20 mile run in the golden sunshine.

What a gorgeous day for a long run!  I was out the door this morning by 5:20am, just as the sun was coming up over the mountains.  I actually felt really good for most of the run, despite being tired this week.  My hamstrings were bothering me, but that's been pretty standard for my long runs lately.  When I finish this post I think I'll spend some time with the foam roller trying to work out the tension in them.

About 7 miles into my run, Chris drove by to check on me on his way in to work.  I had him take a picture of me, but I forgot to clean the sweat off the lens of the camera on my phone, oops! :)

So after two full weeks on my new schedule, I have to say I think things are going well and I should be in pretty decent shape for the marathon in 8 weeks.  I think that at this point, the one thing I need to work on the most is getting enough sleep.  I used to be able to fully function on about 5-6 hours of sleep.  My goal is to consistently get 6-7 instead.  I think it will help my body recover better from all the training.

I've been reading another Dean Karnazes book, Run! 26.2 stories of blisters and bliss.  I just love this guy.  He is crazy in a way that only other distance runners can really truly appreciate.  His stories are so funny and inspiring at the same time.  At the beginning of each chapter in the book, there is a quote, like this one: "When you pray, move your feet." ~ Old African Proverb

I love that quote.  I think I spend about 75% of the time when I am running alone, in some sort of "prayer" mode.  I am thinking through things and talking to Heavenly Father in my mind.  There's never a time when my thoughts are more clear.  One of the many reasons I love running.  I also think these words from Dean himself are so on the mark.  Someone had asked him once, "Doesn't running hurt?"  Dean replied, "It does if you're doing it right!"  Haha!  Then he explains, "Personally I never feel more alive than when I'm in great pain, struggling to persevere against insurmountable odds and untold adversity.  Hardship?  Suffering?  Bring it!  I've said it before and I've come to believe it: There's magic in misery."

I thought about those words today as I ran and my hamstrings were pinching so tightly.  I was thinking, hey, I'm in pain, but I can run through it.  I'm alive!  Sometimes we need to hear things like that from others to realize all the blessings we have in our own lives.