“…twenty miles of hope, six miles of truth…”

There are many inspirational quotes about running and about training. A quick search on the internet can did up scores of them.

I can’t remember where I found my favourite quote regarding the marathon. But I do know that it pretty much sums up what the distance is all about. “…twenty miles of hope, six miles of truth…”

At at race expo in Ottawa a few years ago I heard Olympic marathon gold medalist Frank Shorter remark that “the halfway mark of the marathon is not the 13 miles mark, it’s the 20 mile mark.” So true!

The longest run in some marathon training programs does not go beyond 32km. Come race day you put a lot of faith in your training to get you through the last 6 miles. The last six miles tells you about your fitness level, your training, and your mental toughness. In other words the final 10km will truthfully tell you what you’ve got. “…twenty miles of hope…six miles of truth…”