Joy at Joy's Book Blog has built up a community of people who love to read and work out. You know that I enjoy both of those things, so I'm joining in.
I trained for it twice and ran it once.
Like last year on the morning of the Marathon, I got up and went for a run. I ran the marathon route near our house. The streets were nice and wide, empty of parked cars. Banners flapped along the side of the road, letting runners know how much farther they had to go to the finish line.
The mile marker near our house is 22. So I ran it backwards for 2 1/2 miles then turned around and came back for a five-mile run.The sky was dark as I began and a glowing full moon sat heavy in the sky. Gorgeous.
On the run back, the streets had become a little busier with volunteers setting up tables and pushing giant trash cans into place so the runners could dispose of their water cups.
I texted my running friends pictures of the moon and talked about the preparation for the marathon.
One friend asked if it inspired me to run another marathon.
"No!" I texted back. I remember the pain in all of my joints and my muscles, even as I trained, running 20 miles then 22 miles then 24 miles, plus all the shorter distances in between. I picture myself coming down the stairs at my house, holding onto the banister and the wall as I slowly eased down each step.
Later that morning, on a beautifully sunny, warm day, I walked along the sidewalk, clapping and cheering for the runners.
"Go runners! Keep it up!" I'd yell.I ran into so many friends and neighbors lining the sidewalks as I walked to the coffee shop. It was like a festival.
In front of the coffee shop, I took a picture of runners making their way down the street. Musicians played all along the route to keep the competitors moving along.
And then, I felt just a twinge, thinking, I could do the marathon again.
Hope your exercising went well this week.
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