Post-Run Thoughts...

It's Saturday, and I feel like myself today. Yesterday was spent sleeping and puking, for the most part. Every step was agony from strained muscles, lactic acid build-up, and blisters. Nothing a little Vaseline, Ben Gay, Advil, Rolaids, and a LOT of sleep didn't remedy.

I've learned many valuable lessons from this process:

* Community is everything. This event was not about me doing something extraordinary. It was about an ever-expanding community of people rallying around one of their own in order to accomplish something extraordinary. "No wo(man) is an island", as the saying goes. I couldn't possibly have acheived this if not for the help and goodwill of professional colleagues, neighbors, friends, family, and the Peninsula community. I'm very happy and grateful to have so many overlapping networks. YAY! We all did it together!

* We can acheive anything we set our hearts and minds to. Sure, it may take longer than we anticipate, and we may be fearful of the unknown. But the fear of never having tried far outweighs the fear of failing. I don't want to leave this life lamenting all of the things I might have done but didn't, because it was 'safe, comfortable, and easier' not to. I'm going to apply the "Carpe Diem" spirit to the rest of my life as well. And now is a good time with job-hunting on the horizon. I will not stop taking risks "at my age".

* Have faith in others. For this event, everything was about allowing others to contribute to the effort, trusting that they would, and putting my complete trust in the process. Every outcome, including my own personal safety, depended on others. This was the most valuable lesson of all. I needed to experience that.

So, thanks again. I'm off to get my first 'stay-down' meal, a big bowl of Cheerios. After that... who knows? It's a beautiful day and I'll be planning my next adventure.

Happy running,

Cher