I was plagued with various cramps and side stitches for most of the second half of the race and by the time the last few miles rolled around my the legs were going, the feet were sore, and the rest of me was just plain sorry tired. Of course this happens whenever I run a marathon because a marathon is a very very long distance.
Very long.
But Mr. Stupid has run 11 of them over the past 10 years and he keeps doing them knowing what they do to him. Why is that? Is it because at my advanced age fun sports like basketball, baseball, hockey and football are just too dangerous and running and swimming are about all that's left? But even people of advanced age like myself finally gain some sense and start doing fewer marathons and focus on shorter races, or just stop running altogether.
The field for this marathon was very fast and competitive, but you could see the drop-off in participation even at this elite level. There were only 28 people in my age group (60-64) out of 1,200 runners. The next age group (60-65) there were only 5--and zero women. Does one gain a measure of essential wisdom at age 65 and stop doing these things?
So, what's the point for me? Running after a certain number of miles stops being fun--and that point for me is way before 26.2 miles! I chalk the whole thing up to a personal philosophy. Modern life is pretty easy. We have elevators, cars with automatic transmission, and chairs that adjust themselves at a push of a button. We don't have to do too many hard things from a physical standpoint.
I happen to believe that's it's good to do something hard every once in a while. Maybe once or twice a year. Running 26.2 miles is hard, but it's possible and there is a certain euphoria upon completion.
But of course that's usually followed by three or four days of very achy quads.
