Yesterday I saw the most inspiring event I've witnessed in a long time - several friends and acquaintances ran the Chicago marathon. The mercury was below freezing at race time, but they would not be swayed - months and months of training had lead up to this very moment.
As I watched the crowds weave through my neighborhood, I couldn't help but become emotional. Onlookers cheered for complete strangers, aided by the names the runners had adorned their shirts with using iron-on decals, masking tape, and stickers. Some members of the crowd high-fived the marathoners as they made their way past, and the looks on the runners' faces were indescribable. Amazing, too, were the friends and families of the participants, who stood in the freezing cold searching for their loved ones as the crowds surged past, holding posters with messages of encouragement and love. Several runners stopped when they spotted boyfriends, girlfriends, moms and dads, and grabbed quick hugs, doled out kisses, high-fived friends, and took pictures before running off again. The street became littered with water bottles, "goo" packets, and the occasional glove or hat.
And afterward, when I met up with my friends for a post-marathon party at one runner's house, they all wore their medals with pride - talked of their soreness as a badge of courage - ice baths were de rigeur, drinking beer a must in the post-race glow of glory. Most of them were wearing some evidence of their great achievement - medal, tshirt - others drank from glasses bearing the logo of one of the race sponsors. I couldn't help but feel a little jealous... and then it hit me: I could do this, too. Next year, this can be me!
To be honest, I've never been one for something like training for a marathon. In fact, before this year, you could say I was downright lazy as an adult. Even though I grew up playing soccer and taking dance, by the time I finished college, I wasn't doing a whole lot in terms of being active. I did eventually start playing soccer again in a social league, but any calories burned in a game were usually counteracted by tons of beer at a bar afterward. I was perfectly content to go home after work each night, promptly change into pajamas and spend the rest of the night lounging on the couch with a glass of wine. I saw a friend run the NYC marathon in 2007, and I had a similar reaction to what I experienced in 2009 in Chicago - I wanted to run, but at the time I felt like I was so out of shape there was no way I could ever do it.
I had an unfortunate wake-up call after the holidays in 2008 - I was looking at pictures from my vacation and couldn't help but feel a little sick. I was a shadow of the formerly thin, active girl of my youth. Things had to change. I made the same resolution that probably 95% of people make each year - I would go to the gym regularly and lose at least 10 pounds. I would guess 85% of the people who make that resolution don't keep it. I did. I started working out around 3-4 times a week in addition to my weekly soccer game, and I changed my eating habits to start being more healthy. In about six months, I lost around 18 pounds.
Now I feel as though I've hit a plateau with my current activities - elliptical for 30 minutes, weight training, dance class once a week, and soccer, for now. So this is perfect timing to do something different - something BIG - something I NEVER would have thought I could do until now. I'm going to run a half-marathon in Birmingham in February, and if that goes well, I'll run the Chicago marathon in October 2010. And you, my friends, will be with me every step of the way. I started this blog to give myself a sense of accountability - if I have people to answer to, I'll be more motivated to actually finish this crazy process.
I did some research today and found out that before starting a training regimen, I need to be able to run 30 minutes without stopping - and this needs to be happening for at least a month. I did this once a few months ago, but I know I need to be able to do it more consistently/not just on a whim. I figure I can do 15 minute runs for a week, then next week go up to 20, the next week up to 25, and then finally 30 - and then if all goes well, I can start my training regimen for Birmingham the week of November 9. I'm definitely a little nervous about running outside in the cold, but I know I obviously can't train for a marathon by only running on a treadmill (though my prissy self certainly wishes that was the case, as running in the Chicago winter does NOT sound appealing at all!)
So tonight, I went to the gym and ran for 15 minutes. I averaged around 4.8 mph - admittedly a bit slow, especially for such a short run, but you have to start somewhere. Hopefully in a few months I'll look back on this and be like, "Wow... I'm doing so much better now!" I've never been a big fan of running, and I think that's because I've never been in really fantastic shape (with the exception of the year I was on dance team in junior high school). I know this is going to be tough. I felt like my lungs were going to explode, and my soccer knees were not loving the running either - a trip to Fleet Feet for a proper fitting of running shoes is definitely in my immediate future.
Even though I was tired when I finished my workout and could tell I might be a tiny bit sore tomorrow, I also am so excited to begin this new journey and hope you enjoy me sharing it with you. Any tips or words of encouragement? I'd love to hear them!
No comments:
Post a Comment