"Because it is there."

George Mallory, an English mountaineer who led the first three attempts to summit Mount Everest in the early 1920s, was once asked by a New York Times reporter why he was so intent to climb the mountain. His four word response quickly became iconic: "Because it is there."

A few people have asked why I want to run a marathon. Where mountaineers have used Mallory's response to justify their own summit fever, "Because it is there" does me little good. Sure, the road is there, as are barking dogs, trees, squirrels, cars, other runners, walkers, and bicyclists. But at the end of the run, there is no scenic view…

Trolltunga, Norway

So, why do I want to run a marathon? The snarky is: Why not? But this answer deflects the more truthful answer: Because I want to prove to myself that I can run a marathon.

About a year ago, this whole running races thing started with a simple 5K event and quickly gained momentum like a semi-truck barreling down a mountain without brakes. In fact, Chicago was not the first time I contemplated running a marathon. Last summer, I followed a Facebook friend who trained for and ran the Marine Corps Marathon. As he logged his miles, I wondered silently to myself if I could do it. As one 5K race became two races, which quickly morphed into several 5Ks, a 10K, and a half marathon, not only did my confidence grow, but I became curious if I could run further. Moreover, I needed that next challenge.

I am a firm believer in setting goals: professional & personal. Each day, I usually have a set of goals in the form of a never-ending “to do” list that typically deal with school-related matters and my aspirations of reaching tenure one day (or whatever form of tenure exists in the UW system). Other goals are more personal in nature. Making Jody happy and treating her well each and every day; trying to minimize the number of sweets I eat each week day; and living a healthy lifestyle. To these goals I have added a marathon.

Has it been a fun experience so far? Not always. The two 20-milers that I have run have been grueling tests of endurance like I have never experienced. I'm not sure what will happen when I add six more miles. I will be happy when the race is in my rearview mirror, but it will not be long before I wonder what is next and need another goal for next year.

A Big Announcement

I'll be honest, I completely forgot about this week's post until a few minutes ago ... and it is too late to post anything witty. I'm tired and need sleep. I am scheduled to run 7 miles before the run rises tomorrow morning.

The other reason this post has slipped my mind is because, as most of you probably know by know, I had a life altering moment this weekend. On Sunday, I proposed to Jody and she said "yes"! We have been together for just over three years now and she is the love of my life. I couldn't be any happier and look forward to exciting road ahead and traveling it with her by my side.

Headphones

When I first started running, I was pretty adamant about running with headphones. In fact, I once told Jody that I could not imagine running without them. Like many people, I found that motivational songs helped keep the legs churning.

I used headphones for all my runs in Vancouver and Moscow, ID, as well as for the first few months in Milwaukee. I can recall times where I needed that extra motivation to help me run faster or to finish my run.

I even went so far as to buy a holder for my phone that goes around my arm. This worked well, though it was kind of a pain to check it when I wanted to know how far I had run or what my pace was at any given moment. I had to contort my arm in such as way that I almost ran into a couple road signs (not true, but it would have been funny -- after the fact, of course -- had it happened).

The most annoying part of running with headphones were the headphones themselves. I sweat a lot when I run. So, after the first mile or so, especially on a warm, humid day, the earbuds would slip out of my ears, or they would shift and not feel right. I would fight them the rest of the run, very much like this commercial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_Bs_t2s-Lw

Sure, I could buy a better pair of earbuds, those designed for exercise, but I went another direction. I tried running without music ... and the craziest thing happened ... running became easier.

I was not worried about the earbuds giggling in my ears or falling out of my ears. I was not worried about the cord banging incessantly against my chest. I was not worried about listening to a song that I was tired of hearing or that did not fit my mood. I was not worried about creating the perfect running playlist. I just ran.

I have no idea if I am more observant when I run without headphones. I'm not sure if I run faster or "better" with or without them. I do know that I feel more comfortable without them. One less thing to worry about. Do I have my moments when I wish I had them to kick in a Power Song? Of course, but I find more gratification knowing that the Power Song has to come from within and I must dig deep to locate that extra motivation to run faster or finish the grueling long run.

Training Update
The 20-barrier has been broken. On Saturday, I ran 20.5 miles. The alarm went off at 4 AM so I could eat. An hour and a half later, Jody and I were pounding the pavement. The goal was to get the run done before the sun came out and the temperature soared into the lower 90s with a high percentage of humidity. Once again, Jody joined me for the first 4 miles. After that, I was on my own.

One of the neat things about all this preparation is that I can feel myself getting stronger. The first 15 miles went very smooth with only minor objection from my legs and feet. After that, it became a grind. I stopped to refill my water bottles at the 15.2 mark and took my third gu (I took one every 5.25 miles). Although I did not drink that much water at this stop, less than a mile later, I developed a nasty stomach cramp. I tried to run through it but it became unbearable so I had to walk.

A quarter of a mile later, I managed to get the legs going again and made it passed mile 19 without stopping. I thought I could make it mile 20, but at 19.3, and with my legs screaming at me, I could run no further (at least that is what I thought). I walked for a half of mile. Then the craziest thing happened ... I started shuffling my feet again. I passed the 20-mile mark and kept going until my watch said "20.5 miles."

Overall, I was very pleased with this run. Given that this was the first time running 20 miles, I cannot worry about my time because I'm confident that my next run will be better as my legs continue to get stronger.

Two days after my jog, my legs, feet, and hips feel good. Foam rolling has helped the recovery as has a two-hour massage. Fortunately, this week is a recovery week with my long run being only 14-15 miles.

The 20-miler with my splits.