marking is an endurance sport

i've often wondered if, in another life, i was a truck driver. i'll regret admitting this, i know, but i have to confess i really enjoy long-distance driving. this year, i made a considerable number of long-distance treks: to philadelphia, washington, dc/virginia (for a weekend! read about that here), princeton, nj and countless trips to TO, ottawa and st. catharines. there's still a trip to ithaca in the works -- olin library and miles of microfiche filled with 19c sports journalism, here i come! admittedly, i didn't do all the driving on every trip, but i feel as though i've built up some serious road endurance. along with my dreams of paris, i also have fantasies about driving route 66 -- in a 1970 red chevelle -- don't ask.

i logged many miles of a different sort in my boat this summer. training for the FISA World Masters Regatta among other things, our crew spent countless hours on the water both building our sprinting ability (fast-twitch!fast-twitch!) for those 1000m races, and cultivating a solid cardio base (slooooowwww-twitch) for the longer head races of the fall season. by the end of the season, i was in possibly the best shape of my life. 1 hour+ runs that used to leave me spent, left me feeling vibrant. now that i've settled into training for the national indoor erging championships in TO in february of 2007, i'm slowly working my way back, testing my endurance and my sprints with a training plan graciously given to me by ed mcneely, the strength coach for the canadian national team.

i'm realizing, however, that physical endurance isn't just about driving or racing. as i'm slowly dragging my academic feet through this last bout of marking, i find myself drawing on all of those mental tricks and breathing patterns (yes! essays mark easier when you remember to breathe! leslie, i know this wouldn't surprise you!) that kept me pulling and driving hard all spring, summer and fall. i'm also finding that the music of the country-rock-blues band the roadhammers, has a certain resonance. there's something about hauling a load to fla and seeing your way through to the end of 35+ papers on masculinity in the short story that is eeirly similar.