Savannah has always held a special place in my heart. It’s very fitting that I chose Savannah to be my first marathon. My dad was born and raised in Savannah. As far as I know his family has been in Savannah longer than the Spanish moss. I feel as if nearly every little street in town has set the scene for many events of the Fennell family’s lives. My mother’s family also has several generations that have called Savannah home. My mom was born in south Florida and she and her family moved to Savannah when she was starting high school. The majority of my family, both sides, still lives within about 45 minutes of Savannah. I’m excited to see so many of them tomorrow.
I know I have plenty of weird quirks and things about me that many people don’t quite understand. But one quality that I have, that I’m very proud of, is the fact that I’m an extremely hard worker. If my heart is in it, I’ll work hours upon hours with no end in sight until the goal is accomplished. Despite the toughest obstacles, all the blood, sweat, and tears…. I won’t back down from a challenge or goal until the job is done 100%. And also done right. I’m not one to half ass a task just to say it’s complete. This is a trait that I got from my grandfather, affectionately known as Big Bubba, or maybe just Bubba. Bubba was the working man’s man. He took great pride in his work. You’ve heard of people who work from sun up to sun down…. Well if you followed that rule, you’d be hours behind Bubba. He was always up before the sun. I never knew a day that he slept past the sunrise. He worked in the blazing hot south Florida sun hours a day to provide for his wife and seven children. Some days he may have only had coffee for breakfast and then dinner at home when the job was done. They didn’t have a lot of money and he continued to work very strenuous manual labor to ensure that everyone else had what they needed. When the family moved to Savannah Bubba continued working for another construction/renovation company. I don’t think he ever really retired. He kept working until the very end. I wish Bubba was still here today. He may not have been a runner, but I think he would be proud of my hard work and commitment to my goal.
The best compliment I could ever receive is to be told that I have Bubba’s work ethic.
To combine with my strong work ethic, I have my other grandfather’s talent for running. Back in his day J he was one of the best runners in Savannah. He ran cross county at Savannah High in the 1930s. My grandfather’s ran his first 5k in less than16 minutes. I could only dream of training hard and finishing a race that fast. Once he finished competing he went on the coach the team for about eight years. If you had the time, I’m sure he would tell you running stories for hours and hours. I went to visit my grandparents tonight. It was great to see both of them and see their excitement for me and my race. I loved to hear his old stories about racing and his personal best times. He had to check and see if I was eating right and got cleared by my doctor for this race. Granddaddy was disappointed that it was already dark when I got to their house because he wanted to watch me run and critique my gate. He also wanted to inspect my shoes and see if they were safe. He made a great emphasis on my gate and stride. He wanted to know if I run on my heels or toes. Honestly, I don’t really know how I run…. I just do it. (Sorry for the cheesy Nike quote) My grandmother said that they could be driving down the road and he’ll yell out the window at runners and tell them to run on their toes. Even at 96, he’s still coaching. The best part of my visit tonight was a very special gift that he gave me. He gave me a medal that he had won 80 years ago. I love this and will cherish it forever. I’m going to put it in my water belt and carry it with me every step of the way tomorrow. I knew I would have my grandfathers in my heart tomorrow but this gives me a special memento to remind me of their strength, courage, and inspiration tomorrow.
This race is for both of you…. Bubba and Granddaddy. Thanks for your contributions for making me who I am today.
The starting gun fires in about ten hours…. Here goes nothing!
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