i’ve now run a marathon

…right? two halves = a whole? okay…not really in this case.

but i did complete my second round of 13.1 miles last sunny saturday in san diego, and i beat my time from my first round, back in november 2012. and it felt like fantastic, delicious triumph.

as i ran (for one hour, forty seven minutes and forty seconds), i reflected on everything that has happened since i previously conquered this distance – it certainly has been a wild fifteen months. and as my legs kept moving and my heart kept pumping and i pushed myself faster and stronger, i felt healing in my veins.

during the last half mile, i ran to the rhythm of a song that said:
the dog days are over, the dog days are done, the horses are coming, so you better run
run fast for your mother, run fast for your father; run for your children, for your sisters and brothers
leave all your love and your longing behind - you can't carry it with you if you want to survive
and i decided run to leave some things behind and run with gratitude for what’s here and what’s ahead.

as i turned the corner to cross the finish line, i was surprised to feel totally choked up with the emotion of triumph that felt so much bigger than running a race. i sprinted the last stretch with blurred vision and every little bit of me was alive.

photo 1 (42)photo 2 (42)

brittany was also in san diego for the weekend and came to cheer me on at the finish line! can you believe what a beautiful, bright day it was (as evidenced by the squinty eyes…)?? we sat on the grass and ate free finish line food and then went to brunch at a cute little cafe in mission bay.

the dog days are over. the dog days are gone.

Comments

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Congratulations Charity!! I have a big race coming up too and this post was great inspiration to keep up with training. :)

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  3. Wow, congrats on your race! That is amazing!
    This song by Florence and the Machine is amazing!
    Have a great day!!
    -Jasmin

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  4. Good job! And yes, two halves equal a whole :) I clicked over here from another blog and I'm always excited to find another runner. Nice work and nice time, too! I'm headed to SLC for the April marathon...eek!

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  5. What a great accomplishment! I feel accomplished for reading about someone else running that far :)

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  6. Well done. You did a brill job:)

    I love your yellow t.shirt - my favourite colour:)

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  7. Congratulations Charity, that`s awesome! Women like you inspire me to keep running. Love your blog! :)

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