MILE 3 - "Light and easy" is all I keep repeating to myself and I let the words work their magic. It is cool but beautiful out here!...
MILE 5 - Blogging and Tweeting while running may sound crazy, but the miles go by in the blink of an eye...
MILE 6 - Actually ahead of schedule, just keeping a nice comfortable rhythm. Must be the fact that I am trying not to think, just to be...
MILE 7 - One nice thing about the runmeter app I use to track my running, I am able to pause it. Just saw a good friend I haven't seen in at least seven years and was able to chat for a little bit...
MILE 9 - Breeze picking up a little, but so is the air temp...
MILE 10 - Legs feelin' a little tight, feet a little tender, but I am definitely noticing an improvement on how I feel at this point of the run now compared to previous runs...
MILE 11 - Is it lunch time yet?
MILE 12 - Was just attacked by two dogs! Fortunately they only weighed about 5 pounds each! They were going after the ankles! That's one way to get me to pick up my pace! Or at least provide for a good laugh...
MILE 14 - The breeze has picked up considerably over the last three hours, but now it is at my back...
MILE 16 - Hills! They are always so much bigger 16 miles into a run. I found my self feeling the effects of 16 miles then looked at the clock and realized I still have almost 2 hrs and 20 minutes to hit the 6 hr goal, which equals 140 minutes divided by 10 miles which equals 14 minutes per mile. And there we have the secret to succeeding at virtually anything - break it down until you can say with absolute certainty, "I can do THAT!" - and it does not even matter if you do achieve the goal in the end, but you at least tried. You at least gave yourself a chance. So much of achievement is in the mind. So simple, yet so simple to forget...
MILE 19 - For the record this is usually the part of the run where I begin to ask myself why would I do this to myself everyday?! I have no sponsors, I have no money, so I work evenings to pay the bills, I may have sold ten books so far! So why would I continue this madness that makes it hard for me to walk each time I get up?! I continue to do this because I believe we do create our own self-imposed limitations. I continue to do this because there are people out there that tell you I can't do it! I continue this because I really do believe one day at a time we can do just about anything, if we just make each day count. I will continue this because I know that in life, we don't regret what we have done nearly as much as what we haven't...
MILE 22 - So what have I learned from this so far? Patience - if you build it , they will come! More importantly, if what I am doing right now motivates or inspires someone else even a little, then my time has not only not been wasted, rather, well invested. One mile at a time, one person at a time.
Mile 23 - Now the feet are feelin' it - time to dig in!
THE FINISH - 5 hrs 56 min 49 sec was my official run time - here is the link to the map and stats to today's run!! I am very happy with that. Though my feet are not! That's alright, they'll get over it! Little by little I am noticing that these marathons are getting easier. Microscopically, but easier nonetheless. Not to be confused with easy. This is still a physical and mental struggle everyday that takes everything that I have got. I actually have caught myself saying (in a Scottish accent); "I'm givin' her all she's got captain"!!! (True story)
 |
| The view from about 3.3 miles into today's run |
Thanks to all of you who kept the feedback coming, it is most definitely what keeps me going.
 |
| The view near mile marker 16 on today's run |
No comments:
Post a Comment