Born To Run

We are all born to run, or at least we were. Men, women, and children all had their place in the pack. Why waste time bringing the meat back to the caves? Everyone was an endurance runner. There were front runners, men & women with the greatest tracking skills. Behind them, the women with babies strapped to their backs. Next were the children, followed by the pregnant women who couldn't run as fast. Finally, the strongest men, saving their strength for the kill, ran with the elders close behind. It wasn't just about the hunt, it was also about being together, sharing the run. That's exactly what I plan on doing! Two days ago, I registered to run the 2011 LA Marathon, my first marathon, and find my place in the pack. My goal is to run the marathon in under 4 hours. My plan is to train for four months, with at least one extra month of jogging beforehand to establish a base, and then enjoy the race no matter what my finish time. My objective? To discover what I'm truly made of.

When I entered high school, I was the fastest female sprinter in my class. Just like Ricky Bobby, I loved to go fast. When it came time to run the mile, I didn't. I walked most of it, with the occasional jog to make it look like I gave a shit, finishing in just over 12 minutes. My classmates mockingly clapped and cheered as me and the fat kid crossed the finish line, my middle fingers held proudly in the air. I was already the best at running short distances, so what did I care about running a mile? If the day ever comes, I thought, when I'd need to travel a mile on foot, I was certain there would be no time limit involved. I'd be just fine walking along, checking out the scenery, spending some quality time with my ever-changing, self-important teenage thoughts and feelings. My motto; I don't run unless I'm being chased.

Cut to present day. I'm 31 years old, 5'3", 138 lbs., and I have 28% body fat. That's no good. I'm definitely not fit but I'm SUPER lazy. Unless I get a lot smarter, so as to build myself a time machine or discover the Fountain of Youth, I'm not getting younger. I'm not "overweight"...yet, but I'm pushing the limit. The way I see it, I might as well push the limit the other way and see how active and fit I can be. When I was younger, I thought myself invincible (as many teenagers do). "I have all the time in the world," I'd say to anyone who thought they knew better (read: had any life experience whatsoever). Well, time's up. I'm just like everybody else, sitting on the couch, in front of the TV, at my computer, putting it off, waiting for the magic to arrive. Except there is no magic, only hard work and sweat.

Luckily, I did get a bit o' magic in the form of inspiration. Inspiration Part 1; a book called Born To Run, written by Christopher McDougall, an injured runner looking for a new way to run without killing himself. The book is not only an inspiration to runners. It's full of amazing stories of human beings, just like you and me, using their willpower to perform acts of superhuman proportions. Or they are just plain crazy. But mostly they just work hard, kick ass, and have fun! That's what's missing...FUN! I forgot how fun running could be, like when I was a kid.

Imagine running a 50 mile race in one day. Now imagine most of it is trails and rocky mountain terrain. Now imagine running 100 miles. In one day, in one race. Through Death Valley. In temperatures over 130 degrees. Wearing sandals and a big ol' smile. INsane. Yes, there are runners who take pictures and do interviews. Nothing in America is publicity stunt free. Then there are stories of people who just can't live without the wind rushing through their hair. They run because standing still would drive them crazy. If they stop, they'll get stale. That's the kind of person I could be, except I've been living without it. I've allowed myself to get stale and now I'm gonna do something about it.

Inspiration Part 2; the plan. Another book by David Kuehls (marathon runner and contributing editor for Runner's World) called 4 Months to a 4-Hour Marathon. I usually don't like it when the author keeps repeating things for effect but...Oprah ran her first marathon in 4 hours. I repeat: Oprah. Marathon. 4 Hours. That's awesome. I can't argue with Kuehls; Oprah is not, I repeat, NOT a fitness role model. But when Oprah puts her mind to something, well, you know. Talk Show, Movies, Dr. Phil's Talk Show, Book Club, Magazine, EMPIRE! I'm not saying I have Oprah's willpower (unless we're talking about chocolate cake), but maybe I do...when it comes to running. Maybe I can when it comes to living. All I know is I'd rather get up off my 28% fat ass and find out. When I do, I'm pretty sure it'll end up being the best thing I've ever done for myself. And that Matthew Sweet song starts playing in my head, "...you come to love what you used to hate, you come to find what you threw away."