10(ish) Breezy Miles with my Beloved and B

With 9 days to Marathon Monday, I was due for my last "long" run...a taper run of 10-12 miles. Due to an assortment of busy things to do on Saturday, one of them being my better half's need to be at work by 8:30 a.m., we'd agreed to run an early, early run. When B (Brenda) got in touch Friday to suggest just what I had been thinking--one last meander along the marathon course, and a desire to get the miles out of the way early, I was ecstatic.

At 5:30 a.m., however, when we pulled in front of her house to pick her up, Jared and I were both feeling a bit differently about whether the early morning miles were, in fact a brilliant idea...Still, we parked the car at Mile 17, the Woodland T-stop, and off we went, clad in rain gear and fuel belts, prepared for the elements, dehydration, and (yes, I admit it) the potential need to hail a cab.*

The first couple miles were as they always are--a bit stiff. But by the time we'd hit five, we were turning to run through Cleveland Circle, having killed the Newton Hills, and running easy--chatting all the way.

When we hit the bridge to cross into Harvard Square, B and Jared broke into a sprint as they raced to the curve turning to cross the Charles River. I muttered a somewhat beligerant "You're going too fast..." but tried to kick it in to keep up with them. Despite all three of us slowing down to cross the bridge, by the time we found ourselves in Harvard Square itself, Jared had cajoled us both into finishing the last mile at a faster clip.

A much faster clip. As we arrived at Starbucks, having all but sprinted the last half mile, I found myself happily panting, happily fatigued, and happy, with the knowledge that despite what had been a truly hard run, I had some "left in the tank."

I have high hopes for the marathon. That's not to say that I plan to achieve any great time goals, or even be walking that well on Tuesday. But I feel stronger this year--in body, mind, and soul, and I can't help but feel at least a general sense of hope regarding the outcome a week from tomorrow--and that's really what its all about, when running for a charity--keeping hope alive.

*One should always be prepared, with money or card, should the need arise for either a cab, or an immediate post-run 6-pack and/or pizza. The latter has been known to occur with alarming frequency.