Move It
Friday, July 17, 2009 by Sarah Elbert.
I wouldn’t call myself a runner. I can comfortably run three miles several times a week and feel good that I’m doing something to work off my addiction to animal crackers from the office vending machine (low in fat, a little sugar, quite filling . . . perhaps a slight hint of cardboard, but otherwise a good snack). As I look up at the “MarathonRookie.com” half-marathon schedule posted above my desk (as well as the pile of work on my desk, which I’m putting off even as I write this), the cover story of our upcoming August issue comes to mind (really, it does). It’s about star athletes and what we can learn from them in our daily lives: endurance, will, nerve. Those qualities we can probably live without, though it’s hard to really excel without them, in business or music or publishing or whatever.
Anyway, the reason for the schedule is that I’m running the Montreal Demi-Marathon and the Twin Cities 10-mile races this fall, and my training just started in earnest. Let’s be real, a half-marathon . . . these days? Not such a big deal. (Some readers might even read training and half marathon and smirk.) However, as I face those longer runs—well, maybe they are a big deal to me. But then I think about all the people around me who have accomplished major athletic milestones and show similar drive in their professional lives. My good friend Polly competed in the Ironman triathlon in Madison, Wis. Do you know what that entails? I’ll remind you: 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles on a bike and a 26.2-mile marathon run. What?! It’s a little insane but certainly inspiring. My brother and sister-in-law are both running marathons this fall (he the Twin Cities and she the San Francisco). A co-worker is also competing in an Ironman. And Sky editor Jane Di Leo just ran her second marathon after crossing the finish line of her first only to discover that, hey, guess what? She’s a speed demon. My friend’s father competed in a sprint triathlon even though he suffers from Parkinson’s. The list goes on, and these are all feats of athleticism; there are corresponding accomplishments in so many areas of our lives, and they all require many of the same traits mentioned above.
But back to me: Soon I’ll surpass the 10K run that I believe marks my longest distance to date. Hey, no problem. (A little motivation from my Nike + iPod and some fast tunes don’t hurt.) And I’m starting to understand why people drive themselves to go farther and work harder. It’s a challenge to see what we can make our bodies and our minds do. Usually, it’s a lot more than we think.
Post Your Comments