The past few weeks I have spent some time developing my 2016 race schedule. Every year my schedule tends to be a fluid thing – always changing to accommodate my personal schedule and current fitness level. I have already deferred one race this year, the Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathon, because I didn’t think I was properly prepared to run a marathon and hadn’t yet made travel plans. There are other races are on my calendar – some written in pen and some in pencil. Only time will tell which ones I run and which ones I take a pass on.
One race I am intent on running this year is in Lake Placid, NY. My good friend Dave runs a hockey store up there (Hockey Depot - the only place for hockey gear in the Northeast U.S.) and has two daughters around Samantha’s age. Last year I brought Sam up with me. The girls ran the kids race and then got to cheer for their fathers as Dave and I ran the Half Marathon.
I say we “ran” the half marathon, but maybe what I should really say is that we “finished” the half marathon. At some point, the hilly terrain forced both of us to walk. Despite being a little over six weeks from PR’ing the Cheshire Half Marathon, the Lake Placid Half completely kicked my ass, and I finished with my worst time ever in that distance.
I was humbled that day and it seriously made me reconsider a lot of things about my running. I made a decision that this year will be about challenging myself and committing to my training. I want to see where this sport can take me if I focus on it over a considerable time frame. This year has started off really well – I have lost 13 pounds and I am currently on a 23-day run streak. Starting a run streak was never a goal of mine, but now that I find myself in one I really don’t want to lose it.
So as I peruse my 2016 race schedule, June 12th sticks out like a sore thumb. That is the day of the Lake Placid Marathon & Half Marathon. I have already spoken to Dave, and he is expecting me to bring Sam and be there that weekend. I took notice of his non-committal stance on running the half marathon again, and I’m pretty much expecting to be running alone this time. Who knows, though. Maybe he’ll surprise me.
So, the real question for me isn’t whether or not I’ll be running in Lake Placid on June 12th. The real question is, will I be running 13.1 miles or 26.2?
There are two real ways I can look at this quandary. The first is, why on Earth would I want to try my hand at a race that is twice the distance of a race that destroyed me last year? The second way to look at it is… why wouldn’t I?
I have been looking at this race for a few months now, letting the “discount” dates go by because I haven’t been able to commit to either the half or the full marathon. But I think it’s time. It strangely reminds me of the scene in Good Will Hunting, when Will explains how his foster-father used to put a belt, a stick and a wrench on the table and let him choose.
“I gotta go with the belt on that one,” says Robin Williams.
‘I took the wrench,” he says. An interesting choice, given that it would obviously cause the most pain. Sounds a lot like the choice I have between choosing the half marathon or the full.
Why did he choose the wrench? Well, I’m not going to use the exact words, but in a way I can draw a similar comparison.
Choosing the half-marathon for me is the easy choice. Maybe I’ll run the whole course and get a better time this year. But doing what I should have done last year won’t prove much to me. I’ve done half-marathons before and I won’t be especially enamored with myself for completing another, even if I put in a better performance this time. I would expect myself to be better prepared for the half this year. Signing up for the half wouldn't even be like choosing the belt... it would be like choosing a feather.
It’s not enough for me to do what I should have done last year, which was to train right and be prepared. I want to look this race in the eye and let it know that it can't beat me again.
Perhaps by extension, what I really want to do is to destroy the me who was incapable of preparing for this half-marathon last year. I want to challenge myself to do something more - to work harder and accomplish greater things. I think about what it might mean to cross the finish line of the 2016 Lake Placid Half Marathon, and it feels pretty good. But then I think about crossing the finish line of the 2016 Lake Placid Full Marathon, and it feels freakin’ awesome.
So which Lake Placid race will I be signing up for this year?
I think I'll take the wrench.
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