Marathon training just got real. With less than 100 days to go, I have begun my solo training which is going to be tough. I felt the the runner pictured above from the second I started to the moment I finished what was a grueling, hilly eight mile morning run through the farmland of Rockingham County.

Whether I run alone or with others I always run ‘naked’ which simply means I run without an Ipod, cell phone or marathon belt since I hate the additional baggage of carrying extra weight. Well, that and headphones have a general disdain for my ears as they make obvious when they flee the coop they first chance they can. As a result of this ‘naked’ running, it leaves me alone with my thoughts for as long as I can make myself go. I think it is fair to say that I need more stimulation since my thoughts are treacherous as they always tend to circle back to ‘man it would be great to stop’ or ‘if you conquer this hill you deserve a long quick break.’ My brain is the devil on my shoulder and my desire to get home sooner, a.k.a. not walk, is the angel on the opposite side.

Suffice to say, today’s running is done but the fun is just beginning. I must learn to conquer myself so I can then conquer the road and perhaps then the world; otherwise, I’ll never go anywhere. I leave you with two quotes by men far wiser than I:

“With the conquest of my mind, I have conquered the whole world.”
Adi Granth

“Though one should conquer a million men on the battlefield, yet he, indeed, is the noblest victor who has conquered himself.”
Dhammapada