Full Circle

There is a Japanese runner whose goal is the run marathons in the slowest time possible as part of a spiritual discipline. (see Runner's World June '07) He runs many of them, takes tons of photos and aims to schmooze with as many people along the way as possible. He took his cue from the 'running monks' of Japan, which 'jogged' my memory (no pun intended) of one of my early running crossroads....I met the man who would become my first husband and father of my son in my early 20's. I had just dropped out of college and he was teaching. A reformed party boy, he was a musician who came under the mentorship of an avante garde drummer whose philosophy included a body/mind/spirit approach to art. In quick order I learned about macrobiotic nutrition, organic gardening, Edgar Cayce, meditation, the power of improvisation in many things, metaphysics in all varieties....and yes, that husband-to-be ran! He was tall, lean, intensely ethereal. His other-worldliness and commitment to his lifestyle was what gravitated me towards him. I was a walker back then. I began walking as a kid to escape the 'hot' house and discover the back trails (which still existed then) of my suburban neighborhoods. I continued to ramble long miles and was enamoured of this running phenome. It was then I learned of the running monks whose entire spiritual discipline centered around a routine of spartan diet and running mountain trails ALL DAY EVERY DAY in deep meditation.
So here I am training for what I trust will be my first marathon, reading about this little Japanese dude who runs as slow as he can in every marathon he can get to. Who embodies running monks and brings me the threads of my youth, my 'initiation' into both movement, marriage and spirituality. Even if the marriage did not last, the man I was with gave me lasting gifts. I hope he knows that. Certainly our son is the solid evidence of that, another soul with a love of movement, a glider pilot. I continued to walk for many many years. I walked away from many things, I walked through some tough times, but I never sped up until the time was right, I suppose, and something prompted my feet to lift off the ground.
I've wondered about being slow, and and the obsession with times...like everyone else I pen mine on my bibs and compare my results in my age groups. But I realize now its all coming full circle, its all about the distance. I always knew it was about going long, hanging in and watching as everything unfolds along the way. I almost missed it, lost my footing, fell out. I'm so glad to be able to say I'm still on my feet, in the race, getting stronger by the day, with my focus firmly in place.