27 January 2008
On top of the world!
Posted by Deborah Pieri under: Deborah Pieri .
Thursday was one of those days where everything seems to go right. You know those days when you think “Today is so great that I wouldn’t be surprised if I won a million bucks!” Well, I didn’t win a million bucks, but it was a wonderful day! I had a fun day with my students at school, and was just rushing off to the Y to teach a powerflex class, when my friend Joann called to tell me what time she would pick me up for the movie, “The Spirit of the Marathon.” I had completely forgotton about it. . . . thank you for the ticket Amy!
So, very excited to see the movie, I went to the Y, taught my class, then dashed up to the 3rd floor to meet the other road warriors for speed work on the track. I was thrilled to clock an 8:55 mile. I know that’s not fast for some of you, but it meant so much to me. It is my first sub-9 minute mile since cancer treatments three years ago. I felt so triumphant and happy!
I don’t think I would have pushed that hard if Mike and Terry hadn’t been running around the track with me offering encouragement and support! I was practically floating down the steps at the Y as I rushed to the locker room for a two minute shower and then home to meet Joann and Amy’s son, Tommy for the movie. Joann was already waiting for me when I arrived home, so I grabbed the mail and paper, my stuff from school, and my gym bag and ran up the stairs to put it all in the house. I glanced at the mail and two things caught my attention. First a letter from my doctor letting me know that a recent test came back good. . . .no cancerous cells. Once you’ve had cancer every test you have leaves you feeling uneasy until you get the results! The other envelope was from my son Sam who is at boot camp. I anxiously tore it open. It’s been two weeks since he left and we hadn’t heard a word. Even though it was just a form letter, it gave us an address where we could send the many letters we had already written and it was signed by Sam!
I’m sure Joann and Tommy must have thought I was a little crazy as I bounced into the car spilling the news from Sam, my test results, my sub 9 mile, and now we were headed to a movie that I was so excited to see! I was ready to explode with joy! I think I mentioned in another blog that I am one of those people who experiences a very intense runner’s high. . . .almost always. The endorphins were still zinging through me!
For those of you who saw “Spirit of the Marathon” I’m sure that you’ll agree that it was well worth seeing. Joann and I especially loved it because it was about the Chicago Marathon.. . . . which we’ve run together three times. The movie followed the training of several very different runners, from the elite to the average runner. It was very inspiring and so well-done. Runners know that there are high points and low points as the months pass when we’re training for a big race. There are times when you are in pain or injured or you are just so tired of all the training. Persistence and consistency pay off in the end though. There’s nothing like that elation you feel crossing the finish line. When I was training for my first marathon I was reading several books about marathons. In one of them was a statement that went something like this: “The marathon is merely the victory lap. . . . . the many months of training is the real work!” That’s how it is with the 5/3 riverbank run as well. Consistent training is so important. Anyway, I hear that the movie will show again in February. Go see it! You will be inspired!
The snow is beautiful, but it wasn’t easy to run in it yesterday. I figured it would be real slow going, and it was in spots. When we arrived back at Aquinas one of the women in the group I ran with from rungazelle said we had run 10.89 miles. . . we kind of took a wrong turn! I thought there must be some mistake when I looked at my watch. My first thought was, this can’t be right because I can’t run that fast. I haven’t run that fast in 3 years. Sondra, who I ran with most of the way assured me that we had maintained a good clip. Thank you for the great conversation Sondra. . . . the miles flew by so quickly! And thank you Coach Woj for the core conditioning work we did before the run. The core is a critical area that many runners ignore. Like Steve, I am very impressed with the friendly, welcoming attitude I have received from rungazelle. I love the camaraderie! Thank you!
Happy running this week!
Deb
3 Comments so far...
Nasreen Fynewever Says:
27 January 2008 at 8:40 pm.
Thanks for the post Deb. If you are allowed to, can you post more information about the movie in case we would like to go in February? Thanks.
Amy Says:
28 January 2008 at 8:53 am.
Deb you are a true warrior! You are tackling this challenge with stength and emotion! Keep up the great work!
Tommy had a great time with you and Joann at the movie. (Once you were directed in the right theatre:) LOL ) He is very excited about running with Joe! He can’t wait to start!
I admire both you and Joann and your passion for running! I totally “get it” now that i am part of the runners instead of being annoyed by them:)
Keep smiling along the miles:) Amy
Deb Says:
7 February 2008 at 5:31 pm.
I am told the movie will show again on February 21st at 7:30. It’s well worth seeing! Thanks for the comments!