58 minutes!

It may not be a world record, but it's freakin' fast for me! I just finished a 7 mile run (in the wind no less, although I have to admit it's died down quite a bit since this morning) a few minutes ago. While I was running tonight, I felt, well, fast. It was the fastest I can ever remember running. Despite the pain at the beginning from my shins, I refused to walk. I felt good, great even. 7 miles in 58 minutes for me is unheard of. I didn't even have to trick myself with silly banter about what I saw on my run. I did sort of put together a blog entry during the last 1/2 mile or so though ... it went something like this:

Thoughts while running 7 miles on a cool, windy day:
1. When it's colder my thighs still rub together...
2. but between the breeze and the body glide it's not that bad...
3. and getting myself able to run 7 miles has decreased the surface area that rubs.
4. When the wind blows the hardest, that song with the chorus "running against the wind, still running, running against the wind" involuntarily plays in my head...
5. evidently even my subconscious is a comedian.
6. I run even when my shins are in pain...
7. because I'm either a glutton for punishment or I'm crazy...
8. I guess it depends on who you ask.
9. I think people who run marathons are nuts...
10. but sign me up for a triathlon whose mileage adds up to more than a marathon...
11. I'll love it and ask "when's the next one?" when I finish.
12. I'm not a likely triathlete...
13. I have extra poundage, twins, endocrine system problems, asthma, high cholesterol, a slightly degenerated disk in my lower back, recurring shin splints, and one shoulder lower than the other...
14. that's why I laugh when people tell me that they could NEVER do a triathlon...
15. I do it because my brain tells me that I can... and I believe that little voice in my head.
16. I also do it for money - not for me, for cancer research so that I can endure for others.
17. When I started Team in Training for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, I wasn't sure I could do it... Mr. Darcy wasn't either... he kept saying "do you know how far that is?"
18. Then he reminded both me and him that "one thing I know about you is that when you decide to do something, you do it." And that was that.
19. Cancer sucks. Cancer research will some day find a cure. I believe it in my heart of hearts.
20. And how cool is it to think that maybe some of the money I raise will have helped make that happen.
21. When I looked at the Team in Training schedule when we first started training, I saw the day with a 7 mile run on it (today) and panicked.
22. This week when I looked at it, I just saw another day to better my "farthest run to date" again.
23. I actually like this running thing...
24. and I feel really fast today...
25. I'm done? Already?

So not only did I run farther than I've ever run in my life tonight (7 miles), but I did it fast (58 minutes!!). How about them apples?