Have you ever thought of running a marathon?
Some of you readers might think, ěWhat in the world?î And some of you might have it on your ěbucket list.î Or, even as a New Years Resolution for 2012.
My husband, Kevin, and friend, Cathy Michael, just ran a marathon in Jacksonville, Fla. What a great experience this was! It was my husbandís second marathon, but his first road marathon. His first was a trail marathon at Umstead Park in Raleigh. Running 26.2 miles on steep and narrow trails is not the easiest marathon to pick. After running 4 hours and 8 minutes on the trails he wanted to see what he could do on the road. With help of his awesome coach, David Freeze, he was ready for Jacksonville. To qualify for the Boston marathon he had to run 26.2 miles in 3 hours and 35 minutes (about an 8 minutes 12 second mile). He ran it in 3 hours and 27 minutes!
(That is a 7 minutes and 54 seconds mile!) For our friend Cathy it was her first marathon and she also was coached by Freeze. She did an outstanding job with a sprint at the finish beating the person who was trying to beat her!
There were people of all ages and fitness levels there. What an event, a 5K, half marathon, and a full marathon, ages 11 (half marathon) to 82 year old (marathon). So, before you say, ěI could never do this,î or ěI am too old,î think again. You still might think, ěNever in my life,î but for the ones who always have had that dream of running a marathon (myself included) with the right training and the right coach, you might be able to get it done. I say might because there are a lot of people who have tried to train for a marathon and never were able to run it due to injury, or even lack of time. Seeing all these different ages and fitness levels finish this marathon definitely got me thinking, maybe one of these yearsÖ..
David Freeze is a running specialist who is USATF certified and a certified personal trainer. All I can say, he knows his stuff! He got my husband ready and competitive for two marathons. What are your dreams? Is it to run a marathon, Maybe a triathlon? (The 3rd annual Buck Hurley Triathlon is scheduled for May 6, 2012.) If you have always wondered if you could do something like a half or full marathon, a triathlon or 5K (just to name a few) who says you canít do it? With the right training, dedication, and support, you CAN do it too.
If an 80 and 82 year old can finish a marathonÖ.
If you would like a coach to help you get ready for any of these, contact David Freeze at david.freeze@ctc.net or 704-310-6741.
Salisbury Parks and recreation has an outstanding beginners running program that starts in January. Contact Steve Clark at 704-216-2709.
So go for your dreams! Set your goals and just do it!
Happy New Year!