i woke up early with my dog- which is the best way to start ANY day if you ask me. he's such a quirky little weirdo god love him- nope, no mistaking he's a di renzo! he got into the box our takeout dinner came in just to lick the grease off of the aluminum foil and left it perfectly in tact.
got to the start of the race, gun went off and ran a marathon. and i cried. yup. during the last half mile we were running along the ocean in an area that had these benches which were engraved by and for loved ones- mostly in remembrance- i could see the finish line looming in the distance, i had already hit the wall. everything hurt, and there is the finish of the Marathon triumphantly hailing me when i notice that the bench i was running past was engraved for someone's mom, had a little quote about the sunrise over the ocean, and a photo behind plexiglass of a group of runners (obviously taken maybe 20 years ago) standing together before or after a race that looked like all the photos my parents have of themselves and their friends before all the races i grew up watching them run. it made me think of my mom, and i just lost it right there on the course and started crying and running faster. the waves of emotion you are overcome with throughout the race are nuts. you go through cycles of energized, psyched, pumped, feeling"good", feeling "great", feeling "beat", feeling "SHIT", feeling "dead" and then straight to delirious. but somehow, it was a happy cry and i finished strong. came in within the top third of my age group, as well as top third of overall marathon competitors, so there you have it.
i was a sticky little mess. i plowed through oranges, bananas, energy gels, gatorade- you name it. it was all over my hands, my face, and my shirt... this is it. this is my event. and i'd like to personally thank every asshole who has ever intentionally put me through pain, anguish, heartbreak... it's all nothing compared to the wall you hit at mile 23. it's all that resulting strength that keeps you going when there's literally nothing left inside of you. well, you know what they say... pain is inevitable... suffering- completely optional. although, now that i've got that coveted marathoner's body, i need to figure out the best way to sort out these marathoner's feet.... haha... looks like a lot of pilates in my immediate future!
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