Six Miles, No Stopping

I ran the Crescent City Classic again today. 6.2 miles, or 10K in running jargon. It was great weather, and for the most part, I really felt good about it. I've been training at around 5 miles or so for several weeks, adding the sixth mile a couple of times just to make sure I could do it. I admit I was a little nervous because last Saturday I really struggled, but I think the fact that it was one of the first hot, humid days in a long time, made that day rougher.

My running partner, Emily, made today's race go by a little faster as well. I didn't feel like I was holding her back; instead, I felt like I was encouraging her since this was her first time to run a 10K. But I confess I would have really liked to have walked some in that last mile, but there was no way I was going to give into that after having made it so far without walking. She told me later that she was struggling at mile 3. I'm glad she didn't say anything about it during the race; I typically give into the power of suggestion and may have found it hard to keep running.

I've been doing the CCC since we moved back to New Orleans. My first one was 1995, and I've run almost everyone since then. I can't remember which ones I missed, but I do know I missed a couple because of holiday travel (like the year Allen was doing the interim at Dunwoody). However, since getting he and Sarah on board, it's become a family affair . . . actually, more than that because we share the experience with the Gibsons. And this year we added Emily and James and Jeff and Maria. The more the merrier, or something like that!

I'm glad I'm running again. I like the way it feels to finish a run. Sometimes it's hard to get started but, when it's done, yahoo! I don't know if I'm up for any more marathons but you never know what the future holds. Guess I'll just keep putting one foot in front of the other and look for opportunities to inspire others to run farther, faster, and funner!