Made It (Sigh)

Too tired to fully explore everything the way I want to right now, I am posting something tonight as a sort of bookmark for the event: I might have exacerbated the injury to my left big toe (also known as the hallux, Latin fans), but I did finish my first half-marathon this past Saturday in two hours and three minutes, just a few minutes past where I wanted to be. Keeping the toe injury and the lack of altitude readiness in mind, I'm okay with that finish.

Having gotten to our hotel an hour-and-a-half later than hoped after a tire almost blew out and had to be replaced, the boyfriend and I had less than 12 hours to acclimate to the 8,500-foot altitude before getting up at a little after 5:00 a.m. to head to the start line. After standing outside for an hour and fifteen minutes in 48 degree weather, I was off with a 12-minute first mile that was my longest. Yes, indeed, I ran negative splits (increasingly faster miles) for the most part up until the last couple of miles, where I ran out of steam--and, I think, air. The hardest miles were the first few, where I was doubting my ability to keep going, and the last few, where the mountain scenery (gushing stream on the left-hand side, pine and birch trees on the right, mountains and blue sky everywhere) was no longer working its charm because every particle in me was gasping for the finish line.

I managed a sprint and a smile at the end, though, and one more silent thanks for the dog who couldn't participate but who had pulled me through all the miles that got me there. I think she was the happiest of the three dogs when we got home, but I've already told her: No more running until the toe is x-rayed, and no more longer distances this year. We'll be okay.

(P.S. I forgot to mention a couple of weeks ago that I had another first for the summer: My first medal! I was first in my age group for a local 5k with around 400 participants. It's been quite a summer for the running, and I hate to take it easy now, knowing all the good fall runs coming up, but . . .)

Contemplation

We did 10-11 miles yesterday and another 6-7 today. The First-Half Marathon Training Plan I've been tentatively following has us doing our longest, hardest week this week before we start tailing off training for a race, the one I've chosen being the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon. Even though I know the altitude of this Colorado run will add some intensity (8500 feet down to 7500 feet by the end), I picked this race anyway for its timing (it fit perfectly with the end of the training plan and the timing of my semester break), its relative closeness (it is within eight or so hours of where I live), and its scenic potential (mountains and hiking!).

In the lead-up to a half marathon, the 3-day plan we've been following only demands three days a week of running with three additional days of cross-training, but since my nephew was in town visiting two weeks ago, I substituted running for the cross-training because it was easier to fit in. Plus, I'm finding that I look forward to our daily runs the same way I used to look forward to long walks: I can run easily enough now that my mind isn't exclusively or overly focused just on keeping my feet moving or obsessing over the small pains that come and go during longer runs.

Instead, my mind wanders more freely, picking through my life and daydreams with the same quiet contemplation of an easy hike, only when I'm running, I am more able to get into what I imagine is a zen-like zone where even these mental distractions dissipate, and I can just be. I seldom bring my iTunes Shuffle when I run anymore, preferring to listen to whatever is around me, and some times, when the clouds and the sun are just so in the sky, I get this endorphine-enhanced euphoric feeling that stays with me even after we've stopped. These are the side effects of training for longer distances that I would have never believed I would experience as I struggled through running on a tread mill the first few months of the year to get back into running 5ks--and these are some of the reasons I continue on.