After my run with Robyn last weekend I've been going over the marathon training schedule, lining up my skiing commitments for the winter, and figuring out that something has to give. I've already decided that I won't be doing pottery this winter, I usually don't get much done in winter and this year will be far worse. Rather than do something half-assed, I decided that I should make some priority calls and concentrate on what is important to me. I've already started to pick and choose which ski weekends I can participate in, and which ones I need to cut short so I can do my long run on Sunday.
I have no intention of giving up skiing. My original motivation for getting into running was to make myself more fit for skiing. Being on the snow is a great joy for me and not something I would give up lightly. But the goal of running Boston is also something that has become very important to me. It represents something I can't yet put into words; perhaps a rite of passage or a symbol of a new chapter in life. Time will tell - I don't want to burden it with unnecessary significance. There will be time enough for that later.
In the meantime I look at the calendar, make my choices, sniff back a tear at the events I will be missing, give an involuntary shudder at the amount of running I'm being asked to do, and move on. I was at a friend's house last night tuning up my skis. He lives a block from the marathon course so on the way home I took a slight detour and drove along most of the Newton Hills. They seemed longer and steeper than I'd remembered, but within reach.
