I'm not actually a runner. This blog is going to be semi-anonymous. It will contain enough details to identify me, if someone really wants to. And some people will know anyway. But I will not be posting my identity directly into this blog, because at the end of the day the identity of the Runner doesn't matter. Just the Run itself.
Of course, I will not be doing it completely alone. I will run alone, but there will be people giving me some advice beforehand, other people supplying water and food during the run and meeting me at the finish and perhaps someone on standby in a car somewhere along the route in case I need to be picked up for a medical emergency. I will write a longer post about the team at a later date, but it will
mostly be family members and perhaps a few friends who actually know
something about running. Because I don't.
The extent of my knowledge about running is reading two books - Christopher McDougall's "Born to Run" and Haruki Murakami's "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running". Both are fiction. However, I am in touch with my body. To borrow a quote from "Ford vs Ferrari":
"If you're going to push a piece of machinery to the limit, and expect it to hold together, you have to have some sense of where that limit is."
The human body is a biomechanic piece of machinery and I feel like what I'm planning is within the limits of my current body's capabilities. What I mean by this is, that I don't expect to run and die or to permanently damage myself. I feel like it should be possible for my body to manage this. Just a feeling, no proof.
So, who is the Runner? Male. Born in 1980. Height 183 cm. Weight 75 kg. No known health issues. Never smoked. I consume alcohol (Guinness, mostly) socially, but below average amounts. No other notable habits that either promote or demote health. Perhaps the 2-3 large cups of coffee that I enjoy per day should be noted. Omnivore, but organic food for the most part. Previous sports include some years of swimming and volleyball in youth and then just a semi-sporty lifestyle after that. The physique is fit, but not notably so. Never much been to the doctor's office either, so blood group, body fat levels and all the other metrics are unknown. Resting heart rate, according to the smart watch, hovers around 60 (off-caffeine).
The only slightly weird thing about my current body is the breathing - while resting, I'm comfortably able to keep a 1 breath per minute rate of breathing. I've read, that normal breathing rates are 12-16 breaths per minute, which to me seem absolute panting. Even the 6 breaths per minute which is considered the point where resuscitation becomes necessary, seems a bit fast for me. I've never specifically trained for it (other than the swimming practice at around age 10, I guess).
Finally - no history of serious running. I've never run a marathon, never intend to, either. Don't much enjoy competitive activities. I feel good running, but it has never been a regular practice. Currently, because I feel like I must somehow prepare for the Run, I go running about once a week for short 5 km runs. Never been to a running group or talked to a running coach or a trainer. I run toe-first and have heard, that this is not ideal for a long distance. I actually prefer walking, I can walk fast and far and enjoy myself immensely when I do so.
Mentally, I've tried Buddhist meditation, but it didn't stick. I'm not too stressed out, just average, I suppose. I've tried to not think about anything, while running, I've tried just letting my mind wander from topic to topic, I've tried listening to different kinds of music (didn't enjoy it). So I'm not too sure what my mind should be doing during the Run.
Normally, I don't push myself all that much, when I don't have to. It is said, that when you put pressure on people, some fold and others focus. I'm definitely in the second group - I perform better under pressure. It's just that daily life in modern society does not involve a lot of pressure. Again, just one thing might be different about me - I know when I'm going to die. April 20th, 2100. So I have another 78 years to go. One of those years, the current one, is going to be spent running.
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