Almost There…

Two Saturdays ago, I had my longest run (12 miles) in my half-marathon training schedule. Two problems existed. One was General Conference and the other was weather. I needed to find a time that was a good balance between sessions, weather, and food. The morning was still pretty chilly but rain was predicted for the evening. I finally decided to squeeze it in between the morning and afternoon session. If I ran at a consistent pace, I knew I could make it.

When I did my 10 and 11-mile runs, I planned a route near a grocery store so I could buy water and keep myself hydrated. This time, I didn’t have that luxury. I was visiting my parents and no grocery store existed along my route. Gratefully, my dad came to my rescue. I asked him to bring food and water an hour into my run and showed him on a map about where I would be. He dropped me off at the post office and I was on my way.

The hard part about this run was the wind. For the first five to six miles, I was running into the wind. I was tired and discouraged. I found a way to keep going because I knew I had to be at a certain point when I met up with my dad and that became my focus. My whole body rejoiced when I saw his car driving down the road. That bit of food and water was enough to get me through the next three miles, which is where the care facility and a drinking fountain was.

Refreshed again, I began the last stretch home. I was 1½ miles away when my dad surprised me! He brought more water! That helped me finish running my miles. I even made it in time for the first speaker! I am so grateful for my dad’s help because I don’t think I could have made it without him. Also, I have literally run around Gunnison and Centerfield. Life is complete! ;)

Last week I did a “short” 9-mile run. Unlike two weeks ago, this Saturday was marred with snow, rain, and cold. I decided to go to the indoor track but groaned just thinking about it. Being Saturday, I knew half of it would be closed and I was doomed to run around and around and around and around. I decided to plan ahead and using gmap-pedometer, I charted a mile course near the Smith Fieldhouse. Half way through my run, I saw a break in the weather and was able to finish outside!

I’m excited for this weekend. I have no idea what my time will be because I haven’t really worried about time but focused more on running each mile. What I do know is I am much stronger and have better stamina than last time. Here’s hoping for a personal best.