8 Miles...

Imagine this: It's a bright, sunny, Sunday afternoon. The birds are singing, the flowers are starting to bloom, and spring is in the air. Why not strap on your running shoes and head out for a nice leisurely jog? How about making that an 8-mile run across the heart of Dallas? Well, that was my Sunday.

Yesterday I met up with Chandra and Becky at Hillcrest & LBJ. For those of you who live in the Metromess, you know where that is. Our goal was to run along the White Rock Creek Trail down to White Rock Lake. Yes, all the way down to Northwest Highway. Great Googly Moogly!

So off we went. Chandra's goal was to run 7, mine was to run 8, and Becky was just along for the ride... and what a ride it was! After almost getting hit by a car as we crossed under LBJ ("HEY! I'M WALKIN' HERE!!!"), we meandered our way along the creek. It was nice - lots of people out enjoying the day. Unfortunately for us, it was breezy and someone had turned up the "hell setting" with the heat.

And so we ran... and ran and ran and ran! Chandra had some difficulties with her asthma, so Becky and I continued on without her so she could go at her own pace. Becky and I passed the time talking about a variety of subjects. However, it was still a beating! Around the 5.5 mile mark, Becky told me to go on without her so she could catch her breath.

Now is where one REALLY decides "am I a runner or a quitter." I was hot, I was sore, and I had 2.5 miles to go without the benefit of a partner or my iPod. Becky said she wished she had a camera because I looked "awesome" running down the trail without a soul in sight. If she had only seen my face...

So I kept going. About a mile and a half remaining, I realized that I was almost to Northwest Highway and I needed to run longer. Uuugh! By the time I reached it, I still had a mile left. I decided to turn back around and go back up the trail for half a mile instead of venturing across the busy street. Doing so I passed both Becky and Chandra, but again I was running by myself.

I kept thinking, "Ok... this is your trial. You can do it!" But I gotta say, it was miserable. I made my way past the DART track and up the creek until I finally reached .5, then turned back. I made it back to them in the parking lot and was SO excited to stop. Kevin arrived shortly after and had the bottles of water we had stored with him.

Driving back to our cars at LBJ/Hillcrest, I kept saying, "Holy Crap we just ran from LBJ to Northwest Highway!" That little achievement necessitated a stop at Sonic for a Route 44 Cherry Limeade. Man, BEST I've ever had!

The rest of the day was spent limping and hurting. That's my reward. Ok, finishing my first 8-mile run since 1999 was a reward in itself. And Chandra did achieve her goal for 7, and Becky got in 6.5. Now I just have to run 4, 6, 4, and 4 the rest of the week. Whoo Hoo!