Humble Pie

My goal has been to be recognized as one of the best marathon runners in Colorado.  This week I achieved that goal.  Colorado Runner Magazine published its list of the top Colorado Marathon and 10K times by age group.  I was ranked second in that list, right behind my friend and training companion Tom Norris.  I am used to finishing behind Tom.  We should figure a way to leverage this exposure into some sponsorship deals. 

Whether I am one of the best marathon runners in Colorado is debatable.  But now I have evidence from a credible source that I’m not a tremendous slouch.  This should lend some authority to my blog.  There were other notables in the list; Tim Gentry (50–54 10K) and Jay Survil (50-54 Marathon).

I had a very interesting conversation with a co-worker this week.  It started out like many conversations you’ve probably had with non-runners who want to talk about running.  This woman told me her husband had just run a race.  I expected her to say 5K, 10K or ½ marathon, but she said “marathon”.  “Excellent” I said.  Then she told me it was his first marathon “wow”, and at 50 years of age “awesome”.  “It takes a real commitment to train for the marathon distance” I said.  Then I asked which marathon he ran.  “Pikes Peak” she said.  “Wow” I said “the full marathon?”  “Yes” she said “up and down”.  In the hierarchy of running races the Pikes Peak Marathon trumps most of my running exploits.  Running three marathons, each two weeks apart, is still my high water mark.

In fact, as I reflect after having just finishing Scott Jurek’s book, running marathons is, well, kind of pedestrian.  It is almost a cliché.  When I tell people I just ran a marathon, I can almost hear them say “Yeah, who hasn’t”.  There was a scene from an episode of The Office where two co-workers are talking about running a 5K.  “I’ve walked two marathons, pretty sure I can handle a 5K” one quips when asked if he will finish.

The last 10K race I ran was about 10 years ago.  It has been much longer since I’ve run a 5K race.  The half marathon seems like a poor cousin to the full distance.  I’ve often asked this rhetorical question; if the marathon was 13.1 miles and there was an event called the double marathon which was 26.2 miles, would I run the 13.1 mile race or the 26.2 mile race?  My one attempt at the ultra distance was a horror show.  People who run ultras are remarkable endurance athletes.  For now the marathon distance is long enough for me. 

I looked through my fitness record to compare my training up to Labor Day this year compared with my training at this time last year.  In 2011 I had run 20 or more miles 20 times.  This year I have run that distance 21 times.  The big difference is that this year I have run longer than 20 miles on only five occasions as compared to 16 runs of over 20 miles last year.  We will see how that impacts my fall marathon performance. 

There are three weeks to go until the Rock ‘N’ Roll – Denver Marathon.  It is time to taper.  It is astounding how much time I have to do other things when I don’t go out for a 10 mile run.  And what to do with all of the extra time?  Well, I have a whole list of chores to do around the yard, which at this point is mostly a pile of dirt.  There is something rewarding about cutting back shrubs, raking up pine needles and cones, fixing broken sprinkler heads and laying down bark.  After all my efforts, it’s still mostly a pile of dirt, but at least it’s a deliberate one.