i run far

So. I did it. I ran the race. Despite being injured leading up to it and despite not acheiving my training goals completely, and despite being absolutely terrified to try it at all, I did it. I ran 50km in 6 hours and 23 minutes. That's 7 minutes faster than my goal time! It was so fun and so painful and so scary and so overwhelming that I still haven't really been able to process all my thoughts around the experience. One thing that I do know is that immediately upon finishing the race I said to myself, "never again". I told myself that I would never run anything over 25 km again. One day later I was already surfing net for next years 50km race and starting to wonder...could I manage 50 miles?? This sport is so addictive!

On my way home now. The race was on Saturday. I spent Sunday drinking Peets coffee and doing a bike tour of San Francisco. Monday, I toured around North Beach, Chinatown, the Wharf and then caught an evening flight to LA. Spent Tuesday leisurely running the beach from Santa Monica pier to Marina Del Rey and then window shopping in the ritzy Santa Monica promenade. Today, cruised the beach boardwalks on a bike and then finally had a nap before catching a late flight home to Van. It's been a real whirlwind, but also exactly what I needed for this trip to be. I feel like I've been reborn and like I can slough off all the shit from the past year now and move on with a clean slate. Is a really great feeling.

Next up is the big birthday. I have been promising myself all year that I would make some solid and attainable goals for 2015 after the race. That I would get going on a new 7 year plan. I am working on it. Things that I need to keep reminding myself are that it's okay to be scared, it's okay not to know what I'm doing or where I'm going (flying blind for a while is okay), it's okay to be vulnerable and it's okay to ask for help. Progress is all I can hope for...onward and upward!!