RUNNER’S LIFE
Why Do I Need To Run a Marathon?
The answer was hard to remember after 13.1 miles
Winter Training in the Pacific Northwest
I have my head down, watching for cracks in the road. Rain is pouring over the brim of my hat like an Oregon gutter. Icy drops splash on the back of my neck and roll down beneath my jacket. I ask myself again, Why do I need to run a marathon?
My quick breath exits my nose, colliding with 40°F winter air. The steam hits my glasses, fogging them. The cold makes it harder to breathe through my nose, increasing mucus production. I wipe my nose on the top of my soaking-wet gloves yet again. The drenched rain jacket sleeve will only make matters worse.
I’m sweating profusely under my useless rain jacket, now leaking, surmounted by the volume of rain. It already feels like I’m running in a plastic bag, trapping the heat from my body, creating a vicious cycle of more heat, sweat, and swampy conditions. The excessive heat under my jacket makes me shutter; for the next mile, I vividly recall the hell that was delivering the mail in summer, a vast climate contradicting my current condition, and yet the memory triggers a similar feeling.
