Marathon

Yesterday, I ran the Cowtown Marathon. I had been training for this since the start of the school year in August. I woke up at 5:00 AM, and we started around 7:30. We came from Dickier's Arena, down into the Fort Worth Stockyards, and then down North Main Street, where there were thousands of runners. 

As we ran, all kinds of things were going on. There were volunteers offering water and Gatorade, while others handed out donuts, candy, and pickles. There were also a shocking number of people offering shots of Fireball and Tito's, while a block down, you'd have a priest blessing people with Holy Water. There was live music every few miles, and a memorial for local veterans who lost their lives for our country. Some parts were crowded, others sparse. We ran up by TCU and back down through the Trinity River parks. 

Two things stuck out to me. The first was how it became socially acceptable to just throw your trash wherever on the road. Don't get me wrong, I get it. Being environmentally responsible during an 26.2 miles of cardiac tension tends to be the least of priorities. There were tens of thousands of small cups disposed of on the roads, especially in large piles near refuel stations. There were also hundreds of leftover plastic gel packs. I'm sure the volunteers and the city had a well-thought-out plan for cleaning it up, however. I wonder what Abbey would think of modern marathons. I'm sure he would have fun commenting on them. I also wonder how'd he react if, back in his day, Arches National Park decided to host a marathon of their own. 

During the last few miles of the run, I started cramping everywhere from my calves up to my forearms. It wasn't painful, but I was definitely moving like a zombie at that point. By mile 24, I was running down the Trinity River, in the same spot I trained. During this last stretch, I remember feeling and overhwlming sense of gratitude, even if I was limping. I thought about how special it was to be able to run.