Thankful

I have this routine after a run - whether good or bad, of silently thanking everyone and everything involved in the run.

Like for my 32K long run this morning, I thank the following ...

First, I thank God for being able to run, for giving me the strength to finish my run, for the very nice weather, and for keeping my wife and me safe and injury free.

Next, I thank my running buddy - my wife, for running the first 18K with me, and then waiting patiently for me to finish my run. Do you know of a wife who will wait for 3 hours and not start World War 3? If yes, good for you if she's your wife.

I also thank the different parts of my body ...

I thank my feet for not getting blisters.

I thank my toenails for all being accounted for.

I thank my plantar fascia for having no signs of plantar fasciitis (knock on wood).

I thank my legs for holding up and not cramping.

I also thank my gear ...

I thank my shoes for being uncharacteristically dry. You weren't annoyingly wet, soggy and heavy. I guess you won't stink that much this week.

I thank my iPod for staying alive for almost 6 hours and pumping out tunes to keep me distracted from the pain and suffering.

I thank my Garmin for shutting down only twice this time (it shut down more than ten times on my last long run). I need to figure out what's up with it.

I thank my hydration belt for carrying all my nutrition needs - I consumed 6 chocolate bars, 8 flasks of sport drinks and 8 pieces of chocolate covered almonds (hey, I get hungry and I have a sweet tooth!)

And last but not the least, special thanks to the toilet paper that I always carry with me, for not needing its services.

Thank you for your patience in reading this.