No Turning Back

From Guest Blogger, Andy Richardson – This is the second post in an ongoing series with the Marathon Training Academy where Andy discusses his personal journey of training for his first marathon.

Ready to Rock!
Well, it is official! I just signed up for my first marathon. I am going to be doing the Rock and Roll marathon in Savannah, Georgia – which happens to be close to my home in Beaufort, SC.

So, now that I have signed up there is no turning back! And, I am certainly not going to let the readers here or my family down either! I will be running the marathon on November 5, 2011. They will have bands set up throughout the 26.2 mile journey, which will be pretty cool. Who knows, maybe a power song at mile 18 will be just the thing I need to keep going.

The registration form requested that I give my expected completion time, so I had to come up with a guess. I filled it out as 4 hours and 45 minutes. I tried to keep my time on the high end, but I am certainly hoping I can finish better than that. After all, according to the MTA Official Guide Will Ferrell, Oprah, P Diddy, and George W Bush all did better than that! But I am apparently not the caliber runner of P Diddy (4:14:54), yet.

Running is Becoming an Expensive Hobby
If you have never signed up for a marathon, I want to give you fair warning. You may have to give up a couple trips to the steakhouse in order to pay for the registration. My registration was around $100. When I mentioned it to my wife, she jokingly said ‘That sure is pricey just to run on a public road’. I must admit that it probably does seem funny from the outside looking in for someone to put themselves through this kind of extreme regimen, on a public road, and pay around $100 to do it.

Obviously, there are costs involved in doing it, and money goes to charity and profit as well, so I understand the costs. And that reminds me… I also need to get some new running shoes, too. This sure is becoming an expensive hobby!

What is My Biggest Reason For Wanting to Run a Marathon?
I have started to read the Marathon Training Academy Official guide. Chapter Three (Unleashing Your Marathon Potential) discusses the motivation for running a marathon. Angie notes that running a marathon can be difficult at times and that it all begins with the mind. I need to know why I am doing this so that when I am halfway through the race or training I will have something to keep me going.

Achievement – The biggest reason that I want to run a marathon is that I want to prove to myself that I can do it. I want to find out what my mind and body are made of when they are put to one of the ultimate tests.

Here are just a few of the other reasons that I am running a marathon. You may share some of these reasons as well.

• Conquering Fears – I heard one time that if you are afraid of something, then you should do it, and then you will not be afraid of it anymore. Sounds like a good reason to run a marathon.
• Change is Good – Trying new things makes life interesting. One of the reasons I am doing this is because I just want to experience it.
• It’s on My Bucket List – I think running a marathon has always been something I wanted to do, but for whatever reason I have not committed to doing it. Here’s to striking this off my bucket list.
• Races Can be Fun – I have done other races, and I enjoy running with the crowd, meeting new people, and yes drinking free gatorade afterwards. (But I must tell you, there are some easier and cheaper ways to get sports drinks than running a marathon).
• Competition – Something inside all of us wants to be a winner. I do not think I will take the crown for the whole race, but I want to do pretty good.
• Stay Fit – I enjoy being fit and active, and running a marathon will help to continue to do that.
• Lose a Few Pounds – I would not mind dropping a few pounds by November, so what better way to do that than train for a marathon
• I am not Getting any Younger – This year, I am turning 35. I am realizing that I cannot procrastinate forever.

Here is a quote from Mark Twain that is also printed in the motivation chapter of the MTA Official Guide:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” –Mark Twain

Health Hurdles
My training was going well until just recently when I got a case of bronchitis that gave me a painful and constant cough. I had to take a few days off completely, and also take it easy for a while in order to improve.

Then, last week I sprained my knee while playing frisbee with the kids. My son and I were both going for the frisbee when we collided, and he hit my knee. I did not even know you could sprain your knee by playing frisbee, but trust me – you can.

Fortunately, after a few days, some ice, and pain-reliever, my knee was fine. These health hurdles have caused me to fall back a bit over the past couple weeks. I have not been able to build up my distance, and I have even lost some of my fitness. I will have to work hard to get back on track, but I am happy to get back to running and my marathon training again.

Next time, I will go over my goals for training and my goals for my first marathon. Hopefully you are working on your goals as well, and making good progress with your marathon training.

What Do You Think
Have you signed up for your fall marathon, yet? Are you doing one of the Rock and Roll Marathons? Also, what is the biggest reason that you want to run a marathon?

About the Author: Andy Richardson is the author of Start Running For Beginners.