Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Man runs 365 Marathons in 365 Days

http://bit.ly/fyNBGU

Read about this feat last month in the paper and it reminded me of the runners from the 70s that tried to keep certain streaks alive. Most days running every day for at least two miles. Running five miles at least five days a week. Run 100 miles each week for a year.

I'm sure that this guy will probably have a record that will remain untouched for a number of years. 26.2 x 365 days is 9,563 miles in a year. I can't believe that there are people that set goals like this, but I do wonder if his (pick one: hips, knees, ankles, etc.) are going to pay for this later on in life.

I can't say that I admire this feat. I can respect the fact that someone did this, but I can't say I admire it. One thing I strive for, in my training, in my life, in my work, is balance. Stephen Covey in his '7 Habits of Effective People' calls this sharpening the saw. If you don't take time out from your vocation for activities that are your avocation, you ultimately just wear down the teeth of the saw.

I can't believe after his first month of running marathons that he woke up every morning thinking "I can't wait to get out there". After the second month, this had to feel more like a job than an adventure. In my younger years, I tried to put in those high mileage weeks, the ones that you could brag about, but after a while, there was that voice in my head that said "why are you really doing this?" The answer always came back "to impress someone besides yourself". That usually was all I needed to tell myself to get me to stop.

I think anyone that runs something like this a total outlier. Way out of the norm and is probably working out something besides the love of running. Again, I can respect it, because it's an unbelievable achievement but I don't have to admire it.

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