My First 1/2 Marathon: Jill and Ashley's Story

Back in 2009, I featured the story of Ashley Kumen and her mom Jill. Ashley's mom, Jill has Multiple Sclerosis and Ashley has made MS awareness her mission. Inspired by here mom's everyday fight, Ashely resigned from her job as a cruise ship rock cliimbing and surf instructor to bring more awareness to MS. Ashley has created MS Run the US, Inc. which is dedicated to raising awareness and funds to support multiple sclerosis research while inspiring others to get involved in the fight against MS. The organization's endurance events focus on promoting a healthy lifestyle while inspiring individuals around the nation to maximize their capabilities and become active in their communities to help those in need. 

In September, Ashely shared the wonderful experience of running a half-marathon with her mom. Read on to learn more about her awesome experience. 

mTT Executive Director Christian Jensen,
mom & myself before the race!

The event started with a direct message on Twitter:

“Hey Ashley, just wondering: Do you ever run with your mom or have the desire to? Keep up the good work! @ccjens”

The tears instantly welled in my eyes as I read the message.  No, I had never run with my mom.  I had never even thought about it, despite the fact that I know who @ccjens is, and despite the fact that I had friends that pushed other disabled MS patients via his non-profit myTeam Triumph – Wisconsin (mTT), and despite the fact that I know the Team Hoyt story pretty well.  Knowing all this how had I never come to this conclusion myself?!

Nonetheless here Christian was offering me an opportunity to do something that I love with my mom while

giving her the experience of a lifetime.  I took it.  A few months later the logistics has been laid out.  I would use an adult disability stroller provided by Christian and mTT to push mom 13.1 miles during the Brewers Mini Marathon race.

Mom's smile couldn't get any bigger!

The weeks leading up to the event I was pretty emotional about mom’s first race, but the morning of I was more focused on mom, her comfort, and getting to the starting line.  The weight of what mom and I would experience together came suddenly like the morning storm when Christian gathered us together to pray as a group.  My stomach got butterflies and my throat constricted.  I tried not to sob out loud as the sudden tears streamed down my face.  Mom was going to feel the thrill of participating in a running race!  I couldn’t have felt more grateful in that moment before we headed to the starting line.

Christian’s hard work before the race allowed us a front spot at the starting line.  Through his experience he’s found it’s easier for other runners to maneuver around us rather then the other way around.  While the elite half marathon runners got in their zone, Bernie Brewer came over to wish us good luck!

The crowd cheered and the race marshal counted down the start clock…3!…2!…1!…GO! Mom and I were off and running in our first race together!

Captain Adam & Captain Jill with their angels &
Bernie Brewer!

In my excitement of the event and position at the start of the race I ran a quick first two miles with mom in front.  Christian and I had planned to meet up the week prior so I could practice pushing the stroller, but rain caused us to cancel.  Race morning was the first time I had ever pushed anything in front of me while running and it didn’t take long for me to feel the weight of both my mom and the durable stroller.  My shoulders and triceps started to burn and even the most slight incline set my quads on fire.  I quickly realized just how physically difficult this half marathon would be for me!  All the while though, mom and I smiled.

The physical difficulty of the event was drastically counterbalanced by the emotional support mom and I received while running.  Runners cheered “Go Jill!” as they passed and parents slowed to say “Thank you” & “Keep it up” while wiping away tears.  Up and over bridges while taking in the Milwaukee skyline, down through Miller Valley while mom gave a high-five to all the Racing Sausages, mom and I ran down the miles.

Mile 2 of 13.1!

We carried on conversation when I could manage the breath and I kept touching her hat to make sure she was enjoying the run, “Are you sleeping, Mom?” I asked her half way through.  “Nope, I’m watching all of the runners.  Are YOU sleeping, Ashley?!?”. I laughed! No need to wonder where I get my sarcasm from.

The last few miles were biting hard and my tired legs had taken just about enough as we turned against the wind and up a slight incline towards Miller Park.  I keep pushing through the pain and through the last mile.  With a quarter mile to go we entered the baseball field at Miller Park.  I shouted to mom over the runners and the crowd, “Mom, everyone is here cheering for you!!!” and with that she shot her hand straight up from the stroller and started to cheer and wave back. I pulled my hat down and tried not to cry uncontrollably.

Mom & I runnin through Miller Park

Out of the stadium and back on to the road we had just a half mile left before the finish…but it was all up hill.  I reached for whatever strength I had left.  I knew the hill would be tough, but I would not allow for mom’s big finish to be anything less than a run.  The announcer saw us coming up and quickly he read out mom’s name, “Here comes Jill into the finish! Let’s give them a BIG cheer!!!”.  Mom put her hand up again and kept waving as the crowd cheered us into the finish!

Mom and I crossed the finish line and I immediately knelt down to give her a hug.  We cried and hugged as we shared the moment.  With tears still fresh in her eyes my mom said, “That was SO cool! Thank you, thank you! I love you so much!”.  I gave her another big hug and said, “Mom, I love you so much too! Now let’s go get your Finishers Medal!!!”.

Mom & I proudly showing our Finisher's Medals

As a runner that races often the experiences at times will come and go.  Sometimes it’s your time that dictates your accomplishment, sometimes is the race, the event, the location, the crowd, and even the weather.  Races come and go.  The Brewers Mini Marathon gave us a fresh experience to enjoy, and as a runner I cried not because it was my mom and not because she couldn’t run, but because the joy she felt from others cheering for her was immeasurable.  She wasn’t on the sidelines anymore watching the runners go by.  She didn’t have multiple sclerosis keeping her safely seated in the stands.  She was the runner.  Never before had she felt the thrill.  Never before had she smiled so big.

[Mom and I set a goal to fundraise $13,100 to help cure MS through this event.  If you would like to donate to our goal, please stop by our fundraising site at:www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/msruntheus/momsfirstrace.  Also, a HUGE THANK YOU to Christian Jensen & myTeam Triumph for working with us to make this event a success!!!  Christian, you are an amazing person!!!]

My First Marathon: Brian's Story

The morning of my first marathon the 2009 San Diego Rock’N’Roll Marathon was thrilling I had used my plan for 6 months and had exceeded my expectations all the while, and was now ready to start.  I was expecting a 4:30 time and knew that was well within my reach.

The sound of the starting gun was like a shot of adrenalin in my arm and I was off with about 12,000 other runners.  We came across our first band about ¼ mile from the start and about halfway to the first turn.  By the time we made the first turn I was just exuberant with the thrill of passing so many people and was sure I’d hit or exceed my time threshold.

By the time I hit the first mile I was running near the edge of the road to get through the crowd faster as it was more sparse there.  I was looking ahead and planning my route through the crowd and enjoying the ambience and the spectators when suddenly I felt a sharp pain on the side of my ankle as I tripped over a raised piece of asphalt.  Trying to collect myself and not lose stride the pain was overwhelming, and one of the spectators said, “People been tripping on that all morning”.  As I headed to a bus bench I could only hop on one leg.

Sitting there only for a moment or two I could hear all my friends and colleagues laughing at me as I would tell of my one-mile marathon.  I decided to try to at least walk a couple of miles to avoid complete shame and off I was hobbling down the road. 

After a hundred or so yards the pain started to subside and I thought I’d try and jog, maybe I could get 5 or maybe 10 miles before I started to breakdown too much. In about 5 minutes I started to move a bit more swiftly and was keeping up with the 5-hour crowd, I started feeling more confident and who now knew how far I’d get. 

I decided to stop at an aid station and get my ankle wrapped so help stabilize it a bit.

With the only major uphill part of the run ahead I took it on as climbing has always been my strength.  I soon caught up with the 4:30 pace group and moved right past them with ease all the while trying to favor that left ankle a little.

The downhill side started beating my ankle a bit now and I was just keeping the pace of the crowd around me but I was still moving well.  We made the turn off the freeway and was now on the flat for about 7 miles and only one small overpass ahead then it was pure flat till the end I was feeling confident now and was sure my 4:30 plans were a reality.

At about the 15 mile mark I found I’d have to stop for short walks to give the ankle a break but it wasn’t too bad till I got to mile 19 where I had to stop at an aid station for Tylenol as the pain started getting real.  After that it was on and off running /walking for the last 4-5 miles and the walking started getting tough and all the compensating on the other leg started taking its toll.  The 5:00 group had gone by and I was just trying to get to the end.  The Turn onto the Marine Corps Recruit Depot was the final short stretch and the end was now in sight.  I gathered my fortitude and started to run once again. The pain was now excruciating but I was going to run across the finish line and a few seconds I ran through it staggered to a stop with a 5:34 time and almost toppled over. Barely able to walk I limped over got my medal and sports drink and made my way to the photo booth.  I got my picture taken with a big smile on my face and found a place to sit next to a chain link fence so I’d be able to pull myself up, and thought about what I’d done, and what a helluva story I just made.

6 weeks later I was standing on the summit of Mt Whitney the highest peak in the lower 48 states.  The Dr had put me in a cast for a week and said the sprain wasn’t bad but there was a lot inflammation. He couldn’t believe I ran the vast majority of a marathon with a sprained ankle, and was planning a 22 mile climb in such a short time.

My First Marathon: Kristen's Story

I was hooked on running after my first 5k race I ran with my dad, in 5th grade.  Over the past fifteen years I’ve competed in running during middle and high school cross-country and track teams.  I also received a scholarship to run cross-country at the collegiate level at Erskine College.  I continued my running career by running my first half marathon on my 23rd birthday in the Uwharrie National Forest.  Needless to say, none of my previous training was anything comparable to training and racing a full marathon of 26.2 miles!  I wrote down goals for my life in 9th grade, and running a marathon was at the top of that list.  It wasn’t until I started running with the Blue Liners, Sole Sisters, and Thad’s RunnerDudes and Dudettees that I realized that I was a strong runner, capable of achieving this daunting goal.  

In the spring, I decided on the 2010 Rock-n-Roll Savannah Marathon for the beautiful city I had never visited, flat course, and the support of family and friends that would be able to attend.  After my first fitness assessment, I started training with Thad.  I remember the first day of training, receiving my packet of paces and workouts, but I will never forget the moment my stomach dropped seeing my goal finish time: 3:48.22.  I felt nervous yet wanted to give it my all.  The training was difficult with good and bad runs, but having my Garmin watch and the support of Thad I continually pressed through the tough and defeating times.  After several 20 mile runs, I began to visualize and believe I really could finish all 26.2 miles, and probably run every step.  After several months my training did become a little overwhelming emotionally and physically, and after consoling Thad and other running friends, I decided to move my goal to 4 hours.

The morning of the marathon I remember several vivid memories: a supportive long hug from my husband, Ryan, praying with the Sole Sisters, and wearing a thin trash bag in the cool morning walking to the start line.  My friends and I were in different corrals, so once at the start we said our good-lucks and split different ways.  This is when I realized it was now or never and only I had the strength to complete this race.  As the time progressed, corrals began their race, and we slowly moved up.  When it was our turn to start, I remember glancing around at the fans, and seeing my husband looking onto the mass of people lined up to run.   It was seeing him that gave me a burst of encouragement and energy before stepping across that starting line.  I had a good strong first 11 miles.  I was banking time, to get under 4 hours I would need to run 9:09 min/mile, and my range was 8:36-9:03.  I was enjoying seeing all the spectators, including my husband, mom, and dad.  Within the first two miles, I found it hilarious that there were lines of male runners along the tree line, using the restroom.  I guess they didn’t make it through the lines of port-a-johns on time!  There were also funny costumes along the way, and a new band at every mile.  After the first 6 miles, I started to feel pain in my toes, especially the middle toe on each foot.  Being an athlete, I knew it wasn’t anything to worry about and to just keep running.

After the half marathon mark in 1:55.48.  I knew I had this race “in the bag” it was just a matter of digging deep and keep on running.  I ran with an iPod shuffle, and plugged it in at this point.  This was a way I was mentally going to break up the race, and could zone in the last half when it got tough.  With each several miles, I was hydrating with water and Gu gels.  Despite my strong will, and perseverance, I could feel pressure in my toes grow with each mile.  My pace slowed down and between miles 16-23 my mile splits were between 9-9:38 min/mile.  Being a high school math teacher, I was calculating how much time I had banked, and if I were to complete it under 4 hours how fast I would have to run the remaining miles.  However, in my ‘equation’ I couldn’t account for the human factor and the pain I was feeling.  I debated walking, and that wasn’t an option.  I debated stopping at a medical tent, but going through the scenarios of what could be wrong with my toes, I didn’t think they could do much for me, and therefore wasn’t an option.  I remember reaching mile 23, and we approached an on ramp to a 2 mile stretch on the highway.  My mom started running beside me up the on ramp, and I started to tear up, while still running, explaining how I wanted to stop and how much my toes hurt.  She got choked up, but reassured me how strong I was, how much she looked up to me, and how I was going to be able to finish the race! That encouragement got me another mile, I then caved in.  I walked a few minutes up to the water stop, and was thinking about the ever growing pain in my feet.  

That mile ended up with a time of 12 min/mile, including the walking.  At the water station I looked behind and saw fellow running friends Arthur and Claudette, coming up.  This was my final encouragement.  I continued to run with them, explaining the pain I was having, and they helped me think about other things in order to just keep running.  With a half mile left, my friends said I needed to pick up the pace if I was going to make it under 4 hours.  I turned to them, and said I can’t go any faster.  I kept my same pace…at this point it was 9:30 min/mile.  I crossed that finish line, with a smile on my face, and a time of 4:01.44.  I knew I gave it my all, and was amazed at the accomplishment of finishing a full marathon!  So glad my husband, mom, and dad were there to watch and support me!  As far as my toes, I had huge black/blue bruises with blisters underneath, and ended up losing my toe nails weeks later.  It was a sacrifice I was willing to make and one day I hope to go back a second time, hence the blog name "My first marathon", and I hopefully will break that 4 hour mark! 

Send RunnerDude Your "My First Marathon" Stories and Win!

There's nothing like that first marathon experience. It's an overwhelming emotional experience that stays with you a lifetime. Some runners overcome huge life obstacles to run that first 26.2 miles. Some run for a cause. Others do it for mental or physical health reasons. Young, old, and in between, there are thousands of new marathoners each year.

My first marathon was the '97 NYC Marathon. Just after crossing that finish line, I began to ball my eyes out. It was uncontrollable. The sense of accomplishment not to mentioned the shear exhaustion and rush of hormones just overwhelmed me. What happened to you on your first marathon. What prompted you to run it?

RunnerDude's Blog is looking for "First Marathon" stories!

Each submitter will receive a RunnerDude's Fitness 26.2 oval car magnet and will be entered into a drawing for a $100 RunningWarehouse.com gift certificate in December! To have your story featured, simply email it to runnerdudeblog@yahoo.com. Be sure to put "Marathon Story" in the email's subject line. In the body of the email include your full name and mailing address, so that the marathon magnet can be sent to you. Also, if possible, include photos of yourself at your marathon as well as any current pictures (jpeg format).

Beginning in September (depending on the number of submissions), "My First Marathon" stories will be featured weekly. You'll be notified when your story is featured. All submissions featured by December 23rd will be numbered in the order received and entered into a drawing for the $100 Gift Certificate. The True Random Number Generator will be used to select the winning number who will be announced on the blog on December 24th.

Click here to check out some of the past "My First Marathon" stories featured on RunnerDude's Blog.