Yesterday morning, I ran 8km and chose a route that winded through High Park and onto the Lakeshore so I could run along the Martin Goodman trail. It was a beautiful morning and as I approached the Lakeshore I noticed I wouldn't be running alone. Hundreds and hundreds of people were participating in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon and I literally had to zip through the pack to get on the trail.
This part of the route, right by Sunnyside pool, was the 14km mark. A marathon is over 42km, which means this was the 1/3rd mark of the race. A distance which is about as long as I've ever run is only 1/3 of a marathon. This is a distance that is already 4km longer than the race I'm currently training for. This got me thinking...
Will I be able to run a marathon? I realize that's my goal here, but is it realistic? I know I can handle a half-marathon, as I see that as just a long run, but a full marathon is a different kettle of fish. After finishing the New York Marathon, Lance Armstrong said it was "the hardest physical thing I have ever done. Even the worst days in the tours, nothing was as hard as that and nothing left me feeling the way I feel now in terms of sheer fatigue and soreness."
That's Lance Armstrong, the guy who survived cancer and went on to win the Tour de France seven consecutive times. He's Mr. Super Fitness and he considers running a marathon the hardest physical thing he's ever done. What hope is there for a regular Joe like me? How the hell am I ever going to successfully train to run a 42km race?
I guess I'll proceed as I have been these past six months. I'll take it one day at a time...
