Half Marathons #10 & #11 of 2011 Run Reports

Earlier in the month, I headed out for an easy 6 miler on the Capital City Trail after work. I enjoyed taking in the beautiful Tuesday evening on foot through Fitchburg and Madison's south side. After some stomach cramps subsided, I got in tune with my breathing and my footwork and alone with my thoughts and felt great. Instead of turning around at mile 3, I kept on past the six mile marker and then headed back. When I returned to my starting point, I had completed another 13.1 mile journey ... my tenth of the year.

On a perfect Sunday morning last week, I headed to the Glacial Drumlin Trail for a coaching session. Knowing I had to get in a long run, I planned to meet my friend, Mandy, three hours early for a speedy twelve miles and then some solo miles on my own. We had great conversation out on the trail and updated eachother on what has been going on in our lives since our last run. Conversation went so well, that the six mile marker came super quickly, as we had to turn around and head back. It was another fantastic day for running and we completed twelve fun miles together. After chatting and laughing (and hydrating) for sometime, I headed back out for a few more miles on my own, before my clients showed up.

I finished half marathon #11 before heading out to motivate them. They cheered for me as I ran into the parking lot ... I LOVE all of my clients! They promised me a bloody mary when I got there. I didn't get that, but I got some high fives and great hugs! The three of us decided that we would focus on distance rather than time. With a 25 minute training run on the schedule, we decided to try to reach the one mile marker and head back to complete a full two miles that morning. And, they did it. It was awesome to see them get so excited about mixing things up a bit and all that they had accomplished that morning. After running some additional miles on my own, I finished a full twenty miles for the morning. It was such a nice combination of running with a friend, encouraging others to finish and follow-through, and spending some time alone with my thoughts. Life is all about balance.

Half Marathons
#10 and #11 of 2011
D-O-N-E
(Reports for #12 and #13 coming this weekend!)