It has been said that runners have their best thoughts of the day while out running. Runner and writer
Michael Selman shares his
"Thoughts on Running" with us here at ontherunevents.com.
On April 16th, 2002, I will mark my 20th anniversary of running by
doing what I do most mornings. I will get up at 5AM, go for a short run,
and in a small way, it will be a disappointment that I am able to do so.
There is a trivial piece of me that would prefer that the act of getting
out of bed that morning would be too painful, too hard, to challenging. I
will fantasize that while I am lying in bed, stiff and sore, almost unable
to move, I will still be reveling in the accomplishments of the day
before.
But that will be the dream, not the reality.
On April 19th, 1982, three days after I ran my very first mile, I
watched as perhaps the most thrilling Boston Marathon ever took place.
While I watched, my legs still aching from that single first mile I had
run three days earlier, I was riveted as Alberto Salazar and Dick
Beardsley waged a classic battle through the hills of Newton down through
Brookline into the Back Bay area of Boston. Though Beardsley pushed the
pace for almost the entirety of those last nine classic miles, Salazar
prevailed at the finish by 2 seconds, and won the race, as he almost
always did back then.
A lot has changed over my first 20 years of running. Today, I can run a
mile without having sore legs for the next week. Today, I can even run a
marathon in over four hours, and not be one step ahead of the sweep
vehicle. In fact, today's four hour marathon might still place me in the
top half of most races. Though I have slowed more than I'd like to admit,
the overall field has decelerated at a much quicker pace.
In 1982, nine of the top ten men's finishers at Boston were Americans,
as well as seven of the top ten women. The following year, Americans made
a clean sweep of the top 10 in both the men's and women's fields. Large
purses in other marathons were enticing the International field away from
Boston. But the standard quickly shifted, as the lack of sponsorship and
prize money that had initially pushed the international contingent away
from Boston gave way to corporate sponsorship and large purses, which
lured them back. Before the end of the decade, in 1988, to be exact, there
was not a single American top ten finisher in either division.
Boston has changed in other ways to, since I ran my first mile almost
20 years ago. In 1986, qualifying standards were eased, and in 1988, they
were relaxed even more, putting the potential to qualify within the reach
of runners like me. The question now became less one of raw talent, and
more one of heart and desire. In 1996, for the historic 100th running of
the race, a lottery was conducted to expand the official field and allow
non-qualifiers to officially run the race. I chose to remain pure to the
tradition, and did not submit an entry. Today, much to the chagrin of
some, one can receive an official Boston Marathon race number by raising
funds for designated charities.
But there is one thing about Boston that has not changed over the
years. On April 15th, 2002, the final day of my first 20 years of running,
Boston will be run without me for the 20th time since I stepped out the
door to jog my first mile, and then needed a week off to recover from it.
Qualifying for, and running Boston would be a storybook ending to my first
20 years as a runner, and if I wrote fiction, I would be there. Perhaps if
I put on life-filtering blinders and totally dedicated myself to marathon
training, remained uninjured, and ran the perfect race on the perfect
course on the perfect day, than MAYBE I would qualify, and be there. It
would all have to be perfect.
I honestly don't know if it's just sour grapes on my part, or if Boston
is truly not synonymous with running in my book. I consider myself a
runner, so Boston is not the defining element. But I cringe just a little
bit inside every time I am asked if I've ever run Boston. And I turn just
the slightest hue of green every time I meet someone who has done the
training I have been unwilling to do, and succeeded in qualifying for
Boston. It's even a little bit harder to swallow when someone just assumes
I've run it, because that's what every "real" runner does.
And now, as I approach my 20th anniversary of running, I look back and
realize how much I have accomplished in my first 20 years. I have 20 years
worth of running logs, and almost every run I've ever done since that
first mile is secured within their pages. I have acquired a respectable
number of medals and trophies from races where nobody else in my age group
showed up. I proudly display framed copies of the articles I have had
published in magazines like Runner's World and Marathon & Beyond. I am
about to take over as the president of what I consider one of the best
running clubs in the world. I am content with my running. But I have not
qualified for Boston.
More importantly, however, as I prepare for my second 20 years of
running, I am content with my life. I have a lovely wife who also just
happens to be a runner. She has even qualified for, and run Boston on more
than one occasion. She wins awards even when everybody shows up. She is a
brilliant runner, and works hard at it.
Between us, we have three wonderful children. They aren't runners, but
they each have their own special talents, and give us immeasurable joy.
Our home is our castle, and it is always a warm place for anyone to enter.
And I have close friends that I know will always be there for me. 20 years
ago, I had none of this. About the only thing I had was running. And even
in running, all I had was one retched mile.
If I had chosen the path to Boston, who knows how different the rest of
my life might have been. If I had chosen the singular focus of qualifying
for Boston, perhaps I would have been successful. But perhaps, I would not
have been, and either way, the cost may have been more than I would be
willing to pay. Succeeding does not always translate to success. And
success at one thing could result in multiple failures in other areas.
Sour grapes? Maybe. But I'm very content to start my second 20 years of
running just being able to do what I've done for most of the first 20.
That would include waking up at 5AM, and going out for a short run, and
enjoying a well-rounded life of family, friends, and varied and diverse
accomplishments that must include running, but doesn't have to include
Boston. And as I get older, and qualifying times relax a bit more,
Boston's 5 minute gift for entering another age group, maybe, just maybe I
can outpace the Boston qualifying standard itself, and nip it at the
finish line.
Just like Alberto Salazar did with Dick Beardsley, three short days
after I ran my very first mile. It would be a storybook ending.
Michael
The Roads Scholar, Michael Selman runs and writes in Atlanta GA. He
would love to hear from you. Please e-mail him at TheRoadsScholar@aol.com
with any questions or comments. You can also subscribe to his Newsletter
at that same address.
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