Are You Scared of a Marathon

I find that in my travels, and in my circle of acquaintances many people find out that you run marathons and have no idea how many miles a marathon is. After I tell them that it is 26.2 miles most come back with a, " I could never do that" type of comment. I am always puzzled by that comment as I know that there are all different types of people with different life situations that successfully run the race. After running and training for races for three years I feel strongly that anyone in average to good health that is committed can successfully finish a marathon. I am an average person, working mother of 4, who never ran before training for my fist marathon and I finished it with a smile on my face. My feeling is that, although the training is a commitment, if I can do it anyone can.

What is it that scares people away from even considering running a marathon? Is it the distance, is it the term "running", or is it just the thought of doing any exercise in general. For me, it was a combination of the term running and the distance. I really thought that to "run" a marathon you have to run the entire 26.2 miles. I quickly learned that the term running is a loose one and does not mean running as fast as you can, but at a pace comfortable to you. I also learned at my first marathon that there were many people walking (especially after mile 18) and jogging and running, kind of anything goes.

Most people who run marathons would say that I am downplaying all the ,"blood, sweat and tears" that goes into training and finishing a race. I definitely agree that it is hard work and a large commitment of time and energy, but it could be an attainable goal for the majority of individuals who say they could not do it. I guess my point being that it is more of a mental obstacle than a talent, or physical obstacle.

On that note, I am going to try to recruit some marathonmamas to run our next few races!!

marathonmama.com, Women Running the World

Running vs. Jogging

I call myself a runner. I feel like a runner, I wear "running shoes", so why when I run into people who see me on the street do they always refer to my running as jogging? Am I that slow that the passer by decides that I must not be running, or is it just symantics?

I talked with my husband, who is also a runner, about this and his determination is made by the way you look. According to him, if you are wearing a headband and sweat socks, you must be a jogger. Well I do not with a headband or sweatsocks so his conclusions do not seem to be the proper barometer.

I always thought that jogging was a phrase that was more used in years past. Today it seems that people that once used the term jogging now refer to their activity as running. This can be easily proven by going to any race around the country and see how many participants you offend by calling them joggers (I bet quite a few). But this is not the 70's and people still call me a jogger here in 2009 so I guess I too am off the mark.

This leaves me but one somewhat sad conclusion, it is my speed. As it turns out, the difference between the two has nothing to do with how you look or what decade you trained in, it has to do with how fast you move. If you run slower than a 9 minute mile, you are a jogger, if you run faster than a 9 minute mile you are a runner.

This does not make me happy, as I have been working for the last three years to get below a ten minute mile and never have considered myself a jogger. No matter how fast I go, I will still be completing training "runs" not training "jogs". Oh well maybe someday I will be fast enough to be worthy to carry the runner title until then I guess I will be a rebel and keep refering to myself as a runner.

It is OK to have a BAD Day

Well today’s run was not a great one. To start I was feeling tired and sluggish, but like a good soldier I got on the treadmill and got started. I got thorough two miles and had to stop to walk. I know I am capable of much more, but I just chalk it up to today was not my day. Maybe I will try again later.

I know from my experience that for most of us bad days are bound to happen once and a while and, as long as they are once in a while it is ok.

This concept was hard for me to accept in the beginning of my “running career”. I used to be very hard on myself for not having good runs or having to stop and walk. I have learned over the years that it is much more important to listen to your body rather that being so rigid that it becomes a chore. I like to compare it to dealing with the feeding of an infant where we are taught not to feed on a rigid schedule but take the baby’s cues and feed him when he is hungry. Follow your body’s cues. It is much better to have fun doing it than to force yourself. Just like anything else you just have a bad day from time to time.

Running Shoes

My mornings are pretty hetic here, trying to get everyone up and out of the house (including myself) and this morning was a typical one here. As a result, I could not locate my favorite # 1 running shoes, and had to go with a back up pair. Both are good shoes, my favorite ones are Brooks and I have been running with them for two years. I am on my second pair of them and love them. They are affordable and work great for my feet. Prior to that I used Asics which are also good shoes but after one year of successful injury free running with them I was unable to find and exact replacement and the model that I tried does not work for me. I was never a believer in the "shoes make all the difference" theory but my own personal experience now tells me otherwise. Everytime I set out for a run with these new Asics I get knee pain, which never happened with the older Asics, or now my Brooks. They are all a similar neutral shoe, but there is something about that shoe that does not work for me. I now feel strongly that the shoe should be the first thing that you try to change if you are experiencing pain. I do not think price matters as much as finding a good quality shoe that works for you.

So today, when I had to get my back up pair, my Asics, my training run was not the best. Fortunately it was short. I think that tonight I will spend some time searching for my Brooks.