Just Keep Running . . .

Yesterday was a beautiful day. Just perfect. The weather was amazing and I wanted to be out in it. So, I loaded up the jogger-stroller with William and Sam and Dan were on their bikes (the usual routine for running in the morning). I told the kids before we left I wanted to go for a "long" run. I was not sure how far, just long. I brought 5 big water bottles in the stroller and a few sandwiches for the kids, just in case we were gone for awhile.

We headed out and it was so lovely. The sky was clear, and the smells in the air were intoxicating. My mental was in an unusually excellent place. I felt GOOD, really GOOD! I kept running and the kids kept pedaling.

I focused on staying super-hydrated because it was getting pretty hot. The water made all the difference for me, it kept my brain clear. (I sweat a lot and I NEED a lot of water!)

We ran our loop and kept going . . . around the golf course, to the zoo, by the college . . . we just kept running (kids biking). I had no concept of the time of day (except that we left around 10:30). I wanted to go as far as I could.

It was no longer morning, and it was getting hotter. I started pouring water on my head and down my shirt. I poured water on the kids, too. We stopped at an outdoor bathroom for super-speed potty-time. We refilled ALL 5 water bottles at the fountain (twice!). (We passed the same location by the golf course 3 times.)

It was super-important to stay hydrated in the heat!

I just kept thinking, I need to be ready for TREK. I need to do hard things. I need to do hard things and be happy about doing hard things. TREK is going to be hot and hard. I want to be ready for it. It will require being out walking ALL day in the heat. I need to get used to being hot. As I was running, little flashes of the future would appear before me like a mirage. Anytime I would go up a hill I saw -- the woman's pull. I want to be as ready as I can be!

While we were out, my mind was in such a good place -- I wondered who I was, and where the normal self-doubting Mari went? I could breathe fine the whole time, I could talk clearly the whole time (more like yell at the kids to slow down on their bikes and "stay to the right!"). I felt just fine. It was weird that I felt so fine.

I kept running.

And then, I knew I had gone farther than I had ever run. I just KNEW it. (The farthest I had run was 13.5 miles pushing the double stroller.) My legs started to really feel fatigued. I was not sure if I would be able to go the rest of the way . . . but seeing as how we were far away from home, I HAD to! There was no other choice. Just keep running, just keep running . . .

So, feeling a little desperate, I called the kids to me and I asked Daniel to pray for my legs (Daniel has lions-den faith, that I have come to rely on). He prayed that I would make it home, and that my legs would not hurt me. I trusted in Daniel's prayer. I kept running and I started talking to my legs, telling them they felt good and I tried to force energy their way. It helped, sort of. :-) I just kept moving.

It was hot. I kept dumping water on my head -- it helped, for awhile. I prayed and pleaded for some way to stay cool -- there was suddenly a cool breeze. I was not alone.

I kept pushing the stroller and answering William's questions, but I begged him, "please be quiet, for a little while." It was getting intense. If you have ever run with a stroller, you know it is not easy to find a comfortable position. I alternate arms, since I use my arms a lot to run. At one point I used the stroller as a kind-of running-gimp crutch. I was spent. My legs were spent. The stroller felt like a ton of bricks. It was loaded with William and water. It was a real feat just to keep it moving forward.

William had been sitting there for a LONG time, in the sun. (He has the red-skin to prove it!) The kids were exhausted and complaining. I begged them to stop complaining and help me by being positive, so I could make it, and not die on the trail. Not only did I have to keep me strong, but Sam and Dan needed my encouragement, too. But, again, for some weird reason -- I had unusual strength of mind. My mind was SO clear. I was able to focus not only on me, but on them, too. (I am not normally very good at that, when running!)

We were almost home -- my finish line. Because of the hope of the end in sight, my strength returned. Home never sounded so good to me (or the kids!). We were all spent, finished, done. We had been out in the hot sun and moving for what seemed a very long time!

Home. We made it. I walked in the door and sat down, carefully. I had the kids bring me the laptop so I could map out our miles. I was incredibly curious. I still had no idea how far we had run!

I went to www.mapmyrun.com and started plugging in our course . . .

19.63 miles.

We left at 10:30 and got home at 4:00.

(Yeah, it took a LONG time!)

A little farther than I had planned to go!

It was not planned. I woke up and had eggs and two cookies before leaving. I did not wake-up thinking "this day I am going to run the farthest I have ever run" . . . it just sort of happened. My mind did all the work, really. It was like someone had tweaked my "positive-thinking" button. My mind has NEVER been so clear or able to stay positive for so long. I just kept going and going and pushing and going . . . it was a very out-of-body-experience.

Some things I wanted to point out:

• It felt like the right way to do a long-distance run for me. The kids have ALWAYS been a part of my running (as well as pushing the stroller). They have always been part of my load to carry and it seemed "right" to have them along for the journey. They were an incredible motivator, having them in front of me.
• I ran fully covered. I wore a T-shirt and running pants past my knees. It is POSSIBLE to run far and be modest. ;-)
• When people saw me at gimp-running point, they probably thought, "Oh, that girl is really out of shape, poor thing" they did not know it was mile 17!
• The TREK theme is: "Some Must Push and Some Must Pull". I am a Pusher.
• I had not been training for this run, it just sort of happened. I do not consider myself to be in very great shape, or anything. I run almost daily. But it was not physical for me, it was mental.
• My kids are amazing. They made it the whole way and they are all sunburned and worn-out today. I love them so much. I am so glad they were with me. I told them they should never forget the day and what they can do -- and what mommy did, too.

My camera was out of batteries, darn it, or I would have taken a picture when we got home. If you do not believe my story, I have 3 witnesses. Sam, Dan, and William. They will tell you ALL about it. :-)

Nothing is impossible, that is for sure. 19.63 is close enough to my original marathon goal that I consider myself satisfied that I could go the full distance. That is all I wanted to know . . . IF I could do it. Running that distance, in the heat, while pushing a stroller with kids on bikes, has to be some sort of original accomplishment? Whatever it was, it was unplanned and unintentional. But I find myself amazed at me and what I am capable of when my MIND is in the right place.

I was not alone. I know that for sure. My mind is NEVER that positive. It was like all the gunk had been cleaned-out and all that was left was light. Someone else wanted me to do this. I was helped every gimpy-step of the way! I have a feeling this was preparation for what is to come. Trek-training. I am certain!

Not a recent picture, but you get the idea! :-)

Me, stroller, kids, running.

Oh, and how do I feel today? I feel great. I feel like I really did something different to my body, but really the only "pain" I have is sunburn and a little discomfort in my behind, but besides that -- SUPER! :-) I think I drank 4 entire (BIG) bottles of water along the way and it made all the difference for me, especially in the heat.

Also, my sister just ran a FULL marathon: www.karyskorner.blogspot.com. Check out her awesome story and pictures! She is my hero! Whether you run for fun or to accomplish a goal . . . just keep running! :-)

*Also, also . . . I saw two men from our ward out running along the way. Bro. Wenzel at the beginning of the run and Ryan Holden somewhere in the middle. They both recently did the Ironman. Seeing them made me want to keep running!

Sometimes we ask God to "give us strength" to accomplish the tasks before us. For me my "strength" has come from having an extra load to haul when I run. I have not become a sleek-gazelle-runner in the process ( like I would wish), but I am STRONG. And it is strength, after all, that I will need to pull/push that handcart!

Just keep moving forward . . . that is the way to the finish line.

The way HOME.