A Marathon? Yes! You can do it!
Many thanks to Jean-Paul Trudeau for sending this running story to me! (Thanks Jean-Paul!) I know all the runners that visit here will enjoy it.
A Marathon? Yes! You can do it!
This following text was written for a writing course. The topic was to describe my Greatest Accomplishment. I discussed the course with my wife, she obviously knew my topic would be Running my first marathon. Also, since I'm a fervent reader of Lynn Seely's web page, I thought my story might come in handy for fellow runners like myself who always wanted to run a marathon but doubted they were capable of doing it. By sharing my story, I hope to motivate someone to follow `The Yellow Brick Road` and to reach the final destination `Somewhere Over the Rainbow.`
When you look at me, you'd see I am no Haile Gebrselassies. At 5`11``and weighing 175 lbs, I probably had more chicken wings in one night than he did in his whole life. However, I love running. It has become part of my life, my motivation and a good stress reliever. The funniest comment I have received was from my wife. If the Running Room store was located beside an adult entertainment club, she has no doubt which location I would end up going to.
In 1981, one of Canada's greatest hero Terry Fox, inspired many people by accomplishing the Marathon of Hope. I was one of them. I started as an occasional runner, maintaining an average fitness level. In 1984, after high school, I joined the Canadian Armed Forces. I kept an average fitness level while keeping a passion for good food. However, I forgot to look myself at the mirror and did not notice the Michelin tire forming around my waist. In 1989, I returned from a 4 years service in Germany. I was happy to finally be home. However, the only comments I received were about either my weight or my hair loss. Disappointed, I decided to do something. Since I have never believed in those miracle hair formulas, the only thing left to do was lose some weight. I started running regularly. In time, I became thinner and was enjoying myself more and more. I eventually became hooked. I participated in local 5km, 10 km and half-marathon runs and loved it. However, after every half-marathon, I always wondered how a human being could run twice the distance I had just run. I figured it must be a case of insanity! I concentrated on my usual distances, however the insanity was starting to reach me as the marathon idea was resting in the back of my mind.
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