More marathon thoughts

 What a storm of controversey the Chicago marathon 2007 has created.  I appreciate all the comments from everyone who has written on this site.  I think every runner has a story to tell, and each runner's experience is unique.  Hearing those stories, comparing them to your own experience, helps everyone have a greater appreciation for their own experience.  So thank you to everyone who has written.  I found something I agree with in every comment.

Almost everyone who has run a marathon has the same experience in the days afterward.  All their friends ask about it.  Some of them have more of an appreciation for what is involved than others, and my answer tends to change depending on who asks.  In this case, I feel pretty sheepish admitting that I dropped out, knowing I could have finished.  Some people get that more than others.  But there has been so much media coverage of it, that most people's reaction is that I probably did a smart thing by stopping. 

A lot of people who ran Sunday are probably in a similar frame of mind.  If they finished, they are likely dissapointed with their time (though they should be quite proud of their effort).  If they stopped (voluntarily, or involuntarily) they are feeling like they fell short of what they trained for. 

I trained to run the marathon with the idea of running a Boston qualifier.  Knowing that was not going to happen Sunday, I stopped, thinking I could do another race in the next week or two instead.  I've spent a lot of time looking at web sites from different races in the next two weeks though, and have come to the realization it's not going to work for my schedule.  If you are thinking of the same thing though, here's a link to a good site: http://www.marathonguide.com/races/races.cfm

Coach Jenny Hadfield, who is a partner is Chicago Endurance Sports, has a good blog entry on Runner's World addressing the issue as well:  http://askcoachjenny.runnersworld.com/?cm_re=HP-_-News%20And%20Blogs-_-Ask%20Coach%20Jenny:%20Your%20questions,%20answered

Like I said though, it's not going to work for me immediately anyway.  The marathon training schedule is a pretty selfish endeavor, and puts a lot of burden on one's spouse.  My wife has happily dealt with the childcare issues and everything else, but that was with the understanding that it was going to end at some point.  So if I do one, it will likely be in mid-Novemer instead.  If I don't, I'll wait til next year.  Just like the Cubs.

Which leads me to the real thought I want to share.  I am one of those "Journey is more important than the destination" kind of runners.  The training for a marathon is such a long, difficult program, I think you'd better enjoy it.  Really, there are so many variables in a marathon, that you really can't count on anything.  When I ran Boston in the spring, it was supposed to be the worst weather in decades.  There were thunderstorms, high winds and floods in the area, and everyone adjusted their goals accordingly.  Two years earlier there they had extremely warm weather, and everyone also had to adjust their goals accordingly because of the heat (sound familiar?).  But even if you have perfect weather conditions, you may simply not be on your game that day.  In other words, noone guarantees that just because you train well and are in good shape, you will have a great marathon.

Three weeks ago I recall thinking the weather was about as ideal as possible for a marathon.  It was the day of the CARA 20 mile training run along the lakefront.  It was sunny, cool, and there was little wind.  I wore a singlet and finished at just a little slower than race pace, barely sweating.  By contrast, Sunday found me drenched in sweat at the three mile mark.  I am in the back of the picture below in the red.  In any case, I had the strange feeling three weeks ago that I had probably enjoyed my peak running experience of the fall that day.  That feeling turned out to be true.  I enjoyed it immensely, even though it wasn't the big race I was planning for.  That's what I mean about the journey, rather than the destination.  I enjoyed that, and the other training runs along the way.  Each was a great experience.  The race was a dissapointment, but they can't all be great.

Last year's Chicago marathon was my best marathon experience ever.  Having gone through some other more dissapointing finished is marathons before that helped me to appreciate it even more.  But it also helps me to put this year's race in better perspective.  Sometimes you get lucky and the marathon Gods smile on you.  Other times they don't.  But what you control is your appreciation of the experience.  This year I appreciated the training, and getting in good shape, even if I don't have a great time to show for it.  And fortunately, I'm not making a living off running, so my times really don't matter much to anyone but me.

I think everyone involved learned a lot from Sunday, and just because we may not have liked what we learned, doesn't make the lessons any less valuable.

See you on the roads.

Comments

[Tom Matyas]

Thanks for your thoughts and comments. I wish I was able to finish.