“THE EDGE, there is no
honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is
are the ones who have gone over.” ― Hunter S. Thompson
It seemed logical at the time, even
inspired. I was watching a wounded
warrior run the Marine Corps Marathon -- with a prosthetic leg, no less -- and
decided that I should run one, too.
Never mind that I can’t run a mile...or even a quarter mile. In fact, I can barely jog for a minute
nonstop. Never mind that I am too old
(58), too worn out with a degenerating spine and hips, and that I have
arthritis in my neck. And never mind that
the people my age who ran the marathon barely hobbled over the finish line,
looking as if they were walking over hot needles in bare feet -- and enjoying
it even less. I decided that if that
amputee could run every day, facing far more obstacles than I have, I could
certainly give it a try. Besides, I’ve
never let reality deter me before, so why start now?
The first step:
To get started, I spent a few hours searching online for
marathon-in-a-year training programs. It
wasn’t easy to find one for someone whose level was as low as mine. Most programs assume you are already an
established jogger who can run three to five miles at a stretch, four or five
days a week. But I finally found one
that would supposedly get me in shape for a marathon in one year, starting with
one minute jogs. It sounds absurd, I
know. Maybe it is absurd. Am I crazy to even try? I guess I’m about to find out.
Goal: run
the 2013 Marine Corps Marathon
Training time:
twelve months
Starting level:
zero. Nowhere to go but up!
I’ve broken my training into four phases, each consisting of
three months. In this first phase, I’ll
run four days a week on my treadmill (Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays),
rest two days (Wednesdays, Sundays) and engage in one long walk
(Saturdays). I’ll also do a light weight
workout four days a week for toning and strength.
My goal for phase one is to build up my endurance
until I can run for three to four miles nonstop. Right now that sounds about as possible as
swimming across the Arctic Ocean in the winter without a wetsuit, but I hope to
get to that point by the end of January (three months).
I have decided not to tell my family about this crazy idea
for now. I’ll wait until I can run for
three or four miles nonstop. If I can make it that far, then I’ll divulge my
plan. At that point, it will still sound
nutty, but not nearly as insane as it does right now.
And so I begin...
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