I've decided to create a separate blog about this. The training ... the gear ... the products etc. That way the folks who aren't interested in running won't have to read it on my home blog.
Moving on ... So WHY the marathon? Well, for most athletes and myself included - although I don't consider myself an "athelete," it's THE way to test your endurance. Just finishing makes you one of the "elite." Less than 1 percent of the population - the worldwide population - has completed a marathon. There's also a historical connection that I find fascinating. It was first mentioned by the Greek historian Plutarch - the legend of Pheidippides. This was a Greek runner, who was sent from the town of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated (by the Greeks/Athenians) at the Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C. It is said that he ran the entire distance without stopping. Guess what that distance was - yepper. 26.2 miles. The distance from Marathon to Athens.
But right after after proclaiming his message "Nenikekamen" (or "We have won") to the city, he collapsed from exhaustion ... AND DIED.
This painting was completed by Luc-Olivier Menson in 1869. It shows Pheidippides (naked) gasping out the victory notice much to the chagrin of the Athenian people who look horrified. I don't know what they were most upset about - the fact that he's naked, the fact that he's dying or the fact that the largest army on the planet (at the time, the Persians) is about to lay the proverbial "smack down." That would be revenge for the defeat at Marathon.
Suffices to say, however, I hope to do better than ol' Pheidippides. First of all, I don't plan to die. Secondly, even if I do drop dead, I don't plan to be naked. Seriously ... why wasn't he wearing clothes?
I think that's a pretty good starting point. There will be much more to come.
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