My husband's work is a constant adventure. He flies around the nation hauling the famous and merely rich, flying through storms, over mountains, across the Bermuda triangle. Every day is different. He never knows what the next hour will bring.
My life is very organized. I go to court on the same days each week. I teach yoga on Wednesdays. I organize and teach our homeschool. I manage our three boys' interests and needs. I cook, I clean; I take care of the dog; and although every day is a little different, I wouldn't say that my life is an adventure.
Last weekend, I changed that routine. After a mere three months of training, and no long runs past 13 miles, I ran the full 26.2 miles of the St. Louis Marathon. What a surprise! I expected to drop out somewhere between 13 and 18 miles. After the first two hours, my jitters went away as exhaustion set in. At the halfway point, I would have stopped if not for my dear friend, Tammy Johnson, who ran alongside me through all of Forest Park, and kept me energized with laughter and conversation. Once we reached mile 15, I decided to go for it!
John described my pace as "Chugga-chugga." I guess that's about right. I was just proud not to be walking. The miles creeped by. John handed me bananas and juices whenever he found me. Strangers cheered and held up funny signs-- none of which I can now remember. Strangers set up renegade aid stations serving everything from water and Twizzlers to beer and waffles. I gulped Gatorade and sucked Gu gels and kept going. The muscles in my legs became more and more stiff as I concentrated on moving forward. I no longer had a thought in my head. Just running.
At mile 25, John ran with me to the finish. He chanted bits of marine corps running songs. He distracted me and cheered me. As I sprinted forward to the finish (at least I thought I was sprinting!), John veered off the course to avoid entering the finishers chute. At that moment, a (presumably) homeless man shouted to John, "DON'T GIVE UP NOW! YOU'RE ALMOST THERE!!" Bless his heart. The poor man didn't want to see John quit. John, dressed in khaki shorts, t-shirt, street shoes, and wearing a backpack, turned around and thought about explaining that he was not in the race, but changed his mind when he saw the man's appearance.
The walk to the car was almost as hard as the race itself. My legs were seizing up on me, and I was afraid I would fall over when I had to step down from a curb or hurry across the street. John held my arm and helped me. He tried not to laugh. I was both teary with pleasure at my unexpected accomplishment and simultaneously amazed at what a stupid idea it is to pay to go through it!
Much to my surprise, John told me how proud he was of me as we drove home. He told me how he had stopped questioning my ability to accomplish the things I set out to do. Quit my job and go to law school on a full scholarship? Sure. Work for a big Atlanta law firm? Done. Quit my high paying job, have three kids, three part-time jobs, homeschool, and train for a marathon? Why not?!
I guess my life is a bit of an adventure after all. Of course, the next big adventure was crawling up the stairs to a hot bath. Weirdest part? As I lay in the bathtub unable to get out, I found myself planning for the next one!
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