In 308 days I will be running my second marathon. Why am I training so much now? What am I doing to train? Why do I even share about training with everyone? Well, let me tell you.
When I ran the LA marathon 12 years ago I was in shape, younger and able to do something like a marathon. For years following that race when I would do half marathons I didn’t ever really train for them. When you run 26.2 miles, 13.1 just never seemed like it was all that much.
Aging has made me lose my ability to just throw on some random shoes and run a few miles I realize this is going to take some work. Really, when I crossed that very first finish line of racing I knew I would do another one someday. Why put it off?
Plus, 308 days is a lot. I could start training just 16 weeks before and be just fine. What would be the fun in that? I think giving myself plenty of time is making it seem more bearable. What’s the saying? How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. That is how I am taking this race.
Because of that I figured jumping on the treadmill would be a good start. I know that if you get on a treadmill it’s not the same as running outside. Did you know though, if you were to put the treadmill incline to 1% it will give you the same effect as running outside? It’s true. Putting it on a speed that’s comfortable, covering it up so I don’t know what point I am at in the run; it seems to go by faster.
A major difference this time is that I am actually using shoes that are made for long distance running. When it comes to running shoes I always just cared about what they looked like. Having shoes for running never crossed my mind. Hoka shoes have made the biggest difference in my running.
Whenever I would run before my legs would hurt, my feet would be sore for the day and I would be stiff whenever I got up from bed or just sitting at work. With these shoes my feet are comfortable, and after my body doesn’t stiffen up or hurt. They have made the biggest difference and I would recommend them to anyone.
So why do I share my journey to the goal? I am a 34 year old father of two little kids, one on the way. I have wife, whom I love more than anything in the world. For me, if I can do this to work on being healthier for them and myself than that’s why I do it. I do it because I want people to know that they can do it too. Yeah, 26.2 miles is a long way, but so is 308 days. You can do anything if you put your mind to it—and that’s what I’m doing.
I’m excited for the races that I will do along the way to keep me motivated. Also I’m excited for the times I will be running and look to my left seeing my family with signs that say, “Go Dad, go!” Really it’s a goal that I have wanted to achieve for a long time and I’m ready to show my kids that I can achieve it.
