65 and I'm Alive!

i do have a truly great job. i'm immersed in running, at least 10 hours a day, 7 days a week. i wake up and run...then i go to work and deal with running stuff all day...and this past weekend we took our marathon booth to the Twin Cities Marathon expo...and when that was done, on sunday i ran the marathon. an exhausting weekend but what a chance to see a new city, meet new people and run on a new marathon course. and for my 65th marathon i ran a 4 year PR!

the twin cities are st. paul and minneapolis, minnesota, about 15 minutes apart. race morning it is a quick bus ride to the metrodome where one can relax in relative comfort for two hours. there are endless bathrooms, and they are REAL bathrooms, not nasty porta-potties. this race organization is smooth...but i came face to face with the reality that i don't like running with or in crowds. and crowded it was...dodging people and avoiding potholes in the road the first few miles. getting cursed when i did my one minute walk breaks. having to listen to endless conversations around me, not to mention the deafening noise from the sidelines. i felt like a eal bitch when i ignored the outstretched hands of the little kids just wanting a high five. i learned at boston, that all those high fives can leave one exhausted and with very sore arms.

i was wearing an ipod shuffle and the music helped drown out the noise and keep me focused. i white lined it...focusing on the stripe down the middle of the road and tuning out the rest. i focused on my breathing...sometimes i feel like i hold my breath which is a dumb thing for a runner to be doing! when muscles got tight and cramps threatened, i tried mentally to relax them, and it helped. i thought of my husband a bunch...to the point of an emotional meltdown at mile 19. and he was there at the finish, the one person in the crowd whose voice came through loud and clear.

i had energy at the end, barely. i hurt, but have felt worse. i'm proud of what this tired, old body has accomplished. 65 marathons in 16 years. i know this won't last forever, so i'll just try to enjoy the ones left to me.