8 Miles

Saturday was an 8 mile walk in Sonoma and then we had an all-team and honoree picnic. Seth went with me and he helped at one of the water stops, which was pretty nice. It was a beautiful course, through redwoods, vineyards, and gorgeous houses.

Although it was frustrating, I did my best to start out really slow this time, because I didn't want to get my cramp. So, while everyone else was flying off down the trail, I was poking along at the back. I kept telling myself that I was being wise, not proud, but it didn't always help. I was told by a few people, though, that I can be sure that I won't be last by thousands on event day.

My cramp did come, despite my slow warm-up, but I walked through it again. The hills tried to kick my butt, and I did some crying, I'll tell you, but the last 5 miles were pretty good. After a while, my cramp tends to go away, and there is just residual tingling. We'll see what the doctor has to say Thursday.

Thankfully, the other woman who is walking the Maui Full wasn't that too far ahead of me after her potty breaks, so I had company on the way back, which was good. That is usually the source of most of my frustration: being alone and the last one in. Most of the rest of the team is doing Nike, so they do a mile less, and many are also doing a half-marathon, so I think that they do two miles less for now. You know I'm very competitive, though, so it's hard for me to be last, no matter the reasons. This is a big reason why I've stayed away from sports in the past.

So, that's part of my spiritual growth that's happening with this training: killing my pride, thinking of others, learning about perseverance and obedience. I think that I've been fairly good at not feeling sorry for myself, but I do pout to God sometimes when my leg starts acting up. But we got some updates on a few of our honorees who really aren't doing too hot right now, and I know that they wish they could be out walking like I am, so I suck it up. Some of them are in constant pain all over, so I can deal with some pins and needles for a while. I see the change in my heart and mind about this race- the part that is doing it for myself decreases while the part that really is doing it for them increases. When I was almost done and my body was getting tired at the 7 mile mark, I thought of Dennis and Phil and I thought, "I'm doing this for them!"
I do hope that I get to meet them someday soon.