The Wisdom Gained By Running A Half Marathon.

There is much!  But I'm sure, as with many things, it varies from person to person,  since everyone will have a different experience and unique perspective. That being said, Wisdom comes in many forms, as life teaches us lessons about "Life"; and with those lessons, we can use them to take on an uncertain future.  

So what did I learn about Life while running a Half Marathon today?  

Well, actually,  I think I learned a bunch of stuff.  Some small.   Some rather profound!  And some things may end up being useful to me in some unwritten future.  

First:   I survived!  No injuries, no heart attack, no blisters, no chafing, no broken femur(s).  No mental break downs or unexplained fits of profanity.  I just ran the entire thing.  Pausing only once for a pee break and slowing down for water. 

Second:   You can't drink water effectively while running.  Unless you want to wear it.  And as cold as it was, I was not about to douse myself with water to "Cool Down."   The wind and air temps were doing that just fine already. 

Third:  Cold weather makes you run better.  Mostly.   Sometimes?  Well,  I was given a throw away towel to wrap up around my legs or shoulders to stay warm while in the coral.  It helped just enough to get me over the start line and ready to begin generating my own heat.  Once you start heating up, the cold weather comes in handy.

Fourth:   Stale Donuts suck as pre-race fuel!  And Coffee seems to over-hydrate you. 

Fifth:   Small Dogs are ADORABLE! 

Sixth:  I learned to pee in the drain pipe of a small Episcopal Church!  There's a handy skill to have!  Useful when it comes to long lines at the port-a-jons and minutes before the race starts. And a great way to make friends!   At least our area was slightly secluded, as many of the women were holding up towels and peeing by the large trees on the campus lawn. Special thanks to Cheryl for that one....  

Where was I?  Ah yes!  That pretty much sums up the early morning, pre-race lessons that I learned.  With no camera on my person, there were not many pictures to show off.   Then again,  who wants pictures of my skillful "Drain Aim."  (Limited splatter, no puddles... No church bishop to ask us what we were doing....) 

Seven:  Cheryl Is FAST!  And Super Human!  

As for my race?  It was LONG!  And hard.   But I met at least one of my goals in that I finished it.   And I never walked!  Hey!  That's two goals met!   As for the two hour goal....  Well, five minutes over that is not terrible. 

And ultimately, I proved that I could do it.   And not suck!  Hurray for me!

Perhaps the best life lesson I personally discovered for myself is to NOT run a full marathon.  I already felt like a Humvee racing in a NASCAR event.  Not build for speed!  Too wide for the lanes!  Build for hills, not straight-aways! Drinks too much fuel!   And ultimately not in the environment it was meant for.   

And then there is the pain.   Aches and pains in my legs, hips, and feet.   I will be gimping for a few days after this one.  Instead of reversing time, I feel like running makes me look and feel Older!  All that is missing is the cane.  

And then there is Cheryl.   Who ran a new PR for the Marathon ( full!)  and somehow managed to miss any age group awards or recognition for her efforts.  Another life lesson I can learn from!  "When doing your personal best, and Achieving an impossible goal... Don't expect the world to recognize you for your supernatural efforts."  

Well, I recognized it.  And gave her a hug and kiss at the finish line.   A person who can truly appreciate the Herculean efforts required to pull off such a time over such a distance.  While I'm wining about my slow pace over half the distance, she pulls off a monumental time.  

She achieved a new PR and got to ring the bell.  

 Come to think of it.... So did I!  

 SO we ended up ringing it together.   

And that was it.  I survived the race!  And am a little wiser for it.   I believe, for me, there is no further reason to run such distances competitively. I have proven that I can do it if I had to. And I no longer feel the urge to push the boundaries in this specific field of exercise. Similar to driving my Subaru into a brick wall at 35 MPH just to see if the airbags work.   Yes!  They do!  But now you have a broken car.  

So now I get to settle in for the continued lesson of pain.   Any satisfaction that might have been gained will soon be overwhelmed with that wonderful feeling of pain.   But you have to be alive to feel pain, right?   And I guess I am alive after all.  Thanks for stopping in.