ONE MILE TO GO.

On the Run Again
BY KATHRINE SWITZER

Two months ago, I ran my first marathon in 34 years, and just for the record, the endorphins are still surging. I ran the Mototapu Icebreaker mountain run in the South Island of New Zealand, and I still can’t wipe the grin off my face. To tell you the truth, this feels almost as good as seeing a book you’ve been writing for years finally published.

When it’s been a long time--and 34 years is quite a while!--you can’t quite believe you’ve done it. My book, Marathon Woman, took almost that long, too, as I kept writing, and then would put it away. I just wasn’t ready to go that deep again in both cases. It hurts to plumb the depths, physically or emotionally, but really, pain is only temporary and fascinating is forever.

And now I’m ready to go again, because in writing or running, empowerment from doing it builds confidence and takes away the fear of pain or failure.

I’ve known this all my life; I lecture on it, I write about it…but when it comes to yourself, it’s a new story.  I’ve learned a lot about myself from this difficult marathon, and it’s both hilarious and eye-opening.

I had a 50-year base of running a few times a week, for about an hour. But for this, I seriously cranked up the consistency and the long runs. I took it seriously and had done at least 8 runs over 3 hours, 2 over 4, and one at 5 ½, wearing a backpack loaded with the emergency gear I needed to carry on the run and doing them all on rough, rocky, and hilly tracks. At 63, I can assure you it was not the same powerful body I remembered when I was running well at 28. I slogged away diligently, but I was still nervous as hell; was it enough? The Mototapu is one of New Zealand’s toughest races; it’s not about time, it’s about doing it.