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Why marathon??? The question is raised to me time and time again. Everyone has their reasons. Some people are concerned with bettering their time, getting a Personal Record on the course. Others are more concerned with *having* a better time... what some call getting a Most Fun on the course. And not everyone has defined their own personal reason... or it may also be a combination of reasons...
Me? Why do *I* do it? Of course, it's a personal challenge. And it's also a way for me to thumb my nose at all of the PE teachers in grade school, who thought I was a "bad person" (and made me believe so) because I was quite heavy and the slowest one in the class, the one always picked last for team sports. SO THERE! Betcha you guys have never finished a marathon.
My *main* reason for marathoning? OK, this might sound silly: sightseeing. I like to see things! And what more can you see on your feet, moving a lot more slowly than you would be in a car. Why else do I take a camera with me on all of the courses? Many of them have proven to be beautiful...
It's also a great time to think, to "go within yourself," at the risk of sounding new agey. It has given me a chance to "find myself," to meet others and talk with them on the courses, and to think about those whom I care about who can't run marathons, for physical reasons. I am running these marathons for THEM.
Yet it's so easy to get into the marathoning craze either prematurely, to too strong a degree, or both. Many running magazines have pointed out that there is a new marathoning boom here in the states, largely prompted by the encouragement of the "slower" rather than the elite runner to come on out 'n' join 'em. There are also a plethora of marathon training groups and programs available for the Average Joe.
And then you get caught up in the magic... or in the spell? When many of your friends are marathoners, it's easy to talk about only running. Then you compare training schedules, then you compare marathon schedules. Then you realize that your friend is running 3 marathons a year, and you're only running 2. Are you not good enough? And you realize that your friend, by running 10 extra miles a week, has dropped her PR by a full HALF HOUR!!! Maybe *you* should do the same.
Or not. Let's rewind a bit here, folks. I, too, have gotten caught up in the game; I've "done" my three marathons over a three year period (one each year), and it's easy to feel sub-par when I know people who have finished 5 in a one-year period.
So my lesson here? It's easy to get caught up in marathoning, either too soon or too seriously. DON'T. While I am "in" New York 1999 in November, I am still debating whether or not my body is ready... it's OK to be ME, even if that means that I'm not ready for more than one marathon a year, EVER.
This has deviated far from Anchorage... oh well. Happy trails to all...
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