Iwo Jima Memorial Half Marathon and 5k Recap

Actually no such race exists. I just happened to run about 16 .2 miles yesterday and wanted t catch your attention. Why? Well, because I talk about myself incessantly, mostly.

But in reality, it is because I can completely understand why so many of my friends race as much as they do. Yes, coming from me that is the pot calling the kettle black but nevertheless I can see the desire regardless. You see, this run is now the longest since October 2004 where I did not receive a medal or a t-shirt at the end.

Nearly 800 days has passed since I ran over 13 miles for either the heck of it or in training. Take that in. I have run 62 of my lifetime 64 marathons in that span of time. I have run 6 half marathons. I ran one 50 miler. All without "training". Bragging? Not at all. Just trying to show how conventional wisdom sometimes should be seen as what it is: a guide. Do not follow it blindly. Take it in, roll it around and combine it with your own experience. Listen to your body. Then act.

I have often said that I feel many people can run many more fast marathons in a year than is the norm. However, I think two things re necessary.

1. You have to have the body which can handle it.

2. You have to have established a base to start from

I have friends who race OFTEN but do not get better and they wonder why. I want to tell them that if you have plateau and you do not train, but only race, you are not going to get better. They have discovered that their body needs to train more. Or lose weight. Or eat better. Or SOMETHING before they can take to JUST racing without training.

I love sharing what I have learned about racing and running. Why sit on the mountain of knowledge and experience I gained in one year? That would be waste and selfish. But I refuse to give pat answers based on the norm. The questions I often get are akin to: "I want to run a marathon by November. Can I?" Well, sure you can. How fast you run is determined by your training. And that is tied into how much effort you want to put in. IF you just want to finish, heck you probably do not have to do much at all. But for all those minutes you want to take off (be it moving from 6 hours to 5 or 4 or 3) you are going to have to put in effort. *GASP*. I know. It is astonishing. You might have to actually WORK for something in this world instead of showing up and getting your prize.

And I understand the allure. Why run that far if you are not going to get credit? It is fun to have people care. You run the Whatever Valley TurkeyNeck Gobbler Half Marathon FunFest Run and Children's Walk and everyone praises you. You go for a 20 miler on some random day and no one gives a damn. And that is the point of my blog.

I ran the equivalent of a half marathon and a 5k. In ball freezing temps. At a pretty darn good pace. And when I finished, I got a first touch from the girl I ran with. And a glass of ice cold Gatorade. Then we parted ways. No press for Fiddy2. No finishers photos with the non-precious medal. No interview.

And to tell the truth, as strange as it was, that fist touch was gratifying. Not everything we do needs to be celebrated. I had another runner who runs at my pace say "Good job" and ten we went home to thaw out. No recap to write. No people to call. Just a lot of calories burned and the satisfaction that I climbed out of my warm bed (and you all know how much I love my bed) to go for a run simply because I could.

I almost gave myself a medal for that. So kudos to all of you who run all the time (or swim, walk, bike or anything) and do not care if anyone knows. Running because it is fun. Running because it is good for you. running because you can.

You are the ones who inspire me.