A Tough Stretch

Today I am grateful for safe travels over the weekend, time with Darcy's family, and for friends with whom to celebrate recovery.

Darcy and I did a long training run in Sioux Falls on Sunday morning. Unfortunately, the excessive humidity didn't take leave of the area until Sunday night. It led to challenging conditions for the first 20-miler of our marathon training season. We love the SF trail system and the well-placed amenities like bathrooms and drinking fountains. It was that heat and humidity we didn't appreciate much, along with those bikers who don't find it necessary to say "on your left" when approaching behind us. (A big thanks to the many who did say it though.)

The picture below was taken about 11 miles into our run. It was near mile marker 13 on the Sioux Falls trail system. For those of you familiar with SF, we were heading out to the airport area. It's the most remote stretch, and for us Sunday it was a tough stretch. A couple miles down the trail, we headed back in to the city and got a little relief from a breeze.

Long runs and life sometimes have tough stretches. Keep plugging along. Persist. Do the next right thing. Ask for help and allow it. Be grateful. Usually sooner than later, there is a positive shift in perspective and new energy.