Day 89 - 21

21.

Today I ran 21 miles. By myself. On the same trail (BWI Loop) that nearly killed me two weeks ago. Remember? The one where I was despondent and unable to finish 20 miles. Yeah; that one. Today, I killed it; twice.

I spent 3 hours and 8 minutes with myself. (That works out to about an 8:57 pace, in case you were wondering.) 3+ hours in my own head, all the while telling my legs they had to keep moving. And I made it out alive -- an impressive feat given the way my mind wanders. :) But seriously, I actually enjoyed this run. There were some miles in the middle where I felt so strong. I wasn't running super fast, but I was steady and sure. For parts, I ran at a very controlled pace without really focusing on my Garmin too much. I found my groove, and I stayed in it. That was so encouraging.

That's not to say this run was without trials. Miles 10 and 16, both miles in which I took a GU, were slow. They both happened to begin with an uphill, just as I was focusing on opening a GU and getting it down. This slowed me significantly for those miles. Apparently I have not perfected the art of keeping pace, opening and eating GU, and running uphill. Something to aspire to... The last three miles were touch-and-go, too. I finally started to get bored, but I knew I could make it. My legs were tired, though. I was out of GU, because my fourth packet had fallen out of my hydration belt somewhere along the way; I was also out of fluids, and I was pretty thirsty. I counted by tenths-of-a-mile and watched the seconds tick by, which only made things worse.

About two miles from the finish I got caught at one of the few intersections the trail crosses that actually has enough traffic to require obeying the crossing signal. Of course, I had the hand. I slowed and tried to bounce around at the intersection while waiting for it to change. When I started running again, I thought my legs might actually give out. I'd lost so much momentum just from that one stop. It was killer, but I pressed on, chanting to myself, "You are a powerhouse. You will do this." And I did! I even ran 21.05, because I set the goal of a particular fence post that I knew would take me through to 21. At that point, I needed a landmark, not an obscure distance.

Post-run, I hobbled to my car to take off my hydration belt and get my phone. I called my dad to tell him what I'd accomplished and that I'd worn my RoadID for the first time while doing it. (It was my Valentine's Day present. Best dad ever.) Thankfully, no one needed the information on it! I hobbled back over to a bench, laid down on the ground, and elevated my legs while watching the planes come in to land. (The loop I ran circles BWI airport, and the small park where I parked my car is basically at the end of some of the runways.) I stretched and then came home. My legs were hurting like crazy for the rest of the afternoon/evening. I think they just wanted to know what I'd put them through. Understandably so.

Still, I had plans tonight, and sore legs weren't going to stop me. A bunch of people from school got together to celebrate a friend's birthday by going duckpin bowling. That's a Maryland thing, through and through; so if you aren't familiar with it, go Google it. I had a blast, of course. Also, last week my dad bequeathed my grandmother's bowling balls to me, bag included. It was so fun to use them. She and my grandfather bowled in a league for a number of years. As it turned out, everyone seemed to think those two balls were good luck, because we all bowled significantly better while using them. Good fun!

I'm now resting and icing, reflecting on a really successful run day and reminding myself to be thankful. Before I ran, I prayed God would give me the grace to accept defeat, or the grace to give Him credit for a good run. Either way, I'd need grace. He was generous, giving me both a good run and the knowledge that He enabled every step.

Day 84 - I'm Really Bad at Cross Training

And by that title I mean that I did nothing notable in the form of exercise today, and I'm okay with that. I did eat a lot of really good food, though, which was excellent.

I'm gearing up for what I expect to be a busy week, especially after not getting everything done that I wanted to get done this weekend. Story of my life. I think it'll be a week where I retroactively add things to my to-do list, just so I can cross them off for some form of accomplishment. Is that weird?

Today was an up-and-down kind of day, but this weekend was a weekend where I was reminded of how incredible my friends are. I think I had one of these last weekend, too. What can I say? It's a time of having awesome friends who bless me so, so much. I found (and will leave you with) this excellent quote from Katherine Mansfield:

"I always felt that the great high privilege, relief and comfort of friendship was that one had to explain nothing."

Day 78 - Friends

I hope you have friends as awesome as mine; but my suspicion is that you don't, because mine are really, really, really awesome. Really awesome. Friends who read this: thank you! With you, life is half as hard and twice as good.



Thank you for reading this life-related, running-unrelated post. I shall resume with the running thing tomorrow.

Day 43 - Two Are Better Than One

Today's scheduled run: 4 miles

Today's completed run: 4.07 miles
Pace: 8:30 (avg.)

It's a beautiful day in Baltimore - sunny and warm for December, though a bit windy. I forgot how many tourists would be out downtown today. Oh well. They'll just have a runner in a lot of their pictures around the Harbor. Inadvertent photo-bombing.

My mom gave me a heads-up this morning that the Today Show did a segment on Alopecia. It's embedded below. I find the hair restoration featured really interesting, and it seems like a great alternative to a wig for kids who want to be active. Who wants to worry about their wig falling off or getting wet when playing with your friends? Also, 1-in-50 people have Alopecia. That's crazy. That means I'm probably not the only one you know. I know I'm not the only one I know. I can think of three other people off the top of my bald head. (Pun intended)

I also really appreciated what the doctor said about how you can help someone with Alopecia. She is right in saying that it can be psychologically devastating. Since hair loss doesn't limit a person physically, it's hard to know how to help. It's not like bringing a meal to a person on bed rest or cleaning for a person recovering from surgery. But being there is greater than any meal cooked or bathroom cleaned. I'm so thankful for friends and family who support me in this, especially those who supported me in the early days, when my hair was still falling out. We need people to help us remember who we are, who God has created us to be, with or without hair.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow." - Ecclesiastes 4:9-10a (ESV)

Video from the Today show:

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Day 34 - Mish-Mash

Today's schedule run: 12 miles

Today's completed run: 12.06 miles
Pace: 8:55 (avg.)

Another run that I am so pleased with and encouraged by. Y'all, I really enjoy running. Have I mentioned that? The weather was great, I felt strong, and it was a really nice time to think and pray and sing. I also threw in some hills, which challenged me in all the right ways. Loved it, though I confess that I'm a little sore now.

Moving on, I do realize (shame on me) that it is technically no longer day 34. The night has crept into Day 35, but since I'm still awake from day 34, I say it counts. Today was full. Full, full, full.

After the run this morning, a friend and I prepared for the Christmas party we hosted tonight at my house. It was a phenomenal mish-mash of people from multiple areas of my life: church in DC, people from school in Baltimore, my family, and some friends-of-friends. It was great, though. We ate yummy food, had some great laughs, sang lots of songs, and went to see the lights in Hampden. Overall, a smashing time.

Afterwards, I used our new Dyson vacuum as soon as everyone was gone. For me, that was almost as exciting as the party itself. (Disclaimer: Dyson did not pay me to say that; nor did they give me the vacuum for free.) Now you know how awesome I am in real life. I get excited about vacuums.

Until tomorrow...

Day 21 - You Thought I'd Forgotten

This post has absolutely nothing to do with running and everything to do with things in my life that are wonderful.

I bet you thought I'd forgotten you, but I haven't... and I still have 1.5 hours left to get today's post in. I'll be brief, because today was too great to cover this late in the evening.

After sleeping in a little bit, my friend and I had coffee and tea, respectively, and then headed out for a nice 30 minute speed-walk. I wasn't planning on cross-training today, because I knew I'd be busy, but it was great! The morning was cool and crisp, and I'd forgotten how nice it is to talk to someone while working out. Also, speed walking is hard work. I'd go as far as to say that it is more challenging than running. At least, while I'm doing it, I'd rather be running. Anyway, the walk was great, but the company made it.

Post-walk, I headed into DC for brunch at the Cheesecake Factory with a friend, and then for an afternoon of cookie-baking and catching up with my mentor. Both were delightful. I wish all days could be like today. My mentor and I headed over to church, which is always a wonderful blessing for me. Being back in DC and going back to Grace DC always feels a bit like coming home. Everything about tonight's service was awesome. I miss that place a lot. After church, I ate at Austin Grill with some friends. The tacos al carbon there are to die for.

I'm back in Baltimore now and looking at a pretty full week, as usual. I'm sure it will fly, also as usual. Only two weeks left of my first semester of grad school! Then, Christmas and New Years! Have I mentioned that I love this season?

Until tomorrow...