the day i wanted to die
I have been sitting here doing homework for the past couple of hours and I feel the need for a break and an updated blog. I have been meaning to write more as the last few weeks have been full of activity that makes for good blogging but alas I am lazy. So this entry takes me back nearly a month to the Madison marathon at the end of May.
My brother and I started to train together back in February or early March and committed to each other that we would at least do our long run together each week. We started at about 6 miles and worked out way up to 20 about a month before the race. It was a great experience training with him. I loved the chance to spend so much time together as we discussed every possible topic we could come up with to best pass the time and not think about the fact that we were running for hours on end. It is a funny thing for two average guys to try and come up with topics of conversation for so many hours when our word quota for the day runs out in about the first 45 minutes.
After months of training and me reminding Joel again and again not to run one step in front of me, the day of the race arrived. And thus began several of the most humbling hours of my life. Over the past few months Joel and I had been able to push each other fairly well as we had done our runs in fairly good weather that was at its worst pretty cold in the early stages. But the morning of May 28th was something new, it was 75 degrees at 7 am and would reach highs of low 90s. I am not sure exactly when I knew I was in trouble but I would say it was about mile 2. I was already sweating like crazy and wanted to escape the sun. Joel and I had planned to run together until at least the last couple of miles where I imagined he would take off and I would plod my way to the finish line. Instead we made it together to mile 13 where Joel was trying to be the encourager and keep conversation going but the only response he got from me was to shut up and stop asking so many questions.
It was right about there that my body started its’ rebellion. I have never felt such pain in my legs or had my brain will one thing and my body demand something counter to it and so it was a new experience when my muscles started to cramp and I was slowed to a stumble. The humbling experience was highlighted by seeing five people placed into ambulances and being asked twice by medical support along the way if I needed help.
In the end I did finish but sadly it was not with my brother who had been done for nearly an hour, and it was not even close to the time I had hoped for. Now that it is past I am glad for the chance to experience something so humbling and be reminded that my body, no matter how much I want something, is weak and has its limits. It has also helped me to remember how important training is for any goal that I may want to achieve. I’m sure this will make for a good illustration some day for a talk.
My brother and I started to train together back in February or early March and committed to each other that we would at least do our long run together each week. We started at about 6 miles and worked out way up to 20 about a month before the race. It was a great experience training with him. I loved the chance to spend so much time together as we discussed every possible topic we could come up with to best pass the time and not think about the fact that we were running for hours on end. It is a funny thing for two average guys to try and come up with topics of conversation for so many hours when our word quota for the day runs out in about the first 45 minutes.
After months of training and me reminding Joel again and again not to run one step in front of me, the day of the race arrived. And thus began several of the most humbling hours of my life. Over the past few months Joel and I had been able to push each other fairly well as we had done our runs in fairly good weather that was at its worst pretty cold in the early stages. But the morning of May 28th was something new, it was 75 degrees at 7 am and would reach highs of low 90s. I am not sure exactly when I knew I was in trouble but I would say it was about mile 2. I was already sweating like crazy and wanted to escape the sun. Joel and I had planned to run together until at least the last couple of miles where I imagined he would take off and I would plod my way to the finish line. Instead we made it together to mile 13 where Joel was trying to be the encourager and keep conversation going but the only response he got from me was to shut up and stop asking so many questions.
It was right about there that my body started its’ rebellion. I have never felt such pain in my legs or had my brain will one thing and my body demand something counter to it and so it was a new experience when my muscles started to cramp and I was slowed to a stumble. The humbling experience was highlighted by seeing five people placed into ambulances and being asked twice by medical support along the way if I needed help.
In the end I did finish but sadly it was not with my brother who had been done for nearly an hour, and it was not even close to the time I had hoped for. Now that it is past I am glad for the chance to experience something so humbling and be reminded that my body, no matter how much I want something, is weak and has its limits. It has also helped me to remember how important training is for any goal that I may want to achieve. I’m sure this will make for a good illustration some day for a talk.
posted by Jon at
9:02 PM
1 Comments:
Wow Jon, good post. I can't imagine running a marathon. It's a completely trite thing to say, but it's something that you made it all the way without quitting. Most people probably would have taken the ride on the ambulance.
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