Wasting No Time

After a week or so of staying up late to enjoy celebrations and fellowship with my family and my Jesuit brethren, and sleeping in somewhat as a result, this morning I returned to my schedule of rising before the sun to train on the dark and relatively empty streets of Worcester. Having reset the odometer yesterday and officially begun training for the 116th Boston Marathon– 15 weeks from today– I wasted no time in posting my first mileage of the new year. Although winter hasn't entirely moved in yet– temperatures were still up in the mid-30s for my 7-miler this morning– a secluded stretch of my route served up a surprising patch of black ice. Suddenly a quick skid renewed my gratitude for divine protection, the mysterious sense of balance conferred by years of informal yoga practice, and even more, the excitement of overcoming an unexpected obstacle. Training for spring marathons each of the past six years, I have learned that the best, most streamlined regimens can be scrambled by injuries, weather, and other unpredictable circumstances. Just two days into this new year– and much sooner than I would have expected in this training cycle– nature mischievously reminded me that much can happen in fifteen weeks.  Hopefully, being accosted by a hidden icy patch turns out to be little more than a warning to remain attentive in the coming months, not only noticing the hazards that may emerge along my path, but also savoring the adventures amid the hundreds of miles that I'll cover en route to my goal: crossing the finish line in Copley Square on Patriot's Day.