14 Miles

Yesterday, I did it!

I ran farther than I’ve ever run in my life.

It was fun, for the most part. Temperatures were in the 20s. The sun was out. And the route was varied, winding through neighborhoods, bordering the campus of the local university, and following some bike trails. The big challenge of the route, for many of us, was remaining upright in spite of the many patches of ice.

I was fortunate to run a couple of miles with an experienced marathoner. She completed an ultra marathon this summer, so for a couple miles, I felt like I was hanging out with a celebrity! Because I still feel new to the whole running thing, I always try to ask questions of experienced distance runners. I know someone who has completed 10 marathons knows more than someone who has yet to complete one, and I try to learn from everything they say. And yesterday, from this running celebrity, I learned that the 20-mile long run is an important confidence builder. I also learned that there is an incline in the Lincoln Marathon that happens at around mile 25. Under normal circumstances, that small hill would be really doable. But when you’ve already done 25 and have 1.2 more to go, it can seem overwhelming.

The other thing I’m learning (and re-learning and re-learning) is to maintain focus. That’s the big challenge. It’s easy focus intently at the beginning, when you’re excited and fresh and can’t wait to get going! But when you’re tired, when you’ve been out for two hours, and when your feet are sore, it’s easy to become distracted and not pay attention to what is right in front of you. So for me, staying mentally focused at the end of a run is as challenging as physically putting one foot in front of the other.

Running continues to be a great metaphor for life.

The race is nine weeks away.

And today I’m resting.