Over the Christmas Break, PJ, the new hubby and I were having a conversation about future plans, goals, etc.  As other newlyweds can relate, once you are married, the next question people love to ask you is…when are you going to…run your next marathon!  Well, we decided to put one on our calendar for 2009.

I tend to incorrectly assume that people know what a “marathon” is, but for individuals who aren’t into running, a marathon is a race (usually road race) that lasts 26.2 miles. I am not for sure I would say I actually “race” it.  So when you hear someone talk about a half marathon that is equal to 13.1 miles. My first marathon was on my 22nd birthday in my hometown of Nashville. This marathon will be the day before my 31st birthday.  Over those 8 years, I have run a total of 4 marathons. It seems all my body can handle is one every other year, but there are people who run several marathons a year.

Each one of my marathons conjure up special, unique (and painful-some more than others) memories. People run these crazy distances for numerous reasons.  I actually have a framed poster in my office that I bought at the Boston marathon in 2007 that lists personal reasons of why a person takes on the marathon, a couple of them are as follows:

“The Best, Worst, Hardest, Happiest 26.2 miles of your life.”

“My boyfriend said I’m afraid of commitment. So I had to prove him wrong.”

“The road is my therapist.”

My quote on the Boston wall (but didn’t make the final poster cut), was that “there is no other feeling like starting and finishing a marathon.”  Even as I write this blog, I get a lump in my throat of the dedication and determination it takes to finish this event.

The training is tough, and especially training over the winter season for a spring marathon- we are training for the Big Sur Marathon, CA in April. I won’t forget the 17 mile day, when I was training for another spring marathon and ran in Forest Park in the pouring sleet for 12 miles, and then finished the last 5 miles on a treadmill in a small claustrophobic workout room at my first apartment complex. 

To train for a marathon with my husband is very special. As I have trained with others in the past, I am aware of the nuances that you pick up after running with someone for 3 hours. Maybe they (or I) complain too much, or want to stop for water at every water break, and then, consequently,  stop at every restroom.  However, more importantly, you realize that they are also supportive, committed, and strong.  You learn a lot about someone on those long runs, and I look forward to sharing that with PJ. For our first couple of weeks, I have consciously tried not to disseminate too much advice or start sentences with “in my past marathon experience…”. I do realize that this is an individual commitment, and we will both go through some tough training times and unfortunately or fortunately, they won’t happen for us at the same time.

I wanted to share my goal today in this blog, because I feel that when we set goals, no matter what size, we should share them with others. The more people that know about our commitments, the more likely we are to follow through with them and benefit from other’s support.

If you are interested in trying your first marathon, I highly recommend following Hal Higdon’s training programs. He offers programs at every level and also educates you on why the training program is set up as it is.

For whatever your 2009 health goal is, may it be accomplished and be somthing that makes an impression on you forever!