I set my alarm for 6:15 (I think), went to bed pretty early after a nice pasta dinner full of protein. I woke up, somehow grabbed my protein bar and ate 3/4 of it. Apparently did that in bed mostly still asleep, b/c I reset my alarm and went back to bed to digest. It's a logical place to digest that early in the morning. I got back up about 6:45, took Sydney out and did some warming up, stretched, had some beans and water, and then was out the door by 7:40ish.
Unfortunately my running partner Rachel is a little injured and had to sit this one out. I know it killed her to do it, and frankly it was hard not having her on those hills. It got even harder not having her at mile 1 when my ipod died. 9 more miles! Fabulous! What the crap? Really, NOW? After a series of questions with a few choice words I hit a fork in the road where I could go home or turn and begin mile 3 through campus, further away from home.
I took the turn and then had a pretty serious conversation with God. Silence tends to come into my life at times when I think I need it the least, but it is actually when I need it the most. As the eve of Easter is upon us, I had almost 2 hours of uninterrupted time running by several places I'm so fond of. I talked to God about myself, friends, family, and of course the task at hand. It was a beautiful morning to be outside.
However, the run wasn't all glorious. During the last mile I had some pretty intense pain, and between the brief moments of massage, I just prayed to be able to finish. I think when my legs are fatigued my form messes up and I tend to drag my feet a bit, and that causes me to unequally distribute the impact. I did finish. Other than the one really painful area in my leg, I felt ok. I felt way better than I did after any long run thus far.
And to end the morning and start the afternoon in the most glorious fashion, a dear friend came over and cooked me breakfast. Eggs with onion, garlic and feta. Pancakes with nutella and peanut butter. Coffee brought back from Uganda. We sat outside on my porch, and enjoyed the spring morning after an evening thunderstorm. What glorious fellowship and feast we had. Not to mention the much needed protein that will help me recover. Now for ice and advil :).
I have a few short runs this week, but now I just have to keep reminding myself I'm ready. I've done the preparation, and the time has come to complete this journey next Saturday. In a strange season of wondering what God is preparing me for, and why the plans I had are not materializing, my day so far has been a good way to close the season of Lent and celebrate Jesus. Happy Easter everyone!
Now I really need to go get a piece of cake, pretty sure I deserve it, and I've only been craving it for about 5 days.