Asked to speak at work.

[johde]

I work at a local community college and once a month they have a "brown bag" luncheon. The wellness community has the January meeting and has asked people who have competed in Distance events to talk about their experiences. The goal is to get people motivated (or at least less intimidated) in signing up for events. She asked 10 or 11 people to speak so I won't have too much time. Besides personal experiences, what do you think would be useful for this type of audience?

 

[IamTrike]

I'm relatively new to running. (The Disney half on Saturday is the first race, I've signed up to run). These may be no brainers, but I think the things that would have been interesting to me as a newbie:

1. You don't have to get in great shape to sign up for a distance event. (The story about the first WISH group on this board was particularly inspiring to me as is the DLF>DLF>DNS motto.)
2. There is a tremendous amount of support and camaraderie, both (online and person)for certain distance events. I think I would call the Disney races out for this.
3. There are a lot of options for events that you can sign up to run. Since signing up for Disney I was surprised by both the number of events locally and the variety in events. There are lots of races and if plodding away for miles doesn't seem interesting there are things like EE and Warrior Dash.

Of course at this point I am still trying to learn everything I can, so you could just read a random smattering of Cewait, Firedancer and FFigawi's posts from this board and I'd be interested.

 

[cewait]

I may offer up a slightly different view....

I think one does need to have some level of fitness to complete an endurance event. It does not require a superman effort to complete the event and many of us on the road do not look like the distance runners you see on the tube or in the ironman. True, one must start and that frankly is the hardest part. The real key to success is understanding that every day may reqire some level of courage to get the legs moving. But it will become easier with every run completed.

One must work in a programatic method to build endurance. If starting from the couch the end of the block may be your finish line. That line will move further away as you push into the unknown. The Navy Seals sum it up well, the only easy day is yesterday. Not taking it to an extreme like the seals do but I frame in a way that such that looking back one year you would not really recognize who you are due to the progress made.....

 

[IamTrike]

I'll defer to coach as he is certainly more experienced than me, however for me signing up for an event like Disney was the catalyst start running. Of course when I signed up for Disney it was a long way off, so that I had time to build up the conditioning I would need for the race. Having Disney to look forward to was one of the things that helped me to make sure that I made time for training. I don't know that I would have been as motivated to train if I was less excited about the race.

I guess I could sum my last paragraph up " there are a lot of events out there, pick something you're really excited about and it will help motivate you for the long journey that is training"

I think one does need to have some level of fitness to complete an endurance event. It does not require a superman effort to complete the event and many of us on the road do not look like the distance runners you see on the tube or in the ironman. True, one must start and that frankly is the hardest part

 

[Saylan]

A co-worker I met had been doing running longer than I when I decided to run and made mention of it. She told me something that I found really encouraging that turned out to be true for me. Running is great because unlike a lot of other exercises, you start to see progress really fast. I don't mean you see yourself getting fitter fast but you see yourself going further, longer, and feeling stronger after each run.

Coach had some great tips as did IamTrike, but honestly the one thing that I loved when I started running and still am amazed about is that after a short time, mileage stopped being intimidating and the amount of pride that comes from saying I ran got an hour, two hours, 3 miles, 5 miles, 26 miles, any amount really, it's just so overwhelming. It's part of the reason I liked to keep a running total (yay puns!) in my signature to remind me of how far I've travelled.

 

[johde]

Thanks for the information so far. I'm sure I was selected because to look at me, especially 6 years ago, I would have been the least likely person to be picked out as a distance athlete (it still seams strange to call myself an athlete). I was 375lbs, out of shape and a couch potato. I've only been actively involved for about 1 1/2 years. Most of the first year was as a walker, and for the past 7 month or so I've been a walk/runner.

Iamtrike - you are right, I like your idea that you should have a goal of something that excites them or they are passionate about. For a lot of people that could be a 5K.

If it's a longer event, Coach makes a good point, you will need to work in a programatic fashion to meet your goal. That may mean not doing this years event but next years event.

I would say walking a half marathon is within the ability of most reasonably healthy individuals. It is more a question of dedication and determination as opposed to athletic ability.

Some other thoughts I've had that i'm thinking about including.

1) When you first start running don't worry about running fast worry about running far. Speed can wait for later, and far is a relative term. When I first started far was 20 seconds. Right now, far for me is between 1/2 a mile and a mile without a walk break.

2) Don't let your excitement get away with you. Part of working in a systematic method is including rest day. Along with that, most of your training should be "easy" in nature. Every workout shouldn't turn into a race for a new personal best.

If anyone else has anything they want to add please let me know. My goal is to try to weave these points with personal stories.

Thanks again for everyone's help.

 

[Saylan]

I know it's probably assumed by us, but maybe let them know the importance of your equipment? It's something I didnt' really understand starting out and ended up in a terrible pair of shoes for my gait and foot. It might be worthwhile to indicate some good running stores in your area and tell your audience what to look for when you go in for an assessment to make sure they're getting the proper service.

 

[johde]

I had thought about equipment as well, and the fact the shoes and sock are for most people the most important to get right. Most people starting out, can go cheap on most of the rest of the gear. Most of my running clothes I got off the clearance rack at K-mart and Walmart.

 

[fashionista311]

you could also talk about how there are different endurance events all around the country and even the world. participating in these events really allows you to immerse yourself in a new culture - you see the landscape of the community, you learn about the locals with the spectators along the course, and of course you get to experience the food with a post-race celebration dinner.

 

[cewait]

Just one thing ... I am not disagreeing that signing up for something like a marathon a year out is a great motivator. I also agree that one can be sitting on a couch today and think I will run Disney in 2012. I just wanted to express that the event itself requires a commitment and that you cannot fake your way through it. Definitely did not mean to sound elitist. We all start some where



I would agree with most everything above,..... Just add that one may also need to shop for a beginner or walker friendly half or full if they are start off the couch today.

 

[johde]

Fashionista - Everything I've done so far has been fairly local, about 1-1.5 hours away.. But, you're right about how doing races can give you a new perspective on an area, either around the country or in your own back yard. And that can be especially true for people in the back of the pack where the pace is more relaxes. In Cleveland, I got to talk with several people, and swapped stories about how we got started before one of us changed pace. That was less in Columbus where I did the walk/run because I was at different paces than the people around me with my run being faster and my walk being slower.

Coach - You bring up a couple of points I've been thinking about trying to integrate relating to race selection. First, the idea of "walker friendly" races, or more generally, looking at course time limits. In addition to looking for a course limit, I also look at last years official results so see what type of a field the race get and approximately where you might place. Second, picking the right distance of race, and understanding the time commitment it takes to reach that distance. I did a modified "Marathoning for Mortals" walk/run half marathon Plan for my second half marathon. I hit peak mileage a little early and stayed at 18-20 mile a week (5-5-8 to 5-5-10) for almost a month prior to tapering. At my pace that was between 4:30 and 5:00 a week that needed to be carved out of my schedule just for the walking not including getting ready and cleaning up afterwards.

Thanks again for your help.