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NYC 2003 - My First Marathon
by Chris Lear

Chris Lear

Over the next 10 weeks, Chris Lear, a Colorado-based full-time sales representative and freelance writer, will be sharing his training diary as he prepares to run in this year's edition of the ING New York City Marathon — his marathon debut. Lear, like the vast majority of this year's entrants, is not a full-time runner. Yet, as for most of the competitors running this year's event, November 2 will nonetheless represent the culmination of months of hard work and planning. Each finisher, in the end, will have his or her own story to tell. In coming weeks, Lear will share with you his story: his goals, dreams, triumphs, and disappointments as he prepares to tackle the 26.2-mile behemoth for the first time. He hopes you'll enjoy the ride…

Entry #2, August 21, 2003 - A Week of Discovery

What a week. From bewilderment, to astonishment, to a deeply humbling experience, this week had it all. My week of discovery began on Tuesday, when my twin brother Tim rolled by my hotel to pick me up and accompany me on a four-mile tempo run on our hometown track in Summit, New Jersey. I had been anticipating the run, as it would be my first opportunity to gauge my fitness. I'd flipped through a copy of Daniels' Running Formula the previous evening and guesstimated that I should be able to run a four-mile tempo run at 6:04 per mile, at an effort that I could sustain for 10 miles.

Whoops. I got through two in 12-flat before, to my brother's chagrin, I dropped out. I could have gone on and finished four, but it would have been way beyond what I could sustain for 10 miles. While immediately disheartened that I'd vastly miscalculated my fitness, I took solace in the fact that the run was giving me information I needed to calibrate my training from here on. And I reminded Tim that I'm older anyway…

Still, I had a nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right. Aerobically and muscularly I felt fine while running. I just didn't have any energy. I couldn't make sense of how sluggish I'd felt.

I took a day off Wednesday, thinking that maybe I'd just been overzealous starting out my training in an effort to cram in so much. It wasn't until Saturday, though, that I had my answer to Tuesday's sluggishness. Friday, I had dinner with a friend whose family is collectively doing the Atkins diet. I didn't think twice about the fact that I wasn't eating any carbs until Saturday, when I was running on the boardwalk in Spring Lake, New Jersey, and feeling just as I had on Tuesday: no juice.

Voila. I searched the recesses of my mind and noted that I'd only eaten meat and veggies on Monday night as well. It's amazing, after all these years running, I should know better, but I guess every time I start anew I forget one of running's cardinal rules: gotta have the fuel for the fire. And that fuel is carbohydrates.

Chastened, I ate a beautiful bowl of my mom's couscous salad Saturday night before my Sunday run. A week ago, my hour thirty was a painful slogfest. This time, properly fueled, and motivated by the fact that I was running with my wife after her week working as a counselor at the Green Mountain Running Camp in picturesque Lydonville, Vermont, I felt like a new man. No longer did my legs feel like jello wiggling to a stop with every step. They continued feeling solid all the way through my 95-minute run — five minutes more than last week's long run.

Sunday's run let me know that Tuesday's misadventure notwithstanding, I'm improving every day. And it let me know that I'm ready to take another jump in training. I'll go for 100 to 105 minutes this coming Sunday after a week of mileage, and then it'll be time to come up with a more structured training plan…

While it's easy to get caught up in the training, my new job, etc., a visit with my grandma in Union, New Jersey after my run Sunday put it all in perspective. From outward appearances she's as sprightly and independent as ever at the age of 86. What her appearance hid was the fact that she's undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. To see her smiling and carrying on in the midst of such circumstances was unbelievably poignant for me. It drove home what courage really is, and made me reflect on what a wonderful thing all the Team in Training runners and their ilk will be doing in New York on November 2.

I'm sure many of them will be running for loved ones battling illnesses of their own when they toe the line in New York, and that they'll raise heaps of money for charities deserving of our support. I, for one, can't wait to tell my grandma about my race after I finish on November 2. And between now and then, when I start to think things are tough and I should just take it easy, I hope I think of her, and get on out the door.

Yours in running,
Chris
     
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