training for a marathon

 

Words 216; one audio

            My second run in training for the marathon.  The plan was to run 5 ‘hard’ miles.  I was pushing all the time.  The time for the first mile was 8:07, and every succeeding mile was faster than the one before with the last at 7:40.  If I average 8 min per mile for all 26.2 miles,
that would be 210 minutes or 3.5 hours.  This was my result for my second marathon 16 years ago.  OK, so this will be my goal for the race—an 8-minute mile pace.  The time needed to qualify for the Boston Marathon for a man of my age is 3 hours and 25 minutes.  I will have to bust my butt.  (Am I going to be in Boston next April?  No, but it’s something to think about). 

            This was also a great way to begin a day of traveling.  I’m leaving for Moscow today.

             I think it will be quite possible because the route is purported to be flat.  I can maintain the same pace for a long time.  A quote from Roger Bannister, the first person to run a mile in under 4 minutes might describe my state of mind while I am running:  He said, “I just went on existing in the most passive physical state without being unconscious.”

Here is a commentary I wrote about training for a marathon during the spring of 1997: