Perspective

I have a new perspective on running distance.  The past 3 half marathons that I've participated in have had absolutely awful weather.  They have been super cold and wet.  Here's the breakdown.... 

1.  The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon had a freakishly cold thunderstorm blow through (complete with a torrential downpour or rain, lightening, and hail!) on May 1, 2011.  

2.  The Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa, OK on Nov. 20 was freezing cold and misty.  The cold winds were brutal!

3.  The Dallas White Rock Marathon on Dec. 4 was freezing cold with heavy rain the entire 13.1 miles.  

These aren't my favorite running conditions by any means.  There is one group of people that I believe have it much worse than us runners.  Can you guess who?  My vote is the spectators, entertainers, and people who are there just to cheer us on and support us.  Can you imagine standing in those cold nasty conditions for several hours?  Well, I sure know I wouldn't be out there if I wasn't running.  I'm so grateful for each and every person that has been there to support me and all the other runners during these races.  

Now, because of the weather we haven't had quite the support that there usually is when the weather is good.  You don't really realize just how important the spectators are until they're not there for you.  I remember saying that making it through 13.1 miles without much of a crowd was one of the most difficult things ever.  

As my mileage has increased, so has my perspective.  The past two weekends I have run at least a half marathon.  I did this without any crowds there to cheer me on.  It was just me, the road, and some other runners.  Now, look how far I can go all by myself!  This sure puts a new spin on things.  Love it!