in the middle of this new yorker article on the boston marathon bombings, i ran into one of the truest descriptions of of distance running and marathon training:

“Training for a marathon is the loneliest experience in all of sports, and long-distance runners are existential beings…”

except that i wouldn’t necessarily use the world lonely. i’m pretty sure the article must have been written by an extrovert. in fact, i call training for a marathon and running alone, mostly at night – even in blizzards – energizing.