Jenny On the Spot

It is a commitment only one step short of blood - money. I am financially committed to the half-part of the Seattle Marathon. Money is on the line. But it’s not only money that’s been invested - a good portion of my sweat has been paid as well.

Yesterday was a big marker for me - 8 miles in the long run. OK, not all 8 was completed even at a jogging pace, but I’m still gonna call it 8 miles. We (Katie and I) did it in 1 hour and 50 minuted. Ellie did it about 10 to 15 minutes faster. She’s half our age, and then a decade, so I am OK with her kickin’ my butt.

There are only 5 weeks left to train… next Saturday is a 9 miler, then a 10, then 11, then 12, then we top it off with 13.1 miles the day of the race event. Some shorter runs will pepper the weekdays. Yesterday brought a new type of pain I’ve not yet experienced… my tail end actually felt like I had been bike riding. It hurt to sit. Strange. My heels hurt too. Yet, it all felt so good…

We ran in our new reflective vests! Could we actually be “runners”? Another runner ran in the opposite direction, on the other side of the road. I waved cooly to my new peer. I was hopeful. Would we get a return wave? After all, we were wearing reflective gear with the bright yellow not found in nature… just like him. The slender man waved back, affirming my hope that we too… belonged.