Racing the Sun

If there is anything worse than hot, sticky, humid weather, it's hot, sticky, humid weather AFTER a week of cool and rainy days.

We had our long run scheduled for this weekend, and we decided to get up and go before church. Ten miles. Saturday was sticky and nasty, and felt all the worse since we had slightly adjusted to cooler weather.

This time the early alarm clock worked, and we were out the door by 6:00. It had rained overnight, so the air still had that wet feeling to it, but the sun wasn't quite up yet to make it steamy.

The majority of this run takes us down 2-lane "pike" roads (old toll roads, now typically the to-and-from routes from town to town). This is the road that got us last time we tried to do a long run in town. This run was much easier, and we credited the early start to that.

About four miles in, Ted reminded me we needed to be back into our town and off this road by the time the sun was really up above the horizon. The temperature would increase, as would the humidity (or so we feared). So our long run turned into a race...against the feared oppressive temperatures and failure to complete the run.

We made it back. We finished this 10-miler in about the same time we did Broad Street last May--and our route is a lot hillier than Broad Street. If someone had told me that I was in as good shape now as I was then, I'm not sure I would have believed them. But apparently I am--we are--and that meant a lot to realize that.

I think the best thing about this, besides having a great long run, is that, for the first time, I finished thinking "I can do this marathon thing." I admit, I had some real doubting moments earlier. A few really hard (yet short) runs caused me to wonder how I could ever do four or five times that amount. Yet while I was tired and felt the strain after this run, I honestly could see where I had it in me to run the 26.2 miles, and I feel confident that I'll get there.