Running marathons isn't real hardship

I know it’s January but I am getting a little fed up of the extreme weather. Unsafe for driving, unsafe for our elderly, youth and the vulnerable, unsafe for running and insanely unsafe for me! Two days spent running indoors on a treadmill, in a hot room, more insanity. With a 26-mile run on the horizon for the weekend, I have a burning need inside me to run miles and miles outdoors; the conditions don’t matter once it’s safe. With a big event involving lots of five kilometre loops coming up, I plan a marathon around my local route to prepare. My worry is that the ice will not have thawed and with hammering rain promised, it results in the worst conditions ever; this happens on the Friday morning. I am so very thankful to not have gone on foot this morning but to have crawled to work and got there safely, and that all my family reached their destinations and that my work colleagues and students were safe. Then one begins to think about the weekend.

Normally you’d do the long run on Sunday morning but with another wind warning promised, the window of opportunity is very narrow so one must grab the chance when it’s safe and clear to do so. I begin to access the situation for Saturday morning; it has completely thawed and so will be safe to run. I will be up at the craic of dawn, needing to be back for a young lad’s soccer match.

The training plan says 26 miles but there is no way I am running that near to a marathon and not completing one, so it will be 26.2 miles. This will involve eight loops; three will be ran in the dark and the best thing about the dark loops is that one can’t see too far ahead, it’s just pure running at its best. Concentrating on the steps ahead, watching one’s way, the world still sleeps, no people, no traffic, no noise. When one runs from darkness into light, it’s like starting out on another run; firstly, the lightness begins to appear, one can see, and it’s like running in a different place. The birds and animals start to awaken and the time passes quickly as one is halfway though.

The second-half is running in a new light. With the electricity gone all over the place throughout the week, one adapts quickly to life in the dark, one becomes more aware of how dependent we are on technology – phones, TV, computers, internet. With the light, heat and water all shut down we revert to candlelight, cards and cold food, quickly readjusting everyone ends up in bed earlier. Still no power the next morning, the candles are back lighting, there is no tea. I begin the long journey to work, the roads are bad again but in a different way, as trees, branches, bins and trampolines are the hazards this morning. It will be another treadmill run!

On arrival to work, students have panic on their faces, with no internet and no phones. “Brilliant,” I say. “Let’s go back to hedge school.” We begin to chat, talk, discuss, write, and share the most wonderful knowledge, skills and experiences. People’s communication skills immediately come to the fore and people’s learning styles are further explored; we all learn in different ways, some visual, auditory and kinaesthetic, so if we can tap into our learning styles we can enhance our experiences. Out of the corner of my eye I see the bars are back up, the internet is back, but I don’t say a word or interrupt the flow. It’s break time and then I inform all that the internet is back; the excitement isn’t there and I explain we can continue old style or have a mix of both. Sometimes we become so reliant on technology that we forget how to do the basics. I sometimes worry about the future and our youth – will they be able to think, create, communicate, write, calculate, play sport without a heart rate monitor or watch, or be able to do the simple basic tasks. Modern technology has taken over many of these simple skills from us.

After digesting the week’s goings on I’ve only two loops left. I feel great, I will do this. I begin to think of people this week who are not feeling well, who are in pain, people who are without the basics, no heat, light or water. One explained their recent pain felt like 10 out of 10, it was sore, it was a bit worrying for them, but they pulled through. Running this marathon today is not uncomfortable, I have the basics, water, food and proper clothing. It is hard to rate it out of 10, being on the lower side, it feels good. I now have daylight, my body is roasting, the roads are safe and my marathon will soon be complete. I have no technology today, yes, my watch is on my wrist but my mind is consumed with the basics, so I don’t need to look at the time or heartrate.

Running with a smile and getting into a comfortable flow, no technology can tell your body how it feels and no technology can make you complete a marathon or get rid of pain, yes it can maybe distract the mind and make it easier but the body pushes through, making it stronger. The mind can turn positive or negative, the talking to oneself is crucial; it must remain positive, in darkness, in pain or in running. If you begin to listen to the negative thoughts they will take over.

I grab the last drink of water, the last sweets from my belt and head for my last loop. Climbing the last hill is an empowering feeling, I stand up straight and run for home, I think about all the obstacles overcome this week, the challenges achieved to get through each day. A marathon feels easy compared to driving in treacherous conditions, compared to worrying about loved ones and for me, compared to running on a treadmill.

On turning for the last mile of 26.2, I have it all left behind me on the road, I am running for home with positive thoughts, with a positive energy to get me through the next week. I am now stronger, I am clearer, I am happier. With half a mile to go I can see the house, lit up like a lighthouse and a few spectators waiting for me – hubby and two neighbours hunched over the gate, I’m guessing discussing the weather, the sheep and the wet land. There’s a young lad too waiting for me to practice shots for the match, a young girl having the cones out for hurdles. I reach the gate, 26.3 miles completed, a little over a marathon, I am beyond excited. No medal, no live results and no tracking the runner – just me, the road and my journey, alone, but at one with my thoughts, dreams and goals of bigger days to come.

The neighbour asks how many loops, I explain eight. He’s used to my routine by now and continues to explain about two men from Shrule in the 1970s who ran the New York marathon to raise money for the local soccer club at the time. He highlighted they had no fancy, bouncy runners like today, no Garmin or GPS watches, no running belt, no Lucozade, caffeine, gels or whatever else some people swear by. They had no statistics, no earphones, no sports physiology, no emails about preparing for the event, no phones, no coaches, just pure running at its best. However, they had the mental and physical toughness from their daily lives; they worked the land every day and so running a marathon was sometimes easier for them than shearing sheep by hand, saving turf with no machines. Being used to a lot harder tasks than running a marathon, their daily lives prepared them for the toughness, the hardship, the endurance needed to run the distance. They completed the event and went on to run for many years after. On reflection I think my week of hard work made my marathon encounter so much easier today. I’d better keep up the hard work for the next few weeks!

I don’t think too many have ran a marathon in Shrule but for me today it didn’t matter where I was, I had a task to complete, I had thoughts to park, I ran the event to sympathise with people’s pain, to remember loved ones. I needed to run miles outdoors after a week’s build-up of not getting out much, and so my journey flew by. I am very excited on arrival to the back door, the real marathon begins; a quick shower, breakfast to bring and it’s off to soccer. I look forward to the spring, but for now if the roads come bad again, if the light fades, if the darkness comes we will exit the dark, we will enjoy the basics, the simplicities, the light will return, we will appreciate the pleasures and our minds will think positive thoughts.