1 and done

Last year, my last run before the Marathon was a memorable run to the end of Navy Pier in time to see the sun rise and have a perfect vantage point to see both my favorite points from my training. Today....not so much. Typical Chicago Fall morning. Cold, Rain and Wind. Perfect! Despite need to stay healthy, I decided that I needed to go for it and I did. Not too bad. Had to dodge puddles to keep the feet dry, but otherwise, just another run....until the end of the pier. As I approached, I noted the flags at the end flapping relentlessly in the wind. You could feel the tension in the threads of the fabric being pulled and stretched. Sure enough, as soon as I passed the end of the building, bam, the wind hit and pushed me to the right. I made it to the end and stopped to take a look around. As glorious as last year, but in a totally different way. It took only a matter of moments before I decided I had seen enough and headed home.

I've noticed in the past few weeks that the runners on the path(s) are different then during the season. Those in training far out number those on a casual run. You can see the difference in their faces. This is the grind. You have to fight with yourself every morning to get out and run. These are not the hard miles, they are the tedious ones. Long runs in the rear view mirror and Marathon day dangling like a carrot in front of you. There are no milestones to achieve, nothing to celebrate, simply easy runs to keep your body in tune. When eye contact is made with others in the grind, no words are exchanged, but there is a deep sense of appreciation for what each other has accomplished and a nod of support as if to say, "Good job, almost there." It's a comforting and uplifting non-verbal conversation. Today, however, was different. The mood, despite the weather was upbeat and energetic. The end was here and everyone had a more lively step and smiles replaced the furrowed brows of the days before. Those in from out of town for Chicago '09 were obvious as they ran the lakefront path in awe of the track we are so lucky to train on. Despite the gloomy morning, the spirit of the runners rose above the cold and the rain and made for yet another glorious run.

Looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow and chilling on the couch all day. Sunday will bring closure to this chapter and while I don't know how it will end, I'm confident it will be good.