Having a Good Time

I finished. My time was way slower than I would have expected a few months ago, but then I didn’t know I would be running this thing with virtually no training base, 10 days after surgery. It reminds me that I don’t know what the next few months will bring. I may face a challenge to the completion of the marathon that has not yet revealed itself. Although the half took me longer than I thought, the challenges I faced made crossing the finish line oh, so much sweeter to me than doing it without them would have been. I admit it – I had more than a few tears in my eyes when I crossed.

Are the fastest of our tribe the “serious” runners, while the others are not? Well, yes, in some ways, this is true, and I found that out yesterday. I didn’t see Mom except for a few minutes before the race, but Amy and Tim seemed to be experiencing a higher level of tension. For them, it isn’t enough to finish, they want to have a good time.

We will each bring our own devils to the marathon, but Duke City made me realize that I had allowed myself, unwittingly, to take on one of Tim’s as if it were my own. It wasn’t until the morning of the run, when I woke up with Tim, the Litigator, instead of Tim, the Boyfriend, that I understood I was hanging with the wrong crowd, at least for that morning. I let Amy and Tim go on ahead and quickly sought out Dan and Adolph, who helped me to set myself straight. We laughed and joked and got to the starting line in a great mood.

So, that’s my second goal at the marathon. I want to have a good time. At the finish line, at the starting line - heck, the whole time we’re there.