Slow and Steady Wins the Race?

Slow and steady didn't win the race today, but slow and steady FINISHED the run. And for me, that's winning.

Today was my first 5-mile run, and it was a cold one. The thermometer said -2 when I was getting ready this morning, but I think it had warmed up to around 9 degrees by the time I was running around Calhoun. It was kinda amusing to see all the runners with frost-covered faces, and believe me, there were plenty of runners out there this morning.

The trend I mentioned last time - that of feeling great while running - wasn't quite the case today. I was tired, cold (freezing fingers and toes, mainly), and I had a stitch in my side the whole way. I flirted with the idea of stopping to walk many many times, but I worked through it. Once, I had to stop for one second to pick up a glove I had dropped. Man, that one second was BLISS.

I learned a couple of things today. One, at heart, I am a team player. I ran by myself for the first three miles, and was able to put one foot in front of the other by my own sheer will. The last two miles, however, I finally caught up to Darren, who had been about 20 yards ahead of me most of the way. Those last two miles were tough, but running with my teammate pulled me through, and I hope I did the same for him. Would I have made it the whole 5 miles without walking without his support? I don't know, and the great thing about a team is, I don't have to know. He was there and it really helped!

The second thing I learned was that one should keep their toenails short. When I finally got home after the run, I was exhausted and cold - really really cold. I have never wanted a hot shower more than I did right then. (Except for that one time Griffin smeared the contents of his diaper on my head. I wanted a shower pretty badly then, too.) I ran upstairs, and when I took my shoe off, my sock was covered with blood. Turns out one of those little sharpies cut the toe next to it. I never felt it - I had way too many other ailments going on! Note to self: super short toenails from now on!

$3800 is an awful lot of money to raise, especially in these horrific economic times. If you can, please donate to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by going to my website at:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/mn/rnr09/maleej

Every little bit helps. THANKS.