Air Force Marathon: Tough times don’t last, tough people do

Photo By Master Sgt. Brittany Jones | Senior Airman Racheal Watson, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing public affairs photojournalist, displays her medal after completing the Air Force Marathon 10K at a deployed location in Southwest Asia, Sept. 19, 2015. This year, the medals feature the U-2 Dragon Lady aircraft commemorating the Air Force’s rich history in flight. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Brittany E. Jones)  

(UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)

09.19.2015

Story by Senior Airman Racheal Watson 

386th Air Expeditionary Wing

SOUTHWEST ASIA - I put my running shoes on and lace them in a fashion to lock my heels into place, a tip I learned over the years from veteran runners. I fasten my watch on my wrist and slide only one of my headphones into my ear. I press play and my ear is filled with melodies that motivate me while I run.

My first long distance race was the 26.2 mile Air Force Marathon, in Dayton, Ohio, Sept. 17, 2011. I did not have a specific time; my goal was just to cross the finish line before the race shutdown.

I trained through the humid Virginia summer, putting most of my miles in through Colonial Williamsburg and down the Colonial Parkway. After months of rigorous training and putting in four 20-mile runs, I felt I was finally ready to conquer my first marathon.

I showed up that morning pumped, ready to run. It’s what I trained so hard for. I started the race at a slow pace, just as I did in training. For the first 20 miles my head was in the game, nothing was going to stop to me. Then the wall hit. Physically, I could keep going, no problem. Mentally, I just wanted to stop in my tracks, throw up my hands, walk away and be done with it.

Then along came a fellow runner named Sam. He saw me mentally struggling and ready to quit. Sam and I had been leapfrogging each other throughout the race, up until this point. Low and behold, Sam encouraged me to keep running. I picked up my pace and ran, slow and steady, with him by my side.

We spoke back and forth and sometimes ran in silence. It wasn’t so much what was being said as it was knowing that someone was there with me every step of the way.

Sam and I crossed the finish line together.

Four years later, here I am once again prepping for the Air Force Marathon at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia. This time the race distance is 10K or 6.2 miles. With temperatures soaring above 120 degrees and not dipping below 100 in the evening, training was challenging yet rewarding.

In 2011, Sam pushed me through the last 6.2 miles of the marathon, so it only seems fitting that I run that same distance in a deployed location.

Tough times don’t last, but tough people who can push through difficulties - and when necessary help others push through their difficulties - do last.

Marathon training and racing taught me that it’s easy to lose my footing and stumble with any difficulties, obstacles or discouragement that crosses my path. That’s why I rely on those I call my Wingmen, to help guide me through the rocky road and across the finish line.

I pass this lesson on to those who may or may not run this race but are doing a marathon of their own who may need a Wingman’s help.

• Date Taken: 09.19.2015
• Date Posted: 09.19.2015 08:16
• Story ID: 176652
• Location: (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)