Day 50: Halfway there

Halfway there? Livin' on a prayer?

I have now run 13 miles. (Well, I had to walk a couple of stretches -- but the half-marathon distance has been conquered.)

I ran with Carson today; he was an excellent coach and I had a lot of fun, despite today's run probably being the hardest single physical challenge I have ever endured. My stomach was OK today, and I think I had enough water and gels, and I even think my cardio and legs were mostly fine, even though my knees started to throb. The limiting factor, strangely, seemed to be my upper body -- I felt as though I was stiffening up: the musculature, not the lungs. Carson said that my skeleton has got to get adjusted to the pounding it's taking, and that seemed like a really good way to put it. Like I said, I had to stop a couple of times to walk, but if I'm able to keep up today's pace for an entire marathon, I'd be delighted... even though I'll be doing that run without coaching (but with tens of thousands of my newest friends).

I also need to find a better headband. Sweat got into my eyes, and with contacts, that's a particular problem. Sweat even got into my ears, so I couldn't hear right. Both eyes and both ears were so annoying that they definitely affected my overall performance. I also forgot my wristband, so I couldn't wipe my forehead or my ears.

After the run I sought some comfort food, so I made and ate a box of macaroni and cheese, which I did weekly throughout my entire childhood. In college I even recall, on more than one occasion, eating two boxes at one sitting. That might have made a lot more sense today, especially considering that I lost nearly five pounds during the run. I haven't seen my post-run weight on a scale in 10 years (and during the summer of '98, I swam every day).

Two notes: first, I saw the elderly tai chi folks on the trail again this morning, and Carson expects to see thousands of such people in Beijing in just a few more days. Second, while on the Hertz rental-car bus at the Denver airport yesterday morning, I couldn't help but overhear an obnoxious businessman on his cellphone, chewing out one of his employees. "We have a five-year contract!" he screamed. "They don't care who we use to ship their stuff! We could use Satan, and they wouldn't care!"

Thanks again to Carson for being there today. And also, a shout-out to my grandma: I love you and I'll see you soon!

(Final note: three months to the race!)