Guts to Glory

Finding Her Pace

Barbara Hart (middle) resting after the Foot Traffic Flat Half Marathon with friends.

By Kim Cottrell

Barbara Hart gritted through a painful muscle cramp and reached down for that something more. “Look, you’ve given birth to two babies, this is not that bad!” At mile five of the Foot Traffic Flat Half-Marathon on what was the hottest Fourth of July on record in 50 years on Sauvie Island, she fought off pangs of dismay and overwhelm. Two others from her training group had pulled ahead, and she was falling behind.

Hart slowed her walk to let her leg relax into less pain. Determined to keep going, she told herself, “It’s just a muscle, it’ll let go.” She knew she needed to focus on finding her own pace, one that matched her internal rhythm, a pace that would see her through.

It all started in November 2006, when Hart and a friend, Barb Grover, cycling coach and long-time staff member of the Bike Gallery, were out for dinner. Ever the coach, Grover had challenged Hart the week before to set a goal and announce it when they met over food and wine.
Hart wasn’t sure. She felt intimidated by most organized events and didn’t think of herself as an athlete. But one day while getting a new pair of walking shoes, she saw the Flat Half training brochure and decided that a group was worth trying.

Hart had walked for years, through the ups and downs of divorce and raising kids, but she had never walked for time or distance. During the training, she learned to pace herself and to use water and food to her advantage. And she became stronger, leaner, and faster. Additionally, the group motivated her to keep showing up. A true friend, Grover called her the day before the race and asked what she was eating and reminded Hart to get enough sleep.
Hart was ready for the half marathon but not for the starting line pre-race jitters. Anxieties were high as people all around her waited and worried, about the late start, about cold muscles, and that the day was going to be terribly hot.

She started out walking with her pace group and later she worked her way through the muscle cramp. Still later, she wrestled with the psychological games that go on in an athlete’s mind. But somewhere out among the irrigated fields and relentless sunshine, Hart felt her need to keep up with others melt away and she focused on pacing to finish.
When she passed a woman who was obviously limping, Hart immediately identified with the situation and knew that the woman could recover. She offered encouragement, “Don’t give up, you can do it.” Then, once past the woman, she slipped back to her own mantra, find your own pace, do your own race.

The last mile of the Flat Half was gravel, and Hart felt like she was walking with legs of jelly through mud. “Oh keep going, if you stop you’re not going to make it.” The last bit up the hill and past a farm house she felt wobbly, as if she might pass out. Folks cheered for her and the lift she got from it spurred her on. “You didn’t come this far to give up.”

A finish line never looked so good, nor electrolytes taste so great, not to mention the strawberry shortcake served by the farm families of Sauvie Island. Ten minutes later, Hart sat with the walkers she had started with and marveled that she hadn’t been that far behind them; it had only seemed so. They compared stories and waited for the rest of their training group to finish. She even found energy to help rescue another walker who wasn’t quite so fortunate.

Six months after the race, Hart reflected, “I feel stronger. It’s a boost to know I saw it through and pushed myself and was successful. I give a lot of credit to Barb [Grover] for challenging me to set a goal and encouraging me throughout the training. It was a grueling event, and it could never be that hard again. I have met some wonderful people, and I will always walk; it’s now a rich part of my life in a very special way.

Kim Cottrell is a walking coach for the Foot Traffic Flat Half-Marathon training program. She can be contacted at www.kimcottrell.com or www.foottraffic.us.