But why the marathon?

Indeed, why the marathon?

(Courtesy heza @ Flickr)

There's no one defining reason for doing this, running this insane distance. Perhaps it's the allure of achieving a goal very few pretend to, or ever achieve. Maybe it's a renewed understanding that pursuing fast times in short races increases the risk of injury, especially as one ages. It's often difficult to unravel one's motivations for pursuing seemingly irrational dreams.

An aerial view of recent longest training run (10.3 miles)
around the LSU Lakes and City Park (Garmin Connect)

In any case, I have to give my co-worker, Mike, credit for planting the seed for this particular dream. Even before I resumed my running in earnest in 2011, Mike was talking about his vision of running a marathon and a further enhancement of that vision in which he saw me running that marathon with him. I remember giving that particular vision the brush off. I've never really been a long distance runner, always preferring the 5K or mile as opposed to lengthier races. In my former life as a runner, I did pull off a few longer efforts: a) a 12-miler in practice, b) a run-as-far-as-you-can-around-the-Catholic-High-track-in-one-hour race, and c) more recently, one longish (~10 miles) training run. However, the marathon distance puts those three runs to shame, as none of those efforts would get a runner even close to the alleged wall< waiting for those who have cavalierly chosen to push their limits of endurance.

Louisiana Marathon Finishers Medal
2012 Inaugural Race (Courtesy: A Runner's Journey)

I suppose the last piece to fall in place was my sister's recent completion of the El Camino de Santiago (The Way of St. James). Successful completion of this physical and spiritual journey of roughly 500 miles is no mean feat. People actually die making this pilgrimage! Mary Ann successfully completed this journey, earning her the cherished compostela, or certificate of completion.

In a way not accessible to rational thought, this has completed the puzzle for me. My marathon medal - should I complete the journey - will be my mini-compostela. In no way do I wish to compare the spiritual or physical aspects of these two efforts, but they will in my mind always be linked.

I can only imagine putting one of those around my neck, sweaty and exhausted, but mightily fulfilled.