If you know, me, you know that over the last four years I’ve gotten into running.  Now, I’m no speed demon, and I’m not going to be winning any races in the near future.  I’m what the running community refers to as a “penguin.”  I haven’t looked into the etymology of the term, but I would assume that the nickname stems from the fact that penguins travel great distances all while waddling slowly from side to side.  Or maybe it’s because I run in a tuxedo, but this seems unlikely.

Photo of the author as a young child

My mileage has really ramped up in the last two weeks.  At the beginning of February, the greatest distance I’d ever run in a clip was a half-marathon (13.1 miles).  Each time I’ve completed that distance, I’ve felt like I’d left everything out there, that there is no way I could push myself any further. 

But you can always push yourself further.

In the past two Saturdays, I’ve run a 15-miler and a 16 miler.  My next few weekends just get crazier…13 miles, 18 miles, 14 miles, 20 miles — you get the picture.  The endurance is building.  15 miles was excruciating; a week later, 16 miles didn’t seem that tough.  I’m actually excited to hit my peak before the big 26.2 miler in early April.

Which is all to say, I think I’ve gone crazy.  I set a rather lofty goal of running three marathons in 2010.  What do I do after that?  Increase the speed or increase the distance?

When I first started running, a 5K (3.1 miles) was the goal.  I thought, “maybe, if I work really hard, I’ll be able to run a 10K, but only once.  Six miles is so far!”  And then I ran 6 miles.  And then it got easy.  Well, not easy exactly (no running is truly easy), but it got manageable, almost comfortable.  So I trained for the half marathon.  And now, that distance isn’t as tough anymore either.

The logical progression would be to increase speed and become faster at the 5K, the 10K, the half-marathon, and the marathon.  But I’m really not sure I’m interested in that.  I think what really gets me going is being out on the road or a trail for an extended period of time.  It doesn’t matter if I’m having a conversation with a running partner or I’m by myself blasting some tunes.  The time in my own head, unencumbered by the pressures of everyday life or bombarded with an endless array of new media, is vital.  The longer the run, the longer I can extend that pensive bliss.  Even when running hurts, it feels so good.

So, who knows.  Maybe I’m destined for longer feats of endurance.  Ultra marathons seem crazy, but they’re not completely out of the realm of possibility.  Really, if you can run 25 miles, why can’t you run 50? 

All it takes is a little bit of time, a little bit of fuel and a desire to get to know yourself better.