Middle-of-the-Pack Girl

This week’s topic at the Runner’s Lounge is The Marathon and Why Don’t They Get It?

I think this question elicits responses similar to people’s reactions when you ask them if they’re a runner, like I did this morning to one of my students. Her reaction is that to run is like torture. For some people it really is. For others (like me) it’s therapy.

When you get to the marathon, some people are completely content to never have to run that distance. Until last year, I was one of them.  For others, a marathon can even be considered just a warm-up distance (I’ve not gotten to this point mentally, but my brother has.)  As many others have done, I trained for the marathon with a charity called the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and its Team in Training organization.  I figured if I was going to put my body through this, I might as well raise money for a good cause in the meantime.

I think a lot of people think of the marathon distance as being impossibly long. They know it can take 4-6 months to train for, as it takes a long time to build that endurance, especially if you’ve never even “run” before on a regular basis. They may list multiple reasons why they don’t have the time, and all are valid, in my book:

1. they have a family;
2. they have a demanding job;
3.  they don’t have  enough money to buy all the gear that they think they’ll need, not to mention all the GUs and supplements, etc. (it can be done cheaply, just ask my brother who’s very much a minimalist when it comes to running unlike me who’s never seen a piece of gear I’ve not tried); and
4. they have  health reasons, such as bad knees, joints, ankles, etc.

Yet, once you can get past these reasons, they might find they like it. For me, I did it last year to see what I could push myself to do. It was a challenge, and now I can say I’ve done it, and it was not as bad as I feared.I can now say I’ve done something that only 3 to 5% of the population has done (at least I think that’s the right statistic.)

What I loved about training for a marathon was the self-confidence that increased with every mile that I could add to my long runs each week. I also liked the way it helped to transform my outlook on life from one that was quite negative a lot of the time to one that was more positive. I still have slipbacks, occasionally, since I’m human, but to be able to get through a marathon, and its training beforehand, you have to have a positive outlook. Just ask my training partner from last year what some of our/my worst runs were like, and she’ll probably remember that I was in a bad mood that day or was trying to work through some problem. 

Oh, and if you train for a marathon with a group, you are very likely to make some strong relationships. There is no way you can spend that much time with others, sweating, panting, going through a lot of bodily functional issues (trust me, you may see more or learn more about the other person than you may want to), without making some good friends.  Lis and I spent many hours together on Saturday mornings and found that we wanted to train together outside of our TNT practices, which we did, until she got injured.  But we’re looking forward to starting up again in the spring once tax season is over (she’ll be insanely busy at work until then.)  Meeting Lis was definitely one of the best results from my TNT escapade.

Oh, and there are two pieces of advice that people should remember if they decide to see “what all this marathon business” is all about – do NOT, and I repeat DO NOT give blood while you’re training. My running partner did that in the days preceding our 16 mile run, and she paid for it dearly.   Also, if you start to feel some pain and fear you are injured, do NOT try to run through it or self-diagnose. Go see a doctor (preferably one who is a runner, or works with a lot of runner because they’ll  understand your mindset), and get it checked out EARLY. Do not think you can run through it and make it all better – you may actually be making things worse.

I’d like to end this on a positive note, so I’ll say this: I ran my first marathon with my younger brother, who’s run many marathons and an ultra already.  It was one of the best days of my life, and I cried at the end (I’m sure I’m not the only one.)  My brother and I were close before and I think that experience even strengthened that bond. We now “get it” and “get each other” more for having shared those 4 hours, 51 minutes and 38 seconds together on that Sunday in October.   I also received moral support from so many running bloggers out there - if you decide to try one, you won’t be alone. You’ll be cheered on every step of the way.

Happy Running!

I have to admit, last night, I was wondering what I might write about today. I spent some time on YouTube looking for videos, etc., and nothing was really hitting me.

Then right before I fell asleep it hit me. One of the reasons I mentioned in one of my very first posts about Why I Run, was that I run for others who can’t.  Someone who used to be a personal trainer at my gym is one of them – his name is Tim, and you can read about his progress on this website, For Timmy.

If you’ve been reading me all along, you’ve heard about him before. But if not, then please read on.

Tim is  (notice I’m using the present tense) a personal trainer.  He spent 45 minutes with me abotu 6 months before his accident, and afterward I could feel the pain in my abs for about 6 days.  And that was just an “introduction” into what he could show me on the machines. Imagine if I’d spent a whole full hour with him as a paying client! (And I even thought I was fit at the time – well, ha! He sure showed me!)

Anyway, Tim was in a car accident – he wasn’t wearing his seat belt at the time (I’m sure he knows now that was not the best move), and he was thrown through the sunroof/moonroof of his Jeep.  His friends who were with him at the time, I believe, only had minor injuries. He was not so lucky.

After his accident, his family was not sure if he was going to live. He was in this weird bed that kept rocking him back and forth at first – from the way they describe it on the site, it’s kind of freaky.  He was in the hospital for quite a while, underwent a major surgery on his spine that took several hours.  From the way he describes it, his injury is what they call a “total” spine injury, and he’s not supposed to be able to recover any strength in the area where his injury is. 

If you read about Tim’s progress on his website, you can see that he’s proving “them” wrong.  He spends hours every day in this contraption where he’s standing up – I believe its function is to help improve muscle memory (that’s my simplified description of it anyway.) 

I mention Tim tonight because he’s truly an example of mind over matter. Right now, he’s mentally willing his muscles to move. They’re spasming, and I think that’s a good sign. With Tim’s background, he knows it’s a good sign.

If you read through the many posts on Tim’s site, you’ll see a few themes. His family truly loves him, and he really loves them back. You’ll also see that he really, really, REALLY has a positive attitude about his recovery and the fact that he’s going to walk again.

With all that we’ve seen and done in life, how can we not agree with him? So the next time you’re out there running, and you think you can’t make one more step, think of the fact that Tim is literally willing himself back to being able to walk again.  By the time you’re done with that thought, you’ve probably taken a dozen steps in the meantime.  And, hopefully feel much better.

Thanks Tim, for being an inspiration.