Training One Week Away

6/21/2010 10:52:48 AM

By Rick Smith '09; UIW Assistant Director of Alumni Relations T-minus seven days until training starts. This time last year, I was asking myself: "How am I going to train four days a week, for 20-weeks, RUNNING (which I hate), at the place where I work (because sometimes at 5 p.m., I just want to go home and not spend another hour on campus!), etc. etc. etc. And at the end, I crossed the finish line and said "when is the next one?" OK... that's a lie. First, I said "I want to go home." Next, I said: "I really want a Moe's burrito right now." Then when I got home, and finished by two burritos (ground beef, cheese, sour cream, rice, black beans and queso... yummy!), that's when I said I was doing it again. Anyway, you get the point. :) 20 weeks; 4 days a week. That's 80 days of training. Yes, some days will be tougher than others (the long runs are the toughest; the 30-minutes during the week are a breeze). But if it were easy, more people would be completing half-marathons and marathons. Push Your Limits Check out one of my favorite motivational clips.Push Your Limits The main character, Brock, pushed his limits until the bitter end. He was only asked to go 50 yards (30 yards further than the 20 yards the team is accustomed to), and do it blindfolded. But Brock ended up pushing his limits. This video reminds me a lot of half/full marathon training: for the first-timers, you are going in blindfolded, not knowing what to expect. And for all us, we'll be pushing our limits. But with the support of our teammates, we'll finish again this year. See you at training! --rick