The Flip

Today, I reached a very cool point in my marathon training.  It's what I call the flip, and I think people often don't notice when it happens.  Or, if they notice, they don't make near as big a deal out of it as I do.

When I started marathon training, my longest run was 6 miles.  That was the big kahuna for the week.  Today, my midweek run is 6 miles.  My long run has officially become just another number in midweek mileage.

THAT.  IS.  AWESOME.

Congratulations, me!  You've taken a number that was once a feat (for me, at least) of endurance and determination and grown so far past it, that it is now just another blip of the midweek grind.  Seriously, that's cool.

And this point is what I call The Flip.  It's when you reach a change not only in your mileage, but in your perspective.  My long run this past weekend was 15 miles.  I ran 2 miles on my own, then ran a half marathon.  At the end of it all I thought, "On race day, I'll only have 11 more miles to go!"  I mean, yeah, technically it's 11.1.  Which is a fun number in and of itself.  But still, when I can run 15 miles and then be okay at the thought of someday soon tacking another 11 miles onto that, it is the point where enough things are burnt away and enough other things are rebuilt in your brain that this is a normal thought.

That is also awesome, in that broken down and rebuilt way that always seems creepy from the outside.  Anytime you meet someone who is really dedicated to something, in the way that people are supposed to love their spouses and their children, it will always seem weird to you.  Unless you are also initiated in the magic and delight of the particular obsession.  It happens with everything from running to anime to the Oxford English Dictionary.

I'm proud to say that I have been immersed in some of the various festivals, conventions, and celebrations that mark high points in various obsessive worlds, and I can say without hesitation that I have enjoyed them all.  It's amazing to walk around and know that every person you see, almost without exception, has a 97% chance of being totally ecstatic just because they are where they are.  Look at photos from ACen, or Comic-Con, or the expo at any major distance event.  These people are delighted because they made it.  They're there.  It's either happening or guaranteed to happen so soon you can taste it.

For real, that is magic.

And I tend to think of that, and remember the times I have experienced it, when I see a flip in my training, or even in a particular race.  Any time I notice that my thinking has been rearranged to work better, or keep me more motivated, for a particular type of work or activity, it makes me grin.  Even if it happens at the 4.5 mile mark on a 6 mile run, when I feel like falling over because I have definitely not hydrated enough.

But, whatever.  Forget my achy legs and my dripping sweat.  It's the flip.

That's all for now, friends.  Take care!

Meowfully yours,
Marley