The Spirit of the Marathon

   I know this is my 5th post about running. I apologize, but you have to understand that it is on the brain as of late. It is almost all I can think about or pretend to not think about. I will write about some other topics, I promise. I know the 5 people (or really three people, since 2 of my followers are Mel and her best friend, Mel or really the same person!) who read this thing are probably tired of the running posts. I will move on, but moving on will have to wait until next week. This week is dedicated to the Spirit of the Marathon. I hope you understand.  

   I haven't told many people about my running of the marathon because I am worried enough for the most of us. It sounded like such a better idea 25 weeks ago when I signed up for this thing. I saw visions of myself running through the finish line chute under a clock that read 3:30 and still having the energy to smile for the picture. Now that the race is tomorrow, those visions have long faded. I now see me crawling to the place where the finish line had been set up hours before. I hope by tomorrow at 7:30 am that I can talk both sides of my self into some more moderate visions. We will see.

  To be perfectly honest, I am only running the marathon for two reasons. And those two things are: a sticker and a little thing called pride. I know, I know. Pretty lame, but the sticker is pretty cool. It looks like this:

      I am sure it will look neat on the old Forester, but that is what I am banking on. It will also help with the second reason.  I have been running since I was 19. I am 31. I have run a lot of races. I have coached XC for 5 years. I have run 800-1300 miles a year for the last 5 years. This year, I may make it 1500 this year.  However, when someone finds out that I run, it seems that they immediately ask me if I've ever run a marathon and then I have to look at the ground, shuffle my feet, and tell them no. And then they move on, but I am left there hating my answer. I do not want to do that anymore. That is part of the reason I am running 26.2 miles tomorrow. I want to be able to answer yes. Then they will ask about the time I am sure or did I qualify for Boston and I will say no and I will not care. I will have run a marathon. 25 miles more than most humans. 6.2 miles farther than I have ever run!

    When I think about the marathon, I think about the history. I think about Phidippides running to Athens with an urgent message and then dying; leaving behind this legacy where weird people by the thousands run the same distance and try not to die. I think about the recent NYC marathon where many of the top elites gave out before the finish line. I think about the movie that bears the same title of this post and how I got misty-eyed. I am not sure if Mel understood. I think she did. When we lived in Dothan, we used to watch the Ironman Competition in Kona and we would get pretty torn up about it all. I know we are the lamest. Glad no one is reading this.

    Anyway, my marathon is tomorrow. I am excited and terrified. I hope that the Spirit of the Marathon will find me out there running my two loops of 13.1 miles. I hope I can make it. I hope that 16 weeks of training will produce a good race. I hope to finish and be able to tell people that I have indeed run a marathon. I hope all of these things and more. And hope they are more than just hope. We will see.

    Running 42, 195 meters tomorrow,

         David