/2 marathon.

Jay, my brother in law, and Cathy, my older sister, came to pick me up around 6:30 and we made our way to the George R. Brown Convention Center. Even though we had a map of Houston and even though we had a map of the 1/2 marathon route, it was still quite challenging to maneuver around the streets due to road closures and traffic. We *finally* managed to pick-up our brother-in-law, Craig (Linda's husband) at some point and then we decided to head to mile marker 4 to find Linda. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite that easy because once again there was that whole maneuvering thing and then there was a CVS which allowed us a bathroom opportunity (and we all know you never pass those up). So once we got back into the car, we figured mile 4 was probably not the best choice and headed to mile 6.

You could just feel the excitement in the air. It radiated off the people - the participants, the spectators alike. I felt so many emotions going on inside me that I wanted to laugh, cry, shout, sing (though nobody wants to hear the latter, trust me)! It never occurred to me that people would wear funny hats, neon wigs, wings, or costumes. I saw a girl wearing a tutu, even. Some people wore practically nothing, while others were clothed from head to toe. One guy was even swaddled in a plastic bag. I saw a "Barbie doll" in full on heavy make-up, too.

We eagerly awaited Linda, and thankfully due to Craig's 6'5ish frame, we were able to spot her. I had cold water ready and Craig had G2 - whichever she preferred, we were prepared. She didn't seem in the best of spirits and initially told us she wanted both, but grabbed the G2 and she ran past us. We told her we would see her up the road and we headed to mile #8.

It was cool to see the same runners two miles later - I felt like I knew them in a weird sort of way, when really they were just helpful in letting me know Linda was soon to follow. Once again, Craig held out a G2 and I had a water and she grabbed the water and seemed much better than 2 miles earlier. We found out later over lunch that she had been dehydrated as the drink stations had been a "disaster" as they were understaffed and at one of them she only got a cup 1/3 full. At that point, my parents called to find out where we were and we tried to meet up with them at mile #9 since there was a double opportunity to see her as that was where the 1/2 marathoners and the full marathoners split - and the split caused for the 1/2 marathoners to turn and come back up the other side of Montrose. Though we weren't able to meet up with our parents - they were having the same issue we had initially in getting acclimated to the whole maneuvering thing, we excitedly cheered Linda on twice as she passed us by.

We decided to meet up with my parents at an area in between mile #11 and #12. This was pretty pivotal because the longest Linda had run in her training was 10 miles, so I worried how she was doing. All 6 of us proudly awaited her arrival and this time Craig offered her up energy beans to get her through the remaining stretch. We then dashed off to meet up with her at the finish line.

We found a free place to park, and walked briskly along the sidewalk following the runners to try to beat Linda to the finish line. I happened to look to my right, for no apparent reason, and found myself looking at her! I shouted her name and shouted back at Cathy and I started running along side Linda. Cathy joined me and we ran for a few seconds out of sheer excitement - she just had a few more blocks to go!

We went into the George R. Brown Convention Center to meet up with Linda in the place she and Craig and discussed. We had to wait around for her for what seemed like an eternity. Pride beamed in our hearts for our Linda. She accomplished something huge - amongst all the on-going stress she has had this year - and she did it in her typical style - nonchalantly.

Having been there to experience the spectator perspective of a marathon makes me even more eager to participate in one as a runner. What an accomplishment for my sister! She is my inspiration!

After Linda arrived at the meeting place, freshly medaled, we all went to the Grand Lux Cafe for a family lunch in honor of her triumph!

It has been a most wonderful day and I am a very proud sister! =)