1st week post registration

So...6 days ago I registered for the 2013 Chicago Marathon. I then, in a state of shock and over-zealousness, posted it on Facebook. The outpouring of support and encouragement has been so unexpected and overwhelming, and has moved and inspired me more than I can possibly have anticipated. It is also a little intimidating. Perhaps it was foolish to put it out there on FB. Foolish to start this blog. The whole world (well, my whole world at least,) knows what I am embarking on. And for a moment, quite a few moments actually, as the comments and well wishes rolled in, I thought to myself, "Good God. What have I done!?"

I am now beholden to all of you out there. Every step accountable to my friends, family, and acquaintances. And ya know what? Foolish or not, that is just what I need. During my training this past week, in the moments when I thought, "ugh, do I really want to do this?" I then thought of everyone wishing me well. Encouraging me on. Having my back. I thought about my kids who are so excited for a road trip and so excited that their daddy is getting into shape. I thought of my wife who has been cooking me "clean meals" all week, buying me training journals and books.

And so, the first week of my "official" marathon training has passed. I sat down with my wife and sort of formulated a plan of attack. Sometime in June will mark 16 weeks from race day. Becky bought me this wonderful book, The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer (David Whitsett, Forrest Dolgener, Tanjala Cole; McGraw Hill, 1998.) It is a training program based on a course the authors taught at the University of Northern Iowa 5 times over a decade during which they took a class full of non-runners of all shapes, sizes, and ages and took them from step 1 to completing a marathon 16 weeks later. It's an inspiring book detailing the week-by-week regimen, as well as providing a guide to the mental exercise of running a marathon. There's also loads of anecdotal reading in it. I highly recommend it to anyone out there thinking about doing this.

However, to prepare to embark on that regimen at the 16-weeks out mark, I need to get up to being able to run a steady 3 miles without stopping, 4 times a week. So that's my focus over the next few weeks and months. I did set some benchmark goals to shoot for. I will be running a 5k on April 28th, and a 10k on May 19th. Gotta have something to shoot for, right?

So, this first week I actually did what I set out to do. I signed up for the marathon. I put it out there for everyone to see. I formulated a plan of attack. I  exercised 4 times (3 days of my Cto5K program, 1 longer walk) and I ate healthier than I have in years (more on that later...)

Here are the stats:
Weight on Monday 3/11: 288.7 lbs
Weight on Sunday 3/17: 283 lbs
Weight loss to date: 5.7 lbs

Mon: 31:30 minutes, 2 miles   walk/run
Wed: 31:30 minutes, 2 miles   walk/run
Fri: 31:30 minutes, 2.10 miles  walk/run
Sat: 1hr, 3.1 miles walk (brisk)
Total miles for week: 9.2

The total for the week was 9.2 miles. Pretty good for me. But, compared to what a "marathoner" should be doing...well let's just say I have a long way to go. But in the past, when I tried to get into shape, I would never do more than 3 days a week. I convinced myself that was enough. And even that, I would have a hard time sustaining. So, I did it for one week. Woo hoo! Small victories. Now let's see if I can do it for another. And another, and so on... Honestly, I've always wimped out or found an excuse to stop after 2 weeks (rehearsal gets too busy, kids stuff gets in the way, work stuff, my own laziness, etc.,) Not this time though. Cuz you're all watching! (Incidentally, as of this writing, Monday 3/18, I've already been out this morning before work!)

Becky has been cooking "clean" food for me. A week or two of no meat, dishes made with quinoa or wild rice, lots of vegetables and fruits. Water with cranberry juice, dandelion tea, and lemon or lime. No artificial sweeteners, no preservatives. No dressings or sauces. Nothing processed. Don't worry, I'm not going all hippy drippy vegan and shit (no offense to my hippy drippy vegan friends out there!) It's just to jump start my metabolism and clean out my system. There's a lot of years of beer, wings, ribs, Chinese, so on and so forth, built up in there! It has actually been enjoyable and fulfilling. And I feel great. I recommend trying it sometime.

Starting week 2 of exercising with that giant goal of a marathon in mind, looming on the horizon. It does change things I think. It gives you a purpose for doing it. Yes the purpose and rewards of exercising are internal, I know. "I'll feel better. I'll look better. I'll live longer. I'll have more energy, reduce cholesterol, improve my heart, loose weight, yada, yada, yada..." But, having that tangible, concrete event out there? Marked on my calendar? For me, that helps up the ante. My wife would often get pissed at me that those other reasons weren't enough to do something about it for real. It wasn't that they aren't important. But lacking self-confidence gets you. Your own mind spends years telling you "you can't." You start to fall into an acceptance. A sense of "Well, maybe this is just who I'm supposed to be. The fat friend. The fat dad." You know the one. There's always the guy. The big guy who's a barrel of laughs. The guy who has the reputation for being able to put down the most wings. At the wedding, the guy who elicits the comment, "Wow, he moves really well for a big guy!" To which someone responds (or maybe even he himself,) "Yeah, you should have seen him when he was younger and not overweight." I've been that guy for so long now. And it hurt. And it was frustrating. But it was also comfortable on some level. And I was starting to settle into thinking that maybe like it or not, that's just who I am.

But then, one day your'e doing something with your son. And he says so innocently, "I can't wait to be big like you one day...well, I mean a grown up. Not fat or anything..." That knocks you on your ass like a freight train. We hope our kids find their own way, and be their own person and such. But we also want to be the one they admire and look up to. The one they aspire to be like. A hero in their eyes. But then your kid reminds you that there is something about you that they don't admire and it's sobering. But is it enough?  Again, it's that touchy feely, metaphysical reason. And that doesn't always spark it for everyone. And on some level, it hasn't been enough in the past. But then it gets said at just the right time.  Pretty much on the eve of deciding whether or not to run a marathon. That tangible event staring you in the face. 26.2 miles. $175 paid. Added to all the intrinsic reasons for getting into shape, it all elevates a few notches.

So I'm off and running, so to speak. BTW, 3 out of the 5 times I've run/walked the past week (including today) I did it in the wee hours of the morning before work (or before Saturday got going.) I think I'm on to something. I really enjoyed being up when no one else was. The quiet of the world asleep. I'm more rested too. And seeing as how I've cut out caffine, it wakes my ass up too. But, I'll talk more about the joys of morning next week. For now, the new world is here and it's a frightening and inspiring place. Go get it!

Lastly, I'm going to post this question every week and see what my answer is. Maybe it'll change. Maybe not. But Thom told me a few weeks ago that I needed to ask myself this when deciding whether to do it or not. So, here it is:

Question: Why run a Marathon?
Answer: Because I have to.

All roads lead to Chicago!