I think I'll...... think.

Went for 10 miles on Saturday, did about 4 today. It's very interesting to run that far. The first 2-3 miles (it's crazy to think that 2-3 is the beginning part and not the whole run) are fairly painful. It's cold, the muscles are arguing with me about not wanting to work so hard, the 'not' shin splints hurt, and I get this weird thing where my calf muscles on the front on my right leg pretty much just stop working, and my toes slap into the ground with each step. Then, I usually do a little stretching, run some more, and before I know it, I'm fine. From then on, it's just a mind game, to see if I can keep my thoughts distracted enough and busy enough to not realize that I'm still running. Then, at about mile 8ish, when I figure I should walk for a bit, I find out that walking actually hurts more than running, so my choices are to completely stop and lay down on the pavement (which sounds like a fantastic idea at the time), or just keep running till I can sit down. Did the 10 miles in about 2 hours. My rough goal is to finish in under 5 hours, but that's not nailed down at all, it's my first one, and I want to enjoy it, to see if this is something I'd like to do more often. Not sure if I'm up to the training involved to try and qualify for Boston or something like that, but running is pretty fun. There's no thoughts of needing a more expensive bike to be better at cycling, or a faster car for racing.... I go as fast as I can go. That's it. If I want to go faster or further, more expensive shoes aren't going to help, fancy pants that add support around the legs would only add a little, at best. Speed in running requires that I go faster. It's fun to think about, and trust me, 2 hours pretty much alone, with only the thoughts in my head to listen to, there's a lot of thinking going on.
Fundraising, well, not nearly as successful as the training. I've gotten lots of money from unexpected places, and very little from the ones I figured would be first to donate. If you're visiting my site, the links on this page take you to the websites for our fundraising... even 5 bucks helps!