Let's get right to the point-13 miles was tough. I woke up a little later than usual Sunday morning, got myself together, and was out the door in less than 15 minutes. I don't know if I didn't take the time to mentally prepare or if I was too afraid of psyching myself out. Whichever it was, I had no idea what to expect.
Once I'm moving, I am good, however, this time I found myself at 1.5 miles saying "you only have 11.5 to go", and realized that did not offer ANY comfort. There is no such thing as ONLY 11.5 miles unless you are driving a car. I don't think I found a groove until at least Mile 4, which was quick to leave around Mile 6. I could literally feel blisters creeping up on my toes, my knee was aching and my hips were killing me. But I kept pushing through because I really had no other choice. What was I going to do? Call my hub and have him come pick me up? NEVER.
I am not fooling you when I say I run with Angels. I truly needed all the Angels I could get. I could not believe how I had to look towards that help during this run. I drew upon Marilyn's strength, Mommom's grace, Fred's persistence and GreatMommom's courage.
I shocked myself when I thought about the commitment I made and that I was going to stick to it NO MATTER WHAT. And finally, the run got a little easier. By Mile 11, I was running like I'd been doing it all my life. My form changed, I sped up, I felt free. It was nothing short of Amazing.
I bust through the door of my house - 2 hours 28 minutes later - and I didn't leave again until dinner time that night. I remembered my friend saying that all she wanted to do after 12 or 13 mile runs was lay around all day, so I tried it out. I watched not one, not two, but three Harry Potter movies and snuggled with my son. Anytime I got off of my couch, it was accompanied by many grumbles of achy pain throughout my body. I probably complained a little too much, but thankfully no one told me to suck it up.
Last week, I ran 12 miles then went to the beach for the day, grocery shopped, did my laundry, all of my normal activities, and didn't feel nearly as sore the day of or the next day. So either that ONE little mile makes a HUGE difference, or I need to NOT lay around the day of the long run. I guess you really do live and learn.
This week was the first week I exhibited any self-doubt on this journey. I told the hub that I didn't think I could do it, that 13 miles was rough enough. He sweetly reminded me that I am training, and that I could definitely do it. And with that little push, I was back to believing I could conquer the world, one mile at a time.
****Don't Forget, I am running this Marathon with Team Lung Love for Lung Cancer Alliance to raise awareness and funds for the fight against Lung Cancer. No donation is too small. Please consider donating to the cause by clicking here.****
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