Marathon Training

I went for an hour-long run the other day, and it felt like nothing. I guess that's a good thing, considering I'm supposed to be training for a marathon. Actually, it should have been two hours. And I would have done two hours, except that I got bored and I was running out of places to run. I had expanded, significantly, the circle of my neighborhood, but it is still too small. It's not like running around Golden Gate Park, but even that doesn't take a hugely long time.

At least I gave myself the confidence that an hour-long run really isn't all that long. And if an hour isn't that long, then surely I can do four. And if I am running at my usual pace, that's approximately how long it will take me, plus a little bit more. I'm shooting for 4:18. But I'll be happy with 4:20. Oh, wait, that wasn't supposed to be a joke.

But anyway. It's the old, 90 percent of it is half mental (yogi berra quote) thing. I'm supposed to be training physically, but really what I'm doing even more is mentally working myself up to the mileage. Four years ago, I never would have thought to myself that a marathon would be possible. I would have thought I was crazy. But now, for some reason, it feels like the most manageable thing in the world. Difficult, yes. Absolutely. I'm sure. And I am definitely planning to work at it. But as long as I think I can do it, I know it's possible.

I just looked at the route, and if I break it down into smaller, manageable sections, I know I can do the whole thing. And my goal isn't really to run fast. My main goal is to finish the race. Just to do it. Just to say I could. I'm not trying to impress anybody. I am totally just doing this for myself.

Because it's like life. Maybe sometimes you think you have this big, insurmountable problem. But if you break it down into smaller, manageable sections, whatever you are doing is a lot easier to handle. And the end result is actually the running itself.