Final thoughts on the run

It's now been a full week since I've completed the 2-day, 48 mile run south from Concord, NH to Tyngsboro, MA. This past week has brought all sorts of feelings, both physical and emotional, and I still haven't understood what I accomplished.

I've always been a fan of when good news/bad news is going to happen, start with the bad because you can look forward to the good.

The bad

There's really not much bad to report. I had some serious muscle pains, which went away by mid-week. Those were expected, and well, hysterical to those people who watched me walk around. I took the elevator at school and just generally hobbled.

The pain I felt in my foot is 90% gone, but it still lingers a bit. That means that I'm going to need to go to the doctor and probably get an X-ray to determine if there's some sort of hairline fracture. I'm thinking good thoughts, but I'm at least aware that the news may not be great.

Now to the good

One of the things that has given me the most personal satisfaction is that this run has inspired others. We talked more about running and fitness and people are getting out and becoming more active. People that didn't run before are running now and people who ran recreationally are now kicking up the miles.

Because this got some press at school, I've started to talk to people about what they can accomplish personally to get into better shape. It's been incredibly fulfilling and a wonderful side effect of this run. I talked about this more here.

It was great spending time with friends in pursuit of this journey. Liz, Karl, Jim and Eric all played an in-person part in this journey, logging miles next to me. They offered encouragement when I needed it and we talked about anything and everything. I simply could not have done it without them, and I am eternally grateful for their help, guidance, encouragement and support.

I originally thought about this run in July (while running) and it's been on my mind literally every day since. And since it was a self-created race, I had to be run it physically and run it logistically. I had to find runners, map the course, determine time lines, provide directions, promote the event, etc. It was a logistical nightmare that took an inordinate amount of planning to make it happen. The fact that I didn't screw it up too much is quite an accomplishment for me.

The biggest thing for me, though, is the sense of accomplishment. I've never been one to shy away from a challenge, but the reality of this challenge started to scare me. I had run 26.2 miles before, but this was almost double that distance. I felt like I could finish it, but I wasn't positive.

When I finished the run last Sunday, I felt a level of emotion that I don't think I could ever properly describe. It was a feeling of elation, of a huge weight being lifted off of my shoulders, but mostly, it was a feeling that I could do anything. 48 miles represented more mileage in two days that I had run in a full week (by quite a margin). It was crazy, but I did it. I would have cried if I could have, but I think all of the tear ducts had dried up at that point.

48 miles in 48 hours represented the single biggest physical accomplishment to date for me. I proved to myself that I could do whatever I wanted to do. I don't feel like I need to prove anything to anyone at this point, much less myself. The comfort and serenity from that feeling is immeasurable.

Finally, I want to thank all of you for your support. The emails, comments and discussions were incredibly helpful and meant the world to me. I feel very blessed to be in a community like this. Together we can do whatever we want!