Marathon Wisdom

I heard that Dean Karnazes has a book about the lessons he learned running 50 marathons in 50 days. I haven’t read it, but it did get me thinking about my own, much less prolific marathon history. So for this installment of “On the Road” I set out to write about the lessons I have taken from the 15 marathons of my career.

In the process, I got hung up on my first marathon. Maybe it’s because I’ve been training with a couple of guys who are about to make their debut at the distance, Team USA Minnesota runners Antonio Vega and Josh Moen. I don’t know. Maybe it’s because it has been almost a year since my last marathon, long enough to be in danger of forgetting a few things.

Anyway, I remember my own hopes and trepidations going into my first marathon, which was over seven years ago. I know that I had a vague idea that the marathon might be my best distance, because I always seemed to pass people in the latter stages of shorter races. Other than that, I guess I figured I had nothing to lose, so I’d give it a shot.

I can’t help but compare myself seven years ago with Antonio and Josh as they head into their first marathon. My first thought is that I am glad for their sake that these two guys are much better prepared than I was for my first 26.2 miler. They have better 10k speed, have put in more mileage, more marathon-specific workouts, and have had better guidance than I did.

The second thing that really strikes me is that, while I am obviously much more experienced today than I was then, many of the same questions and concerns remain. I’ll be toeing the line at the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon along with these rookies in less than three weeks, and I will probably be just as filled with uncertainty as they will. Maybe more, because I know how much it’s going to hurt, even on a good day.

What questions still trouble me after so many marathons? How fast can I go out, and still come back strong in the second half? How will I adjust to different weather conditions? What if choosing to run my pace means running alone? What can I do in these final weeks to make my legs feel great on race morning? What will I do if they don’t? How will I manage if I encounter problems X, Y, and Z? Missed water bottles, pacing errors, GI distress, blisters, equipment malfunctions – the list of what can go wrong goes on and on.

I guess if there is one “lesson” that I have learned from the marathon, it is that it pays to stay calm in dealing with whatever comes your way. A few seconds lost won’t kill you. A panic attack will.

If your shoe comes untied, calmly stop and tie it and quickly get moving again. If you feel yourself becoming dehydrated, focus ahead on reaching the next aid station, refuel as best as you can and then get moving again. Need a bathroom break? Take it, quickly and efficiently, and then get moving again.

Yes, that is my genius advice, the wisdom accumulated over 15 marathons: always, always, always keep going. It’s the only way to get to the finish line.