Last November, I crossed the finish line of my first and only marathon and into the arms of my wonderful wife. I had spent the last 3+ hours running and she had spent the last 3+ hours riding a school bus around the course trying to see me at miles 4, 10, 13, 19, and the finish. As I sat on the ground eating my slice of pizza and drinking six cups of Coke, I tried to get my mind around the fact that I had just run 26.2 miles. Even though my body ached, it didn't seem real. It still doesn't. The only other thought that was moving through my head was that I had run my first marathon and that was enough. I didn't need to be like those crazy folks that ran several marathons a year or the guy that Mel and I know who has run a marathon in all 50 states. I didn't need to try and join the slim, rare ranks of the Marathon Maniacs. I sat there and was content in what I had just done. I had run a decent marathon, not blazing fast and not slow, but I had run a marathon in a time that I could be proud of. I got in the car. Mel drove me home. It was all enough.
Then something began to slowly happen to me and inside my head, as soon as my legs healed and I began to run again. I hardly noticed it because it happened in such small, seemingly invisible strides. First, with small runs and then built on that. Pretty soon I was back to my normal number of miles. I then took off on a Sunday afternoon and decided to run until I got tired. I ran 11 miles and met Mel in a Kroger parking lot and she took me to get some ice cream. (Why am I so lucky?) While I was running, the farther I ran, the better I felt and somewhere between miles 5-11, I decided to try and run another marathon. At first, I thought it was the endorphins talking, but then realized it was a very good idea.
Now that I had decided to try another marathon, there was plenty to do. First, I needed to warm my wife up to the idea of an 18 week training schedule and regime. This is time consuming and the spouse of anyone training for a marathon ends up doing the "trainee" a lot of favors or as Mel and I call them, "solids". Second, I had to find a good marathon to run. And with the number of marathons around these days, this is no easy task. Trust me. And lastly, I had to find the right marathon training plan or see if I could just train myself.
Mel warmed up to my marathon idea pretty quickly. She is very gracious about this kind of thing. She is forever picking me up at different places that I run to, bringing me water, riding beside me on her bike, etc. And she always asks me how my runs go and making sure I'm okay. As I mentioned earlier, why am I so lucky? Her only question was could she please get some good, warm coffee to hold onto while I run and maybe peak her head into H&M clothing store while I am out there on the course. (The Atlanta Marathon starts and finishes at Atlantic Station in ATL.) Of course she can. Talk spouse into running a marathon after I'd promised her that one would be more than enough, check.
Choosing the right marathon is not an easy task. Choosing from over 625 national marathons (according to the Wall Street Journal) makes finding the right one seem like finding your running shoes in the dark with only one contact in. However, I thought about all my needs and then it became easy. I wanted a big city, cheap registration, not too far away from home, a challenging course, and a good place for my #1 fan to watch me. All of this seems like a lot to want, but I found it close by in the city of Hotlanta (where the playa's play. I hope I see Luda' while running.). The Atlanta Track Club has reorganized a full marathon in Atlanta based on the 1996 Olympic marathon course. I signed up quickly and even used my ATC membership discount to get a few bucks off the fee. Find a good marathon that is not too expensive and not too far away from home, check.
Now, came the hardest part. Training for a marathon is one of the most all-consuming things I have ever done. You are forever thinking or dwelling on it. A good run makes you have delusions of grandeur. A bad run makes you see yourself having to quit 3 miles into the race. You are forever trying to gauge your fitness, what you eat, how much you should worry about missing a run, talking yourself out of bed in the early morning, etc. And then trying to find a training plan is like being lost in a bad corn maze. If you don't believe me, try "Googling" marathon training plans and see how many results you get. I decided against the Ryan Hall idea of being my own coach. I don't listen to him so well and he is a big know-it-all. Just don't tell him that you heard all that from me. After looking at several plans, reading at Runner's World too many times, talking to some marathoning friends of mine, and checking some books out from the library, I ran into a plan from the Hanson brothers. They coach the Hanson-Brooks Distance Project which has produced marathon greats Desiree Davilia and Brian Sell. They have a "less is more" approach to marathon training and so I pulled the proverbial trigger. I now had a marathon training plan, check.
Well, I am now in my 8th week of marathon training and things are going okay. I am up to running between 30-40 miles a week and that number is rising. I pretty pleased with it all besides the current high heat that has been in Macon since early June. I am sure you can empathize. It makes me feel like I'm really moving, but then I look down at my watch and I'm moving at a pace right above moseying. Well, there it is. I am going to run a second marathon. It feels weird even to be typing that.
Do you have any fall marathon or race plans? Let me know. We can commiserate.
David
Now that I had decided to try another marathon, there was plenty to do. First, I needed to warm my wife up to the idea of an 18 week training schedule and regime. This is time consuming and the spouse of anyone training for a marathon ends up doing the "trainee" a lot of favors or as Mel and I call them, "solids". Second, I had to find a good marathon to run. And with the number of marathons around these days, this is no easy task. Trust me. And lastly, I had to find the right marathon training plan or see if I could just train myself.
Mel warmed up to my marathon idea pretty quickly. She is very gracious about this kind of thing. She is forever picking me up at different places that I run to, bringing me water, riding beside me on her bike, etc. And she always asks me how my runs go and making sure I'm okay. As I mentioned earlier, why am I so lucky? Her only question was could she please get some good, warm coffee to hold onto while I run and maybe peak her head into H&M clothing store while I am out there on the course. (The Atlanta Marathon starts and finishes at Atlantic Station in ATL.) Of course she can. Talk spouse into running a marathon after I'd promised her that one would be more than enough, check.
Choosing the right marathon is not an easy task. Choosing from over 625 national marathons (according to the Wall Street Journal) makes finding the right one seem like finding your running shoes in the dark with only one contact in. However, I thought about all my needs and then it became easy. I wanted a big city, cheap registration, not too far away from home, a challenging course, and a good place for my #1 fan to watch me. All of this seems like a lot to want, but I found it close by in the city of Hotlanta (where the playa's play. I hope I see Luda' while running.). The Atlanta Track Club has reorganized a full marathon in Atlanta based on the 1996 Olympic marathon course. I signed up quickly and even used my ATC membership discount to get a few bucks off the fee. Find a good marathon that is not too expensive and not too far away from home, check.
Now, came the hardest part. Training for a marathon is one of the most all-consuming things I have ever done. You are forever thinking or dwelling on it. A good run makes you have delusions of grandeur. A bad run makes you see yourself having to quit 3 miles into the race. You are forever trying to gauge your fitness, what you eat, how much you should worry about missing a run, talking yourself out of bed in the early morning, etc. And then trying to find a training plan is like being lost in a bad corn maze. If you don't believe me, try "Googling" marathon training plans and see how many results you get. I decided against the Ryan Hall idea of being my own coach. I don't listen to him so well and he is a big know-it-all. Just don't tell him that you heard all that from me. After looking at several plans, reading at Runner's World too many times, talking to some marathoning friends of mine, and checking some books out from the library, I ran into a plan from the Hanson brothers. They coach the Hanson-Brooks Distance Project which has produced marathon greats Desiree Davilia and Brian Sell. They have a "less is more" approach to marathon training and so I pulled the proverbial trigger. I now had a marathon training plan, check.
Well, I am now in my 8th week of marathon training and things are going okay. I am up to running between 30-40 miles a week and that number is rising. I pretty pleased with it all besides the current high heat that has been in Macon since early June. I am sure you can empathize. It makes me feel like I'm really moving, but then I look down at my watch and I'm moving at a pace right above moseying. Well, there it is. I am going to run a second marathon. It feels weird even to be typing that.
Do you have any fall marathon or race plans? Let me know. We can commiserate.
David
Melissa. Can i spectate with you? I promise I will follow you into any H&M store our paths might cross, no complaining. I will cheer for the Davester. I will fetch you (Mel) hot coffee for the spectating. I will ride a bus around town to see Dave at every mile if you wish. I will even wear a tshirt and make a poster... count me in?
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