Tag Archives: marathon

Never Could I

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“I could never do that!”

“There is no way I would ever be able to…”

“If I ever tried to do that I would die.”

How many times have you ever said one of the above sentences?  Over the years of my running experiences and sharing stories of all my adventures, the one comment that always pops into the conversation with a non-runner is “I could never run that far.”  We could be talking about three miles or a full marathon (26.2 miles).  In fact, there was a time many years ago when I said the same thing.  I once uttered “Never could I run 6 miles” during a conversation with someone who was getting ready to run a 10K race.  The thought of running 6.1 miles was insane and unattainable to me.  Not to mention, why in the world would I ever want to do that!  Here I am several years later with four marathons and several 5K, 10K and half-marathons races notched into my experience belt.  What I once saw as impossible became a stepping stone along the path of my running journey. Have you thought the same thing about running? Have you groaned no way, not ever? The fact is you CAN do it.  You just have to go about it the right way.

When you were a little child you didn’t just hop on a bicycle one day and be able to ride it without falling off or crashing into a street sign.  In the beginning you had training wheels. Then, you had someone holding the seat jogging along side you once the training wheels came off.  You had someone who picked you up from the ground, brushed the dirt off your scraped knees and helped you back onto the bicycle.  They guided you through the learning process until one day you were zooming down the sidewalk on your own.  Learning to become a runner and getting to your race day, no matter what distance you want to run, is no different. You should lean on and learn from those who can guide with confidence, accuracy, knowledge, and experience to be successful and reach your goals. With that, I would like to tell you a story about a friend.

Last year my dear friend, Cindy, ran her first half-marathon.  It wasn’t even a flat, “easy”one.  She tackled a difficult race course in the middle of Syracuse, NY.  What’s more impressive is she was in her mid-50’s and had just recently started running.  Having been a member of marathon training teams, a coach for 10K training teams, having health and wellness certifications, and being someone who had substantial experience with running, when I learned she was training for this race I wanted to offer a little advice here and there.  We talked about everything from stretching and strengthening exercises, to nutrition, to running techniques, and training schedules.  I wasn’t real sure how Cindy would take all of my jibber jabber about running.  She always kindly let me spout off at the mouth about all things running, said thank you and went on with her day.  Over the course of her training I would occasionally check in with her and make sure she was doing ok.  I soon realized this was no average 50-something year old who thought one day, “Gee. Maybe I’ll start running and sign up for a half-marathon because I got talked into it.”  Cindy had a determination about her that was admirable and inspiring to so many, including myself. When race day arrived, a few of us, with motivational and humorous signs in hand, drove out to Syracuse with a game plan to catch her at different points during her race to cheer her on.  It was awe-inspiring!

What Cindy did that day blew my mind! You see, most people who train for a big race like that do so with a running buddy, or a few people, especially if they are new to running.  Many people join a running group complete with coaches to guide and educate throughout the training. As far as I know, Cindy did all of her training runs on her own with an occasional gentle, motivating nudge from her husband to get her out the door to get her run in.  Not only did Cindy run her first half-marathon last November on a tough Syracuse course, but she ate that course for lunch!  It was one of the most inspiring experiences I have been a part of and I was so abundantly proud of her.

During her training I remember saying to her, “Watchout.  Before you know it you will be signing up for your first marathon.”   She had the classic response, “Oh, I could never run 26 miles. At this point I just want to get through 13 miles.”.  She ran that half-marathon kicking it right in the kisser and soon after signed up for a series of four half-marathons culminating with some serious finisher medal bling for completing the series!  Did I mention she was in her mid-50’s, never had been a runner before and had just recently started running?  Just wanted to make sure I made that point!

Then, it happened!

In March, while sitting at a Leadership Retreat at church, Cindy whispered to me, “I’ve signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon.”  I vividly remember jumping out of my chair in excitement!  I was elated!  She was taking the leap into a whole new world of running. But, it was about more than just running.  The marathon and the training that it requires is a test of commitment, spirit, internal drive, fortitude, a whole new level of toughness, determination, stamina, and grit.  Someone who once thought “I never could run a marathon” now had a glimmer of “let’s give it a try and see what happens.”  Signing up for a marathon takes guts.  Making it to the start line and crossing the finish line of a marathon is a whole new level of “guts”.

For non-elite runners, which is most of the marathon running population, marathon training is typically a six month process.   That’s a massive commitment that often comes with dramatic season changes (especially in upstate NY), not to mention family commitments, work obligations, unexpected life events, and anything else that comes up along the way.  It is also easy for a person to conveniently come up with all sorts of excuses to not get out the door for a scheduled run.  And, when the schedule reaches the higher numbers, the excuses come much easier and are more abundant. That’s normally when people fall off their schedule, never complete the training and consequently never make it to the start line missing out on their goal.  Without going into detail, Cindy had a few opportunities to toss in the towel along the way and with good reason.  But, she persevered!

Fast forward to Sunday, October 28, 2018, the running of the 43rd Marine Corps Marathon.  I was all set up with tracking Cindy on the virtual map and would receive alerts on my phone when she reached benchmarks throughout the course.  I was nervous, yet confident she would reach the finish line.  Every time I checked her status I proudly smiled.  She was running a smart race and was doing very well.  I knew when Cindy was predicted to cross the finish line and was anxiously waiting for that last text notification.  When it came in I was driving.  I pulled into a parking lot, checked the text and began to cry a joyous cry.  I was filled with a glorious, overwhelming feeling of pride for what Cindy had just accomplished.  Knowing where she was a year ago and witnessing her journey all the way to the finish of her first marathon has been such an honor to be part of and one that I will never forget.  I am thankful to Cindy for allowing me to be a part of her journey.

You never know what you can’t do until you try.  Every race, no matter the distance, no matter the speed or ability of the participants, walkers or runners, is filled with people who are stretching their comfort zones, reaching for something they once thought impossible, pushing themselves to attain something they once thought “Never could I”.  Cindy once said she could never run a marathon.  Well, my fabulous friend, check it off the list.  You did it!

Quite a while ago I came upon this fabulous meme from eBib that says it all!


Lastly, here are two closing quotes to sum up this story that I feel are very fitting and might possibly inspire you to think about reaching for one your “Never could I” adventures:

“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ”I’m possible’.” ~Katherine Hepburn.

“If you are losing faith in humanity, go out and watch a marathon.” ~Kathrine Switzer

Brick By Brick

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It seems that in nearly everything we do that has a process or takes time to accomplish there is a need to build a foundation in order to succeed.  Your foundation for learning began very, very early on.  In kindergarten (or maybe before), you learned the ABC’s.  You learned how to read and write paving the way for your education and future.  In music performance, students build a strong foundation by learning scales and practicing technical studies.  In sports, athletes learn how to throw, kick, field, hit, block, hold equipment, etc. giving them a strong foundation to advance their skills.  In sales, the account executive learns the steps to the sale, they learn the products and how their company can provide the service more effectively than other companies.  Runners need to learn proper running form and what socks/shoes work best for them in order to prevent injury and run efficiently. So, let’s talk about running for a few minutes.

Many people think marathon runners are crazy.  Yes, we are, but that’s not the point.  The thought of running even a mile to many people is tiresome and frightening.  So, the idea of them running a marathon seems incredibly outrageous.  This is because they have no base, no foundation.  Some of these people don’t even walk for exercise on a regular basis. So, the thought of running is ridiculous.  The question runners are always asked if “Why?”.

Runners have different personal reasons why they run, which I will not go into.  More to the point, we runners run because we can.  We have built the foundation to be able to do it.  We reached the goals of 5K, 10K and half marathon races.  The next logical step to us is the full marathon, and, yes, that is 26.2 miles.  We follow training schedules that include weekday shorter runs that incorporate hill and speed training (not at the same time, of course), one long run day on the weekend, cross training, and rest days.  We are very careful not to increase our mileage per week too much too soon.  Many runners take yoga classes to help maintain flexibility and prevent injury.  Have I mentioned building a strong foundation?

‘Tis the season for half and full marathons!  Roughly fifty thousand people will run the NY City Marathon in November. In 2013 more than 1,100 marathons were run across the country with 541,000 finishers.  The division between men and women is 57% and 43% respectively. Of all of these runners 47% were runners 40 years of age and older, respectfully referred to as the masters age group. All of these runners followed a training program building their foundation step by step, brick by brick.

I recently shared a quote with my running friends that speaks to the point of building a strong foundation.  Emperor Hadrian said about the building of Rome, “Brick by brick, my citizens. Brick by brick.”. There is a lot of power, truth and motivation in this quote.  So, to those who are getting ready for a race, no matter the distance or your pace (walking or running), I say to you, build your foundation.  Start with the tiny steps and climb to the highest peaks.  With every step your foundation will get stronger.  This will ensure you are at the start line on race day and cross the finish line with your arms raised high above your head and a face beaming with pride.  “Brick by brick, my citizens.  Brick by brick” (Hadrian).

What makes you not quit?

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It’s 4:59AM and you are sound asleep. Your head is positioned just right on the pillow and your blankets are wrapped perfectly around your body. You’re having sweet dreams when all of a sudden… BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP! You alarm clock clicks to 5:00AM and blasts that obnoxious sound in your ear. The very first question you will ask yourself today is “Do I hit the snooze button and go back to sleep or do I get up and go for my training run I have scheduled for today?”. You think to yourself for a minute that you could probably squeeze it in after work, but then again you know that will probably not happen. So, reluctantly, you get out of bed and turn the alarm clock off, get your gear on and stretch a bit before hitting the road. Sound familiar? So what was it that made you get out of bed and go for your run? Why did you chose to not go back to sleep even though you know you really wanted to?

‘Tis the season for running races. Are you just getting into running? Are you someone who runs the annual 5K or 10K? Or, are you the running warrior who schedules your vacations around races? No matter which runner you are there will come a time during your training that you are going to want to quit. It may happen during a run or in the early morning when you need to get out of bed to go for your run. So, what makes you not quit?

There are hundreds of reasons why people become runners. Some people start at a young age and may have been successful runners on the High School Track Team. Some do it because their doctor informed them they need to exercise more and change their diet because their health has diminished to the point where the doctor has to prescribe cholesterol medication. Did you turn 50 this year and make it a goal to finish a 5K or 10K? Then again, maybe you are someone who was motivated by a friend and their accomplishments to start running. I have talked with many people over the past few years who have one of the above reasons to start running. Then again, there are bigger reasons, as well.

I have had the unfortunate displeasure of having the ultimate battle with Cancer… a few times. Each time my determination and stubbornness (and my amazing medical team) have helped me win the battle with brilliant colors. I had tried to run a couple of races during my first couple of battles, but my body just would not allow it. Last year I started my third battle (and hopefully last) with Cancer two weeks into training for the Richmond Marathon. I was devastated to say the least. So treatments began… Let’s skip all the bad stuff and jump ahead to October 8th. I was sitting across from my doctors, they informed me I was finished with treatments, my tests were perfect, my levels looked great, and I could begin to get back to my normal routine. Then, I looked at my watch…

My doctors, who have been through every battle with me, knew exactly what I was looking at and what I was thinking. They knew I was doing the math in my head. They knew I was figuring out how many weeks remained until the Richmond Marathon. They were the ones who told me I had to stop running during my treatments and knew how devastated I was. This was to be my year for the marathon. I was crushed! They were right. I was doing the math. I had 1 month, almost to the day, to train for the marathon. I was not about to let Cancer and the battle I had been through stop me from running this race, even if I did have to crawl to the finish line.

Long story short, I trained, I ran, and I finished. I had two coaches by my side for the last mile and a half and we were running, not crawling as I thought I may have to do. But, what was it that kept me going? Part of me wants to say it’s because half way through the race I was down by the river with no city bus going by to pick me up and take me home. It wasn’t. I don’t like losing. I don’t like it when people tell me I am not capable of doing something. And, I certainly do not like it when someone tells me I am not physically strong enough to do something. I will prove them wrong!

I had a lot of people on my mind during my training and the race. I have lost many friends and family to Cancer. Some were young people in their 20’s, some were much older and some in between. All of them at one time were capable of running whether it was a mile or 26.2 miles. Now they couldn’t because Cancer took their lives. I thought of each and every one of them when I wanted to quit or not get out of bed in the early morning to run. Then, I thought of all those who told me I shouldn’t or couldn’t run. I ran for those who no longer could and ran for those who doubted me for one reason or another. So, why did I tell you all of this?

My very long point is, what is your motivation? What is your reason? What makes you not quit? Some times it’s very clear and some times we need to dig deep to figure it out. I saw a picture one time on line of a persons fist that had 4 words written on it; one word on each finger. It said “Be Your Own Hero”. I immediately fell in love the phrase and picture and adopted it for myself. I wrote on my hand “I Am My Hero” for the Richmond Marathon. When the doubts started popping into my head, I looked at my hand and thought of all those who could not do what all of us were doing that day. That is, and always will be, my reason why I will not quit.

What will make you not quit?