After one last long run this weekend, I will begin the process of tapering down for the Catalina Marathon on March 13. Ambitiously, I’m going to try and do a trail 50K (31-32 miles) just three weeks later, on April 3. I know that most of you who read this aren’t runners. Just for the record, I want it known that I am not a natural athlete! I didn’t start seriously running until about seven years ago, at age twenty-nine. I was looking to burn off stress and anxiety, as well as fight the rapid and disturbing encroachment of ever-greater softness around my middle.
I ran my first 5K in May 1997, my first 10K in January 1998, my first marathon in March 1998. I was absolutely, addictively hooked. I still am. But though I now do 20-mile trail runs on the weekend, and think longingly about completing a “real” ultra of 50 miles or more, I also remember a time when I could not run a mile. I remember the amazement I felt when I first looked down at my watch and saw that I had run a full 30 minutes without stopping.
Eight marathons and countless other races later, I still think of myself (mentally) as the soft, chubby, shy high school boy whose only activities were Academic Decathlon and Model UN. And I know full well that many of my fellow marathoners (in their 30s, 40s, and 50s) were very unathletic — and frequently unpopular — in high school. There’s some truth to the saying that the distance running community is the “revenge of the nerds”! (It’s nice, at 36, to have a smaller waist size, a lower resting pulse, and a lower body fat percentage than I did in high school). Anyhow, the point of this rather simple little entry is to offer whatever encouragement I can to those who think they would like to someday do a marathon — if I can do it, anyone can!
I’d love to hear more about this, as I’ve recently thrown myself into a routine that includes frequent attempts at running, something I’ve always been terrible at even when I was a little high school jock girl in the best shape of my life. How did you learn?
I started VERY slowly, Lorie, very slowly indeed. Do you live near any hiking trails? Running on trail is ever so much more fun than running on pavement.
I also ran with someone. To have someone else to meet in the mornings was key. I started out three days a week, two miles at a time. I always gave myself a reward after. Not lots of food, but something small and good.
I went to a running store to get fitted for the right shoes. Not what was on sale, necessarily. Think of good running shoes as the pink coat for the feet. And set yourself a crazy goal, like running the marathon next year. You CAN do this. I have helped train lots of folks, trust me. If you want some good book recommendations, let me know.
I live IN the Blue Ridge Mountains - lucky lucky me! Trails galore, really. Currently I’m using the treadmill a few times a week - kind of boring, but not with the music blasting. After three weeks I’m finally getting to the point where I can jog a quarter mile of my two miles without stopping. I will need to build up some guts or a little more strength before I’m comfortable running in a place where I might see other people, but when I do, I have the mountains all around me. And I’d LOVE to have a couple of book recommendations. Lay ‘em on me. Email if you like.
Thanks for the tips!