Monday, January 18, 2010

A New Year, a new half-marathon

It's a nice, rainy morning, and I love it. I'm glad it wasn't raining yesterday. You see, I ran in the P. F. Chang Rock 'n' Roll half-marathon, and rain would have put a huge hitch in my getalong.

I met with 22,000 of my closest friends at ASU, and we took shuttle buses to the state capitol, 15th Avenue and Jefferson in Phoenix. There, a very large number of people milled around and waited in long lines for Port-a-Johns. A pretty good band was playing near the booths that were handing out bagels, bananas, water, and coffee. Then it was time to get ready to run.

I was in the 13th 'corral,' as we were grouped by the times we planned on finishing. My group consisted of maybe 400-500 people, and I suspect the groups farther back were much larger. At 8:30, we started moving forward, and as we reached the starting line, I saw Senator John McCain waving to the crowd from a platform 20 feet above the crowd. His face must have been hurting by then from all the smiling.

Immediately after crossing the starting line, the group spreads out, all the while jockeying for position. You're not really trying to pass other people--just trying to keep to your own pace, and not step on anyone else. It's sort of like driving on the freeway, but without all the anger and fear.

At 7th Avenue, we turned north and then at McDowell we turned east. I think that whatever 'runner's high' I had occurred before the 3 mile mark, which is 12th Street. By the 6 mile mark, I was in the groove, but my legs were beginning to complain that I was using them badly. Unlike last year, the 7 mile marker was not a discouragement. Last year, I realized that I was only half way there, and that was disappointing. This time, my thought was, "I'm half way there and I'm not dead yet."

At 12 miles, a song came on my iPod that was most timely. "Everlasting God," by Lincoln Brewster, came on with "Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord," and "You lift us up on wings like eagles," and finishing with a child reading Isaiah 40:28-31, which concludes with "...those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. The will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint."

Now THAT's a runner's high.

Crossing the finish line is always a high, and this time, I didn't feel like I had to walk across the line. I stopped as soon as I could, and texted everyone in my family that I was all done. In every way. This year, the organizers had Mylar blankets for the runners, and I was surprised how good it felt to be that warm.

Last night, Denise and Michael and I went to see "The Book of Eli," with Denzel Washington. It's an interesting movie, with some theological overtones. Mostly what Hollywood thinks that Christians believe. Anyhow, I stood up after being seated for quite a while, and I was not sure my legs would hold me up. It's an odd feeling, and I was glad for the handrail in the aisle of the CineCapri.

Today, the thighs are pretty sore. I guess I'll start running again in a week or so, but for now, I'll just bask in the joy of having finished the race, again.