Back at it again, 10 years later

What was I thinking?

I'm not sure how I got myself into this mess, but it appears I'm running a half-marathon in a couple of weeks.

For those non-sadistic sorts who have no reason to know the distance involved, it's 13.1 miles of running. Oh, I've done these races before - plenty of them. The problem is that though I've continued to run, I haven't run anywhere near that distance for 10 years when I completed my last marathon (26.2 miles). Constant running and training gave way to raising children.

I do vaguely remember those running days, however. True, the memories have dulled somewhat, but I remember the highlights - severe blisters on my feet, sore knees at race's end and a glorious feeling of exhilaration once that finish line is in sight. It's truly unequaled by anything else I've done in my life.

And, that's not an uncommon feeling. In fact, that's the very reason my friend, Margaret, runs about four marathons a year and has since 1990, when she trained with me for her first marathon in Birmingham.

Today, Margaret runs marathons around the country and consistently posts times well under three-and-a-half hours. And yes, that's a good marathon time.

While many of us who enjoy running will never post a 3:20 marathon time, we enjoy everything else about the experience: meeting people from all over the world, great expo shopping for running gear that you can't find in your local area, hearing world class runners speak at seminars and the opportunity to visit new places.

As for my training this time around, it's simply more difficult. I'm 10 years older, and so are my knees. I now run for 9 or 10 minutes (instead of 7) to cover a mile.

But with age has come a heightened sense of social consciousness, too, and that's a good thing. My rule now is to run only where my entry fee goes to help a good cause, such as the October 31 half-marathon in Florence that benefits the area's Cerebral Palsy Center or the upcoming St. Jude event in Memphis.

I don't know how I'll fare in that October event, but I'm trying hard not to care. I know some things for certain. I won't run 7-minute miles and I won't be the proverbial "gal to beat" in the race.

What I will do is make a return to an activity I love and enjoy that takes two hours (or a little more) of my life. I won't be thinking about the injuries I sustained in training or the setbacks from rained out running dates. What I will be thinking about is how my participation in that event will, even if only in the slightest way, help a child who doesn't have the ability to run at all. And that's something that no trophy could ever equal.