3 generations of family take on Ten Miler | Daily Progress
Conveniently, the race began and ended within walking distance from my place...wasn't that considerate of the planners? Actually I think it might have something to do with my living near UVA grounds. Just a thought. Here is near the beginning:
I considered running the 10-miler this year, for about a week. Then the cold weather settled deep into my bones and my running shoes began to give me some impressive blisters after 3 miles. Excuses, to be sure - and I'd love to run next year, if I'm still in the area. I'm new to the running/racing world but if anything could motivate me it's the energy. The runners, the cheerers, the early morning shivers. The anticipation at the beginning of the race, everyone's high hopes for how it will go. The setting in of reality, the cramp that takes you by surprise, the way you started out too fast but it was just so tough to hold back with all the throngs of people around you, moving through the air, defying gravity.
And let's not forget the person in the large red hat and purple fishnets.
Last night I began reading a book by a local C'ville-ian (I don't think we're called C-villains). It's called Live Like You Mean It and begins by painting a lovely image of how we came to be here, now, on this planet, and the rare orchestrations of the universe that had to align in a seemingly infinite number of unfathomable ways to produce something uncanny, mysterious, beautiful.
You.
Me.
So far, the book has told me to drop as many of the preconceptions about how to live as I can. Not the ones that make practical, and legal sense, such as following the rules of traffic and not stealing. But the more insidious and pervasive. The internal rules, the tiny voice that says "you should..."; "why did you..."; and my personal favorite, "You're not good enough."
I used to not want to run races. I didn't understand the point of getting all tired, possibly hurting myself, looking funny.
And now?
I would call that life.
