Saturday Morning

Today is 10/10/10.  A piece on the Today Show spoke about how many weddings there will be today because it is a magical number.  An expert on the subject stated that if you add the numbers in the date up, you get 5, which she saw as a very positive thing.  It seems that being born or getting married today is supposed to make you successful.  I disagree.  Your success or failure in life is about your attitude about where you are and what you do with that.  Life is what we make it, not allowing ourselves to be victims, but to be successes (see my blog, Musings of a Methodist Minister, http://revmjq.blogspot.com/).  This attitude is what keeps me running on toward my goal of completing the marathon in February.

Saturday was my first short, relaxing run in quite a while.  I met up with my group at 7:30 and just ran.  My goal in the beginning was 4, but decided to move on to 5.  In the end, I ended up doing 5.6, which made for a nice morning.  The cooler air continues to make the runs nice, with temperatures in the upper fifties when I start and no more then 68 when I finish.

Last Monday I did 10 with Amanda.  It was her first 10 mile run, and we ended up stopping a few more times and a bit longer then I am used to, but surprisingly I found that our time was still better then my last run.  I believe this is the result of 3 factors.  First, I am more in tune with how fast I am running.  I get a good feel for my speed, and am more in touch with when I am slowing down.  Second, I have a running partner, and with the accountability there is someone to help me push through when I am tired, and vice versa.  Finally, taking rests for stretching and water seems to give me more energy, making me feel better about the times I stop.

Monday I have a new goal.  We are planning on going 13 miles.  I am both nervous and excited about this new challenge.  The goal is 13 for the next 2 weeks, then 15 the next 2 weeks, then 17 for 2 weeks, and finally 20 from the third week of November through the end of January.  The 20 mile runs will be the longest I do before the race, and I will be focusing on time on those runs.  My goal is to be able to do 20 miles in 3.5 hours.

So live today, not because it is 10/10/10, but because it is the right thing to do.  Look to overcome the adversity in your life, and make the most of what you have!

Love, love, love, then love some more; then, and only then, will you be truly alive!