If ever running were therapy...

.....today was the day. I so badly needed a run this morning ~ both physically and mentally ~ that not even a stressful weekend and 5 hours of sleep could keep me from my long run. It was a NECESSITY.

Without talking about it much (because it's just too draining) my oldest son had some sort of relapse of his Perthes Disease on Friday night. Just stood up from the couch and couldn't walk. I don't even have to explain how much that breaks a parent's heart to see your child in pain. Combine that with Hubs being out of town, and it speaks for itself that I was a ball of nerves this weekend. He still can't walk on his own and has extensive pain in his left hip. Tomorrow we head to his orthopedic specialist and will determine if this is just a routine flare up, or a more long term problem. Please keep all your fingers and toes crossed for the former.

So the running plan for this morning was 8 miles ~ 4 by myself and then to meet Lisa for the second half of the run. I'm sure Lisa's blog will have a glimpse of some of the goofy pictures we took this morning (some of which we sent to Eileen as she was running her first half mary in San Fran this morning!! WOOT!), but I'm just too lazy to upload them here ;)

My first 4 miles were good, slow and consistent. Then I joined up with Lisa and she kept me truckin'. We did do a lot of walking ~ half out of physical necessity, the other half just because we had a lot to talk about and our speedy pace didn't allow for both breathing and conversation. We hit about 3.5 miles together and then parted ways. I was happy to report a big fat 11:25 split on my mile home (awesome for me on a long run), finishing up at 8.4 total miles. SUCCESS.

Later in the afternoon I was pondering some of my upcoming race goals (based on some conversation Lisa and I had this morning) and I was reminded of something that I often allow myself to forget. Two years ago about this time I became a runner. I picked a goal out of thin air and decided that I wanted to run a 10K race by the time I turned 40 years old (and I was 34 at the time). My friend Micheline jumped on my ambition and helped me form a love for the sport that simultaneusly both frustrates and inspires me on a daily basis.

So today, as I celebrated my 36th birthday I relished in the reality of not only meeting, but exceeding the goals I had pulled out of my wildest imagination. I am only 36 today, and have completed not only a 10K, but three half marathons. I'm not a great runner, and the finishes weren't necessarily pretty ~ but I've accomplished more than I could have ever imagined back then. My 10K by 40 has now turned into a marathon.....and those who know me know well that it just might take me the next 4 years to train for it! ;) The lesson of all my years of wisdom: don't ever underestimate what you are capable of. And dream BIG! And then dream BIGGER!! ;)

Happy Running!!

PS: Congrats to Eileen for finishing her first HM at the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco today! I heard from Eileen via text message, so I don't have all the details...but am anxiously awaiting a race report!!