The days immediately following the race have been incredibly rewarding.  People from the four corners of my life have come out to celebrate with me, and I’m flattered by the interest.  LOL, I’m not used to this kind of attention.   Get used to it girl!  This is your New Life you are Living!!

It’s fascinating how many people are genuinely interested in hearing the details about the race.  How I prepared for it.  What it felt like.  And most importantly, how good it felt to cross the finish line.  People look at me with delicious expectation to hear that part of the experience.  Marathon Brian has told me this a couple of times now….”Diane, there’s no two ways about it, You are not only a Runner, but you are an Elite Runner.  You have done something rare.  Something not many people are willing to endure”.  As I was looking at my Training Schedule log, something amazing dawned on me.  All this time, I was focussing on my ability to run 13.1 miles on April 22nd.   All of a sudden, my math brain clicked into gear, and I began to tally up all the miles I ran over the past 18 weeks.  Subtracting the circled runs that I missed……the incredible realization is:   I ran over 300 miles in training, preparing to run 13.1 miles on April 22nd.  Huh?  WOW!  The penny finally dropped on something else Marathon Brian had said to me in the past couple of weeks.  Whenever I would call him and begin to worry or show my nerves about Race day, he would always respond saying this, “Diane, the Training has been all the work…..the Race is going to be your Payoff.  Enjoy it.”   Huh?  Payoff?  But the Race is THE event, it’s what I’m foccussed on, what I’m worried about!!   LOL.  But that’s the point I didn’t get until now.  I understand now that allll those early morning hours on the road, those hours running on Christmas Day, the hours running in the snow, the hours running in Yellow……with each of those hours, I paid my dues.  I paid the price of admission to the Race.  And the Race…..the Race was going to be my Joy.   The Payoff.   Ah- Ha!   Marathon Brian never lets me down.

So, It’s Special.  What I did was Special.  I think that’s the thing that is only just settling in now, days later.  The look in people’s eyes is about curiosity and wonder about this special experience, but …….it’s also about them witnessing my ever-present Joy.   Another unexpected surprise has been how enduring the Good Feelings are.  I understood that crossing the finish line would feel good.  I significantly underestimated just How Good.  LOL  But I didn’t realize how long-lasting the Good Feelings would be, could be.

A man I work with gave me the best compliment today.  He said I looked great, that I seemed Full of Life.  <Deep Breathe, Exhale>.  Yea, that pretty much says it all.  I feel So Alive, and Happy.  I walk with purpose, I say hello to like, everybody!   I make my coffee happy, I eat my salad happy, I’m just enjoying normal things more than I did before Sunday.  It’s Weird.  It’s also Cool.  I don’t fully understand it, but I’m just going to Soak It Up, and Try to Roll It Over into My Next Thing.

Yea…..that question has come alot this week.  “So Diane, whatcha gonna do next?”  LOL, I guess if there is a downside to being successful at a BIG DEAL kinda thing, that would be it.  People want to know how you are gong to top it?  So, this is where my mind is wandering now.  And wandering is a really good thing sometimes.  Let’s go to the Dictionary once again:

Wandering:  to walk or move in a leisurely, casual, or aimless way

Mmmmm, yummy.  After 18 weeks of strict regimen, culminating in running 13.1 miles with a herd of gazelle — walking leisurely and aimlessly through my thoughts sounds really really good.  I’ve got some ideas about what comes next that I’m kicking around and you’ll be the first to know when my wandering leads to a new place.

Ciao for now……Diane