14 is in the rear view mirror!

There is no other way to say it....I was nervous about this one. 16 miles. Nearly 3 hours. After my miserable 14 in Orlando, I was concerned about winning the mental game on this one, especially because they (whoever "they" are) say that once you accomplish 16, you can accomplish 26.2. Well...I did it and I did it well. Didn't even have to debate whether or not to take a walk break. 16 strong, running from first step to last. 16 miles, 2:56:52,11:02/mile, 2708 calories. 33 miles for the week. New Personal Bests all around! On the day of the Men's Marathon in Beijing no less. Slower than I wanted, but run was steady and consistent....Annette's lesson in Friday's spin class.

The morning started right...at 4:38am, I got the txt message from the Obama campaign naming Joe Biden as his running mate. Don't mean to get political, but I called this ticket at least 10 months ago, albeit the other way around. Regardless, I was stoked as I believe that Biden has the best plan to get us out of Iraq without leaving a mess behind and I think together, they will restore first, our faith in the government and then the world's faith in us. It is a great day!

It was a humid morning. Mother Nature trying to decide whether to make the weather reports truth or fiction. Temp was in the low 70's and it was overcast. I knew in the first mile that it was going to be a good day. Often times, the first mile can be the hardest. Today, it wasn't. The trail was relatively quite, but with a few characters more interesting than the wildlife of last weekend. A running club that I assume is training for 10.12 too was out. See them every weekend. A few cyclists, a few runners, a family fishing for tonight's dinner in the Fox river, a white haired couple with yellow highlights in their hair and mustache from the nicotine of the smoke hanging out of their mouths, 2 housewives sneaking a forbidden kiss on their morning walk, a kid with his hat cocked and baggie pants pulling up in Mom and Dad's car and talking to the dealers near the Elgin train station, Asian twins on an easy run, Casino workers preparing for a long Saturday and the oddest thing....more squished toads than I've seen in my life, almost as if the Toad Jim Jones formed a cult and asked them to sacrifice themselves yesterday. It was, to quote my buddy Brianna, random.

Every once in a while, the 14 mile run crept into my head, but I was able to squash the thought pretty easily. It was an interesting run emotionally. Right around 7 miles, I came upon the South Elgin train station where, some many times, after a long day of work and related entertaining, I drop Roderick (aka The Mayor) off at his car, both of us debating whether or not the light would be on when we get home. I thought of The Mayor and what his reaction will be when I tell him that I ran beyond that station, only to reach my 1/2 way point. I thought of he and his wife Mimi and how strong they are in raising Cassie, their daughter living with a form of epilepsy, and wondered if I could be that strong. A chill came over me and I suddenly became very emotional when I thought of Cassie and how strong that little girl is to live with this condition and love life as much as anyone I know. She is truly a beautiful and happy child who's love for life is contagious. If I can be 1/2 as strong as her, this marathon will be in the bag. I am lucky to have them in my life, but like so many other friends, we have let life get in the way of getting the families together. That will change.

On the back half of the run, the weather shifted and the skies began to clear. The humidity dropped and a cool breeze picked-up. Thanks Lorraine! In Orlando, she tried to help by blowing a breeze on my back during the final miles, but even she couldn't beat those conditions. As I approached the 14 mile mark, my head was spinning. I was going to do it. The perfect song came on to get me past the memory of that awful run. "All My Life" by Foo Fighters. As I took my first step farther than I had ever run, Dave Grohl screamed "Dead, dead, on to the next one!" in my ear and it was behind me. The Orlando run was dead to me suddenly and I was on to the next new goal. I was angry and elated. Screw you 14, I'm better than you. Oh boy....I am admittedly losing it as I sit here recalling it....the last 2 miles were easy. Usually, the longest miles,but not today. As my nike plus told me I had 1 mile left, I was trying to contain my emotion when Lorraine snapped be back to reality by dropping my ipod out of it's pouch to the ground. "Finish the run Pat, Jared's soccer game is starting" she was telling me.

Can't begin to put into words how amazing it feels to run 16 miles for the first time. Only 2 more long runs between now and 10.12. I can't believe it. Long post today, but lots going on up top here, so sorry and thanks for stopping by my blog. I appreciate your support more than ever. 50 days until the race. Wow. Mind boggling.