full moon

it was clear, cool and beautiful this morning as i struck out at about 10 after six. the moon was so bright i took the golf cart path instead of the road (it's usually too risky - i can't see the potholes). i momentarily feared death by freezing (i'm a wimpy southerner) but i warmed up quickly. 

i have pieced together routes through a neighborhood we back up to, so i have some choices. this morning i ran to the back of the subdivision, then off on a side street that winds through a fairly undeveloped section. the quiet wrapped around me like a blanket. sometimes an escape from noise is so therapeutic. 

this morning as i ran i prayed for the girls i am running for. i prayed especially this morning for their families. for deana's husband jack, and her two amazing boys - zane and zach. i prayed for emma's parents, gale and ernie, and her little brother alex. i prayed for hayden's husband richard, and for their parents. i thought of the journey of these family members - the fears they must struggle to conquer, the strength they find to carry on with the functions of daily life while their loved one focuses on beating cancer. i can only imagine how hard it must be to watch one of the ones you love most go through such a painful and difficult battle. so today i prayed for the families.

how long 'til february?

well, i did it. i sent in a registration form to the leukemia and lymphoma society, and i am officially a participant for myrtle beach 2009! half-marathon, here i come!

i downloaded a training schedule, but it's only for 10 weeks prior to race. so i am following my own genius... i missed taking a longer weekend run so i did six miles yesterday. any runner worth their salt will probably shake their head in pity, but i was thrilled to make it in 54 minutes! so i can maintain a 9-minute/mile pace for six miles! better than the 12 minutes it took me to do a mile when i first started, right?

my first few weeks of running, i felt so euphoric. i felt tough and powerful, like a machine. in the past couple of weeks i have hit some type of wall. running isn't easy anymore - maybe because i'm trying to go consistently longer and faster. it's during this time that i'm discovering the real reason for being a cause runner. running for myself just isn't motivating enough. if i wasn't thinking of the friends behind this race, i would stop and walk. but knowing that deana had a mouthful of sores so terrible she couldn't eat somehow made me plug on through another few miles. it is inspiring to think that such a simple thing as running could make a difference for her.

and so i run.