Last weekend, both Sue O. and I were in St. George and since we are both signed up for the Ogden Marathon on May 18, we planned to run a 14 miler on Saturday. It was beautiful weather in St. George and would reach a high of about 78 that day. Sue was feeling pretty good about the run and I, although I didn’t admit it to her, was dreading it. I reluctantly got all my supplies and clothing ready for the early morning run and went to bed wishing I had not committed to it. I tossed and turned all night and kept thinking thoughts like “I’m tired of being a runner” and “I have run 29 marathons, why do I need to do one more?” and then doubts like “the longest run I have done as of yet is 6 miles, how could I possible do 14?”. Needless to say, I awoke before my alarm and got dressed. Sue met me outside my hotel and we drove a short distance to the trailhead. It was dark and I had a few apprehensions about two women taking a trail away from the city until Sue assured me that we were fine, that she had even run this trail alone in the dark. Yes, I know she’s crazy! But then I saw a group of runners with headlamps coming towards us and felt much better. We ran along and surprisingly I felt good, my legs had energy and all the worries of the night before dissipated. We ran along and stopped now and then and finally came back to the trailhead with 10 miles under our belts, or should I say running shorts. I knew at that point that I needed to walk for a bit so Sue went ahead on the trail with the intent to run two miles and then come back. I would walk and meet her and then we would run back together. When I met up with Sue after a lovely walk with glorious views of some of my favorite sites in St. George, including the temple, I wanted to see if the trail would swing back around to our starting point. So Sue went back one way and I continued on until I reached a point where the trail went into a neighborhood. By that point, I realized it wasn’t going to end where I wanted it to. I even considered walking directly across the field including water, which I quickly surmised would be a very bad idea. Shortcuts are really longcuts. So I started back ending up with 14 miles by the time I reached my hotel. I was elated to think I had traveled the 14 miles and my foot felt pretty darn good. I felt like a runner again and felt good about tackling this up-coming marathon. Oh my, the life of a runner. One minute you love it and the next you are cursing it. I am the first to admit though, that as I see younger runners pass by, it seems like that used to be me and it won’t be me again. I must now be content with the miles that I have previously logged and do what I can with a temperamental foot and a gimp hamstring.
View of the St. George Temple from the running path
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