Wait for me! A race report from Virginia Beach....

Remember when you were a child, with your friends and there was that younger sibling running after you as fast as their little legs could carry you yelling, "Wait for me!"  As a child what did you do, I know what I did....

This weekend I got to spend with my sister as a "girl's weekend" we've moved out of those weekends of doing nothing and drinking beer to this weekend of adding in a half marathon to make something of it.  So this morning we got up to windy weather in our Shamrock Half Marathon in Virginia Beach. 

I'm a competitive person, but at 45 know that most of my competitiveness is left to the cerebal activities but I was working out with a friend  and I remember saying, "I'd like to be compeitive in this race, I mean I am training for a marathon."  I wasn't really saying I'd leave someone behind, OK, I was saying I'd leave someone behind but when the gun sounded and we followed out waves out I was just as exited as my sister competing her second half marathon!

We ran a familiar route talking along the way, me surprised at her great pace wondering if she can keep it up the entire way.  I mean she came up for the weekend saying, "I am SO not ready for this...."  (quick memory trip back to a time when I said this)  We carry along talking about people we are passing, wondering if we should wear tututs the next time (we were already talking about the next time) trying to look under kilts , pacing with two wounded warrior men that ran the race with gas masks on!  (sure, we wondered at the beginning of the race if there was something we didn't know but after 10 miles we finally couldn't stand it and asked them why there were running with gas masks)  We came to the last five miles and she said, "my legs are cramping" so I told her to high knee for a while (thanks yoga) and turned the last mile and ran the boardwalk together crossing the finish line at the same time, (OK, I was SLIGHTLY ahead of her).

When we came to to the last mile I turned to her and thought, I should improve my time but was pleasantly surprised at a 2 hour half marathon and the smile on her face at cutting 15 minutes from her time was joy enough to finish together!  I told her the race time and celebrated all those times I hit a PR with her as she celebrated this milestone (it was a PR for me because it was the first half marathon I'd run in 5 years!)  As a big sister, I remember all those times I left when hearing, "Wait for me" and now watching her take a nap with a smile on her ace was worth it, and that extra 5 minutes I could have bought for myself so not worth it when it comes to actually WINNING a race.

So here's to all the sisters out there, or friends that realize winning the race is about enjoying the journey and being there for the people you love.  Why did we run this race?  Some will say it's because of the free beer at the end (we got our money's worth) but I'll say it's the free time I got to spend with my sister!  Now, of course if it was a 5K that probably would be a DIFFERENT story!  What's your story of sibling rivalry and the real world!