In the early stages of a marathon, even flying seems a possibility
It’s six and a half years since I’ve run a marathon and I ache for it something rotten. The past few years have hobbled me with various injuries, and each time I think I’m ready to retrain, another part of my body suffers a mischief.
A month before the 2009 Dublin Marathon, I broke my toe in a fall while I was running to answer the phone. I sat out that race and entered the Valencia Marathon in Spain the following February. In the 23rd mile of that marathon, however, my left knee went from under me. I ran through the pain because I needed a finishing time in order to qualify for an ultra-marathon that summer. My brimful bladder provided a distraction from the knee pain; I discovered later I had been asking my Spanish co-runners where the beer (cerveza) was instead of the toilet (servicio), and couldn’t figure out why they just laughed and ran on.
