"IT NEVER ALWAYS GETS WORSE.”
Five common words, arranged in an order I’ve never heard them said before. I nod, a silent yes, exactly. And then I give up: "I’m sorry, what?”
“It never always gets worse” is part of Travis Macy’s answer to my perfectly reasonable question: How and why would a person run one hundred miles, all in a row?” Hundred-mile races are but one of the many superhuman things he and his father, the equally legendary endurance athlete Mark Macy, 68, have both done multiple times over multiple decades. How—why—does a person take on arace where a 20-hour finish is an aspirational result? I have run marathons before, I have felt the pain and the elation and the thing where a stranger hands you an orange slice and you put it in your mouth. I have pushed myself past my limits. At least I thought I had. But I have never crossed a marathon finish line and thought to myself, Let’s do this roughly three more times right now. How do you mentally get yourself to 30 miles, to 50, to 100? How do you keep going, long after any sensible person would tell you to stop?
“You have to remember that it might actually get better,” Travis, 39, explains. You tend to think, I feel this bad after 20, I’m going to feel twice as bad after 40, but how do you know? Maybe you won't.” It is a testament to his general charisma level that I find myself believing him. If you keep eating and drinking, if you surround yourself with positive energy, you might hit a point where you feel better.” Travis smiles. Things turn around, that’s what happens in any long-distance event.”
Bu hikaye Runner's World US dergisinin Issue 06, 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Runner's World US dergisinin Issue 06, 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
PARENTING THROUGH RUNNING
I GRAB MY headlamp and run down the driveway, heading out for the quiet streets an hour before sunrise.
STOP LISTENING TO MUSIC WHILE YOU RUN! (TRY AUDIOBOOKS INSTEAD)
I'VE RUN MORE than 30 marathons over the past 20 years, but I recently found one hack that has made my last two training cycles the most fun I've ever had logging a ton of miles: audiobooks.
RISE OF THE "ILLEGAL" RUNNING SHOES
Banned shoes emerged courtside long before they found their way onto a marathon course.
THE SECRET TO SPEED IS IN YOUR BLOOD
Some of the world's best runners credit this unorthodox Norwegian training method for their success. Is it right for you?
TEAM BONDING AND AMATEUR FILMMAKING
I WENT TO my first high-school cross-country practice freshman year in jean shorts, mostly walking as I heaved and huffed.
I NEED A DRINK RUN
TO KEEP THE cold at bay one December night in 2022, my friend Justine and I got together for some mulled wine, a hot drink as delicious as it is sentimental to me, reminding me of holiday gatherings and Christmas markets back home in the Czech Republic.
HOW TO START A RUN WHEN YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE IT
I'VE ALWAYS FELT validation when reading a story about writers and their love of procrastination.
THE CASE FOR NOT RUNNING
I HAVE TO let you in on a little secret: I haven't been running much these last few months, and it's the best decision I've made.
THANKS, SPECTATORS!
IN THE EARLY MORNING hours of Marathon Sunday, the nerves hit me even before I donned the shirt I made for the race, with \"ALY\" across my chest in hot-pink glittery letters.
HOW FAR CAN RUNNING LAKEYOU AFTER A DECADE OF ADDICTION!
WHEN MITCH AMMONS FINALLY GOT CLEAN, HE COULD BARELY JOG A HALF MILE. NOW HE'S LINING UP WITH SOME OF THE COUNTRY'S TOP DISTANCE RUNNERS AT THE 2024 OLYMPIC MARATHON TRIALS.