Copyright by Spencer Hill, courtesy of flickr.
I’ve been preparing to run a half marathon in the spring, with the goal of running a full marathon next year. Although I know that the pay-off is supposed to be the self-satisfaction of reaching a goal, lately I’ve been wondering if there shouldn’t be some other sort of reward system in place.
Thus it was that I had decided this is the kind of race I could get into.
On sober second thought, however, maybe not.
As I continue my quest to perfect my list, I find that I am not so much perfecting my list as I am adding to it. There are simply too many interesting places to visit and things to do in one short lifetime!
It occurred to me, however, that although I have be compiling the places I want to go and the things I want to see, I have not been giving any consideration to the places I might stay on these adventures.
Well, why not make the stay an adventure in and of itself!?
I’ve been discussing my list with various people and, listening to some of the items on their lists, I’ve decided I’m not entirely satisfied with my portion of the 2G1L project. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, see here).
Not quite sure what aspect of my list I’m unhappy with, I’ve started skimming the Internet seeking activities and wonders I simply must partake of. Now I’m not sure that I’ll ever be able to make my list only 25 items and be happy with it.
Take for example, this list of interesting abandoned places. I want to see them all.
What’s a guy (and his list) to do?
I like to think that I’m semi-dedicated with this running thing. Sure, I’m not as good about it as I could be, but I go to the gym several times a week. I’m nothing compared to this guy, though:
(From the Wall Street Journal, via the New York Times)
Before I fall into a hot bath, I wanted to get this down:
Today, I ran the longest I’ve ever run in my life. I wouldn’t have attempted it without my running buddy (Leslie) and her boyfriend (Robson) but I’m glad I did. We ran 17km — that’s a slightly more than 10.5 miles — and we did it in 1h 53m 17s (Leslie’s stopwatch said 1h 53m 14s, but I’m going with mine for consistency).
We also ran it through the melting sluck of Brandon’s streets today. It was like running through sand mixed with mud mixed with snow. Oh wait, that’s pretty much exactly what it was.
It made me realize that we actually should have no trouble running the planned half-marathon at the end of May, and I’m thinking that if we’re diligent, a sub-two-hour half-marathon might be in our grasp.
And, with well over a year to go before I want to run the Manitoba Marathon (June, 2010) I think I’m in pretty good shape.
Other realizations:
Grant and I came up with the “Two Guys One List” idea quite some time ago and it was only when he reposted our lists here that I revisited it, reconsidered it and did all sorts of other things that involve the prefix “re-”. In short, I still like my list but I want to add a few disclaimers:
1. This is not an exhaustive list. There are other things I want to do in this life, but for various reasons they did not fit the purposes of this project. Take, for example, my desire to obtain a PhD (the old fashioned way, not an honorary doctorate or a mail-order degree). I can’t imagine Grant enrolling in further education at great expense just to support my dream in the way that I joined a gym in order to be able to eventually run a marathon (Grant’s list). There are also some items on Grant’s list that would also appear on mine, but where’s the fun in duplication?
2. My list is subject to change. There are always new things I want to do and I reserve the right to remove one of my less favoured items for a new and exciting one. I’m already considering removing one of the items and replacing it with “develop and produce a television show.” The idea is already well-formed and much discussed. I just need someone to agree to help get the idea off the ground.
3. I reserve the right to celebrate not only the items Grant and I manage to cross off the 2G1L list, but also those that we have not explicitly stated (say, completing a half-marathon). The point of this project is to put ourselves out there with our dreams blowing in the wind for all to see so that we can more easily shame ourselves into acting on them.
All that said, don’t forget about the wonderful sponsorship opportunities. Enquire within.
Who the heck is Quenton Cassidy? Only the hero of the best book about running ever — and a popular pseudonym for athletes, apparently.
I’ve never read the book (it’d be hard since, according to this article in Slate, it’s pricey):
Since its publication in 1978, Once a Runner has purportedly sold more than 100,000 copies and spawned a sequel. Yet [John L. Parker, Jr.] sold the last of his original self-published editions in 2004. Demand has never subsided. The cheapest used paperback on Alibris was recently going for $77.98. And according to Bookfinder—the Google of dead books—the novel has been the most-searched-for out-of-print fiction or literature book each of the past two years.
As a novel — one that, admittedly, I’ve never read — the plot sounds a lot like a bust. Quenton trains and trains, but gets kicked off the team and has to go it alone, only to get one last shot at redemption. Yawn, I’ve seen that movie before.
But Slate author Marc Tracy (himself a runner) says that the book really captures the elusive feel of distance running:
Parker captures how it all feels: how during a tough workout a random word or phrase will materialize in your mind and be turned over and played with like “seals with a beach ball”; how as you wander around a track meet you feel as though your personal record is the dominant fact of your life… how after a race your spine feels as though it’s “made of bamboo.” … It presents the distance running life as overwhelmingly mundane.
Mundane it is … and I love it, too. Personally, I love treadmills, for example. I love the feeling that you can get, zoning out on them, letting nothing else matter except the constant rhythm of feet slapping against the belt.
I’m looking forward to a half-marathon in May, and a full marathon the year after. And I am looking forward to spring and summer runs outdoors. But nothing beats a treadmill.
After all, you can read a book on a treadmill. Perhaps this book.
This will be the new home of the “Two Guys, One List” project. Keith and I are looking forward to accomplishing our life lists — with the help of generous sponsors. Sure, we started it elsewhere, on a free site, but it didn’t go very far. Now that we’ve actually invested something into this domain name, so you can feel free to invest with us as well!
For a more detailed explanation, see the “What’s 2G1L?” page above, or click here.
The first project we’ve embarked on is running a marathon. This is a slow burning one — I ran a 10K last spring, and we’re aiming for a half-marathon this coming May. The ultimate goal is (tentatively) the full marathon at the Manitoba Marathon in June, 2010.
Of course, if you want to sponsor our entry into a different marathon, we’d happily promo you in many ways!
And, of course, running a marathon is not exclusive of many of our other dreams!