Hill & Dale Issue 12 | Shit Work
Hill & Dale Issue 12 | Shit Work
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Jakob Ingebrigsten, the blazing Norwegian distance runner who won gold in the 1500m at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, provided an intriguing post-race interview after the May 6, 2022, Sound Running Track Meet in San Juan Capistrano. Asked about the Olympics win, his response left me pondering the enormous preparation runners put into a single race:
The peak is really high, but also right after the peak there’s a big low. Because I’ve done it. So what’s the meaning of going back and doing all the shit work that’s needed to get back into the same shape?
Ingebrigsten’s gold medal performance in Tokyo reminded me of Boylston. Last April, I finished the 126th Boston Marathon for the first time following months of preparation. After much internal debate, I decided to run the course based on feel (instead of pace) and embrace all the emotion I put into being part of earth’s most prestigious footrace.
I gave high fives to children; wept at the sight of Ukrainian flags; and lifted my arms towards the sky in wonder as I glided (trudged) across the finish line before visiting a nearby medical tent for warm broth and a hamstring massage from some stellar medical volunteers.
After Boston, I knew the inevitable question from family members and fellow runners would resurface at some point: “What’s next?” Honestly, I don’t know. I didn’t race again after Boston.
I’d like to work on speed via 5K and 10K races in 2023. And I’m one of those folks who don’t hate winter running. I will pick a frigid February over a sunny August without flinching for a moment.
I used to resist running in the rain too; nowadays, I pull my waterproof North Face jacket from the laundry room hangar and seize the watery spell that leaks from the heavens.
I suppose that I see winter running as a season of “shit work.” Repeated preparation in the cold, in the wind, and in the dark for spring races that may yield new personal records.
Like Ingebrigsten after Tokyo, I felt the emotion of finishing Boston for days (and met Shalane Flanagan at Logan before flying back to Hartsfield). I summited in Boston. Literally. I scaled Heartbreak Hill without stopping.
I don’t like shit work though. The grit and grind of running again and again and again to prepare for one race. Contending with the elements day after day to toe the line for a chance to fly (or fail).
But that’s the requirement to ready the body, mind, and spirit for the Olympics or Western States or Boston or a local 5K with 50 entrants. For now, I’m resting in the moment of not knowing what’s next.
I’m simply running.
Maybe I do like shit work.
I hope you have a great day. We’ll talk soon.
NOTE: I’d like to acknowledge Martin Fritz Huber for his Outside article about Jakob Ingebrigsten. His fantastic piece inspired mine.
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Photo courtesy of C D-X