A week ago today, at almost this same time, I was huffing and puffing - a bit sweaty and very tired. Along with my friend, I had just finished my second half marathon. The Provo River 1/2 Marathon. What a run! If anyone ever has any interest in doing something like this, running through a canyon is the way to go.
I felt great going into this run. I had trained the right way and actually gotten my miles where they needed to be. My speed was up, I had a great plan and I was ready to go! Then, of course, it all went a bit wrong! The night before I planned on going to bed at 9:00, since I had to be up at 3:45 to get to the race on time. About 9:30 I made it to bed and about 2:30 AM, I finally fell asleep! Nothing like totally psyching yourself up before bed. All I kept thinking was "I have to go to sleep, I have to go to sleep." Then, when I didn't fall asleep, I would look at the clock and recalculate how many hours of sleep I would be getting. The cycle continued and the anxiety level kept rising. When the alarm went off, excitement set in and helped me stagger my way through getting ready and driving to pick up my running buddy. Forgetting in the process, my iPod. And I neh-ve-er run without music. Eh-ver. I was worried.
The chaos that met us when we finally got to Provo and waited to check in was amusing, if only because we were both delirious. The most organized race, this was not. Not even a bathroom in sight. Oy. We were finally bused to the top of the canyon and (amazingly) made it there alive. Buses + Narrow, Winding Canyon Roads = SCARY. After a 15 minute wait for the bathroom and more disorganization and chaos, the race began. We dashed off eager to run, but also careful to maintain an even pace. It was lovely. So quiet and serene. Nothing but the sounds of feet hitting the earth and steady breathing. And two miles in, I wanted to die. But I didn't and was in turn rewarded with another opportunity to prove to myself that determination can get you wherever you need to go. And prayer, lots and lots of prayer! I honestly spent the race alternating between praising God for His amazing creations, pleading with Him to help me through the run and cursing my legs - telling them they would not get the best of me. The internal conversation and the scenery was enough to keep me going and I didn't miss my music much.
Nancy was a great running partner and has just as much stubbornness as I do. We had decided at the beginning that we would run the whole thing and even at the end, when both of us wanted to walk, neither of us was about to be the first to do it. And so we didn't! We ran to the end, well, I had to sprint after her once she saw the finish line, and it was great. We even took about 10-15 minutes off our time. Yay, us! Ha, ha. Well, another race over and I think I am good for the year. Good luck to N, though, on her triathalon and marathon.
*I forgot to mention that I ran this race for my brother, Peter. And thinking of him and his fellow soldiers while I ran definitely helped me suck up the fact that I had only slept an hour and was tired. They deal with far worse and still keep going and kicking butt. Good motivation.*
