Let's Make a Deal

Promise kept.  Five days of easy light runs.

 

As an ultra runner and even before I started ultra distances, I promised.  As the miles grew long or the hills seemed endless I bargained and nearly promised my first born to simply finish the distance.  You have probably had a similar mental conversation during your own races and hard training runs. 

"Legs just get me through this and I promise to..." 

"Come on thighs get me up this hill and I'll never..." 

"Lungs just stop coughing for the next mile and I'll take those vitamins."

"Stay focused brain and I promise to get more sleep...stop stressing..."

I did a lot of internal bargaining during the BRR 50.  But usually once I cross that finish line and I kinda forget about how grateful I am that my body and mind and God got me there.  I don't mean to do it.  I am going to blame it on finish line adrenaline.  I am still grateful it's just the promises that I usually seem to forget. 

But not this time.

 

I promised to take 5 - 7 days of "rest" runs.  Done.  In the five days following BRR I only ran 20 miles.  All at an easy gentle pace and followed by lots of stretching.  I promised to get more sleep.  Done.  Thanks to the super secret spy I was able to get extra rest for five days after the race.  I promised to walk more.  Done.  Every day since the BRR I have walked.  Some days it is only 30 minutes but every single day I have gotten it done.  I promised to use my non-running time to play with the kids more.  Done.  We have shared walks, water fights, swinging, snuggles and countless nature hikes to find new friends.

 

 

Thanks to finally keeping some of those race day promises and holding up my end of all that fatigue-induced bargaining, I finally feel a little bit more like myself.  Thanks in part to some much needed rest but also thanks to doing what I promised myself I would do.  It's theraputic to actually do what I know I needed to do. 

 



Now I know that my training will ramp back up before that final taper closer to race day. And I know that I will be playing another round or several of Let's Make a Deal during all those miles in May but thanks to some promises kept I will be looking forward to all those miles to come.

 

What is your craziness promise when you were running playing Let's Make a Deal?

How did that happen?

Day # 159 ~ 3.5 morning miles

I'm asking that question a lot lately.

How'd that happen?

Things seem to be happening and I seem to be unaware of them.

LBM has learned to open doors.  ~ How'd that happen?

Army son shared life changing news that blindsided us ~ How'd that happen?

S'ghetti girl has taken to doing homework on her own without being asked.  ~ How'd that happen?

I surpassed my yearly mileage goal ~ How'd that happen?

I am now at 2026.7 miles.  That means on Tuesday's run I hit 2010 miles.

It came and went and I didn't even realize.

At the begining of the year it seemed like a lot of miles. 

It seemed like something I wasn't sure I'd accomplish but I wanted to reach for it knowing that I need to reach into what is just beyond what I know I can do to be able to see how much more I can do.

Life is a bit chaotic in Shelly-land. 

Army Son has thrown us a big curve ball, one that I am not ready to share in detail yet.

But I know that even though my eyes can't quite see how this will all work out,

I know that it will.

I've been promised and shown that it is true.

²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,^[a] who^[b] have been called according to his purpose.

                                     ~ Romans 8:28 NIV