I set out on my course, all alone. I realized that at 5:45 in the morning, it's still a little dark. So I was somewhat jumpy as I headed out along the country roads. But I felt good so I just settled in with my music and kept running. I was in awe of the sunrise. I marveled at the beauty of the fields, with the water running speedily down the ditches and canals, and the smell of the fresh, green landscape.
I was a little sore from all of my wake surfing, but before I knew it I was approaching Sunee and the meeting spot. Together we ran another five miles. We chatted so much, that I hardly noticed the passing miles. It was such a beautiful morning.
By the time we made it back to Sunee's car, I had gone ten miles. The plan was for Sunee to drive me home. But I turned and gazed wistfully up the hill toward my house. It was 2.75 miles to home. Yet, I knew I could run it. "Should I do it?" I asked Sunee. She knew I could do it, but we worried about the uphill the whole way. After a few minutes of deliberating, I finally just said goodbye and started chugging up the hill.
I knew I had it in me, but it was starting to get really hot and sunny. And I was digging deep to run every step up that hill. I started dumping water on my head, finishing off my gatorade, and wishing I were home. It was a bit of a challenge. But...before I knew it, I came onto my street. I meandered a bit to hit my thirteen miles, but I did it! A half marathon. A hot, sweaty, sore half marathon. I was SO happy!
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| I did it! Thirteen Miles!! |
We all spring cleaned for the rest of the morning and past lunch. Then Greg and I made some lists for Lake Powell, planned out the menu, and did some more reading up on things. I took the kids out for a quick swim while Greg and the girls put together a dinner: grilled fish, a fresh salad, and some rice. The fish turned out to be so yummy. All of the kids ate it right up. It was so good. I was pretty tired by this point. So we all just showered and got into our pajamas and settled in for a show.
I am sore and tired, but I'm so pleased with the day. Hanging in my shoe locker is this saying: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." I love seeing that. The first day I laced up my shoes and went out to run, it was so painful to even go a mile. It was boring, and hard, and frustrating. And all those days I had to run on my treadmill, when I was so tired and I hated it. And every morning when I dragged myself out of bed in the cold and the dark and ran with my head lamp. And all of those afternoons when I was so exhausted from running, that it was hard to stay awake and keep mothering. Those days were payments or investments into a big bank. And honestly, in my younger years, I didn't think those payments would ever be worth it. But now I know differently. When I run ten miles, watching the sun rise on a beautiful summer day, and an hour or more passes with me and my music rolling along, and my mood rises to exponential levels, I'm reaping some major rewards.
I recently went into the running store to get some new shoes. The guy asked me if I was training for anything. So I told him. Yeah, the marathon, again. Then he said, Oh, really? Why are you doing it? It took me about point 2 seconds to respond, Because the marathon was the one of the most fun things I've ever done. And it was. I know that sounds strange to some people. Especially people who think they hate to run. But just look at how many people keep doing it.
The day Stalee and I run down that course, I never want to forget the months and hours and steps I took to get to that glorious day. I never want to forget the hard days and the beautiful days and the tired days. It IS a large investment. With huge returns.
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| Happiness overload. :) |
And so, I take a lot of selfies. I really like to remember.
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