It’s been rainy this week, some storms, and I was forced to run on the treadmill yesterday. Six miles on the treadmill was misery. Seriously. The treadmill has some advantages, but mostly I hate it. It’s a last ditch effort to get the miles in.

So I was hoping and praying that the rain would let up enough for me to run my 12 mile long run outside. I had all my gear packed up the night before: safety vest, hydration backpack, waterproof cochlear implant cover, clothing, shoes, etc. I set my alarm and when I woke up it looked like there would be no storms and very little rain for the portion of the morning I had available to run. Hurray! But as I was getting ready I felt a growing trepidation. I would only have one ear to hear with, and not so well because the waterproof cover makes sound a little muddled. Also, the hydration pack and safety vest are not the most comfortable things to wear while running. However, function trumps comfort.

I set out on my run and urged myself forward, despite my legs telling me they wanted nothing to do with this trip. It always takes them a mile or two to get warmed up. After 2 miles though, I was feeling strong and just trying to keep my pace slow and steady, knowing I still had a long way to run. These marathon training long runs are not so much for speed as they are for training your body to be in motion for a solid length of time and distance.

Having been discouraged from the start, I was listening to my Kirk Franklin radio on Pandora to keep my head in a positive space. I kid you not, the first two songs that played were about rain and shelter from the storm. I hear you God, thank you for coming with me on this run.

Then, about 4 miles into my run, on the local trail I was passed by a familiar woman walking her dog. “Beth, is that you?” (Remember, I can’t see full faces) It was my pastor’s wife! She lives nearby so it wasn’t surprising to see her, just surprising that we were passing the same spot at the same time. We stopped and chatted for a few minutes and were on our merry way, but it turned out to be the heart warming boost I needed to finish the last 8 miles of my run! Because those last 8 miles – actually the last 4 in particular – were brutal. I could feel my muscles trying to seize up and my stomach was rumbling with hunger. I did a lot more walking than I would have liked, but I got it done. I finished what I set out to do. And next week I’ll get to do it all over again!

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