getting high
[in seventy-three minutes]

In 490 c.e., General Miltiades led the Athenian forces to a decisive victory over the attacking army of Darius, King of Persia. The general wanted to get this crucial news back to the citizens of Athens as soon as possible. Militiades sent a messenger on the now infamous trek. Messenger Pheidippides ran 24 miles from Marathon (Northeast of Athens) back to the city. After shouting "victory," he collapsed and died. Or so the story goes.

The inaugural Olympics of 1896 were held in Athens, Greece. The 24 mile route of Pheidippides was used for the long distance foot race. Fast forward to 1912, when the summer olympics were held in Stockholm, Sweden. King Christian IX and Queen Louise wanted the marathoners to finish the route directly in front of their thrones. In order for them to do so, the distance of the Marathon was increased to 26.2 miles. So you can thank the Swedish royalty for the additional 2 miles, 385 yards.

I started taking running seriously in 1999. At that point, I lived near the Southwest corner of Central Park. I remember the first time I looped the park twice. Perhaps the most distinct memory was feeling really high somewhere during my second loop. My watch said 73 minutes. For about a year or so, my runner's high came right around then. In 2002, I completed the New York City Marathon. My left knee was screaming, but the race was complete. I became more of a consistent runner, hitting PRs and clearing the cobwebs in my head on a regular basis. In 2011, after more than a year of struggle with plantar fasciitis, I’m in the midst of starting over. I’m looking forward to getting high again pretty soon.