This Sunday, I’ll attempt to achieve a new milestone in my running journey

In many ways, the goal feels more incredible than my other improvements in the last three years, but maybe that’s because those other achievements are already behind me and part of my identity.

I started running a lot in the spring of 2020, the infamous “pandemic” year. I wrote many stories about my running journey, reminiscing how running became my everyday habit. I didn’t have any goals, and I didn’t make any resolutions. It somehow happened. I just started running more and discovered the power of intervals. I lost weight. I felt lighter and ran more. Running became my unbreakable habit. In October 2021, I ran my first sub-three-hour marathon. I then improved to 2.44 in May of this year. In my forties, I became an athlete. I wasn’t an athlete growing up, not at all. I was unathletic and nerdy.

Today, at 43 years of age, I could run a sub-three-hour marathon pretty much on any weekend of the year, without any special preparation. For most runners, hitting this milestone would be a lifetime achievement, but it’s trivial for me. I’m always prepared. I very rarely run less than sixty miles a week. In fact, the only obstacle for me running an ad hoc sub-three-hour marathon would be being overtrained. A good marathon requires tapering — reducing the mileage prior to the race. I run a lot on tired legs, which may sound unexciting, but it’s the reality of running many miles. “Tired legs” doesn’t mean feeling bad. I just run easy. I feel great on most of my runs…