Grete's Great Gallop +9 extra

Some times your life and your training schedule don’t always match up.  So you do what you can and find a happy medium.  My marathon training schedule said I was supposed to run 20 miles today, but I was also signed up to run a half marathon.  Easy fix right, just run the half marathon and keep going, run the extra 9 miles and everyone’s happy, right?    Well, It didn’t turn out to be as easy as it sounded.

The half marathon started as usual, other runners, water stations, crowds and excitement.  I ran it a little slower than I usually do, but that’s because I knew I had to keep going after it was done.  I crossed the finish line.  When you cross a finish line, there is always a flood of emotions.  You are relived that the race is done.  You are proud of your accomplishment.  Your body is tired.  You are ready to “walk it off” or cool down.  You are breathing hard, sweating and the grimace on your face has some how turned into a beaming smile. They call it the finish line because at that point you are finished, you are done, you don’t have to run anymore.…  Unless for some godforsaken reason you have to keep going.  If there was a curtain call after act 1 of a play, you probably wouldn’t expect an act 2.  The credits of a tv show don’t run on the third commercial break.  The crowd doesn’t rush the football field at the end of the 3^rd quarter.  I think you are starting to understand, what it’s like to keep running another 9 miles AFTER you have already ran a half marathon. 

It was painful, dreadful, agonizing torture..  Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit..  I got through it, my pace was slow, my motivation was 3 or 4 steps behind me the whole time.  I was second guessing myself about running a full marathon, well second guess this whole running thing in general, But some how I kept putting one foot in front of the other.  I’m not sure how, but I finished the extra 9 miles.  I had the medics from the race wrap both of my knees in ice and I took a cab home, there’s no way I was even walking another step, lol.  Hoping my next long run goes better than this.    

Time: 10:30 am

Distance: 13.1 miles

Time: 1:33:05

Music: shuffle

Time: noon

Distance: 9 miles

Time: 1:15:26

Music: shuffle