Well, I just returned from a 3 mile run. This is a taper week for me. Next week my friend Sue and I are scheduled to run the Shamrock 1/2 marathon.
This is not my first 1/2 marathon, but it is the first Shamrock 1/2 that I have run. I ran the Shamrock marathon in 2004 and I swore I would never run another one. I also didn't care for training in the winter and having icicles form on the sweat dripping from my hair. BUT, here I am less than 2 weeks from running and I really don't feel ready at all. The one positive aspect is the fact that I will be facing 13.1 miles instead of 26.2!
This winter has been brutal with weather and completing our runs. We have accomplished two 10 milers for our long runs, but there have been weeks where the running is scarce. Our normal running route through the state park has been flooded since October from the destructive Nor'Easter. We have had to make do with driving our cars through the routes to figure out mileage or Sue does this on the computer and calculates it through a web site. It has not been all smooth sailing!!
Some days our runs feel super and I am on top of the world from the adrenaline flowing through my veins....other days, I am sore and I ache and I truly feel like an old woman. I ask myself...Why am I putting myself through this???? I especially ask myself this when my weight doesn't change at all from this type of exercise!!
Some days our runs feel super and I am on top of the world from the adrenaline flowing through my veins....other days, I am sore and I ache and I truly feel like an old woman. I ask myself...Why am I putting myself through this???? I especially ask myself this when my weight doesn't change at all from this type of exercise!!
When I look at this all though from the perspective of enjoyment and with a thankful attitude, it is all a very good thing!! I have enjoyed my time with Sue and we have reconnected on so many things during our running times. We both get to enjoy the beautiful weather that is peeking through and making itself known to us. We can be thankful to God for bodies that are strong and healthy enough to run. Are we going to be record breakers in this race???? Absolutely NOT, but we can run, take water breaks, take GU breaks and enjoy each others company along with thousands of other runners. Slow and steady will complete the Shamrock. Stay tuned for more updates......
Why are you putting yourself through this? . . . because it's a journey with obstacles, distractions, disruptions and off-course detours. And like the journey through life, there is also love, laughter, encouragement, peace and joy. To share a journey with a friend is a blessing regardless of how long it takes to get to the finish line.
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