Eight weeks ago I committed to training for the Robin Hood Marathon in Nottingham. The race takes place in September and today I am halfway there.
At the time, I was feeling strong after a solid hill workout at Malden Park when I figured I would enjoy sixteen weeks of heavy training and high mileage. The endorphins were high and I wonder if this blurred my capacity to reason.
Nevertheless, at halfway I am still plodding along and I find myself back where I started. Once again (and nearly every week), I am at Malden Park propelling myself upward, remembering that what goes up has the pleasure of coming back down.
I like to take my runs out to the old landfill-turned-park. I have trained here for over a decade, contributing to the worn trails and treaded paths that map out mile loops and warm up routes. My favourite spot is the picnic table at K9 Corner, a landmark starting point for most workouts that gained its title after a pair of barking dogs fenced within the yard along this end of the park.
Along with the dilapidated picnic table, a canopy of trees contributes to this oasis, an escape from the treacherous climbs and sweltering sunshine. K9 Corner is a place of rest, where intervals end and water bottles are collected like a waterhole in the middle of the Sahara.
Speaking of the middle, this brings me back to the topic of this journal entry which is the point I have reached in my marathon training. Half-way. I don’t think I would have got this far or enjoyed the process at all had I spent any less time at Malden Park.
At the time, I was feeling strong after a solid hill workout at Malden Park when I figured I would enjoy sixteen weeks of heavy training and high mileage. The endorphins were high and I wonder if this blurred my capacity to reason.
Nevertheless, at halfway I am still plodding along and I find myself back where I started. Once again (and nearly every week), I am at Malden Park propelling myself upward, remembering that what goes up has the pleasure of coming back down.
I like to take my runs out to the old landfill-turned-park. I have trained here for over a decade, contributing to the worn trails and treaded paths that map out mile loops and warm up routes. My favourite spot is the picnic table at K9 Corner, a landmark starting point for most workouts that gained its title after a pair of barking dogs fenced within the yard along this end of the park.
Along with the dilapidated picnic table, a canopy of trees contributes to this oasis, an escape from the treacherous climbs and sweltering sunshine. K9 Corner is a place of rest, where intervals end and water bottles are collected like a waterhole in the middle of the Sahara.
Speaking of the middle, this brings me back to the topic of this journal entry which is the point I have reached in my marathon training. Half-way. I don’t think I would have got this far or enjoyed the process at all had I spent any less time at Malden Park.
