14 miles ... and counting

This past Sunday I ran the longest I've EVER ran in a single run ALL by myself. I know I'll be saying this every other week leading up to the NWM, but this particular run was truly the longest I've ever ran w/o stopping! ... Sunday's run was physically tough, and I felt like I hit a brick wall in my training: How on earth will I be able to run a full 26.2?! Why am I doing this again?! ...  It was really satisfying to know I can achieve this distance, but I was running alone so it was a little anti-climatic. No body was there to cheer me on or give me a high five as I crossed the 14 mile mark :( This is the downer of training on my own time and not w/ a running group. It's hard enough to commit to training for a full marathon, so to commit to a running group each week?! That's just asking for a little much in Nhat's world :)

Nonetheless, this was a LONG run and I managed to stay standing w/o collapsing at the completion of 14 miles. That's something to celebrate and pop open the bottles of Gatorade! :) ... There was actually some more logistical thought and planning that took place before running by myself on Sunday. Normally I do my longer runs w/ a running buddy, but this weekend our schedules conflicted. Running alone for a few miles is one thing, but running 14 miles alone is another. Being the type A person w/ ADHD,  I wanted to make sure I wasn't running around in circles at the park nor was I somewhere I didn't feel safe. We constantly hear of all these horror stories of ladies going for a trail run and end up missing?! (Morbid, I know. Blame my sister, I inherited this paranoia from her and my mother). SO, I laced up my running shoes around 7 am on Sunday morning and headed down to HB to run along the bike trail. It's not the most scenic route, but I figured I could people watch w/ the US Open for Surfing taking place AND I'd be round enough civilization to feel "safe."

Running alone is very therapeutic. I'm on my own time and in my own world. I can sing and skip, or I can yell and pound out the frustrations w/ each stride. My mind wanders and miles later I'll come back to reality and the realization that I'm STILL running !? I can't really pinpoint what I think about, but this is the time I allow my mind to go in any direction I feel like exploring for the day. There is a lot of personal reflection time, day dreaming, and planning that goes on in my head ... What am I going to eat today? :) ... As I wrap up the final miles, I'm overcome w/ the pain in my newly formed blisters and gratitude that my life is good! .. and God is GOOD! In Him, I have found a renewed strength that keeps me going and keeps me running. So without a doubt - this how I'm going to cross the finish line at 26.2 miles!