marathon – Page 2

Tarmac Meditations-Another Day, Another Mile

October 30, 2010 By longrun Leave a Comment

I went out this morning before daylight. My friend Joe said “run a mile, see how it goes.” So I did. Didn’t go all that well. Then I ran another mile on account of if you’re going to run a test mile it’s better not to do it all in one direction away from home. Important to calculate that getting back will be another mile. Also probably not a good idea to run downhill for the first mile on account of…well you see where this is going. The Kenyan runners start out very slowly to see how they are feeling…if it is not good they stop. Generally though they finish up at five minute pace. It occurs to me, after years of study, that I am not a Kenyan runner and even my inner Kenyan doesn’t really understand five minute pace. All told, a couple plus this morning, lifting later today( sounds impressive right? not so much-about ten minutes worth) Starting to dream Comrades dreams or maybe the local mountain series…trail mostly, up and down and quiet in the big trees.

New Plan

October 29, 2010 By longrun Leave a Comment

Created a new plan-found(?) another event to point to. Thinking to go ultra on account of marathons scare the hell out of me with their focus, oops, my focus, on performance and time. I suppose a trail marathon would work against that. In celebration of having a plan I stayed in bed this morning, didn’t run BUT I did get up, stretch out and lift. Planning wood chopping tomorrow-axe, maul, wedge, sweat, grunting, manly stuff..cross training to you runner geeks. Now back to the writing, muted cursing and some serious whining.

Winning- part 2

October 13, 2010 By longrun Leave a Comment

All I want to do is finish is something one hears all the time from runners thinking aloud about their goal for a marathon. Mostly they don’t really mean it. They have a time goal, a look good goal, something to achieve beyond the finishing. For most of us though, finishing is no small thing. On many days, after showing up, it is the only thing. And for that it is valuable beyond measure.

Spartacus Redux

November 13, 2009 By longrun Leave a Comment

“Where are you headed?”

“That way.”

“What’s there?”

“Don’t know.”

“Why there?”

“Don’t know.”

“Well then, what are you going to do when you get there?”

“Don’t know.”

“Why go then?”

“I have to I guess. I don’t know.”

“What do they call you?”

“Spartacus is what they call me.”

“Why do they call you Spartacus. Isn’t that a slave name?”

“It’s my name.”

“Yes.”

“My folks were old line Commies. They read Howard Fast.”

“And what do you do, Spartacus?”

“I carry the mail.”

“I don’t see any mail.”

“No, it’s not like that.”

“What’s it like, then?”

“A morning sky, an empty road, a fading moon, and a sturdy pair of runners, is what it’s like.”

“Carrying the mail?”

“Yeah, carrying the mail.”

“I see, I guess.”

“I guess you do.”

“See you again?”

“Don’t bet against it.”

As he turned to go he looked back towards the eastern ridge. Shot through with red and orange and burning streaks of purple, sunrise shredded the rising mist.

“Yeah.” he said again, “Don’t bet against it.”

Note: I wrote this a shortly before I ran my last marathon, earlier this year. Haven’t run worth crap since June, age and injury taking their inevitable toll. I have a piece to write about coming back to the early morning rain with my runners laced and a renewed sense of possibility. Haven’t written it yet. Sometimes I reread what I have written before. When the new words are yet to be found it sometimes helps. Sometimes not. I read the piece above and thought, well, hell, it’s okay. Let’s see if it helps me find my words for today.