Thursday, March 18, 2004

The Running Man

Warming up

To the casual observer, it may appear that I'm not in very good shape, so it may surprise them to learn that every year for the past eight years I return to Columbus, Ohio for a marathon. The marathon is not held on the same weekend every year, so each year I wait for the announcement of marathon weekend and hope there is no conflict. This year, as the announcement time must surely be drawing near, I'm beginning to plan and to warm up. I'm always anxious for the marathon to begin, but I must temper my enthusiasm and concentrate on my pre-marathon work out routine which often involves a certain amount of research to determine the optimal work out and further research is required to find the appropriate diet. It may not be easy or fun, but if done well it can significantly enhance the marathon experiance and increase my chances of completing it without mishap.

The Event

The day will come. People will be gathered at the starting line. The pistol will crack. And we will all leap into action as one, like a herd of gazelle who suddenly catch the scent of a nearby predator. But as in the wild, not all of our herd will make it. Some people will drop off as time goes on, unable to make it to the finish line, but for those of us who hang in there, the rewards will be great, and as we cross the finish line, it will be with a sense of accomplishment. Once more we made it to the end.

The Cool down

At the end, we take our victory lap while congratulating each other sharing our stories of the more memorable and difficult legs of the course. We swap more stories and say our good byes. We head down the sunlit streets towards home, and almost before we've left, we begin to dream of next year's marathon...

Drexel
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posted 1:24 PM