385 Yards


A 12 mile run? Wow, that's really something, especially when
I consider the fact that just three years ago a three-mile run seemed like a
long distance accomplishment. When I ran my first four miles, I posted
the accomplishment on Facebook. I was
proud of the accomplishment and was probably looking for accolades from my
friends. I mean, hey, this was something... I had run four miles! I
recall doing the same for my first five-mile run, and then again at six miles.
At some point, I began to acknowledge to myself that I was indeed
becoming a long distance runner and that I should probably stop posting these
accomplishments online. My distances just kept getting longer and longer.
Although, as I sit down to write this blog, I look back on my Facebook
comments and now realize that I never really did lay off of running related
posts. I seem to have found one for my first ten-mile route, my first race ever
(the GMAA Labor Day 15k), and my first 1/2 marathon (the GMAA Green Mountain
1/2). I look forward to the day that I'll be able to post about
running 26.2 miles - that's how long a marathon is, which, if you're
reading this post you already know. However, I'd like to focus for a
moment on the small little decimal 0.2 miles on the end of the number. I
recently read an article that referred to a marathon being 26 miles and 385
yards long. As I sat on my flight to Florida, I thought about this 385
yard reference. One might think that it's some sort of cruel joke to run 26
miles and then need to do an extra couple hundred yards on top of that, but I'm
thinking the opposite. If I can manage to successfully run the first 26 miles,
I plan to thoroughly enjoy those last 385 yards. I hope that with each
footfall, I can revel in the thought that I've completed my first marathon. At
least that's my current plan, assuming that I can actually complete the first
26 miles. And then, after reminding myself that 385 yards is just the
equivalent of 8.92 Boeing 737's, I'll probably post the accomplishment on
Facebook!
Fondly,
Greg