Progress

Date:    21/lug/2009 Distance:    2,57 kilometers Elapsed Time:    20:35 Avg Speed:    7,5 km/h Avg Pace:    8:02 per km	Date:    18/aug/2009 Distance:    6,19 kilometers Elapsed Time:    45:32 Avg Speed:    8,16 km/h Avg Pace:    7:21 per km
Date:    19/sep/2009 Distance:    10,10 kilometers Elapsed Time:    1:15:25 Avg Speed:    8,03 km/h Avg Pace:    7:28 per km	Gee, after two months of training, 10K! If it was NYC, I would be well ahead in Brooklyn! Anyway, still lot of work to do on speed…

The first run

Right shoes – done. E-course enrollment – done. Find the right place: easy one, I live close to a park, flat and with plenty of roads for running – done. Find the right time: it’s July, better not to start after 8 AM, I will be there at 7:45 AM – done.

Ready for my first lesson, an embarrassing “1/1 x 10” (stands for run 1 minute, walk 1 minute, ten times, for a total of 20 minutes).

Great start, I can do that. At the third minute, breathing desperately from nose and mouth. At the sixth minute, situation improved. Before the end of the training, decision taken: “I will run NYC marathon within two years”. A new, middle-aged, white-aired, close to midlife crisis, runner is born!     

Why I'm Running the New York City Marathon

I love this post, I found it amusing, sad, and absolutely inspiring.

“A couple of years ago, I walked uptown to Central Park on one of those perfect November days. The air had a bite to it while the sun shone bright. It was the day of the New York Marathon and I thought it might be fun to watch the runners nearing the finish line. So, I joined the crowd about a half-mile before the race's end at Tavern On The Green. With my arms resting on the cold cordon, I saw an incredible spectacle of people pushed to the very brink of collapse. I expected exhaustion, but what I didn't expect was to see just how much these runners had to EARN their prize. It was emotional. The pain was etched into their faces so deeply, you'd swear they'd spend the next 3 weeks looking like Abe Vigoda.”

Finish the story here.

Second step: do your homework!

When I took my decision to start running, I knew only an advice, heard or read somewhere: you can’t just “start to run” otherwise you will hurt yourself (imagine a voice from the great beyond, and a pointing finger). So, let’s google for “running training program” and – voila – the usual billion of results: fascinated, I started reading the first ones, then a story about a young guy who did not pay attention to the weather conditions and died preparing a marathon – ouch, pretty scary.

I then decide to play safe, went to About.com, and registered for an email-based program targeted to half-an-hour running after three weeks of training. Actually the program went very well, except that after a couple of weeks it went crazy, and started sending messages about motivation, so I missed the last few lessons: but then I was already considering myself “a runner”. 

Start from the ground: shoes!

Decision taken: I will start running (for tons of reasons, a post on this will come). First investment: shoes. Good shoes in a good shop. After half an hour of trying different models, doing test runs in a street nearby (under the sun in July, in business attire – lot of fun, for the people looking), the verdict is: Brooks Adrenaline GTS 9. Only one color available, gold + yellow (ugly). Now, only time will tell if the choice was good.