Wednesday, March 05, 2008

"mile"stones

this week has been a week of "mile" stones. first we'll start with me (i'm selfish like that). if you take a look to your left on the sidebar where it says "miles run this week" you will notice an amazing thing. see in red where it says total miles to date?? see where it says 103 miles??!! yes my friends, this week i ran right through that 100 mile mark and i can hardly believe it myself.
there is a lot that i've learned on this journey. those of you who've kept up with our training (i know it's a longshot) will know that for us, this experience has been nothing short of life-altering. and since i know you don't read the other blog, i bring you one of my favorite posts in commemoration and celebration of those 100 miles:

welcome to the club!
is it just me, or do you also feel like you have just joined some elite club of sorts?
not just anyone can get into this club. it is not for wimps or wusses or whiners. it is not for cry babies, fair-weather fans or pessimists. it is not even for people who have great intentions but just can't seem to follow through.
yes, the admission price is steep. it will cost you valuable time and effort, lots of sweat, maybe some blood and definitely some tears. it will require doing things you think are crazy, impossible, and maybe just not worth it. it would be much easier to sleep in, to make excuses, and to act like you think members of the club are out of their minds (but secretly you'd envy them.)
you may even get excited about things you had never even heard of (gu, pr's, waterbelts, etc.) and you run the risk of driving people who are outside of the club crazy with your obsessions. they just don't get it. you may chafe in places you didn't know it was possible to chafe, you may swear off cotton for life, and at some point, you may even have to pee on the side of the road (hopefully not in your pants) . you will get pumped up by music that you normally would NOT listen to, and you most likely will plan your entire life's schedule around club activities.
BUT, as a member of this club you will also go farther, work harder, get stronger, run faster. you will find muscles you never knew you had. you will find strength (and not just physical strength) that you did not know was in you. you will find peace in pushing yourself beyond your limits time and time again. THAT is powerful. every week you will do more than you ever thought possible. and the next week, you will go farther still. you will gain confidence with each step you take, and you will walk taller (in spite of the sore muscles) and smile wider.
caution: you will get addicted. you never thought you could, but all of the sudden, YOU ARE A RUNNER.

and if you think you are not a runner, i dare you. it will change so much of you! (it will not however change the fact that you are a total dork- see picture of gatorade tongue for proof)
(for other milestones, read on...)

4 comments:

Mom said...

That's my girl! Congrats!!!

Madsen Family said...

Yeah for 100+ miles...Boo for Owey's woes. Please don't tell me that there are more sleepless days ahead! Little Will has had some gas issues and has been sooooo fussy; now I know I have teething to look forward to. Hopefully, you'll find something that helps with teething by the time Will experiences it:) For your sake, I hopes it's soon!

whitney said...

wootwoot! i didn't know you were training for a half-marathon... rock on girl! and congrats on your 100th mile! oh, and your little dude is just absolutely precious! :)

Emily said...

Good job on the 100 miles. Running a 1/2 is such an accomplishment and feels so good! I'm thinking I should run another after this baby comes to get me into shape again. We'll see how long it takes to get sleep again and if I can juggle that with all the other "stuff" going on!

I hope Owen starts to feel better soon--that's no fun at all!