These are the days for which I run. Have I said this before? If I have, it is because I am reminded daily of how much of a gift to my life running is. Today, I went out at lunch and looked at the trees and the other runners as I traversed Altamont’s oldest neighborhood, a place Thomas Wolfe knew well. Golden, red, and orange trees were set off by crystalline blue skies. I had to remind myself that this is supposed to be a rest day, an easy day, and not just keep running and running.
It’s easy in distance, and somewhat in pace. Some people have asked me what I expect my time to be in this marathon. I have not worn a watch at all during my training, therefore I have no good idea what my time will be. I try to run “hard” or “not hard” depending on the day. November 22 will be a “not hard” day. It’s supposed to be fun, right? Of course, many people would say that running 26.2 miles so that you can throw up on your shoes doesn’t sound like fun by any definition. That’s only because they have never done it.
Throwing up is not a requirement of marathoning, but I have gotten mildly to violently ill after each marathon I have run. One might ask “Why continue to do this?” In fact one has asked “why continue to do this?” To which my response is “huh? what? I’m sorry, I missed your question.” I can say that I love the feeling that comes from disciplined training so much that it makes the pain of the marathon worth it.
“Hey dummy! Just train but don’t run a friggin’ marathon.” That is an excellent theory. So far, the only thing that makes sense for me is to train FOR something in particular. It may be that, in a future time, I will train for half-marathons and try to run them faster. But paying close attention to the watch makes me anxious, and you would not like me when I’m anxious. For now, I’m sticking with the marathon. It’s like beer, except I only have it once a year.