Runner Dad

I just finished Hal Higdon's excellent marathon book. The last chapters are on the mental games during the marathon, and on what to do after you finish. I found myself getting pretty excited reading this. I am eager to be in the race, pushing my limits. Sure, I will probably feel miserable for a good deal of the time, but there is something about the challenge that is irresistable.

Then there is the image I have of crossing the finish line, starting the recovery process, the space blanket, the rehydrating, etc. As some point I will be thinking "This is something noone can ever take away from me!".

Actually, the very last chapter is a detailed description for each of the 18 training weeks. This was a little more sobering. Higdon makes comments that show how much experience he has running training groups. For example, as the midweek runs get longer he says that for many the biggest challenge will be making time around the work schedule for the runs. Exactly! That's one of my biggest concerns. However, it's comments such as these that fill me with confidence that this program works for regular people like me. The book is not written for some elite group, but for everyday people. I can do this, as long as I can budget time for it.