I am training for a marathon. Nothing as boring as those marathon blogs. Most of them seem to be by out of shape people who finally decide to run a marathon and duly record and report every mile they run. I think one should be more casual about it, in an “oh yeah by the way, I run a marathon, anyone another beer?” kind of way. (Heather might argue that I have displayed anything but this attitude around the house, and she would be less wrong than she usually is.) Anyhow, in case you wondered and to get it out of the way: here is my marathon story.
In April, I decided to run the Twin Cities marathon which takes place Oct 1. I cannot say that it was something that I had been dreaming of for a long time, but it definitely was something I wanted to do at some point. But running a marathon was not higher on my to do list than eating a
15pound burger, watching all the Sopranos episodes in one sitting or learning all the
baseball terms and rules.
(About baseball terms, I read another one I did not get the other day: an "unearned run." What on
earth is that? A run for which a player is not allowed to celebrate? How can it even count if the player
did not earn it? How did he get it in the first place if he did not earn it, did he find it? Did he make it out of chicken? )
But the pieces somehow came together: I had time this summer, my brother is coming over to run it and the professor I was a TA for, a runner as well, also prodded me to register. I built mileage first (I hadn’t been doing much running during the Winter) and started an 18 week program in May. It went well until I strained my back. It was very painful, but it got better after a couple of days (combination of bad running shoes and overtraining). In late June –on the day of Holland-Portugal- I sprained my ankle pretty bad during a soccer game. I had a softball size swelling on it and it turned black and blue from above my ankle to my toes. I thought that I could shelve my marathon plans, but somehow I managed to deal with it. I spent the first two weeks in the rec. center doing aquajogging and exercising on low impact equipment. After two weeks, I started on the treadmill again, and was able to complete a 9 miler on the treadmill three weeks post injury. I stayed on the treadmill for a couple of weeks (boring), switched to a less ambitious training schedule and was more or less able to catch up. Now I am running back outside and just completed an 18 mile run. (ok, 17.5) I need two or three more of those before sept. 12, when the “tapering” period starts. The ankle still bothers me from time to time, but overall it is holding up well. I think the running may have slowed down the healing process a bit, but that’s a price I am willing to pay. While I was here, I went to a physical therapist a couple of times and I can tell the difference already. I also have some hip and knee pain, perhaps as a result of changing my stride to compensate for my ankle, but it is not too bad and I hope it will disappear during the easier training weeks leading up to race day (oct. 1). We’ll see, I guess. I’d be happy to just finish it at this point. Being able to do it within four hours would be great, but don’t bet your life savings on it.
As I was driving home from the sea today, I was thinking about some other goals I have in life for the near future, once the marathon is scratched off the list. I came up with a list of five goals/resolutions.
1. Having an event catered by Quizno’s or Subways.
I think one of the great American inventions is the party sub or the sub tray. They are things of beauty. Yet, I have never been to or organized an event where there were party subs present. This needs to change.
2. Start watching movies from before 1970
3. Read a book by Tom Wolfe, Philippe Roth and Saul Bellow
I haven’t read a lot of American fiction apart from John Irving and Raymond Carver. Seems like these three are a good place to start.
4. Learn how to hang things on walls
I have a drill. I want to use it. Does anyone have a studfinder?
5. Learn the difference between Pinot, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon
Not just pretend to know it, but know it in a learned old man of the world kind of way.