Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Marathon Training Update: Increased Motivation

Really, it isn't so bad. I'm more determined now than at the beginning.

I'm one month into marathon conditioning. Lest you think I'm a "marathoner," or even a "runner," let me be clear that I'm just a 40-something dad trying to get into shape. A dad who has committed himself to running a marathon that is still seven months away.

Here's one of my recent "runs," as an illustration:




And, that was my long run for the week. A far cry from 26.2.

It's Good to Have Knees, I Guess

Without them, we'd have a strange gait.

At 25, and even 35, it was so much easier at the beginning of training: Endure a few days of pain, then start measuring progress. Now, the game has changed. On the outside, I don't look my age, according to my mom, wife and children, but I certainly felt it during mile one and after the run posted above. During the run, my knees ached like I had shin splints in them; a brand new kind of pain. Awesome!  Afterwards, I walked like I was 70.  Two days later, on my next run, I felt great. Now, three days later, I still feel good and ready to run again.

I'm making progress, my kids want to run with me, I haven't hurt myself, and I'm changing my lifestyle. I'm finding that those things are combining, as I had hoped, to strengthen my resolve and motivation to complete the marathon goal.

The Round Table

I've posted a couple of articles at DadsRoundTable.com, one of which talks about this goal of mine. I've found the parents involved with DadsRT, on the site, on Twitter and Facebook, to be a great source of support. There's even a challenge at DailyMile.com that a group of DadsRT'ers have started.

I usually run alone and the motivations I've mentioned have been enough to keep me putting one foot in front of the other, but the comments and support from the DadsRT community adds something extra. Something that will be a benefit as the months roll by and the miles get longer. We all need that.

Another Source of Motivation

This will all be well and good for me and my family. Hoo-rah, meet the challenge and all that. That's wonderful, for us.  So, I've been envisioning a way to spread the benefit to others. For now, let me say, I have a plan in the works that will enable this little adventure of mine to benefit others.

I have to consider the feasibility of it, the time required to make it a success, and the impact on the important areas of my life (church, family, work, etc.). If all goes well, in a couple of weeks I will roll out this idea. For now, let me say its well past time for me to make an impact.

As always, wish me luck, say a prayer (please) and follow me to see how I'm continuing to make a fool of myself.

ALH (@AlanLHammond)

If you have any training tips, words of encouragement, or even want to poke fun, I'd love to hear it in the comments!




2 comments:

  1. Keep up the good work, Alan! Our challenge is going to be knocked out WAY quicker than I thought. We'll have to do another, lol.

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  2. Yes, it will. By my count, we're already over half-way there!

    ReplyDelete