First Marathon

A couple of friends of mine from Mt. Pleasant wanted to do something special on their birthdays. Heidi Ryon was turning Lordy-40, and Luis Rosell was turning the big five-zero, both on the same day, May 12. Sane people would define ?special? as maybe spending a weekend in Branson, taking a ride in a hot-air balloon, or skydiving. Not these two. Both are exercise nuts, in the realm of biking and aerobics. They had done some running, but nothing major. In fact, Luis, was quite vocal in maintaining that he could not run.

Well, they got a wild hair (or is it hare?) and decided that on their birthday, they were both going to run their first marathon (26.2 miles). Through the miracle of the internet, they scoured the country and found a marathon on their birthday, in Brookings, S.D. Yep.

Now, running a marathon on your birthday for fun might be akin to walking on hot coals for warmth. But you have to know Heidi and Luis. They both believe in exercise, challenging themselves, and setting goals. (My endurance goal is to drive to Chicago without a pit stop.) So they trained, and sweated, got discouraged, but kept on training. Both of their spouses are marathoners, so they had plenty of advice, support, and encouragement.

Question: Do you have to dedicate your life to running in order to train for a marathon? Nope. Heidi ran four days a week, and Luis, because of his business travels, three (at the most).

When the big day came, in Brookings, S.D. they done did it. Both Heidi and Luis completed their first marathon, on their 40th and 50th birthdays, in fairly respectable times. Luis? wife, Chelle, ran her fourth marathon in 12 months. Heidi?s husband, Joel, a doctor, was there for support, emergency medical treatment, and to watch the kids. He is training for his first Iron Man Triathlon in September. Distances for an Iron Man Triathlon are swim 2.4 miles, bike 112, and run 26.2. Ugh. One little problem: Dr. Joel didn?t know how to swim. So, he is teaching himself. Yep. Nothing like working your way up. Like I said, this crew believes in challenging themselves.

A running acquaintance of mine used to be quite obese. Sick of his weight problem, he started running. He could only run the distance between two telephone poles. Then he would walk to the next. Then run. And so on. That was how he started. He lost over a hundred pounds, and ran his first marathon. Then another. Eventually he qualified for, and ran the Boston Marathon. The Boston Marathon only allows elite runners to compete. So, from running between telephone poles to elite runner. Yep

In April, I participated in a little indoor triathlon at the Y in Washington, Iowa. These indoor events are great motivators to keep you training and in condition through the dull winter months. Only 10 people participated, and, as it worked out, each person was the only one in their age division. So, we all received first place medallions! Let me tell you something, even if you can only make it from one telephone pole to the next, you are a winner.

Fact: People who exercise on a regular basis live longer. A new program is starting up in Mt. Pleasant on June 2 as part of the Blue Zone Initiative. Called the Henry County Striders, they are going to meet at the Rec Center on Saturday mornings, at 7a.m, and do a little run/walking. There will be two routes, one long and one short. Water will be placed at several locations along the way. The idea is to get you out there, get you moving, and have fun. You never know, you might even experience one of those life-changing events. Yep.

Have a good story? Call Curt Swarm in Mt. Pleasant at 319-217-0526, email him a curtswarm@yahoo.com, or visit his website at www.empty-nest-words-photos-and-frames.com