Wow! You're close!

I am training to run the Chicago Half Marathon on September 11th.  This will be my 3rd race since vowing to never race again in 2002, at the end of cross country running.  However, I feel that any vow made by a weary 17 year old runner should be taken with a grain of salt and I am definitely okay breaking the vow for this race.  Training has been a great motivator and purpose-builder for me in my running.  I would probably run for fun, to an extent, but I certainly wouldn't run 10 miles on a Saturday morning for the love of the "game." 

I did, however, run 10 miles this past Saturday morning, as a part of training.  Long runs are good for me - I can tell I am a distance runner, because my body starts to feel good after two miles, and then gets another kick after five miles or so - but they are hard.  I get intimidated by the length before I run, and then when I run, I sometimes get a little bored, honestly; and being bored while experiencing the minor aches and pains that go along with running 10 miles makes for a troubling combination at times.

I was telling my friend Danielle about my upcoming run so we could plan to Skype around it, and she asked how many miles I would be doing.  I told her 10, and since we were actually gchatting, she didn't get the Eeyore-esque tone of voice that would have been clearly conveyed in a face-to-face conversation, expressed with a sigh at the looming prospect of 10 lonely miles. 

Danielle said, "Wow!  That means you're getting close to your race!"

Wow?  Close to my race?  That's your response?

What a great response. 

I think that's a response I need to take when I'm experiencing something difficult.  Usually, we go through something hard because there is something good at the end, whether it's moving to a new place or being refined in character.  I don't know if this applies to every situation, but often, we have to do and/or get through a less-pleasant something on the way to a more-pleasant something. 

Turns out, the run was fantastic.  I was tired at the start, but got the two mile kick and was inspired at my turn-around spot at five miles.  Around mile six (or at 1:08, whatever method you prefer to be informed about my run), it start to rain.  It was a light rain, meaning the drops were normal sized but not coming down too hard.  By the time I got to mile eight, it was hard to see through the rain and I was completely drenched and there was thunder and lightning.  I kind of felt like James Bond.  By kind of, I mean not really at all, but I did feel strong and powerful, facing the elements like that.

By the last half mile, every step I took I could feel my feet squishing in my shoes.  I was squinting as to avoid excess water from blowing into my eyes.  I hardly stopped to walk when it was all over, because I just wanted to get in my apartment.  I was laughing at this crazy weather and that I had survived and because it was fun!  Running in the rain is fun.  I don't think I would have enjoyed starting the run in the rain, but it was a motivating second half, and encouraged me to run faster. 

I'm sure you're all dying to know, of course, that I ran the whole thing in one hour and 42 minutes and 38 seconds.  Oh wait - your family doesn't exercise by the stopwatch and tell everyone about it when you're done?  Oh... interesting.

I had a great run, running in the rain.  I had renewed perspective.  I also took this "great" picture of myself right after I was done, thinking of this very blog.  This is true vunerability, friends.  Enjoy it, and thanks again for reading!