Eighteen miles, at least two weekends in a row

Would a few more photos be okay?  Because that’s what I’ve got.  I ran eighteen miles on Saturday, which is nothing to complain about, of course, but I think something happens to your brain after running that long. I think you spend all that time with your thoughts and then pretty much leave them out there somewhere.  Being that it takes me several hours to run eighteen miles these days, that is a lot of thoughts.

Then again, this may be the closest I ever come to the thoughts many women claim to have regarding child birth, because as much pain as I was in on Saturday, I’m just going to go and do it again next weekend. And the next, and then the next, and then LOT more on the next.  It doesn’t make sense, and yet, it is so worth it.  I just hope my body holds up.

I’m not sure I’ll ever run another marathon after this. I have a brain made for running and a body made for, well, not running.  Short little jaunts around town seem better.  And maybe not even on foot.  In fact, at about mile fourteen on Saturday as I was being passed by every person in  my city that owns a bike, I seriously wanted to take up cycling.  Like real cycling, not the kind I do now which is yes-I-own-a-bike-and-sometimes-I-ride-it—even-to-work! kind of cycling.  In those last few miles of my run, the thought of covering ground faster than I was at that moment really made so much more sense.

Speaking of covering ground, I covered way too much in New York.  Not “way too much” as in we shouldn’t have done it, but way too much in that my legs hurt just as badly after last weekend as they do this weekend. I’m pretty sure I put in at least eighteen miles over two days.  My body is going to rebel any second, I can feel it.

And I think I wore out brand new pairs of shoes both weekends.

I must have a thousand church photos. I’m sure there is some deep-seeded reason for this that I’m not ready to face in reality.

And, of course, just as many photos of the sides of buildings. Because, said in my best country-girl voice, we don’t have those here, y’all.

Of course, I had to geek out a little too.  Oddly, for the exact same reason:  we don’t have those here, y’all.

Oh, look, more church!

No visit would be complete without a trip through Central Park, so that we did.  And, because this was the first color I saw in the city that didn’t involve paint or neon lighting, I ran right up to this tree and declared it SPRING!

And no one even looked at me funny.  That might be what I love about New York City most of all, the complete anonymity you have, even if you’re not trying.

And walking through the park, knowing spring was on it’s way, I almost wished I’d brought along my running shoes.  Almost.

There is a chance I’ve gone too far on this NYC photo tour here, but I’m going to push it one further.

Next: a real-life blogger meet-up story.  Remember the words “strawberry butter.” I told you that was going to come up again!