I love this thread!
I never take running for granted. I think this happens even more the older I get. I remember the first time I ran 2 miles as a 13 yo. I was so happy! Then, it was 4 miles. And then 8. I remember how hard 8 miles used to be for me in HS.
As for running for a "long time" ha, my limit is three hours. My husband is able to read the Sunday times in the time it takes me to run 20 miles.
This is a great thread.
I agree with the OP, particularly during Marathon training. When the long run on Sunday is over and your legs are heavy, it's amazing to think you ran 10 miles out of town and back. The progression thing is also cool. To run a marathon at what used to be your "interval" pace is so satisfying. I get this with half marathons a lot too, as the last few I've PB'd have been at what was my temp pace - to go from running hard 10-20 minute tempos to a full marathon at the same pace boggles the mind.
The lazy guy - I hear you. During peak marathon training, the rest of my life feels like it's in a mess. Not just the physical effort, but the mental effort to deal with all the stupid little problems of the day just doesn't seem worth it!
Made a comment today at HS CC practice to my team that when its time to go for a run with the old coach that they better pack their lunch cause I can go for hours with little effort.
I am 40 and still can lay it down on the old country roads of western Ohio
I'm fat now and can only run about 1/4 mile, so no, I'm not amazed.
Great post. I'm seeing the picture.
John O'Donnell wrote:
I am 58 now. At my best, thirty years ago, I was a modest 2:44 marathon runner who regularly trained 80-85 miles per week. At the time, I rarely thought about it. Most of the guys I knew were better runners than I was, and I only thought about getting better.
I think about it a lot more now that I can't do it, and I think that's as it should be. It's not so much a matter of pride; it's something different. I am so happy I did it; humbled, really; so glad for having had the experience and being able to recall what it was like to be able to do that. In my late twenties, I lived in Portland, Ore., for four years, and I regularly took a 20 mile run from the downtown area far up into the hills west of the city. In the first three miles, ascenting a long hill, I'd often go from drizzle, through a bank of clouds, into brilliant sunshine. I remember that now: that feeling of fitness, being able to climb that hill that was three miles long to start the run, and feeling like I had gont through three different weather situations. My life is far richer for having had that experience,and I say that with humility. I don't feel like I did anything great. It's more a feeling of having been in on a secret only a few of us know, a secret we can't possibly share with anyone who hasn't done it. .
40 minutes into my run today I thought to myself, "Holy crap, I am still running!"
When you think about it too much, it gets a little surreal. Especially when it feels so automatic and there is no effort.