5.3 miles!
November 29th, 2007On Sept. 10, I started running. I’ve tried running several times over the years on a sporadic basis, but never was able to stick with it for longer than a few weeks at most.
I had been planning to start exercising more regularly, and then I came across Joe Thorn’s blog on running — Learning to Run. Joe’s experience inspired me, so I decided to give running another shot.
I’m not the student of running Joe that is, and I haven’t run as frequently as I should have. But still, my progress has been pretty steady. My first day I ran 1.35 miles. Today, 80 days later, I topped the five-mile mark for the first time, running 5.3 miles in 49:55.
I’m not sure what my running goals are for the future. I don’t have any aspirations of running a marathon or anything like that. For now, I’d like to run three days a week, and would like to get 12-15 miles per week.
I can’t say that I love running, but I do like what I’ve been able to accomplish, and I love the way that it makes me feel physically. The upcoming winter months may pose a challenge, and I hope I’ll be able to keep running consistently in the cold. At least I don’t have to run in Chicago like Joe does. We’ll see how it goes.
“At least I don’t have to run in Chicago like Joe does. We’ll see how it goes.”
You know I have a similar experience Tim. I started running again in June but it’s getting too cold now. I live in Chicago as well. How does Joe run during the winter? Does he just run on the treadmill at the heath club? I’d like to keep running outside but there’s a point where it gets so cold that it’s just too miserable an experience to be worth it. At least I can still lift without any problems.
Thanks for sharing this info, Tim. I am inspired to do a similar thing, except that Minnesota is even worse than Chicago. yikes!
Nick - why run when you can go ice fishing?
That’s great Tim! Your discipline will no doubt bless you and encourage others.
Cineaste, I am only interested in running outside. So far I’ve only had to run in the low 30’s, but plan on running all winter long. Almost all of the runners I’ve now met run during the winter. Here are some helpful articles, and linked to them at my blog. Just search for “winter” and they’ll pop up.
Fantastic Tim! I run six days a week and have done so for the past 15 years. Running is a great way to keep in shape and it also offers a good time to clear your mind. I pray a lot when I run. I can give you some good cold weather tips if your interested. I am originally from the Pittsburgh area and have run in sub zero temps.
Tim, I’m glad to hear you’re not planning on running a marathon. Isn’t the 26 mile run an event to commemorate a man who ran that far and died?
What about the 1/2 marathon, Tim? 13.1 miles. There’s one in Nashville at the end of April. From personal experience, it’s not so bad. In fact, it’s pretty exciting. I’ve thought about running that one again.
Lee…I thought I remembered something about that in history. Here is what I found:
“…That’s roughly the distance between the Greek cities of Marathon and Athens. In 490 BC, the Greek army repelled a Persian naval invasion on the plains surrounding the coastal city of Marathon. According to legend, a runner was sent to Athens to relay news of the victory. Upon reaching Athens, the young man shouted “Rejoice, we conquer!” and fell to the ground dead.”
and..
“At the 1908 Olympic Games in London, the marathon distance was changed to 26.2 miles to cover the ground from Windsor Castle to White City stadium, with the 2.2 miles added on so the race could finish in front of royal family’s viewing box. This added two miles to the course, and is the origin of the Marathon tradition of shouting “God save the Queen!” (or other words relating to the Queen) as mile post 24 is passed. After 16 years of extremely heated discussion, this 26.2 mile distance was established at the 1924 Olympics in Paris as the official marathon distance.”
Interesting, I thought.
Nick - why run when you can go ice fishing?
Valid point, Peter. But ice fishing, while fun, does not quite work the cardio like running does
…ice fishing, while fun, does not quite work the cardio like running does…
Depends on the size of the fish.
You might be able to find it online or perhaps check your local listings, but Nova on PBS did a nice program where they took a bunch of unhealthy/sedentary/ill etc. people and got them world class trainers to prepare them to run a marathon. They were also equipped with a ream of doctors to monitor their progress. It was pretty cool.
I admire all runners. I do not have the mental focus to do it. I always struggled to run or do the treadmill for long periods of time but I can play basketball for hours.
And the thickness of the ice.
Congrats, Tim!
: )
I have always HATED running. Mostly because I was always incredibly S L O W, but also because it was always painful — sore shins, pains in my side, the whole 9 yards.
Oddly enough, I don’t mind any of the running I do when I play tennis!
Another oddity: I’ve had a couple of dreams in which I ran long-distance events … and in my dreams, I run at a pretty fast pace, and nothing hurts!