This quote greeted me five minutes into my leg of the Pine Line Marathon this morning. There were several other quotes posted along the course, but this one stuck with me because of my reaction to it. I smiled and thought, "It already was." All else - e.g. meeting my goal time - would be icing on the cake.
What could put such a crazy thought in my head?
- Meeting Rural Girl before the race. She is the real deal - funny, enthusiastic, down-to-earth - just as I knew she would be.
- Messing around with our team costume (filmy scarves) last night and hearing my pink-scarf-clad father proclaim that, had he the audacity, he would always wear just such a cravat.
- Driving around to the checkpoints with my niece and catching up on her life as an 18 year-old. - Not to mention scheming all the devious ways in which we could catch up to the other relay teams.
- Taking pictures of my brother who sprinted the first 2 miles of his leg with the big-hearted spirit that personifies him.
- Disobeying Strong Sister's strict instructions to just get my niece to the exchange point. Her sole response to our cheering was a stern, "See you in a few minutes." (She had five miles to go yet! More bonding with my niece over that one.)
- Racing - at last. The trail and weather were divine, my endorphins were pelting my legs and splitting my face into the goofiest-ass grin you ever did see...
And these will have to be IT for now. No icing on my cake today. My time was much slower than I'd hoped for. I did the 10.1 miles in 1:21 - far from the smokin' 1:11 I'd hoped for. One minute per mile off, in fact. (Eeks!)
In retrospect, I see that it was an unrealistic goal given my current level of fitness and my running times so far this season. I'm just not as fast as I was when I ran 7:09s in 2003. (The times upon which I based this goal.) So for me, today was a checkpoint, a dipstick into the well of this growing season. And happy as I was to just be out there with such good people today, I learned something too...
If it is to be, it is up to me.
I, my friends, have some work to do.
6 comments:
TT,
Work to do? Don't forget to play too!
>....checkpoint, a dipstick into
>the well of this growing season.
And who, my dear, is good with analogies? (the pot thus calls the kettle black)
Your time? If it was the best you had TODAY, it was enough.
Great report, TT!
M-
I hope you post some pictures, sounds like you had a really fun time with your family at the marathon relay...fun is good. :)
Sounds like a great time.
Time is what it is, faster or slower, you had fun and I always think that is the most important part..
Hmm. maybe I can catch up to you..
Yeah, pics TT, O' mysterious one..
No icing on the cake? I disagree! This post was suh-weet. (And some of us would kill for that kind of pace, minute off or not....)
That's smoking fast to me! As others have said, enjoying yourself is the most important part. Glad you had a good time.
Get to work and you'll be fine. This is just a little wake-me-up that everyone gets (and needs) now and then. Learn from it and you'll get better!!
"Fun" is the most important thing!
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