Tension

It's the last weekend of March, but it felt like the last weekend of January during my 16-mile training run this morning. Beautiful sunshine, fields finally bereft of snow, and sparkling water in ponds and lakes freshly thawed suggested milder conditions than the low 20s (with wind chills around 10ºF) that I encountered. Winter is winning the seasonal tug-of-war that is making its latest appearance here in New England.

In a 45-minute session with a local athletic trainer this week, I learned all sorts of fascinating and insightful information about the biomechanics and physiology of knee joints, iliotibial bands, hip flexors, and other fine points of musculoskeletal structure that enable, among other activities, the running, cycling, hiking, and other forms of exercise and adventure that I enjoy. With the help of some stretching, flexibility testing, and a short yet torturous session of having some tight muscles and ligaments loosened by a polished metal bar– a process oddly reminiscent of smoothing dough with a rolling pin– his efforts got me back in shape for a strong and invigorating run around a hilly course no less arduous than the route from Hopkinton to Boston. Happily and gratefully, I feel more solidly on track for the marathon, with 23 days to go.

Yet I've still lost most of three weeks of training, a span that was slated to include some of the highest mileage and most intense workouts. In the time that remains, I'm keenly aware of the delicate balance between continued recovery and honing (if not slightly extending) endurance, between distance for its own sake and speed for pride's sake, and how each of these tensions plays out in the interplay of muscle, tendon, ligament, and bone that in turn have their own rhythm of tension and suppleness. I'm finding it a great blessing, a genuine adventure, and a slightly scary experience to be so in touch with my body's strengths and weaknesses, its fragility and resilience, as I journey through the concluding stages of a journey toward yet another starting line.

In a much more practical vein, should you wish to track my progress on Marathon Monday (18 April, 10:00am EDT start), information may be found here within the Boston Athletic Association's website. My race number is 1779. If you'll be in the Boston area that day, please consider coming out to the course to cheer on the runners... and let me know where to look for you!

Runners and spectators near the finish line on Boylston Street

Boston Marathon 2010