The last one...

Today was the one...the last one. The last training run. Funny thing is that it was ONLY 3 miles. As recently as this spring, 3 miles was a long run. Today, I was lost. North on the Lake to my favorite point was for 5 miles runs...South to Adler was for 7-8 milers. Where do I run for only 3 miles??? Which way to go? Neither would get me that view that I so look forward to at the 1/2 way point, but I needed to be outside and I needed to be on MY running path on the lake for this one. I decided to go North and just deal with it, turn at Oak St Beach, it will be fine......as I was approaching Lake Shore Drive, I saw Navy Pier ahead and knew I had found my route for the day.

I know this is going to seem completely unbelievable, but I am not bs'ing you, and not exaggerating. As I turned onto the pier and the horizon came into view, no kidding, the sun was just waking up, showing 1/2 of itself over a calm Lake Michigan. It was a huge sun this AM, like a silver dollar, you know what I'm talking about. Curiously large, making you wonder why it's so big today vs. other days. Again, all kidding aside, the sun broke the horizon in full as I reached the end of the pier. Glorious. Sureal. Spectacular. I stopped and took it all in, turning back toward the city I love and enjoying the lights festival of amazing dawn colors dancing on the buildings. I immediately saw that spot that this whole journey became real to me on July 23rd. The day I knew why I was doing this and the day I knew I was a runner. I saw the South Shore Cultural center in the distance, the end of a hard 20 mile run. I saw the police boat pier that was the final loop before heading back to where I started on so many of my runs. What a breathtaking and humbling moment it was.

I am humbled by what I am about to accomplish and have grown more that anyone will ever understand. Life is much more in perspective now and while I will still work too many hours and forget to write back, still not have enough patience with my kids and will too often let life get in the way of what's important, trust me when I say that I'm a much better man than I was 5 months ago, for many reasons and on many levels. Each of you are a part of this evolution and I am forever grateful.

To help keep it all real, however, Elvis, aka Little sh*t, got sprayed by a skunk tonight, just as I added the spinach to my favorite pasta dish on the stove. So, while dinner got cold, I got to give my first "tomato juice" bath to a stinky mutt. Ah reality!

Not sure where my head will be this weekend, so for now, I'm out until after it's done. Thanks again for the amazing outpouring of support and generous donations. We're going to exceed $6500 together and TEAM Lungevity will pass our goal of $35k by the morning! Awesome.