"Running"
"Oh, really? How far?"
"hmmm 10 miles"
"WHAT!"
I had no clue. That people all over the country would get up early on Saturday mornings and slap numbers on their chests and run around the lake with hopes of winning a piece of metal on a ribbon was beyond me.
What I didn't know was that a year later that would be me.
At the time I was 34 years old and weighing around 240 lbs. Given that the average American is over weight, you wouldn't have picked me out of the crowd and called me fat. But fat I was. I realized I was gaining around 10 pounds a year and walking up stairs was a task. I felt horrible, and disgusted with myself.
I knew my co-worker (Tom) was working out over lunch, and I had over heard him talk about running. So, I figured he would be a good place to start. When he told me he was running 10 miles a day, I thought he was insane. But given the condition I was in, I was ready to try anything. So I asked him where does an over weight guy like me start?
"20 minutes a day, run walk. do not run the whole time or you wont be able to do it the next day"
"oh, and get some new running shoes that you do not wear unless you are run/walking. They are not to be worn to the store, mall, gas station, or ballgame."
"and don't be concerned with how fast you are running, in fact the slower the better."
That's what Tom said, and that's just what I did.
I think the first couple days, I ran 5 minutes and walked 5 minutes. 20 minutes felt like an eternity. By the end of two weeks I could run the whole 20 minutes. Not sure a bystander would call what I was doing running, but faster than a walk it was. I lost 5 lbs, I wished it was more, but at least it was a move in the right direction. My diet was still crappy. McDonald's drive thru was the next thing to go.
Everyday I reported to Tom how I was doing and what I was feeling. At the end of two weeks I was hungry for more running time, But Tom was now my coach and the coach said steady she goes. He gave me the ok to run 25 minutes the following week, and if I felt any pain to back off.
What you have to realize, 240 lbs pounding on your feet is a lot of stress. Not until I was under 230 was I allowed to run anything over 30 minutes.
When I was under 230 lbs I increased my time running by 5 minutes a week until I hit 45 minutes. At this time I was running 5/6 times a day. I had checked my Big Macs in for salads. I was weighing in the 220s. The Wells Fargo 1/2 marathon was in 3 months and I entered it. Now my training had taken a whole new turn. Time was now miles. Before the race I had gotten my training to where my long run was 10 miles at the most. I was concerned that I would not be able to run the extra 3 miles. But Tom assured me I was ready. "After all" he said, "I don't run 26 miles in training before I run a marathon."
Ok, that made sense to me.
Race day came. I weighed 210 lbs. I was nervous as hell. I had never done anything as physically challenging as this before. With Tom's help, I had a plan. My training indicated I could run a steady 9 minute mile the whole way, or so Tom said. I just took his word for it.
I think just minutes before the race, I peed 20 times.
The gun goes off and adrenalin shoots through me. I had been warned not to start fast. Given that, I think my first mile was in 8 minutes. I reeled it back.
Ended up running with a group of women for the first half of the race. They were running 3 a breast and talking the whole way. I never said a word. How can they just gab gab gab like that? Then a friend of theirs runs back to them from way up front. When he approaches them he starts to run backwards in front of them while talking to to them. I guess that's one way to impress the ladies. I was tempted to run into him, but decided my first race probably shouldn't end that way. He did this 3 times. Seriously.
At mile 10, realizing that I'm now at the farthest I've ever run before, I was having an argument in my head. Well, now what? I'm pooped with 3 miles to go. Just run. Keep moving. I started to think about how good I was going to feel at the finish. (Years later I still do this when I'm getting tired. It works for me. Think through the pain and to the finish. Visualize it).
It would make for good reading to describe the step by step pain and struggle to the finish, but the truth is...although very tired, I wasn't hurting that bad at all. Tom (coach) had trained me well. I ran the 1/2 marathon in 1:56 just under a 9 minute mile pace. I was ecstatic. Tom was at the finish and cheered me in. I couldn't believe it. My body had just run 13.1 miles. I was high...and hooked.
Not long after I entered my first Marathon, The Chicago Marathon. Weighing 175 lbs I ran that in 3:28. A year later with a lot of hard training and weighing 150 lbs I ran the Twin Cities Marathon in 2:46. That was nuts. I don't think I've ever been in that great of shape ever since.
Which is why I'm reflecting today. Why not? I'm 46 years old now, not the 34 year old coyote. It's cold out these days in southern Minnesota, and I'm making some plans. Some get back in shape plans. The thoughts of marathons are popping in my head again. Maybe run Boston again? or something new....I got the itch. It's time to get fit. There is no other option.
Run on,
Paul
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