Almost there... and what this is all about.

The last 2 weeks have been landmark ones.

The last saturday the group ran 10 miles together. It was one of the warmest days yet and we were running on an exposed trail in mountain view. I had run 8 miles before and was quite optimistic. Little did I know what lay in store. The sun it seems, has the capacity to drink up your energy from a million miles away in half the time you expect it to... by the time I approached the halfway mark of 5 miles, I thought I was going to collapse.

But then I gathered myself, drank a lot of water and started on the return trip. After about 3 miles, I felt like ALL my energy had drained out of me. No amount of drinking of water or eating energy supplements seemed to make the tiniest of differences. Every step of the last 2 miles seemed a herculean effort and felt like it was taking eternity. I remember thinking to myself that it was simply the hardest thing I ever did.

I stopped a few times to gather myself and carried on.. I had to finish it. And I did. I marveled at the trail, the weather, the sun and myself and was thrilled with what I had done.

The follow up run this weekend was a 11 miler... at a much more shaded trail but with a lot of ups and downs. The cloudy start to the day made sure the Sun was kept hidden and completing the first half was almost easy. Little did I know what lie in store. All the unevenness of the trail and the steep up hills was having a toll on the IT band in my leg which stabilizes the knee while running.

As I started back from the halfway point, I got a rude reminder about the presence of this tissue and found it extremely hard to carry on. As I was contemplating stopping, the pain wore away and I continued on slowly but steadily. As I continued to run, the pain deadened and I did not think of it. I finished the 11 miles in just a minute over 2 hours and felt elated. I am now 2.1 miles away from a half marathon! I was finally here!

As I proceeded to go eat something after the run and then home, the sides of my knees were screaming at me... since then I have been nursing the muscles in the proper ways and I think they should recover over the next few days... but this is what it is all about.

Continuing on in spite of the pain and discomfort. I thought of all those unfortunate enough to be suffering from either Crohns or Colitis and the pain and discomfort they have to put up with in their daily lives. Although my legs feel so sore, I am happy and proud at the same time about what I am doing.

So here I am.. almost there. I am going to run 13.1 miles, whatever happens. And I need your help to make it all the more meaningful. And remember every small amount counts.

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