Half Marathon!

Yesterday I ran 13 miles. That ties my all time distance record. I am a little sick, with heaviness in my chest. And I was nervous. I had to keep telling myself, you are so slow this is like a two hour hike. Just keep going.

I did the distance.

But it was a LOT harder than 12 miles. My toes felt calloused. My toenail wore a hole through a new sock in a single run (I have since clipped that primitive nail-blade). For my final mile I listened to Raam Das, because I felt I was in some altered state. I took a bath then fell into bed.

It was hard.

No great insights. No great breakthroughs. All I can really say is: Mission Accomplished. And thank GOD this is a pull back week.

I did think this, though. Running a long distance is like peeling back the onion layers of your psyche. First few miles I go out too fast, and I have to really really really try not to go too fast, because the experience will not end sooner if I run faster, I will just run out of gas. Hard for me.

Then I start setting weird masochistic goals for myself: drink some water every two miles. You can't go to the bathroom until mile 5. No headset while you run by the drumming circle. Once I get to half way I know I will make it, one way or another. Then I just run for awhile. That is the best part. Then, around mile 9 I started getting really really tired. I can't listen to music. I can't think. All I can say is, "Go. Go. Go."

But, since this challenge is all about the metaphor, it is working. I do have too much energy when I start out. I do need to learn to pace myself. I do play a lot of mental games at the beginning. And in the end, it doesn't matter how I finish. It just matters that I put in the miles and cross the finish line.

May that happen!

Feeling OK on Monday.