26 Miles

Wow. 26 miles in one day. It usually takes me a whole month...

Well today was stupendous! I arrived at the East Falls Church Metro station in darkness, made my way to the run site and joined 275 other runners on a very chilly (thank God) Saturday morning. It must have been 45-50 degrees. At about 7 am the coaches kicked things off with stern warnings to go slower than our normal pace per mile. They kept saying that this was "not a dress rehearsal, this was not a race...it was an opportunity for the body to get used to 26 miles so that we could recover in time for the marathon, now 1 month away.

We then heard a touching story on how the Whitman Walker Clinic helps those affected by AIDS. One of its past beneficiaries told a touching story about he and his partner. After both contracted HIV, his partner went downhill fast, but thanks to the clinic, he was able to secure legal representation that ensured he continued to receive benefits and that he had full visitation rights at the hospital. The bottom line is that the clinic is vitally important and that your donations are just as vital. Thank you!

We then hit the W&OD trail. The Washington and Old Dominion Trail is an old railroad venue. We ran 3 miles East to the Eastern Tip of Arlington, just shy of DC, we then turned and ran 3 miles back. At the point we were 6 miles down and set off for 10 miles west and then the return back.

We experienced every season today. We started with a cold crisp autumn morning. It got warmer, but overcast, and the rain started coming down. It felt good. Then it was overcast, then Sunny, then rainy, then Sunny again.

Our Western segment took us all the way out to Reston/Vienna and then we ran back. I did not hit the "Wall" this time. Instead, the run remained extremely pleasant. As we finished we got lots of cheers, made our way through a balloon arch, and received a medal after finishing. Our Pace Group numbered 9 today, but Elizabeth and I basicallyt trudged our way through together for most of the 26 miles, while the others went ahead about 2 minutes in front of us.

Today was remarkable. I wont forget it. I thank Rachel and the kids for the patience as I missed baseball and soccer games today, but today was a very important milestone for me, and I proved to myself I could get through 26 miles.

Donations continued to flow this week, and I send my thanks out to:

Kara Dickerson
Sterling Fennell
Pramod Raheja
Bill Rollins
Christine Screnci

I have hit $19,802, just shy of my $20,000 goal. I believe I will be there soon thanks to your generosity and kindness.

This week, I will train with two 45 minute runs in Las Vegas and then a recovery run next Sunday for 8 miles.

What a day!

Thank you for your moral and financial support in the fight against AIDS!

-Dan
Total Training Weeks: 21
Total Training Miles: 355