Marathons Are An Expert Distance

I feel like this ballet shoe meme about marathon running. You know, there are people who take running marathons so seriously. Then, there are others who feel like we should do it well, but act as though being a successful marathon runner is practically accomplishing nothing. Sometimes, there is a matter of being a person who worked towards something specifically and has it, someone on the outside may not understand the reason why. It can be weird. Amongst the group, it is very competitive, a lot of people run fast, and that is where personal records come from. I decided to fundraise with my running events, to make them more meaningful, and if I mess up my race pace, at least we made money for a wonderful organization.

Even while I could run a very fast 5k time, or ten miles, it took years to physically be able to run the marathon. I was an excellent runner in shorter distances, and it still took me a very long time to make it the full 26.2 in practice. Then, to specialize in that long distance and to run it well is something else. I remember when I was a 5k runner, and running five 5:30 or 6 minute miles was a real workout for me, as a consistent 5k producer. I ran so fast in my five mile loop, that I could not even stop and say ‘hello’ I would be so out of breath. Conversation pace exists for experimenting with longer distances at a leisurely pace, until your body is capable of running them well. If I can stop and say ‘hello’ that is conversation pace, but if I am moving and grooving then I cannot say ‘hi’. Whilst running fast, it does not hurt and you do not feel different, it is simply what your body is trained for after building progress for years. To run faster, you need to train faster, and then it all feels natural. The feat in a way does need to be who you are, and even then it is competitive, so you need to appreciate the process until it is your day with the ‘marathon gods’. I shake everyones hand after a real race, just like in my lacrosse days. Never be the one not shaking everyone’s hand after an event.

The ‘marathon gods’ come in when you are in the last three miles of a marathon, and you have no idea how someone is a hair ahead or a hair behind you. You just go with it, like if a coach says ‘fill in the gap’ and your legs are going as fast as they possibly can move!

Finish in a better place, or welcome a new distance into your career.

This was my song to run to, the cross-country season it came out. I listened to it over, and over, and over again; until right before the race began, and I would be so super fast.