Nov. 11, 2008

Half marathon project
The project has just doubled in size. J's sister, A, is in. Furthermore, A tells me her dream is to run a marathon some day. That's fantastic. Just having a dream like that is constant motivation to stay fit and keep running. When I was her age I was thinking in terms of 10k runs. Running a marathon never occurred to me, and if it had, I would have dismissed it immediately. Ridiculous.

But things have changed a lot since I was in my 20s. For one thing, the whole notion that marathoning is dangerous, especially for women, has been completely debunked. Then, science has greatly improved training techniques, not just for elites, but for us ordinary humans as well. It has also provided us with far superior running gear, especially shoes. All that science has made running a sport for anyone for life.

And, despite the now huge size of the nation's running community, fewer than one tenth of one percent of Americans finish a marathon each year. The number is only slightly higher for half marathons. If you do it, you're in elite company. Unless your social circle consists mostly of runners, people will always be amazed that you ran 13 or 26 miles.

I think any able-bodied person can run. But not everyone will define running the same way. Everyone has different abilities, different body types, different levels of motivation, different competitive drives. I know runners who can cover the marathon in just over 3 hours. One couple, though, routinely turn in 6 or 6:30 marathon times. They're marathoners, for sure.

So, it's just the coolest thing that J and A are taking a shot at a half marathon. It's a big challenge, and it's hard, but it's also fun and immensely satisfying if it's done right. All novices: take your training seriously, but DON'T OVERDO IT. Trust the plan; it will get you ready.