Fall 2004
Last Minute Encouragement
On October 10, 2004 I will line up
to run my 10th marathon. I was going to do a play on 10 on 10-10, but didn't
want to sound like a long distance phone company ad and end up in anyone's Spam
filters. Assuming I cross the finish line - not to sound negative but the Runner
Religion I worship requires that I respect the run - I will have run 262 miles
in marathons alone, to say nothing of hundreds of miles training for them.
If I've learned anything from training all these years, it's that running a
marathon isn't about winning a race or pushing through 26.2 miles of earth.
Running a marathon is an analogy for life and getting through all its
challenges, obstacles, conflicts and bad afternoons.
On any given day, you can have a tough day at the office, be fighting with a
significant other, or have a family member in the hospital. Even more so, you
can do everything right and still have a bad day. You come to work early and the
boss has an impossible deadline. You send flowers, but your honey won't return
your calls. You pray for the sick relative, but she just gets worse. As Linkin
Park sings, in the end it doesn't even matter.
It's the same with marathons. You go through training and have good long runs.
You got your gels, your shoes and your running gear ready. You池e prepared and
think you're gonna set a new PR, maybe even qualify for Boston. Then the big day
comes and before you know it, you're at the halfway point struggling to just
finish.
So if nothing we do matters, than all that matter is what we do. That's what
life and marathon running really is about. It's about ignoring the voice telling
you to quit and listening to the smaller voice begging you to keep going. It's
about finding something within you to keep going and finish the task at hand.
It's about believing in yourself, having faith and not giving up.
All summer people have asked, "How training is going" or "If I have a particular
time I'm shooting for?" I won't really know those answers until Sunday. Last
year I had a Preferred Start and thought I was going to at least break 3:30.
Instead I barely had the will to finish. That experience humbled me and I've
carried the Specter of that day with me for 52 weeks and two additional
marathons. Usually I just send this "cheer me on" email to my non-runner friends
but I'm including new marathoners this year to show them that even veterans are
human.
On Sunday I値l line up, probably with the pace group I led all summer. Once
again we completed our training, all have Preferred Starts and the early
forecast calls for almost optimal weather conditions. It will be almost like
last year. Since that inauspicious afternoon, I致e had bigger disappointments
than not setting a new PR. I知 banged up, I知 hurting, but I知 still here. And
I知 planning to leave that Specter of Last Year in the dust.