On The Lone Again

I was really anticipating this morning's run after Laura broke her toe. Knowing how hard it was last week to run 9 (10), made it hard enough to think about 11. But 11 alone? That seemed daunting.

So, I got a little bit of a later start than I had hoped. I dilly dallied on the computer with my gatorade and power bar this morning. Meaning, I hit the road at about 7:30 a.m., but I had to get gas and drive to my starting point. It was about 7:50ish by the time I got started.

It was weird to run through my childhood neighborhood, as I actually began at my childhood elementary school! I remember thinking, ok, this is going to be a long run alone. It was warm when I began. The smells on the trail around my neighborhood haven't changed. I remember running on the path as an angsty teenager, so it was kind of fun to return as an adult.

The sun was blazing. I had on sunscreen, but we will see how well it worked. There were several times when I saw walkers or bikers and I thought, "Why can't I be normal? Like them? This is insane."

Other than that, all I can say is I ran for a long time. I had to use the bathroom at a park once and I refilled my gatorade with water once. There were a few lengthier walks than I would have hoped, but between my knee and the blisters that made a come back, I needed walking time. However, it dawned on me at one point, that the more I walked, the longer the whole thing would take, so I tried to keep the momentum up as much as possible.

I celebrated my finish by visiting the swings at my old elementary school. You are never too old to swing.