Found the following the other night. As with many things, I'm fortunate that I wrote them down, because I would never have remembered them otherwise. Please note these were written the day I ran the marathon, while I was still high from the experience and effort. In other words, it's a mixed bag and much dorkiness/corniness may follow. Stuff in brackets [] are my edits.
What did I see and experience today?
The strength of my heart and will
My perseverance and willingness to work - to do the hard work toward reaching a personal goal [In all my years of running, I've never put my abilities on the line/to the test the way I did training for and racing this marathon. My first words after finishing: "Oh my God, that was hard"]
Slips of blue sky above the clouds
Delightful, cooling breezes
People who came out for reasons I don't entirely understand to cheer on marathoners. Are most of them there to see people they know and cheer for strangers while they wait?
Runners in tutus
Runners in veils
A squirrel as frenetic about crossing the road as if negotiating through oncoming runners were as challenging as negotiating through oncoming cars. Seriously little dude, we're not moving that fast.
A rare glimpse of my fun-loving, adventurous spirit. [What else explains why I jumped into a 50 degree lake after the race? Totally worth it, by the way]
There probably was more, but I fell asleep as I was writing, so there you go.
Incidentally, I never completely lost any toenails, they're all still hanging on for the ride, a couple by only tiny slivers, but they're there. Still have the marathon splits in my watch, too.
Coming soon - trail race reports. I have my second 30K this weekend. After a practice loop of the race course last Saturday morning, I was dreading the race. Then I managed to work in a solo 14 mile greenbelt run Sunday evening wherein I realized I've been going too fast in my training runs. Being competitive with my training group is appropriate for speedwork and hills, not so much for the long runs. Sunday's run was at a comfortable pace and it felt good to focus only on my effort and not chase anyone. It helped that there was no one to chase. So, my outlook for the race is a little better today. No time goal. Actually, I expect I'll be some minutes slower than the last race. Ok by me.
Also, nice to notice the only thought about my foot issue is that I'm not thinking about it. Tonight's 7.5 miles of fartleks in the minimalist trainers confirm - the foot is healed.
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3 comments:
I love this! So glad you wrote things down.
Just made it back to read this. Um, "delightful, cooling breezes"? You and I must have been running different races. I recall the wind conspiring with the sun to tag-team kicking me while I was down, but no delightful breezes.
Just saw your comment, Devon. My brain swings wildly between the poles of positive and negative thinking. I try to disregard the negative and focus on the positive. That said, the moments I noticed the breezes were fleeting, but memorable.
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