In celebration of Utah's Independence Day (as KSL Radio calls it), I spent the morning running in honor of my pioneer heritage. As I ran on South Temple towards the parade route, I recalled running along this same stretch of road back in '08--it was the 24th mile of the Deseret News Marathon. The last 2.2 miles of this marathon were probably the longest--and most painful--of all the marathons I have run. What kept me going? Thinking about what the first and subsequent pioneers endured on their journey to freedom and Zion. My little moment of discomfort and pain was nothing to what they pushed through, and so with renewed effort and energy I pushed myself through to the finish line.
This year, however, I only had to pound out 6.2 miles, and it was glorious and fun to let loose and just run. After getting home from the race, I joined my friend Jody for a good 6+ mile hike up Mueller Park Canyon from her home. I'm basically counting the two events as a half marathon.
As a reward, Steve and I went on one of our beloved movie marathon dates. Now THAT is a marathon I can do anytime with out a complaint!
