I have been spending a lot of time with Stella and it is time that I really cherish. Every minute, day and night. And that will never change.
But sometimes I do miss doing regular stuff. Which for me means running along crazy rocky trails all through the night. But I have to be honest. I don’t always enjoy running.
Running can be tough. Especially if you are going over difficult terrain or through long distances or really pushing the pace. And at those times, you don’t really enjoy running. It is more something you take on, a challenge to yourself, to see what you are capable of. Don’t get me wrong, you always love the unique feeling you get after finishing a tough race or training run.
But one thing I always enjoy is running with my friends. Last night was a 210 kilometer relay race that took on dozens of trails throughout the Judean hills. 1,800 runners participated in teams of four, six, and eight. In four man teams, each runner ran over fifty kilometers. Since my schedule depends on how Stella is doing, I can’t often make a commitment to do a run until the day before. And usually, I can’t take a whole night away.
But with Stella continuing to feel strong, I decided to jump into this race as an “unofficial” runner, shadowing my friends in the Bet Shemesh Running Club.
So I showed up and surprised everyone and ran three segments of the race. They were very difficult segments and at times it did hurt climbing those hills in the dark. But that’s ok, because while I did appreciate the chance to run, I appreciated the chance to be with friends even more. As Chaim Wizman said, “Everything about the event was really great….. Except the running.”
Sometimes what you really need is to get a bunch of cold sweaty hugs.
I have not really had much time to train so my body was simply not up to running the full fifty. At around thirty my knee started hurting and I knew that I had had enough. Everyone arranged for me to get back to my car and I made it home in the middle of the night. It was very nice to come into a warm house where Stella had waited up and I could enjoy a nice hot meal and then sleep in my own bed while my friends were still running in the dark and the cold (Ha!)
It’s ok. This time I wasn’t running for medals or timing or even a t-shirt. I was running to take a break from our situation for just one crazy night running around with good friends. And by that standard, I was the clear the winner.
Thanks guys. Let’s do this again sometime.
As soon as I can walk again.