Dear Windermere Half-Marathon

Dear Winderemere Half-Marathon:

I wanted to thank you for a good race today. Sure, there were some race logistics that could have been planned better. For example, where you had us get on the trail probably wasn't the most ideal location as the trail immediately narrows at that point. If at possible, it might have been better to have 3 porta-potties at the water stops instead of two as the lines were 2 or 3 people deep as I ran by. But all in all, a good race.

My time wasn't spectacular; matter of fact, it was almost embarrassingly slow. But I learned my lesson last year and since the temperature at the start of the race was already 65, I decided that a combination of running, jogging, and walking was OK for me. Giving myself permission to be slow today made all of the difference in how I felt about you today. Last year I hated you and I cried in between hyperventilating and hallucinating.

Today, I actually enjoyed you (mostly). I think those positive feelings helped me offer encouragment to some other runners who were struggling through their first 1/2 marathon. If I hadn't been jogging/walking, I wouldn't have been around to help those people. And as often happens when you help someone, they wind up helping you in the process. They weren't able to cure my hyperthermia, but they gave me something else to focus on and helped me make it to the next mile marker. All of them beat me. But it was so nice to see two of them when I finally crossed the finish line and to see how proud they were of their accomplishment.

Thanks again, Windermere Half. I think I'll be back next year.

Your friend,
Nurse Graham