Yesterday was the 30th Chicago marathon. As a former cross country runner for all my middle and high school days years back, I have always been tempted to attempt running it, and every time it comes time for trying to register for New York, something stops me. Even after I learned in a health class that the human body isn't built to run more than approximately 20 miles. That little voice still said, "You go run that marathon and torture yourself!" One of my friends ran it a couple years ago, and that was another waste of inspiration. However, periodically, fate intervenes and reminds me that I've made the right choice.
Mother Nature Strikes at Long Distance Runners
In what's really a terrible story, the heat was so bad that they had to stop the Chicago marathon after 3.5 hours. One man even died from it. If there's one thing I could imagine that's worse than running 26.2 miles, it's running 26.2 miles in lots of heat. I don't even like walking to the corner store in crazy heat, let alone partaking in strenuous physical activity. I remember recently in Boston, they wouldn't cancel the marathon, despite excessively dangerous muddy conditions. They even told runners to bring an extra pair of shoes or clothes. I know that I've always felt that distance running is much easier when you have a pair of shoes and change of clothes dangling around your neck, just in case. You know what would have also been smart? Canceling the event. Kudos to Chicago for cutting off the crazy.
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