The Quintessence of Running
7:48am. A little over four hours before noon. I have an appointment to be at the Neighborhood House at noon with my friend Jess. Is that enough time for me to run a marathon distance? Do I even have the physical strength to run a marathon today? After all, I haven’t trained. I mean I’ve done a few long runs here and there but certainly not an official marathon training.
But 2020 has been to say the least, a cluster fuck of a year. Most of every type of event in the world has been cancelled due to the pandemic. Races included and almost all distances have seen its share of cancellation. It makes sense. As a human being I get it but as a runner, it’s disappointing. Races have gone virtual this year. That said, I know I won’t be running any official marathon this year so why not run my own unofficial one. And because of the pandemic, sure let’s just call this my Covid Marathon.
I left my house and started to run a course I had in mind. My goal was to run 6-7 miles out mainly up Shipley, run in and out of side neighborhoods and then circle back to my house. That would give me 13-14 miles. That would be loop one. I did exactly that. I was at 13.8 miles when I got back at the house, average pace 8:35. I didn’t have a time goal. I really didn’t care how long it took me. I just wanted to run the marathon distance at a comfortable pace. When I felt strong, I pushed a 400 here and there, a couple of 600 but certainly no more than that. I’m not a fast runner by any means. Yes, fast is relative but I am not fast. During this first loop, the rain came. I knew it would. It wasn’t a torrential downpour so it wasn’t that bad. Just annoying.
I felt pretty good overall at the end of loop one. I took my first Maurten gel. I headed out for loop number two. I was deciding whether or not I’d run the same exact loop or switch it up a bit. I could run across the pike into Sharpley where a bottle of water awaits me courtesy of my friend Vicky. I decided not to cross the pike and just run the same-ish loop.
At mile 16 my quads started feeling a little tight but I was still kicking around 8:35-8:40 pace. If I run to the end of Shipley Rd and make a left into the last neighborhood before Namaans, by the time I come back out on Shipley I’ll be at mile 22. I did exactly that. I took another Maurten gel at this point. 4 plus miles to the finish. I slowed down a bit but none of the last few miles hit over a 9min pace. I made sure of that. I finished my unofficial marathon in 3:49:53.
Running if done with the right attitude can be a spiritual experience. That’s what draws me to it. It can be zen like even while you are pounding the pavement for hours a time. The physical aspect will always be there. It will always linger. But your positive attitude and approach towards your running can mask the physical and emotional struggle of the run. Just enjoy it, have fun. Be grateful and be thankful that your body gives you the ability to run. It’s a privilege.
Vic