It's All About Finishing

Sun and blue skies at the start and throughout the run

I think all my running adventures are about finishing and this one was no different. Ok, it was a little bit different. Two weeks ago my family's lives were turned upside down and sideways when my Dad went into the hospital. 4 days later he died. The details are better left to another post but as you can imagine it's been a whirlwind of ups and downs since then. I know I'm not the only one whose daily routine took a flying leap.

Most of my training runs also flew the coop. I've run twice in the last two weeks. Neither was great and the last one - this past Wednesday - was downright painful. So today was about making it through the planned 9 miles. Even if I had to walk the last bit I was going to go the distance. 

I was grateful once again to have David running with me. He is faster on a normal day but understands the value of a long slow run. I've taken on the role of his long run 'pacer'. 😎 😉Running with David (or any one else for that matter) forces me to think about my pace and keep it even and slow. Since I know David (and most everyone else for that matter) is naturally faster than me - after warning him once again I'm going slow and I'm ok if he wants to take off - I have to force myself to stay slow. It's too easy when running with others to let them set the pace.

I was comfortable through about 7 miles before I felt the lead come back into my legs. So I focused on my breathing and reminded myself I only had to run 3 minutes at a time. As we entered the final 3/4 mile David asked if I was ok and did I think I wanted an extra walk break. I declined. We were so close I was determined to power through. We did and we finished.

Keep Smiling Keep Moving (and listen to the grass grow)
-Paula