I CAN do it!
Henry Ford ~ “If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.”
Getting philosophical on ya!
October 17, 2010, I will join thousands of participants in the Detroit Free Press Marathon. Yup, a
marathon.
Now let me clarify as I’m no uber-athlete. I’m doing the half-marathon and I’ll be
walking. A few of my co-workers have participated for the past five years in a row. The other day, Lovica came in the kitchen with this cool looking medal, being nosey I asked her about it and she explained she’d received it from walking the Martian Invasion Half-Marathon (green ribbon with a martian in the middle, neat!). Ok, being the sci-fi geek that I am, I thought the name of the event was awesome by itself so I began to question and compliment her, praising her for such a feat and she encouraged me to join them. She said that with some training a half-marathon is a challenging and completely doable goal.
When it comes to physical activity, I’ve come a long way. Some years back a bad experience at a gym convinced me that working out was impossible for me. Then one day my job held a health fair where I explained my issue with the trainer who was signing up members at the same local gym. He apologized for what happened previously but stressed that regular activity is not beyond anyone to handle. I joined that day and quite frankly, I love that gym and have been a member ever since. A trainer customized a workout plan for my fitness level which I gradually increased. I was in the gym all the time at one point and having a blast, taking classes, working with weights all of that.
Since then I’ve fallen off the wagon, but I’m still a member of that gym and haven’t forgotten how good it feels to sit in the sauna after a long walk on the treadmill, or a vigorous step class. I learned that I can push my body to fitness.
So after talking with my co-worker I started mulling over the prospect of me doing something I’d never dreamt of undertaking. Even with an increased fitness level, a half-marathon, really? As I’m in the habit of doing with everything, I immediately started researching. Obviously, 13.1 miles is not as hard as 26, but it’s still no joke and I didn’t want to spend money on registering for something I had no chance of completing.
Turns out there are plenty of training programs for walking the half-marathon. Programs aimed at the beginner such as myself. They run from about 12 to 15 weeks in length, start and increase moderately and stress consistency. Since I have about five months before the race, I know I can do this!!!!
Now I’ll need to invest in a suitable sweat wicking outfit (to keep moisture at bay) and some decent walking shoes (usually the same as runners wear) and get them from store for runners so I can be fitted properly. Then I just have to get my physician’s bill of health and follow the program! It will be a challenge because consistency is very difficult for me, but with my co-workers cheering me on, walking during lunch, etc. I should be ready by fall. I’m looking forward to the health benefits, weight loss, finishing with a medal and the sense of accomplishment I’m sure to feel.
Hmmm, I’m not so jazzed about the portion of the race that crosses the bridge, but with the crowd of people with me I should be OK. Oh, and this isn’t a “fun” walk. You have to finish within the allotted four hours because they have to open up traffic eventually. If you’re lagging too far behind, a bus picks you up and takes you to the finish line. I do not want that to happen!
I’m excited and will update periodically.
