Anything is Possible

But everything is not possible. Those were the words of wisdom that my friend Tom offered up at about the 7th mile of our loop of Waterfall Glen over the weekend.  What prompted that thought was our frequently revisited conversation about running goals.  Our running group pictured includes John (on the left), Tom (in the middle) and myself.

I am basically happy with my running.  I do it because I love it and I've gotten much more out of running than I've given.  It is truly a blessing to be able to lace up the shoes most days of the week and head out for a few miles of mental relaxation and physical exertion.  I've been fortunate enough to be able to do it for more than three decades. 

For the last 15 years or so I've gone from a middle distance runner to more of a marathoner.  And it's been a humbling experience.  I vaguely remember running times back in college that I can only dream about now.  My peak running race experience this year was a series of 5k's the best of which was right about 20 minutes.  That's just under 6:30 per mile pace.

I'm pretty sure I ran in the low 16 minute range back in college for that distance.  That is closer to 5:15-5:30/mile pace.  We didn't run many 5k's back then, but my pace for 5 miles or 10k works out to about that time.  Not that it matters much.  It really is ancient history.  But it gets me back to the point of Tom's words of wisdom. 

We were going along pretty well on a great morning for running.  It was a day that leads one to reflect on how great the sport is, and how it would be fun to really dive in and train seriously for a really great marathon.  In other words, rather than peak at 50 miles a week during my typical marathon training, kick it up to 80 or 90 miles a week, and add in speed work, and hills, and two-a-day running.  You know, all that stuff you could do if you didn't have a job, or kids, or a spouse, or other responsibilities and interests.

If we could do that, Tom, John, and I all agreed that we could probably run really well.  I don't think Haile, or Meb or Ryan, or any other world class marathoners would have anything to worry about, but we believe it is possible.

Indeed, anything is possible.  But everything is not possible.  We could devote everything it would take to be a much better runner, and would probably succeed in significantly lowering our times, assuming we didn't get injured (which is a big assumption).  But we would probably not be able to keep up our careers, have much time with our kids or other family members, and likely cause major marital friction. 

So no, none of us will be moving to Albuquerque for high altitude training any time soon.  And none of us expects to break 3 hours in the marathon any time in the foreseeable future.  And Usain Bolt's world records in the 100m and 200m are safe for now.  Just kidding.  Ok, so maybe anything is not really possible!

See you on the roads....

Comments

[Scott]

Albuquerque? Albuquerque? I thought you loved us here in Colorado! Albuquerque...no one trains in Albuquerque!

[John]

Hey Cousin, Boulder used to be the place, but now most of the world class runners train in Albuquerque! Sorry!