Tired now

Saturday I ran the course for the upcoming Half Marathon. Wow is it tough! Even the downhill sections are difficult: there are a couple of spots that are almost technical. My WF training will see me through. At a certain point, it just becomes a matter of refusing to quit. In time, that becomes a flow wherein it is easier to keep running than it is to stop. But here's the funny thing: in 12+ miles of really tough running, the only time I felt the urge to stop was after I had made the last turn.
I had just climbed for over a mile, parts of which were pretty steep. I could see the finish line a couple of hundred yards ahead, but it was still up a slight hill. And then the breeze kicked in, hitting me right in the kisser. For a minute I entertained the idea of stopping: I mean, I was close enough, right? And then I laughed at how easily I had almost allowed my ego to defeat me when I was so close. There's no "close enough" here: there is only do or don't do. I did it.

When I got home I warmed down by helping Sue rake leaves. Then that night we went bowling. Now, I am the worst bowler ever, but it was actually a good exercise in mindfulness and elegance. Only through careful concentration could I bowl straight; when I was lazy I would throw across my body, or my arm would travel away from midline. At the same time, I had to relax and (as Sue said) "let the chi flow," because trying too hard to aim the ball was also bad. So by the end of the night I still wasn't throwing strikes (or even picking up spares), but I was consistently hitting pins. It's a start.

Sunday we did a few more hours of leaf-raking. And then I had a volleyball game. We were short-handed, and had to play with just 5 people. But we brought a lot of energy, and won handily. I'm feeling especially well-trained this morning. I might do some yoga, but I think most likely I'll just try to get the dogs out for a longer walk.