This morning…I was out on my usual long, slow distance run.  All was going well…especially through the first 11 miles.  I was holding a good pace and actually gaining on my pace – I only knew the approximate mile markers, but I could see I was somewhere between a 9:30/mile and a 9:45/mile and I was getting excited. I started running down Beverly Street toward downtown knowing that the 12 mile mark was at the traffic light at the top of the hill.  I was going at a very good pace downhill but I got careless.  The next thing I knew I was flying (and not in a good way.)  My running shoe had hit a crack in the sidewalk — and there I was spread eagle lying face down on the the sidewalk.  (Everything moved in slow motion for the moment.) How I remembered to stop my watch is beyond me.  Both of my hands got minor scrapes and my knee got scraped up as well.  My running tights ended up with a hole in them.  I laid there for a second and pulled my thought together – I was tired — I was pushing (because my time was so good) – I got careless.  Now what was I going to do – should I walk back to the park — should I try to call Pam?  I continued walking and soon the city trolley went by and I tried to catch it — to no avail.  That would have got me back to the park.  At this point I was about 3/4 of a mile from the car.  I wasn’t hurt and like Toby Mac sings:

We lose our way! But get back up again!
It’s never too late! To get back up again!
One day, You gonna shine again!
You may be knocked down, but not out forever!
We lose our way! But get back up again!
So get up, get up! You gonna shine again!
It’s never too late! To get back up again!
You may be knocked down, but not out forever!

After walking a few blocks, I decided to just start running again and ran back to the park – not much worse for the wear.  Even though it was a minor running accident – it was my worst accident to date and reminded me to be more careful, especially in the waning miles of a long run when I am tired.  It was also a reminder that when we think we have failed, to just get back up again.  The amazing thing was that even though I had fallen, I still ended up with a good time even though I didn’t go for the full 13 miles – and I still completed over twelve — and there’s always next week.

Pressing On! 

Climb a mountain or run a marathon?

This happens to be a very interesting question.  About a year ago, I heard about the Pike’s Peak Marathon — this race takes you from the base of the mountain to the top in 13.1 miles (there’s also a 1/2 marathon – the half stops at the peak.) back down to the base over a series of trails.  I found it intriguing and have heard about other such races that take you up a mountain.  For a while, I had this on my bucket list, but no longer.

While it would be interesting to climb Pike’s Peak someday, after my experience up there this past fall, that isn’t as interesting.  What happened?  It seems I suffered a serious case of altitude sickness – for the most part it was just the vertigo – I felt very dizzy on the top from the lack of oxygen.  Perhaps if I would have gotten acclimated first to 6000 ft and then gone to the 14000 ft. summit, it might have been different.  I’m not so sure I would like to climb a mountain

However, running a marathon is definitely on my bucket list.  While working at Chick-Fil-A yesterday, I met a woman who had run a half-marathon.  We chatted for a while and I told her that I was planing on running the Park-to-Park Half here in Augusta County next spring.  She said after I run that, I will want to take on a full marathon and I think she is right.  At this point, I have run 11.7 miles and I have had several long-distance runs this month near that distance.  A half-marathon is in sight and I think I’ll be shooting for a full-marathon once that is completed.

So, what would you rather – a marathon or climb a mountain?