My island run..............................

Today’s run was my best run in a long time. I felt strong and full of energy. We arrived at the island and after passing our luggage off to our hotel I headed out. The weather was perfect, cool and not too windy. For the first six miles I only saw one or two other people so I was able to quietly commune with nature and just enjoy being. At the end of the first time around the island (8 miles) I stopped to use the bathroom, grab an energy bar, and I was off for the second loop. Though the route was the same it seemed completely different as by this time of the morning there were more people out and the activity on the water had picked up.

I ended up doing the full sixteen miles in 3:12, which is a fine marathon pace fore me. I did turn off my stop watch while I went to the bathroom, when I stopped to help a little girl that had fallen off her bike and skinned her knee, and when I stopped to help a teen that had caught her jeans in the bike chain.

Finishing up mile sixteen I was amazed at how good I felt and even toyed with the idea of going farther. Then I finished, and slowed to a walk. After about ten steps it was like a switch flipped and all of a sudden I could barely move. Everything hurt and I had a distinct limp on the left. Made me have that thought of “how am I ever going to do the whole thing?” I let the thought run its course through my brain, and then politely told it to move along. Of course I will be able to do the entire marathon. That's what all this training is about. Having the crowds around cheering us on is going to be a huge help, just as the occasional smile and kind word I received today helped to pass the time and encourage me to run strong and proud.

Bonus! I think I might be getting things down a bit better in the nutrition/hydration department as I had no gastric upset during or after my run. I carried enough stuff with me to keep me from dehydrating during the run, and my youngest met me right after I was finished and gave me my boost to drink and another bottle of water. Then we found some grass and she stretched me and we walked for a bit.

After that we went back to our hotel room where I showered, ate, and took a little nap before going out and enjoying the rest of the day on the island. It felt really good to feel really good while running. Apparently, this little island get-away was just was the doctor ordered.