17 Miles

If you ran from Naperville to Schaumburg, that's 17 miles. Or if you ran from Chicago up to Wilmette, that's 17 miles too. Or if you got up at 5 am and ran up and down the lakeshore with my pace group on Saturday, that would have been 17 miles as well. It's a long effin' way on two legs.

So we ran super slow and extra steady with lots of little breaks in between. Despite our diligent care it was difficult to walk immediately afterward, and an hour later Gabbi and I concurred that it felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to our legs.

The run itself was an exercise in will power. There were so many moments that it was tempting to give up and walk the rest or turn around early. For some reason, each time I thought about that it reinforced my resolve to continue. Surrender is never an option.

So we did shots of salt packets in the hot summer sun with the humidity melting the energy out of us. We pounded the warm asphalt in rhythm every time the watch beeped signaling us to run. And we finished 17 miles.