Fall is no doubt THE season of the Marathon. Perhaps arguably by many, but it seems to me it's cut and clear as the time of the year when Marathoners are their busiest. Yes there is Boston, Tokyo and London in the Spring, but New York is the biggest marathon, and you have Berlin, the fastest of the marathons, and the hugely popular and participated Chicago Marathon. We come out of Summer ready to go, or ready to begin (for the Spring), and thus it seems everyone has the bug. And so, this weekend is Chicago Marathon weekend, and three weeks from now New York will go off. Just two weeks ago we had Berlin where the second fastest time was ever run, after the world record that was set last year. And to top it all off, you have today - where the second version of the man made lab to see if a human could run a marathon under 2 hours took place. And so, here in the wee hours of the new day here on the east coast, Eliud Kipchoge, over in Vienna Austria, broke the barrier - by 20 seconds! - to become the first human to do so. A feat, with such a clear bar to go under - like the mile for 4 minutes back in the 1950s. Of course this being in 2019 we didn't have to wait until the newspapers told us in the following days - no, we got to watch live, from anywhere a device and communication lines were present - so for me that meant by bed, until an hour into the pursuit i got so excited and went downstairs to see the rest on our big screen.
and so with sleep interrupted from 2:30-4:30, and waking up at 6am, at 645 i embarked on my longest run of this marathon training cycle, and lifetime training run as well, for 21.5 miles, attained in 2:30:01 for a pace of 6:59 per mile. Only 2:25 seconds per mile slower than Eliud just a few hours before me :)
this run was a huge success for me. As mentioned it being the farthest, it was at a pace that was my strongest as well. My fastest miles were the last few, dipping under 6:30 for my 20th mile. While i know it's been hard earned, it was a milestone of sorts to be able to run that strong that long in a training run, something i know is not atypical for skillful veteran marathoners, but that it really only applies to the aforementioned segment, which i suppose i may put myself in on - the cusp no less - since i felt a power and strength compared to a feeling of just holding on. I felt able to attack, and that was joyous - in a way that was different with it coming so far (time wise) into a run...it was almost like my legs were on auto pilot and i could control the speed with ease just by my thoughts. This was fun stuff! not only fun, but exhilarating. It was the runners high - but in a new way. A secret way almost that is only there for the seekers who stick with it long enough and consistently enough that come to it years later.
This notion, as it hit me in the moment, had me thinking later that it's not just competing that we get the rush in running. It's the body, mind, heart, and universe / God's way of giving back a token of interest for our efforts. I know the feeling i had at this pace was not vastly dissimilar to the feeling kipchoge experienced today. And one that thousands will feel as they race tomorrow morning.
Yes, running is relative. It's probably the most relative pace wise there is compared to the same feeling a human can experience in a shared way with millions of others, all across the spectrum of time. And that, is one of the big reasons i love it so.
