Give it up fo the runners

Today almost 200,000 people ran the Twin Cities Marathon. That's a lot. I know at least 2 of them and got to watch them at different points throughout the race. It was fun, they did a great job and both said they will never do it again. This might be true but I've heard this kind of statement before. It is often heard outside of delivery rooms after a marathon of a different sort, but then after the pain of the moment fades, perspectives change. This might have been a last marathon for some, but it might not too. Either way the task was Herculean and the effort was epic. Job well done.

I Briefly Considered a Retraction

Tonight I was stranded 6 miles from home so I pointed myself north and ran until I got to my couch.  Ok to be more accurate I was at a sports potluck with the family and decided to run home rather than join the others on the drive (but you have to admit the first one sounded way cooler).

In the first half mile I thought back to my sixth post ofthis blog in which I said I think I could run a marathon distance if I was 26.2 miles away from home and had a little food and water on the way and an iPod full of podcasts . I had my reasons, and I still do, but the first half mile of tonight’s run I seriously considered retracting that sixth post, at least partially.

By the end of the second mile I had slipped into a rhythm and my focus shifted from discomfort to the witty insights from the hosts of the How Stuff Works podcast.  When I reached my couch there was no doubt that I had just exerted myself but I could have continued too.

I’m looking forward to my marathon run, whenever it happens. I only hope tonight’s run doesn’t taint the purity of my unprepped run.

I Think I Could Run a Marathon

Registration for the Twin Cities Marathon opens February 2 but I won’t be signing up.  I haven’t run a marathon, I don’t run now and I haven’t trained for anything in several years but I have a sense that none of that matters for me.  I’m pretty sure I could run a marathon today. 

On more than one occasion I have asked my wife to drop me off 26.2 miles away to see if I could make it home but she thinks I’m ridiculous.  I’m guessing anyone who reads this and has trained for and completed (or not completed) the epic race will agree with my wife.  Some will probably even think I’m being disrespectful to anyone who has run a marathon or even disrespectful of the race itself.  I don’t mean any disrespect but I’m pretty sure I could run a marathon today without any training.

Don’t get me wrong I think the task is a great one.  To give some perspective, I live on the very northwest corner of Minneapolis and I work at the very south east corner of Minneapolis. There isn’t really a way to cut from one corner of the city to the other and the most efficient routes happen to also be the longest ones. On the way to work first I go south then I go east tracing half the perimeter of the city on my way.  (A similar route is available if I go east first then south but the result is the same).  In the car the trip is about 15-17 miles (depending on the route).  If I started at work and ran home using one of my usual routes I’d have to tack on 10 extra miles once I got home. Still I’m pretty sure I could run a marathon today in less than five hours.

Again, don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against training.  I think it would be a great experience to plan and implement a training schedule that molded and conditioned me to be a marathon runner.  The problem is I can’t see a scenario in my life today where I could invest dozens of hours a week for several months. Becoming a marathoner would be a huge time commitment but I could easily exchange one of my marathon TV watching couch sessions for a run across the city.  I don’t have the time to train for a marathon but I’m pretty sure I could make the time to run one.

 I recognize that I might sound crazy but let me assure you I’m not too crazy.  I’m pretty sure I could run a marathon but I know I’d need some water and food along the way.  I’ve bonked enough after a long days work or even when meals and activities weren’t in good sync to know that I would use far more energy than my body can carry. Well I guess I shouldn’t understate the energy I’m carrying these days.  I’ve started to stock up a bit more of the slow burning lipid known as fat. However, I know (just as well as anyone looking to drop a few pounds) that my body would be less than willing to relinquish the energy in those rich stores for such a frivolity as exercise so I’d need to supplement along the way.  With sufficient food and water to replace what I lose I’m pretty sure I could run a marathon.

Marathon running and training has been described as an art and a science.  I like both art and science and if I started running with five hours (or less) to spare and ample provisions for the journey I’m pretty sure I could run a marathon.