Running:  Pounding the pavement

In January of 2006, my family went to Walt Disney World in Florida to cheer on my cousin Anny and her husband Steve as they ran the Disney Marathon.  At that time, even though I had been skating for twenty-plus years, I had never actually run more than a mile.  Somehow, Anny convinced me that this was something that I should do.   Also, I was looking to lose some weight, and I figured this would be more interesting than going to the gym.  To give myself a goal, I  signed up for the Disneyland Half Marathon in California scheduled for the upcoming fall.

I started slow on the treadmill (inside, as it was January in the Northeast), just two and three miles at a time, alternating jogging and walking.  Gradually, I worked my way up to being able to finish the half marathon that September in about two-and-a-half hours.  I spent the next year training for and completing the Broad Street Run (10-miler in Philadelphia, May 2007), the Falmouth Road Race (7-miler in Cape Cod, in hot and hilly conditions, August 2007), the Philadelphia Distance Run (half marathon, September 2007) and finally the Philadelphia Marathon (26.2 miles, November 2007).  I walked the last 4 miles of the marathon and nearly became hypothermic as it was windy, drizzly, and COLD in the upper 30’s, but I finished.

In 2008, I completed two more marathons, Walt Disney World in January and Chicago in October. Disney was a special event for me as I have been a longtime Disney fanatic (I’ve been to WDW over two dozen times).  Also, my entire family was there, along with Anny and relatives from the West coast.  As for Chicago, I really enjoyed the course which runs through twenty-one different neighborhoods.  However, I had issues with the killer heat.  Temps soared into the mid-80’s, and I actually drank TOO much water, leading to overhydration which caused my sodium level to plummet.  I finished in a respectable time but spent the rest of the day and evening throwing up in my hotel room.  It was an interesting study in exercise physiology!

I enjoy distance running (MOST of the time, haha) as it allows me to work toward a goal, maintain my weight, and improve my cardiovascular fitness.  Endurance running is quite different from ice hockey, which consists mostly of short bursts of energy and sprinting.  Doing both keeps me happy.

My future plans include the Philadelphia Distance Run (half) in September 2009, and hopefully the New York marathon two months later if my friends and I can gain entrance through the lottery.

Double click above to see an album of my running pics