Patience

Patience

I looked at the upcoming weather and my schedule for the week and decided that if a long run was going to happen this week it was going to have to be today. My trusty running partner, Maureen, joined me, on very short notice, for a little twenty mile jog up and down the hilly gravel roads south of Gretna.

This is one hilly course! We climbed over 3600 feet of hills and descended the same amount since we start and finish in the same spot.

Here are some interesting facts about this course:

The run was 20.24 miles. 8.42 miles were run uphill at a pace of 8:07 per mile. 8.64 miles were run downhill at a pace of 7:58 per mile. 3.18 miles were run on flat ground at a pace of 8:06 per mile. It was icy and slick on many of the roads, so we had to slow it down, especially on the downhills.

Patience is required when somebody runs for 2 hours and 43 minutes. Even when you run with somebody who is fairly entertaining. Patience is also required in life. Here is the lesson I have been learning from the long runs:

Don't keep looking at the watch, just stay focused on the road ahead and enjoy the journey.