Skip to main content

cowtown playlist

http://www.dfw.com/2011/02/23/413693/its-time-again-for-bigger-than.html
This morning my alarm clock went off at the usual time. 5:37 am.
Forced down a powerbar and a bottle of water.
The unusual part. It is a weekend.
Saturday mornings don’t usually start until after 8 and they almost always involve donuts.

I laced up my sneakers. Downloaded a few tunes and turned on the porch light.
Because the sun still wasn’t up.
And shortly after 6 am I got a text from my friend.
“I am heterosexual”
She meant to say “I am here”
And I have never loved autocorrect more.

And we drove downtown and our exit looked like a weekday at rush hour instead of a Saturday morning at 6:20.
I had seriously underestimated the number of people running the 10K.
We parked.
We pinned on our bibs.
We peed in smelly portapotties.
And we waited with hoards of runners for the start.

And I run on a regular enough basis.
At the gym. And I hate the treadmill. With a passion. And never make it very far before my knee starts hurting or I want to switch machines or go downstairs and get a smoothie.
With friends and I use so much oxygen telling stories and laughing that I usually have to stop after 20 minutes.
And alone. Where sometimes I can go 4 or 5 miles. And sometimes I head back home after just 2.

But in the mass of people running it seemed almost easy.
I had my headphones in and just kept plowing through the middle of downtown.
If you consider a 10.8 minute mile plowing. Which is slow motion to most people, but I usually run closer to a 12 minute mile so I was cruising.
And all I saw were runners ahead of and behind me.
Serious skinny girls in their spandex and water belts.
People my mom’s age.
A few people puked on the side of the road.
Men who had their legs taped and looked pretty hard core.

And every mile or so volunteers handed out water. And every once in a while you’d see people in their yards cheering you on or families on the sidelines with signs for their mom or dad. Even the police directing traffic were encouraging. And I haven’t run 6.2 miles in over 3 months. But I never thought about stopping. (well, not seriously at least).
Just getting there.
At my slow and steady pace.
And I couldn’t help but notice how different it felt to run in a race than it does to run by myself.

I have run harder races. And further races. And faster races.
So I didn’t especially have anything to prove.
But I wasn’t sure that I could do it without stopping. It had been a while and I hadn’t trained particularly hard. But the mass of people all heading where I was heading seemed to push me.
Everyone was pursuing the same finish line.
Fast or slow. Young or old. Spandex or old sweats. It didn’t seem to matter.
We were all pushing ourselves that morning in the cold to get there.

And I crossed the finish line. Sweaty. Thirsty. And my right knee was killing me. And someone shoved medal in my hands.
Medals aren’t the norm. I thought they were reserved for only halfs and full marathons.
But I held on tight and looked for my friend and some water.

And when I got home I gave my medal to my son.
Who asked, “mom did you win”
“No, kid. But I finished.”
“Then why did they give you medal”
“Well, because it was long and hard and I finished. Not everyone does. Not everyone even tries. So they gave me a medal.”
“But is finishing the same as winning?”
“Sometimes it is kid. Today it was. And it was a lot easier to do with a thousand other people than trying to do it by myself.”

And I want to give some special thanks to Lady Gaga…because let’s be honest I couldn’t have done it without her….and here is the rest of my running playlist


 

Comments

I love that you just gave a shout out to Lady Gaga! :)

Popular posts from this blog

Canceled

I inhale books. So much so that I’m occasionally embarrassed by my intake. I don’t want anyone to think that I don’t work or pay attention to my family.  I’m just a fast reader and I don’t watch a lot of TV or play any games on my phone. Well – except for Wordle of course. My library card get a lot of miles. However, I still probably spend an embarrassing amount on books.  Even though I often put books in those cute little free libraries – I still have more books than shelves.  Today I did something tragic.  I did not renew my book of the month membership.  And let's be honest, it is more like three books a month.  I am not unhappy with the customer service, quality  or selection.  Book of the Month, I promise …it’s not you - it’s me.  I want to invest in my writing and I realize this going to cost me.  I don’t want to take that money from my family or my kid’s college funds.  Instead I had to evaluate what I was willing to give up.  What financial choices impact me but not as many

slow

Recently I went to the local running store and let them charge a ridiculous amount for a new pair of running shoes. I used to run. Just like I used to do lots of things, but lately I have been slow to get off the couch. Let’s be honest. This season has been a long one, and I’ve been slow to do a lot of things that are good for me. My old shoes are wearing thin and nothing motivates like a new pair of kicks.  I quickly found my brand and style of choice and asked the worker to bring them in my size. The owner spoke up from the back, “So you are picking your shoes out based on how they look?” I pulled my own foot into her view. I showed her a similar pair in teal, well worn, with the big toe scuffed all the way through. The model was a few years old and I needed a fresh start.  “Nope. These are my brand, but I’m open to your suggestions.” Runners are very particular about their shoes.  I tell her I need something to absorb a lot of the impact.  I tell her that I overpronate just a little

The annual REAL Christmas letter: 2021 edition

  One of my favorite traditions for over a  decade has been to sit down and try to write a REAL Christmas letter.  Not just the highlights, but a few honest moments as well. It started as a joke with one of my friends, thinking how refreshing it be for people to share more than just their perfect lives that we are used to seeing on Facebook and Instagram. It would be way more truthful and a whole lot more entertaining. So here goes… 2021 I had such high hopes for you. Well, actually the bar was pretty low but clearly not low enough. If I have learned anything from 2020 it is that even things that are difficult, the days are still a gift. It is a gift to gather with family without a Covid test or a worrisome 5 days after. It is a gift to go to the movies or a concert. It is a gift to go to work, school and sporting events. It is a gift to get vaccines, to board an airplane to sit in a pew at church. It is a gift to be allowed back to visit someone in the emergency room. It is a gift to