16 Miles

Today I ran my longest run since my last marathon on December 14, 2013.  On top of 21 miles Monday through Thursday, this gave me a total weekly mileage of 37 - again, my most mileage since that day in December when I last faced a truly intimidating distance.  Of course, 16 miles does not seem that long when you are running around and around on familiar roads, stopping to drink water and use the restroom, rather than running in a straight line.  I could have run from the Town Hall to the Ingles store in Cashiers and it would only have been a little over 13 miles.

But this was my most difficult long run to date, partly because I did not rest and hydrate on Friday as I should have.  Instead, I worked on my little stone-masonry project under the front porch, mixing mortar and hefting pieces of granite into place well into the afternoon.  It was also a little warm and it was quite humid.  From the very first mile, I knew I was dehydrated, so I stopped at so many drinking fountains along the way that I may have been in danger of hyponatremia.  That's the condition that threatens so many middle-of-the-pack marathoners who mistakenly over-hydrate during the event, drinking so much water that sodium levels drop to a dangerous low in the body.

But, really, I was in no danger.  There were plenty of other runners out, and walkers too, and for some reason I kept passing the EMTs as they drove around Town - did I look that bad?  I was veritably drenched in sweat by the end of my run, wringing it from my shirt into a big puddle.  But what a happy discovery to see Martha in the parking lot, just finishing up her four-mile run, and beaming with pride because it had gone so well - no stiffness, no sign of injury.  She had powered up all the hills and felt just great!  She is going to have a good race.

In those latter miles I settled into that slow, workman-like pace that simply gets the distance covered, one step after another, not even pausing to walk up hills in my relentless desire to get to the finish line - in this case that sweet 16.00 on my Garmin.  And somewhere in those miles I remembered how difficult this was going go be, like encountering again an old familiar adversary.  "Ah; so we meet again!"  This is what it is like - what it has been like, what it will be like - covering that distance.  The long miles, the little games we play to keep us going, the prayers we say, the beautiful holy morning passing by, the long road unwinding behind us.  The finish line around the corner.  Still out of sight.