Got That Feeling Back

This morning I ran farther than I've ever run: 16 miles.

It's hard to describe that feeling you experience after you finish a run farther than you've ever had. You feel like you can do anything.

Of course, I didn't feel that way during certain parts of the route -- when summer temps went into the 90s and the sun beamed down on us so intensely that I swore I might melt into a puddle or burst into flames.

Too hot to be running.

But we did. And, some way or another, we got our 16 miles in.

I breezed through the first five that we did on the downtown loop and got the second five in rather easily to make it to the Mile 10 water stop.

Miles 10 to 13 got harder, but I still generally felt good. At Mile 13, where I mentally noted I'd run a half-marathon and still had a few miles to go, I started to struggle.

Miles 13 to 16 weren't pretty. It was surely a test of mental fortitude, not to mention the physical aspect of keeping my legs going when all I wanted to do was stop.

As I rounded the top of Sagamore Hill, which marked a little less than a mile to the finish, I thought to myself: Now this feels like marathon training.

Pushing your body beyond what you think it can do, keeping your mind focused on the goal, dealing with the balance of hydration and sweat. It's all part of what I signed up for.

Some people say Marathon Day is just a culmination of all the hours and sweat you put into training. It's a day for celebrating all that you've alreadt accomplished.

Getting to the starting line is a feat in itself.

If today is any indication of what it takes to get to the starting line, I wouldn't argue with any of those statements.

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