No reward without risk
"Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit." - e e cummings
There's no other event that captures and reveals the human spirit more than the marathon, a true test of will, determination and courage.
My thoughts are filled with gratitude that I've been able to complete 3 marathons, with the start of my 4th just a few hours from now.
For each marathon, I've carried a theme song with me, tucked in the back of my mind to help me endure challenges when they arise. It started by accident, when at last year's marathon I found myself singing "Lonely Road of Faith" by Kid Rock when I reached the middle miles and my mind began to wander. Sitting at a F-M RedHawks game, the day after the Fargo Marathon, I heard the perfect song for today's race. The last thing I did before leaving home was download Nonpoint's remake of "In the Air Tonight." I never really cared for the original, but the dark, driven chords and vocals of the remake helped me identify myself as the biggest challenge in this marathon.
I've used self-imagery in previous marathons, and this marathon figured picturing myself as an eagle soaring above the trees and rocky North Shore will help me push through discomfort.
On a final and more important note, there are some excellent runners with ties to Fargo who will be among the leaders in today's race:
- Christopher Raabe, who ran at North Dakota State University and previously qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials, is returning for this year's race. He placed 6th overall last year, and was the top American runner at Grandma's Marathon.
- Eric Loeffler, also an NDSU alumn, lives in Fargo. Through his work at Beyond Running, Eric has been a terrific resource for dozens of runners who show up for group runs at the store or summer speed sessions. He placed 4th at the Fargo Marathon in 2008 and ran a 2:25 at the California International Marathon last December. With his heavy load of training, Eric could shave several minutes off that time.
Best of luck to Eric and all the runners today. Personally, I'll be looking to set a new personal record, but it won't come with risks and digging deep to reveal my own spirit. And it will be a tough challenge with the forecast calling for a start-time temperature about 55, and it is expected to climb quickly. It will be above 70 degrees before I finish.
Posted by: RunningSpud on 6/20/2009 at 4:30 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: bison track, exercise, fargo marathon, fitness, grandmas marathon, health and wellness, ndsu, running, weather
