Erin Go Run

Mile 4

This mile was the most green. We ran through a park or zoo. the leaves on the trees were falling beautifully and the pavement smelled oof freshly fallen rain. When I looked up, I could see some of the taller buildings sticking out into the sky with the sun shining in the back. There were some clouds blowing in, which gave me comfort to know that it would not be an unbearably hot run.

Mile 5

We were still running through the park, and had finished the last mile in 7 minutes…. I know some people think that I am fast, but in a marathon I should not be going any lower than 8 minutes. I told my running buddy to slow down. This was her first marathon, and she “felt good”; but we all do 5 miles into a race (until we think about the rest of the 21  miles to go). Having already had 2 marathons under my belt (shameless plug- one under 3:30) I knew that we would not be able to hadle this for 21 miles. I got nervous and let her go on ahead. But through the rest of the mile, I kep thinking- Why can’t I? And so…. I reached for my energy beans and munched on a couple. I am not sure if they really gave me the energy, or if it was mental, but I began to speed up a little.

Mile 6

Trying to keep from being discouraged, I scout out Oz (running partner) and start to “reel her in” is how we used to say it in High School. I watched her getting closer, and suddenly I felt like we could maybe do this together- superstars from America. Still running through the park, I catch up to Oz and we continue running in the green foresty area of the park. As a runner, it is moments like this that you appreciate. When you can look around, take in the site, and see it one step at a time. Whether I was taking a breath of the fresh air or to catch my breath, I took it in as best I could and said- “I am in Dublin.”