18 Miles on a Windy Day

Following a day of rain on Friday, a strong Canadian front came through Highlands last night and it has turned cold and windy.  Last night the stars were bright and high clouds flew across the night sky, and this morning we awoke to bright October Blue skies (yes, that is a real color!) and a strong wind out of the north and west, which seemed to be in our faces no matter which corner we turned.

We had a nice group this morning, perhaps 15 of us in all, including two visitors from Wilmington, Lon and Sandi, who were up here training for their very first marathon, Marine Corps in three weeks.  It was great talking to them, and despite all I told Lon during the course of our 14 miles together he seemed more determined than ever to get across the finish line - a sure sign that he has a serious case of this strange marathon fever that seems to take over otherwise sane and ordinary mortals at certain times in their lives.  They are both in good shape and I predict they will have a good race.  Sandi cut her run short a couple of miles because a troublesome hamstring had tightened up, a sign of good sense uncharacteristic in most of us marathon runners and a lesson I need to remember every day:  be attentive to your body.

All of this talk about marathons psyched me up for my own race as well.  And that's most of the battle won, here on these long roads:  being psyched up, being mentally prepared to face whatever awaits us out there in the unknown.  Because although I have run 19 of these things, I still have a lot to learn about myself.  It reminds me of Alberto Salazar writing about a marathon being an imponderable event.  Surely even the elites stand on that starting line and realize that anything can happen.  And that's what makes us return to it again and again.  But Lon and Sandi have done all the hard work and for them it is taper time, and then they will get to celebrate for 26.2 miles.

I did adjust my long run as well - the schedule called for 20 miles, but I have another one of those coming up in two weeks and like Sandi I had a recurrence of that tightening high in my hamstring.  So I toughed out the last four miles as the unrelenting wind seemed to pick up even more and more speed.  Coming down Sixth Street in my final mile it was so strong in my face that I started laughing at it.  And recalling one of my favorite quotes from Shakespeare ("As You Like It"):

". . .The seasons’ difference; as, the icy fang
And churlish chiding of the winter’s wind,
Which, when it bites and blows upon my body,
Even till I shrink with cold, I smile and say
‘This is no flattery: these are counsellors
That feelingly persuade me what I am.’
Sweet are the uses of adversity."