I’ve always been something of a runner. I never really played in organized sports, so running just seemed like a good, low-barrier way to get some exercise. I enjoy getting out on the road with just my thoughts, or putting in a few miles on the treadmill at the gym.
I had never given much thought to participating in any organized event, until one day a couple years ago when I was flipping through Google Reader and came across this post at one of my favorite sites, LifeHacker.com. It linked to another blog post titled “By the time you finish watching this video, you’ll want to run a marathon“. Well, they were right. After watching the author’s five-minute slideshow where he discussed his experiences training for an finishing the San Francisco Marathon, I knew that I had to run a marathon too.
Long story short, I signed up for the 2009 Louisville Marathon and spent the next year or so training for it. After a minor setback (I sprained my ankle pretty badly while working in the yard), I finished the 26.2 mile run in 4:16:49, or 9:48 per mile. Nothing to brag about, but not bad for a first-timer either.
I was hooked. I loved everything about the marathon experience. I loved pushing myself to new limits and accomplishing my goal. I loved being in the best shape of my life, and dropping 35 pounds without changing my diet much. I loved the camaraderie of the race and being surrounded by other fit, motivated people, while at the same time knowing that the accomplishment was all mine. And yes, I’ll admit that my ego loved the admiration of others who couldn’t imagine running a tenth of that distance.
A couple months before the race, the Louisville Ironman Triathlon was held and as I read about what it entailed (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, then a full 26.2-mile marathon), I marveled at the thought of pushing my body to its limits not just for a few hours, but all day long. I told myself that if I finished the marathon, I would spend the next year continuing my training and then decide whether to enter the Ironman in 2011.
But I couldn’t wait that long. The physical, mental, and emotional high from the race was still too fresh in my memory and I told myself that I could finish an Ironman after training not two years, but one. So I signed up for the 2010 Louisville Ironman to be held August 29.
Since then, I’ve been training and reading as much as time allows. While there’s plenty of information available, I haven’t found a lot of in-depth, first-hand experiences of what it’s like for a novice to reach up to this goal. And as I began telling others about my training, I’ve found that a lot of them have become interested in following my progress. So I decided to start blogging about my experience. Since I’ve already been preparing for several months, I’ll spend the first few posts talking about what I’ve been doing since last fall to get ready.
I’d love to hear from anyone else who is training for this race, especially those who also live in the Louisville area. Hope I’ll see you at the finish line!