To Finish and Not Finish Last

You know the protocol.  It’s Friday at the office.  “Any plans for the weekend?” you are asked.  Appropriate responses include:

            Yard work

            Play some: golf, tennis, badminton

            My kid has a:  soccer, basketball, quiddich game

            Going to:  Vail, Vegas, Bali, Endor

           

Here is what I say:  “I’m going on a 20 mile run on Saturday; probably run another 10 to 15 miles on Sunday.”  How is a normie supposed to respond to that? 

Sometimes I mix it up a little.  For instance, this Friday I said “I have a 20 mile race on Saturday (the RMRR Marathon Training Series Spring Finale); probably run another 10 to 15 miles on Sunday.”  It is a subtle difference, I recognize, but real runners appreciate it.  Mostly, I get a “huh” and a blank stare.  I might as well be speaking Klingon.  Sometimes people give me a polite “that’s nice”. 

I have been asked how long it takes me to run 20 miles.  In this case 2:16:39.  Some people put the time into perspective.  “That’s how long it takes me to drive to Cheyenne.”  People who have run a few races ask what my pace is.  In this case about 6:49 / mile.  The usual response is “I can’t run one mile that fast!” 

For a good laugh check out - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbiuns5_WXM&feature=related.

This Friday I was asked an interesting question; interesting because I had never pondered the thought.  The question was “How hard is it to run 20 miles?”  The short answer is “As hard as you want it to be.”  Philosophically, I believe we control our own destiny and, therefore, can dictate the effort we put into running.  We can walk (if no one is looking).  The rewards you reap are directly proportional to the level of effort you invest. 

My questioner wanted something more, though.  I am fond of saying “There is no easy running.”  The difficulty of running is a function of how fast you run.  As endurance runners we train up to the marathon distance.  Physically it is difficult, but we develop our mental focus as well.  The difference in effort between running at 6:51 / mile and 6:53 / mile for the marathon is negligible.  But it is the difference between running a marathon in 2:59:28 and 3:00:20.  Those two seconds each mile are result of physical training and concentration.  So, yes, it is hard to run 20 miles.  But it feels so good when you are done.

In Saturday’s race I felt I ran quite well.  It was a blustery day at Twin Lakes Park with a fairly stiff wind out of the west.  I ran most of the race at a comfortable 6:40 / mile pace.  I was running fine until about three miles to go when I encountered some GI issues.  I stopped to go to the bathroom and had a side stitch over the last three miles. 

Saturday’s race was not well attended; the field thinned by the next day’s Cherry Creek Sneak.  I ran alone for the last 17 miles and managed to finish first, receiving a very nice $25 gift card to the Runners Roost.  Running in no man’s land gave me a lot of time to ponder the meaning of it all.

Races are a little like life.  We start out about the same.  We make our way at our own pace.  We finish at the same place.  It’s just that some end up with more medals.  In a perfect world we’d all run four minute miles, but this is reality which is why God made age groups.