mirror mirror on the wall, maybe it has been me all along

Well, that was awesome. On a lot of different levels:

1. Not too long ago, I couldn't even walk. This weekend I ran 13.1 pain-free miles, so that's cool.

2. Not just any 13.1 miles, but one that wove through my home city, with 50+ amazing friends, celebrating the love of two fabulous people.

In short, it was pretty darn great.

Earlier this year, when I heard that my friends were starting their wedding day off with the Brooklyn Half, I signed up immediately, still unsure if I could run it but stubborn enough to give it a solid go. I am glad I did!

The Training
As noted here each week, it went... ok! There were times where I was cruising and crushing, and times where training had to take a backseat to my own wedding planning and apartment hunting.

I tried my best to be ok with this, to go with the flow, and not make any rookie moves like making up mileage lost in the last week.

The Race
I didn't wear a watch, didn't start my strava app, and never looked at the time.

I was there to run with friends, to enjoy this experience, and to see what would happen. I really wanted to be present, and I did not want to be haunted by my past race paces.

The first few miles of the race I spent running up and down the course- first, because I lost my team in the bathroom shuffle, and then because I wanted to say hi to everyone while keeping an eye on my new-to-running fiance.

I was still unsure if I would finish- giving myself permission to bail if I felt an injury coming on. This would be the furthest I had run in.. two years? Yikes. I gave myself some wiggle room.

At around mile 5, I forgot all of this. I forgot about my nervousness, forgot that I was out of shape, and figured my fiance could handle himself. I found my stride, found some friends, and fell in a comfortable groove.

At mile 13, I secretly wished we could have kept going.

It felt downright WRONG not to share this golden photo of me eating, talking, and running at the same time. Please note how elegant my friends are.

The Recap
At no point did I ever feel any twinge or pain. It felt easy, I felt easy.

In the end, we ran at about a 10 min/ mile, which makes me really excited. In another year, fitter and less mature, I would have rolled my eyes at that pace, but this year it was a real reach.

Except it didn't turn out to be a reach after all, which makes me hopefully that maybe, if things go well, I might be able to live up to the shadow of my former self. That, maybe, the weight I feel of past paces and miles logged is less of a history, and more of a foreshadowing.

Maybe it is not nostalgia, maybe it is hope?

Clearly it is lunch time because I'm losing it. Ok, back to it:

The Conclusion
In conclusion, it was an awesome day. Which ended, not surprisingly, in an equally if not more awesome night- full of dancing, laughing, drinking, and celebrating with friends!!

I am over the moon that I got to participate in such a special moment in my friends' lives. They are some of the most supportive, fun, kick-butt people I know, and I am so excited for them!

Want to read more about how awesome my friends are? Check out their story here:

http://globalnews.ca/news/3474869/couple-run-marathon-wedding/

http://nypost.com/2017/05/22/couple-runs-race-on-wedding-day-with-dozens-of-their-guests/

Race Report: Airbnb Brooklyn Half