August has a reputation for being a slow news month. Yes, things still happen, and 2WC’s thoughts are with those affected by the violence in Egypt, but we will not be talking about that today. You really should check with an actual news source for that coverage.
To help fill the hole in the news coverage, we thought we’d share some of our own news.
A couple of weeks ago, 2WC embarked on a journey that many have taken before (including us), but if it’s not on the blog did it really happen?
This Sunday marks the completion of our second week of half-marathon training. That means one thing for everyone following Hal Higdon’s Half Marathon Training for the Intermediate Runner (here’s a link for anyone who wants to play along at home): six miles.
Now, there’s only so much you can say about a six-mile run, and none of it’s really fascinating to be honest. It was one mile longer than a five-mile run, one mile shorter than a seven-mile run. Riveting stuff.
So instead we thought we’d take a moment to ponder what exactly compels us to these great distances.
Several of our loyal followers (we like to call them friends and family) are also training, some for even longer races. So this post is really as much about them as it is our own training, and we expect some awesome comments below.
Although we’ve shared our running exploits on this blog before, it never ceases to amaze us the amount of amazement some people have at the concept of road races.
We understand, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it seems to us that at this point the question, “Why?” is sort of a moot point on the subject. Still, we’ll counter with, “Why not?”
It seems safe to say that no one ever set out to train for a long distance run because they thought it looked fun—rewarding or inspiring seem more likely—but it can be. The neon orange shoes above are evidence enough of that.
It can also be a whole lot of not fun, yet for some reason we keep going. Through plantar fasciitis, pavement face-plants, and cyclist collisions, we keep going. Perhaps it’s stubbornness, maybe it’s an especially competitive spirit, or simply the knowledge that pushing forward is less humiliating than dropping out.
Whatever the reason, the runner is a unique breed, at least we like to think so. Over the next 10 weeks, we’ll try to keep you posted on our progress—triumphs, pitfalls, and all.
________________________________________
…just for fun:
