Victory

In my world if you cross the finish line - walking, running or crawling, you win!

Today, I thought I would be testing that theory. I started my training strong. I missed very few of my runs. Since I was starting in California but ending in New Mexico, I imposed a morning run only rule.

After getting to NM, I continued my runs fairly faithfully but then my it band decided to hate me.

One day after a long run, I think it was over eight miles, my knee started to hurt. Not a little. Then I could not climb the stairs without excruciating pain.

I rested. I massaged. Finally, I went to the dr. Unfortunately it took two weeks to get to the physical therapist and then another two weeks to get regular appointments. We made progress. I started running again the last week. The week before the race.

Still I had pain. And the physical therapists last words to me were: you realize that you are going to have to walk, right?

I was resigned to it. But I wanted to get at least half way before walking. I made it to the turn around with NO pain. So I pushed on. New goal: get to nine. When I was at ten I thought to myself, I am not in pain except when I walk with my water at the motivation center. So I decided to stop at each station and stretch and keep on running.

By the time I hit mile 12, the only pain I had was on the left side (not where I was injured before) and from the blisters beginning to form on my feet. I was too close to give up.

So I kept on running. Soon I was rounding the corner to the finish line. A little crest fallen because I thought I had missed my three hour time. Not so, I crossed and the clock read 2:54.

Injured I had maintained a 13:30 minute mile. Not my best time, but very good for someone who missed five weeks or so of training.

I am most impressed with my self talk today. When I was feeling like maybe I should walk, I reminded myself that I was not in pain and running strong and not tired. If I felt discouraged, I called on Jeannette (who lost her battle with leukemia last week) to power my body with all the strength her little body had been long denied - or I asked my cousins, Michelle and Sam, to give my all the good intentions they had before they died to live healthier.

Maybe it was all in my mind, but I straightened and lengthened and stepped up the pace.

And I finished!!

Blessed be!