When I first decided I was going to run the Philadelphia Marathon (all of five days ago) I just thought it would be something to do, you know, a nice challenge, while also providing some interesting material to write about. I thought it would be kind of funny and offbeat to write about the adventure of preparing for a marathon in just over a month. But I really don't think I ever really thought about how much work it is. This is because, while I may sit for time on end and debate whom should be the 6th defenseman for the Pittsburgh Penguins, weighing all the options, comparing and contrasting, I am constantly not putting enough thought into the big decisions that are actually part of my life. It's a horrible habit.
And by the way, I don't care what they tell you, it's Alain Nasreddine.
So I ran 2.5 miles on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Then I ran 5 miles on Saturday and Sunday. And besides a lot of sore muscles, I've also got some interesting observations out of all of it.
First, running is boring. Dear Lord, it really is. I mean, the first few times, it was alright. I was excited about getting started, and it was nice to be out doing something. But the novelty was exhausted pretty quickly. And so was I.
Also, I may want to consider cutting this ridiculous Richie Tennenbaum hair. Keeping my hair this long for a marathon may be just too much. Or it might just be awesome. Who knows, juries still out.
I'm also thinking I'll probably have to pick up the pace this week. Last week I ran 17.5 miles, at about 9 minutes a mile. I'm taking today off, but I think I'll try 5 miles of Tuesday and Thursday, 2.5 miles on Wednesday and Friday, and then go for 10 miles on Saturday. The goal is to get up to running 20 miles on the 3rd of November, and then slowly tapering off as I prepare for the marathon on the 18th.
I should also state at this point that I have no idea how this is going to work out. I've tried to gauge my time, and right now it's not looking too great. If I can somehow keep up pace as I increase the length on my runs, it'd probably take somewhere between 4 and 4.5 hours. This seems kind of long and I can't help imaging myself collapsed on the street as I'm passed by soccer-moms and senior citizens. Which at this point, is probably my major motivation.
Anywho, I put a nice little poll on the left over there, where you can vote on the likely outcome of this absurd endeavor. Anyone know where I can find a Segway?
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