The end is near

When I was starting my blog and I was trying to come up with a name the first one that came to my mind was "run for your life". Unfortunately, it was taken, so I came up with the cuckoo one...

I came across the original "Run for your life" blog a few hours ago. It's being written by a guy who just turned 80 and started running in his 50's.
This is his blog, and there are some pretty cool photos in there, too...
Run For your Life

This is one that I stole from his blog:



























Yesterday, it was probably my worst run ever. I wanted to do my last long run before the race and I decided to go for an hour. Again, I wanted to quit after the first 15', my chest started hurting after 30' and I was thinking that if I had a heart attack it wouldn't be such a bad way to die...
(Note that when I decided to start training for real I had a full check, so I have neither any heart issues that I know of, nor a heart-disease family record.)
I thought that if I don't do this last long run I will be very stressed at my race day, although I'm pretty sure I can run the 10K anyway...

Papi C. told me: "you're just before the race. Go for it, and you can reconsider the whole running thing later.".
But, there is this photo...

I feel so lucky to be able to run in the first place. I don't take things like that for granted anymore.
Don't take for granted that you'll always be strong, be able to run, or enjoy life.
Don't take for granted that you'll live to see another day, that your loved ones will always be there, that you'll always be healthy.

Races are a good way to help you train better for a specific goal. I don't know how my first one will be but I remember how excited I was when I ran my first 5K and then my first 10K.

I remember the late evenings when I was running under the moonlight at a dirt road and I didn't need any artificial light because the moon was so bright. I remember that I did my personal 10K record after I've had a great night at the beach with great company and a bottle of wine. I remember how proud my co-runner and I were when we where finishing another training and that the sweet pain in your muscles after you take a shower reminds you that you've won another race.

                               
 Home-made paper lantern at the beach. Worked pretty well :)

















So, I guess I'm not stopping after September 2nd...
It's just the end of a 10K and the beginning of a half-marathon :)

Race sign photos from Jill' s blog:
http://bestracesigns.wordpress.com/