I was considering the other day the string of events that led to me getting off my backside and trying to get fitter. What can I trace this all back to? Was there a singular event that knocked me onto this new pathway?
As it turns out, it's all the fault of my job. It's probably not a big surprise that I work in the IT sector. It's what makes me blubbersome and slothful. Following what we managed to define as a successful "end" to a particular project (which I'm still working on), a bunch of us were nominated for a little local recognition in a "reward your staff with small consumer gifts rather than manage them properly" sort of initiative. Of course, non of us refused our points based bounty, and I duly headed off for the company reward-partner website and converted points to cold, hard, difficult to spend vouchers; the other stuff on offer was generally pointless or lame.
These vouchers then sat in a desk drawer for weeks until I suddenly had an urge to replace the MP3 capability of my Palm Zire handheld, with a proper music player. One that could store everything I had so I could choose my musical poison on lengthy train rides across the country.
So, an iPod was purchased with said vouchers. A 4th gen 20GB model, easily enough for my very modest collection of music. And just beautiful.
That was all fine until Apple released the iTunes update which included Podcast subscriptions. This really interested me, as up to that point, I'd been pulling BBC content down by FTP every week, stuff like Mark Kermode's film reviews and various other nonsense; occasionally I might have recorded stuff with Audio Recorder Pro from the BBC "listen again" features which meant I actually got to listen to "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" last 2 series and "I'm Sorry I haven't a Clue" at a time that was good for me rather than the broadcast time.
Lots of BBC content was just there for the taking in iTunes. And lots of other stuff too....
So you can probably guess the way this went. Adam Curry's podcast led to Dawn & Drew. Dawn & Drew and Curry led to Phedippidations through Steve's promos and then I heard Steve do Boston 110. From there, I just couldn't help myself. Running is something I've thought about doing for years, including a (not so) secret (now) goal of running a marathon. As the years have gone by, this little life ambition has got a little buried. I've never spoken about it with anyone, except perhaps to D. in an unguarded moment.
So that's how I got here and I hope this story has a happy ending. I'm sure your story is better and I'd like to know how you started, if it's not prying!
Problem I have now is that I need a new MP3 player coz I don't want to mash the iPod disk on a pavement out there. Anyone want to nominate me for an award .........? :)
Mr Stumble.
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3 comments:
You need to get your self a small solid state MP3 player for the road. Some folks like to run with music. It helps them stay focused and helps pass the time spent running
As for me, I've never have gotten use to running with anything in my ears and with the way people drive in Phoenix (we were just voted the #2 worse drivers in North America) I need to pay attention to the traffic as closely as possible. Plus, I run across an occasional rattle snake while out on my long runs in the desert, so I don't want to be day-dreaming whilst listening to "Born under a bad sign”(Cream, circa 1968) and step on a nasty beast with large fangs.
I got into running for a very simple reason. I was getting fat. I came to this startling conclusion one fine afternoon while attempting to my shoes. I was bent over sitting on a chair tying my left shoe and nearly passed out. My rotund belly was pushing so hard on my diaphragm that I could hardly breathe. At this point I weighed around 210 pounds and was gaining about 5 pounds a year. Using my considerable math skills, I figured that I would be pushing 250 by the time I was 50. This was not a pleasant thought.
I had tried running before with disastrous results. I always ended up hurt. Over the years I had convinced myself that I couldn’t run because my knees couldn’t handle the pounding (usually in a tone of voice geared to gain sympathy from anyone listening). However, I had several friends older than I that seem to be able to get along with running just fine.
I started a run-walk cycle not too dissimilar from the one you’ve laid out, except I wasn’t smart enough to do any cross training and soon found myself running for 30 minutes nonstop at about a 10/min pace. About this time, a friend of mine talked me into entering a local charity 5k event. I finished in something close to 27 minutes, barely able to breathe at the end; but I was hook. I immediately signed up for one of the major 10ks in Phoenix scheduled 6 or 7 weeks later and began a real training regiment I pulled off the internet.
I ran the 10k in just over 55 minutes, breaking my one hour objective. I haven’t been able to stop since running this 10k. I’ve run 5ks, 10ks, 10m, and ½ marathons. In fact, I got up early on Thanksgiving morning last year and ran a 10m event before coming home to help cook our Thanksgiving meal. I really enjoy running with other people in an organized event. I enjoy being pushed to do better and I like the way I feel after a hard run. There is nothing like it.
Once you get over your unfortunate start, you’ll find out why people like Steve Walker will continue to run a marathon even after he becomes violently ill. And better yet, you’ll figure out why he immediately wants to do it again after recovering. All this exercise just makes you feel good.
Looking forward to reading about your long running career.
Phil
Andy,
When are we going to get an update on your training?
Phil
Phil,
As it happens, today! With a bit of luck.
Andy
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