While I Ran
I don't know what other people think about when they are going on long runs, and I have myself never spent more than 30 or 40 minutes running, so I've never really had to keep myself entertained for all that long.
Last Saturday I ran with some of my friends in the Market to Market relay, a race from Omaha to Lincoln. I was originally slated to run 9.3 miles, but then last minute one of our runners couldn't run with us, and so my mileage went up to 11.5. Now for someone like, any of my other teammates, or Devin that probably wasn't a big deal. To me, however, that was like...this fun thing I'm doing with my friends is now something that might cause serious damage to my body.
Turns out I hobbled along just fine, definitely the slowest on our team (but that was no surprise), and probably the slowest person there overall (again, not really a shocker). I did run with my ipod for my last segment (3 miles) - because I don't think I could have even hobbled in if it weren't for SHAKIRA helping me shake it along. But for my other two segments (3.3 and 5.5. miles) I just ran, you know, the old fashioned way. Just me, a pair of sneakers, a sweaty t-shirt, and the open trail.
Here's what I thought about:
- I thought about how happy the inner part of my right foot would be when the day was over and it didn't have to keep pounding itself into the ground.
- I thought about how many calories I had eaten, versus how many I was possibly burning, and how that might explain the deep hollow feeling inside, as if my body had consumed my organs for lack of anything else to digest.
- I thought about what an awkward thing a tongue is, rattling around in my mouth with all those teeth. What's it for, anyway? Where does it go when you aren't using it to talk, or chew? I mean, it just sits there.
- I thought about how everyone in the world is faster than me. I thought about how that was always the case in soccer games, and track meets, and how for the most part, I'm ok with that. I've got other skills, right?
- I thought about how beautiful Nebraska is. Did you know that? Come visit, I'll show you.
- I thought about my girls, and how much I missed them, and hoped they weren't tearing GramB apart limb from limb.
- I thought about my dad, and how he taught me to be strong, and that strength is more than just who can lift the most or run the farthest. There is something to be said for the person who simply finishes a difficult task.
- I thought about my mom, who taught me that the person I am is the person I should be. I am not the fastest, or the showiest, or pretty much anything the -ist, and that is just fine.
- I thought about all of my friends, all of the people whose paths have crossed mine in our journey through life. I thought about how much I love them.
- I thought about hamburgers.
- I thought about raising my girls in this scary world.
- I thought about just making it to that tree, and then to that one, and then to that one. For eleven miles I told myself to just make it to the next tree.
And that's what I thought about.
Last Saturday I ran with some of my friends in the Market to Market relay, a race from Omaha to Lincoln. I was originally slated to run 9.3 miles, but then last minute one of our runners couldn't run with us, and so my mileage went up to 11.5. Now for someone like, any of my other teammates, or Devin that probably wasn't a big deal. To me, however, that was like...this fun thing I'm doing with my friends is now something that might cause serious damage to my body.
Turns out I hobbled along just fine, definitely the slowest on our team (but that was no surprise), and probably the slowest person there overall (again, not really a shocker). I did run with my ipod for my last segment (3 miles) - because I don't think I could have even hobbled in if it weren't for SHAKIRA helping me shake it along. But for my other two segments (3.3 and 5.5. miles) I just ran, you know, the old fashioned way. Just me, a pair of sneakers, a sweaty t-shirt, and the open trail.
Here's what I thought about:
- I thought about how happy the inner part of my right foot would be when the day was over and it didn't have to keep pounding itself into the ground.
- I thought about how many calories I had eaten, versus how many I was possibly burning, and how that might explain the deep hollow feeling inside, as if my body had consumed my organs for lack of anything else to digest.
- I thought about what an awkward thing a tongue is, rattling around in my mouth with all those teeth. What's it for, anyway? Where does it go when you aren't using it to talk, or chew? I mean, it just sits there.
- I thought about how everyone in the world is faster than me. I thought about how that was always the case in soccer games, and track meets, and how for the most part, I'm ok with that. I've got other skills, right?
- I thought about how beautiful Nebraska is. Did you know that? Come visit, I'll show you.
- I thought about my girls, and how much I missed them, and hoped they weren't tearing GramB apart limb from limb.
- I thought about my dad, and how he taught me to be strong, and that strength is more than just who can lift the most or run the farthest. There is something to be said for the person who simply finishes a difficult task.
- I thought about my mom, who taught me that the person I am is the person I should be. I am not the fastest, or the showiest, or pretty much anything the -ist, and that is just fine.
- I thought about all of my friends, all of the people whose paths have crossed mine in our journey through life. I thought about how much I love them.
- I thought about hamburgers.
- I thought about raising my girls in this scary world.
- I thought about just making it to that tree, and then to that one, and then to that one. For eleven miles I told myself to just make it to the next tree.
And that's what I thought about.
Well, I can attest that you are faster than me at running. And smarter than me at math. And cooler than me by the end of high school. Sooooo...thats definitely something. Nice work on the race. You did your team proud.
ReplyDeleteGreat job finishing the race. That is a big accomplishment!
ReplyDeleteYesterday I ran 3 miles for the first time since before Ezra was born. I thought about my half-marathon and how the last 3 miles were the worst 3 miles of my life and that if I could survive that, I could survive anything.
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly, recalling how awful that was was quite effective. So maybe remember this run next time you don't want to be out?
PS: Way to go!
Oh Amy, your mind is quite intriguing! Good job on the Market to Market run, so fun!
ReplyDeleteThe tongue truly is an awkward organ.
ReplyDeleteAnd I always do that about "the next tree" too.
When I was running during your Market to Market run, I kept thinking about how you and Devin were running.
And I kept thinking about how before that race in Indy that we went to that Devin ran in, how he didn't wear running tights, because his dad had told him that real runners don't run marathons in running tights, or something like that. (I had running tights on that morning, and they were very uncomfortable. Not cold enough yet!)