Day 40: Chop Wood, Carry Water

Day 40! 325 days left to train. Here's a twist in the blog... tonight I'm blogging before I work out. I'm in Phoenix on business. I got exactly 4 hours of sleep last night, started work at 6:20AM today, and have been "on" since. I just want to crash but not before I get my training in.

I'm staying at the Ritz Carlton tonight which is fancy in an old school way that I find terribly comfortable. Excellent sheets. A marble bath and European soaps. Fresh, healthy room service. My every need, anticipated and met by the hotel's handsome staff. When I went down to survey the gym earlier, I half expected to find a trainer who would be willing to run for me, and save me the embarrassment of sweating.

Of course though, no such person exists. The gym's just a gym with a bunch of standard issue treadmills. I will be doing my own training tonight. This made me think of a quote attributed to the Buddha. After achieving enlightenment, the Buddha was asked by a wise man, "So, tell me. How's life different now that you've achieved enlightenment?" to which the great Buddha replied, "Before enlightenment: chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment: chop wood, carry water."

Brilliant. I may be in one of the fanciest chain hotels in the world right now, but in order to really know the best life has to offer, my only option is to keep working hard. As routinized or laborious as training may feel in moments, its continuation IS the prize - more so even than my actually running the Marathon could ever be. This is the finish line. Tonight and every night. Now, where are they hiding my medal?
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Addendum: I walked one fast mile and then jogged 2.1 miles tonight - 5K total! Very proud of myself. It was hard work but I didn't feel desperate to quit at any moment. I ran at a pace of 4.2 for the second mile, and then 4.4 to 5 mps for the third. Minor pains on and off in both knees and both feet. All passed after a few minutes. When I hit 1.7 miles of running it occurred to me that I'd just met one of my goals - to run (the equivalent of) the Lower Loop without any stopping. As the odometer rolled from 2.69 to 2.7 miles, I almost cried I was so happy! I was envisioning this moment weeks ago and now it is finally here. I can run the Lower Loop without stopping! When I started, I couldn't run 300 feet without stopping. The stretching bridge was a stretch - and the magic tree nearly knocked me out. I've made progress! I can't wait to get back to NYC and try to run the Lower Loop itself - hopefully it won't be too snowy and cold.