comparison

After you run, you can delete the data pertaining to your running session (mileage, calories burnt, etc.) from the display of the treadmill. One night my predecessor didn’t press the reset button, and I got insight into the specifics of his run. Or hers. 7.25 miles in 1 h 05 minutes. That translated into about 7 miles/hour, and the best I could deliver, with great strain, was 5 miles/hour.

I had no clear image of how I would get beyond that, and I felt suddenly small. My effort seemed insignificant. I pushed myself a lot, that day and the next, but pushing myself meant maintaining 5 miles/hour.

The marathon was a long way off.