Lost sentiment
When I was in Alaska, the day before the marathon, I bought a pair of running socks. They weren't particularly pretty or fancy, but they said something very important on them...
26.2
That's all.
26.2
They said so little, but they said so much.
These were my marathon socks & I was not going to allow myself to wear them until I actually completed a marathon. In my mind, I had to earn the right to wear those socks. And boy did I ever earn that right!
I wore those socks for the very first time on August 20... the day of the 1st practice of the new season. I know this may sound silly, but wearing them gave me a sense of pride. People kept asking me "where did you get those?!" & I'd smile & say "Alaska!"
Even though I only ran 6 miles the day I wore those socks, to me it was a sort of milestone. Wearing them made me feel like I had more of a right to be there in that park with all those other runners. I'd been in the trenches. I was officially a marathoner. It was great!
Fast-forward a few days later when it was time to do laundry...
I smiled when I saw those dirty socks & hoped the detergent would be able to get out all the dirt (Memorial Park is a dirt trail). I gave 'em a few extra spritzes of Shout & threw them in the washing machine. Not once did it ever occur to me that this would be the last time I saw those socks as a complete pair.
Yup. You guessed it... one of my fabulous 26.2 socks mysteriously disappeared in the laundry room version of the Bermuda Triangle that is known as...
The Dryer!!
Unfortunately, I didn't go through my clean laundry for a while & by the time I noticed one of the socks was missing, it was too late. I went back to the laundry room in a veiled effort to find my wayward sock, but alas, it wasn't there. I was crushed.
I know I can always buy another pair of 26.2 socks, but they will never be the ones I bought in Alaska... the place where I worked my ass off for 5 months to get to... the place where I ran in cold & wind & rain & mud... the place where I completed my very first marathon. They just won't be the same. :*(
Do you think it would be silly of me to put a sign up in the laundry room asking if anyone found it? LOL!
posted by Erin @ 10:41 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
I love how this mattered to you so much. I think it is one of those secret mental tricks you used to overcome the goal of a marathon. We all have them. I have commentators that talk in my head about how strong and awesome I am. I also pin a picture of my Dad on my back whenever I'm running a new longest ever run. He really pushes me through. I can't wait to get my 26.2 necklace at the end of the Nike Women's marathon. Handsome men in tuxes hand them out at the finish line. They are Tiffany necklaces that say 26.2 on them. New socks. new insoles. I bribe myself with anything to get myself through training runs. What bands did you hear on the post above.
My friends & I are contemplating the Nike marathon next year just so we can get those Tiffany necklaces! The one thing stopping us is the fact that the training is in the dead of summer. Just today I was at a football game & the thermometer read 112ยบ!!!! I don't do heat well at all.
Ah yes, the heat. Well in Kansas City it wasn't quite that hot ever. We did train a few morning where it got to almost 90 out. But now it is smooth sailing on our final few big runs this fall.
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