March 9, 2011
This time last year, I had just signed up to participate in an office Olympics event. Recognizing that I was the oldest participant, I assessed the situation and realized that it was imperative to train to avoid injury. I have always been involved in athletics, but I had never been a runner for the sake of running itself.
I began training by walking in March 2010, with a goal of escalating to running as soon as possible. Within a couple of weeks, my first attempt at running exposed just how much work I had to do. I was only able to run for a minute or so, followed by two or three minutes of walking. Within a week, I was able to run for a continuous half-mile, and a full mile a few days later.
After a month of light running, I had reached a point of running three miles at a time, three days a week. After three months, I was up to five miles, three times a week. A month later, I participated in the office Olympics. I achieved my goal of escaping the event injury-free. However, I had also reached the point where running was exhilarating!
I continued to run fifteen miles a week for another month or so, until someone in the office suggested that I run a half marathon. I thought the idea was crazy! Secretly though, I began researching training programs and found that I only needed to restructure my runs slightly to fit into the program near the midpoint. I dedicated my efforts for the next seven weeks, and surprised myself on the day of the race by not only having the time of my life, but also completing my first-ever race in 2:07!
I recognized several mistakes I made in my training and on race day, and vowed to learn from those mistakes. Over the next four weeks, I wrestled with thoughts of what to do next. By Thanksgiving, I had made the big decision. I had committed mentally, physically, and emotionally to run my first marathon!
After beginning training in mid-December, I am two-thirds of the way to the event, and once again having the time of my life. Over the next seven weeks, I will share my training with you, leading up to, and including, the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati. I hope you will make this an interactive experience. I am always looking for feedback from others, and I welcome your comments. See you next week!
Gene
