never slow down, never grow old

i learned two things from the december issue of runner's world: (1) that sixty miles per week is a good cut-point for determining how much training is likely to compromise one's immune system (p. 40); and (2) that fast runners get fast and stay fast by breaking aforementioned sixty-mile rule (p. 71) .

ed whitlock of ontario, canada ran a 2:54:48 marathon at age 73. go ahead and click the picture. isn't that exactly how you'd like to look at age 73 (or, for me, at age 43)? to understand how fast a 2:55 is, go out right now and run a mile in six minutes and forty seconds. that's four times around the big track. now, without slowing down or stopping, do it again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again.

i can run a single six-minute mile (before doubling over and sucking wind), and keep a 6:30 pace for a 5k (before doubling over and sucking wind), but then the wheels seem to fall off my relatively young (?!) legs. i usually finish marathons somewhere between 3:25 and 4 hours -- this year my pace was 8:20, back in the pack with certain arch-rivals. how does mr. whitlock sustain a 6:40 pace? practice. that is, he takes a daily three hour run of about 20 miles. he isn't the only great older runner, of course. that's fauja singh to the left. mr. singh tore off a 5:40 at age 92 in the 2003 toronto marathon. if i could somehow get myself into shape to approximate mr. whitlock at age 73, that's exactly how i'd hope to look at age 92.

it's a grand life if you don't weaken...