High Five

Today's 5 miler, the first run after the post-18 mile precipice, started off sluggish, and continued along those same lines throughout. It wasn't that I was in pain, all the symptoms of excessive exercise had diminished, my legs just didn't want to give it their all. I think also, mentally, I'm getting tired of slugging through the unfriendly winter weather day after day. Breathing through a mist of icy mines doesn't agree with how my lungs prefer to take their oxygen. I ended the 5 miles with an average pace of 8:34 per mile. This was disheartening as well, since taking ill last week seems to have come along with a scythe and chopped down all the pretty flowers in my speedy garden. But not to worry, speed is not my overall goal for this marathon, completion is. I didn't even start timing my runs until a few weeks ago anyway. This worry-free belief in speed as inconsequential for my first time daring to conquer 26.2 miles was only reenforced by an excellent quote from Hal Higdon himself:

"In the marathon, you don't beat others, as you might in the mile or the 100-meter dash. Instead, you achieve a personal victory. If others finish in front or behind you, it is only that their personal victories are more or less." (Higdon, pg. 10)

So, I finished running 5 miles for the day, came home and dove into my stretch & strengthening routine. I took the stretching slow, and added a few different lifts into the cycle. After about a half hour I was done & sufficiently cooled down. At this point, and as it still continues to this very moment, I am experiencing something that I can only describe as radiating awesomeness. I've felt runners high before, but at week 14 of marathon training, I didn't think 5 miles could really put me there. It's been almost a good 2 hours since my run, and I'm still feeling the same. It's a prolonged stretch of clarity & elation. It's as if, at this very moment, the cells in my body are rejoicing, like the ewoks at the end of Return of the Jedi, with the combination of vegan diet & long distance running. Yub Nub folks....


Higdon, Hal. (1993). Marathon: The Ultimate Training and Racing Guide. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Books.