This was not one of those days.
No, this was one of those training runs that when you finally get to the goal, look back on and realize that without a doubt, you EARNED your time as you've crossed the finish line.
Only 2 miles in, I found myself walking, thinking of walking the 2 miles back home with my tail between my legs. I kept going.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ...He said to me, "...my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Through the difficulty, there were quite a few positives. I ran on the levees that circle Marysville, and as a result, got to run and see a route I barely even knew existed.
As I ran behind the Bok Kai Temple and Silver Dollar Saloon, I started feeling abit better. Not completely, but enough so that I wasn't ready to stop running any longer. Then I stumbled on a piece of artwork on the levee path.
Meanwhile, I kept going. The view of Marysville from back here was different, seeing the standard landmarks from above and behind. After crossing Simpson Lane, the levee road towards the dump started degrading. Lots of cracks, grass growing through them, and I found myself tripping every hundred feet or so. To my credit, I never once fell, although I thought I would!
At the dump entrance, I crossed Highway 20. As I did, a woman pushed a stroller across the highway coming from the other side. This wasn't exactly the safest thing to be doing, as the dump entrance is where people start accellerating out of town in one direction and decellerating into town!
The levee on the other side was another area I'd never been. Houses on one side, farms on the other, it was blocked so motor vehicles couldn't drive on it. It's a good thing, because there were spots in the road where the ground beneath the asphalt had given way and you could see holes going feet down to the dirt underneath.
Once I reached the Marysville High School baseball park, I was able to cross Highway 20 again on the railroad crossing and meet up at Binney Junction, where I started to feel the hint of restroom need.
Normally this doesn't happen to me 10 miles in, and I thought perhaps the problem was the Gu or Cytomax. I stopped at Mountain Mike's Pizza to use the restroom and while there, had some garlic bread and soda.
When I got back to the last portion of Arboga Road and the infamous Furneaux Road, I came to the realization that I was going to be short for miles. I knew this ahead of time, but for some reason it hadn't sunk in: the Marysville Loop is 8 miles, while the trip to the levee is 4 miles in and 4 miles out, making a total of 16 miles round trip. I was 2 miles short!
I took Furneaux Road, which loops and added a half mile. I also ran into the airport and found out that that barely adds a half mile. With my additions, I managed 17.45 miles, still short of the 18 originally planned. I could have made up the rest, but just didn't have the energy.
See the activity on RunSaturday
| Type: | Run - General |
| Duration: | 3:55:09 |
| Distance: | 17.45 mi |
This is the point where I would normally type out all my splits, but these ones are just too depressing. :P
Meanwhile, next week's supposed to be rainy! I was hoping the rain would be gone. At least next Saturday's long run is a step-back at only 10 miles, hopefully my 20-miler the following Saturday will have as nice weather as this one did.
Oh, and thanks for putting up with my whining. Only two weeks before the taper...
