The one that got away ...

It was thisssss big!
(Courtesy Moggy443 @ Flickr)

I remember - at least I think so - catching my first fish. The place was "the country" - which was what we called any location in the vicinity of my grandmother's home in Raceland. I was standing on the bank of a little bayou of sorts and my hook managed to snag a garfish. Now this is not the kind of fish that most people eat but this adventure was not that kind of fishing trip. This was my first fishing experience and that garfish was huge, a mile long, I'm sure. I can't quite remember whether we took it home with us or released it back into the bayou. Doesn't matter. I can still see that big ole fish a-floppin' and a-splashin' near the bank as we pulled it in. One big catch for one little kid.


If somebody asked me a few weeks later just how big that fish was, I'm pretty sure I'd have had a hard time stretching my hands wide enough to indicate its measure. If someone asked me today, I'd have to say "something about 3-foot long, or so." But then, I'd still be guessing. I really can't remember. I just know it impressed the little kid with the pole in his hand.

So, how does this relate to running, you ask?

Well, our memory for life's experiences varies quite a bit. Some things we remember quite vividly. Some things we remember quite accurately. Some things we don't remember vividly or accurately. And, of course, some memories are enhanced by the years in between and by what we want to remember about the experience. This includes our running exploits.

Crossing the finish line in the
indoor mile at LSU

For example, a memory that is both vivid and accurate in the mind of the timelapserunner is his 5:44.7 indoor mile. I remember the experience, where I lined up, what I wore, getting lapped by the eventual winner and the exact time of that personal record down to the tenth of a second. There are good reasons for me to remember all this so accurately and vividly. It's the only indoor mile I ever ran. I trained six months with a specific goal time in mind. I have both a written and video record of the event to remind me of the experience. But most importantly, it remains one of the most transformative events of my life - a period in my middle age when I built a vision, set a goal and worked intensely for a long time to see both come to pass. I haven't all that many memories of that kind of thing.

Other running memories aren't so accurate or vivid. For years I was sure that my longest run had been a 14-miler, back during that same era. But when I went back to the records to find THAT run, it didn't exist. There was a 12-miler in my records, but no 14-miler. Notice, that I remembered something more impressive than the actual deed. If asked by someone what my longest run ever was, I would have said 14 miles - at least if asked before I went back and looked it up. But then again, the importance of this particular achievement pales in comparison to the personal record mile run experience described above.

All these events occurred more than twenty years ago, so perhaps it's forgivable to have misremembered one or more of my achievements from those days. And my life is filled with many more significant memories. So, .... is it possible for a 42-year old to misremember his marathon time, suggesting it was 2:50-something instead of more like 4:00-something? Veteran marathoners and to those whom those experiences meant a great deal would say, "No way." For those to whom the actual event(s) meant less, perhaps. Is it possible to remember such an event more favorably or more impressive than it actually was? Interesting question.

I'm thinking it's quite possible, having my own experiences with memory. The importance of events have a lot to do with just how well we recall them and it is the human experience to remember our own performances better than they actually were - at least until we examine them more closely in the harsher light of today. I'm just glad I'm not a politician in this day and age, or else I might have to have a bit better proof of that 5:44.7 mile than some old video.

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MONDAY'S WORKOUT: 3-mile walk after sleeping in a bit, averaging 15:49 per mile. No problems.

TUESDAY'S WORKOUT: Our usual 4-miler 'round the Lakes with planned pace of 11:47 (actual - 11:33), intervals of 2:04 / 1:00 and nominal running pace of 10:27. A bit of rippling tickles through the left side, first in the quad, then the ham, then the left outside calve muscle, and finally the groin. Nothing big, though. Some of this might have to do with doing most of my running on the left side of the street. I will explore some center and right side running in the future.