the perfect run

I ran another little 5K race on a Sunday, interrupting the string of long runs. A week later I decided on 16 miles, thinking it was necessary to do more than a half marathon but wiser not to attempt too much after the gap.

It turned out to be the perfect run, or at least as close to that as I ever get. Smooth, steady and fast, it took a half hour less than my average time on that distance. I ended up doing 16.5, out of sheer momentum. I "fueled" and did not get sick from it, as it usually happens. It got hot, but the heat didn't affect me. Much more important, I ran in the present, never ahead of myself, never wanting it to be over. I stayed with it, step by step, each and every moment.

It was over in no time.