Goal achieved. Ran a marathon.

[Jim Tinney]

Hey all,

I am back from running my first marathon on Sunday. Although I ran it pretty slow, I finished it, which was my goal. My wife and I crossed the finish line together in 5:04, with a 5-10 minute rest stop (had to wait in line for the facilities - :oops: ) around mile 14.

We were cruising along pretty well, running the first half in 2:14, just slightly over 10 minute mile pace.

Around mile 16, I developed a side pain which I originally thought might be due to losing focus and staying too static and accidently keeping my abdomen in a crunched position. I was able to work it out pretty quickly, and also had a salt packet, which seemed to help. Having only trained up to twenty miles, with about a five minute break at every five miles, I was very happy to have completed this entire race with only one stop. From mile 22 on to the finish, we were on automatic pilot (almost in a different mental state - kind of delirious, actually) as we ran the longest distance that we have ever run (or, maybe jogged is a better word - we're not exactly speed demons :wink: ).

So, the 26.2 is behind us. I am taking this whole week off, but I'll be thinking about what my next goal will be, so I'll be back with a new challenge, I'm sure. I want to return to jiu-jitsu practice next week, so I'll probably be looking to work on some strength and strength endurance, but for now, I'll just be cooling my aching heels.

Jim

[Scott Sonnon]

Jim,

Outstanding! Congratulations! I look forward to reading a full report after you've had time to reflect upon the accomplishment.

[Jim Tinney]

Will do, coach.

[Jim Tinney]

It’s been a little less than a week since I ran my first marathon. Time to take stock of how this all happened, where I’ve been, and what I’ve learned. Originally, I thought this would be a quick task. I am now realizing that this marks a bigger transition than I initially thought. As a result, this may be a long post that has more personal import than forum interest, but so be it.

For a little background, I am a 27-year-old attorney, living in Michigan. For that past couple of years I have been practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu approximately twice a week and doing very little else. I originally began practicing jiujitsu after realizing that I was killing my body in law school by lack of exercise and poor nutrition. I had gained 20 pounds, and at 5’10’’ and 195 lbs., was the heaviest I had been in my life. I made several attempts to start a gym program, but would quickly lose interest after about a month of training, or would talk myself out of going to the gym since I had more “important” things pending. As a former high school wrestler, I found jiujitsu familiar, fun, and interesting enough to keep me coming back. I have always been terrible about keeping to a physical training regimen, but this felt more like play, so I was able to attend consistently. By the end of law school, I had returned to a weight of 180 lbs.

Unfortunately, I was knocked off track when I recently moved to Michigan last year. I started a new job in a different field. Although I found a new place to practice jiujitsu, I wasn’t able to give it my full attention. Because of a dysfunctional office atmosphere, my stress level began to raise to the point where it would take several hours for me to work the tension out of my upper shoulders and traps at the end of a workday and I would regularly go to bed with a hunted feeling. Ultimately, this stress level was impacting other areas on my life.

Time for a change. I began preparing a proposal that I would pitch to a prior employer that would significantly change the type of work that I was doing. In addition, I was going to apply to an evening educational program, as part of that proposal. Unfortunately, this meant another test, the GMAT, which meant studying at night, which meant, no jiujitsu. Around the same time, my wife proposed the idea of running a marathon to raise money for the American Stroke Association, a cause that is close to us both, due to strokes in the family and her work as a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Resident. Since I didn’t want to get out of shape while I was working overtime and I don’t see her enough as it is already, I agreed to help with the project.

Mentally, this obligation changed my approach to training. Since I was doing it for a cause, I was able to sweep a lot of excuses aside. This is the most successful I have been at keeping to a plan. For three and a half months, I was able to get up early for morning runs and never missed an evening workout. Even when I was on a business trip, I made sure to fit in my scheduled 15 mile run. In the past, when work or school got hectic, exercise was the first thing that I would drop. My sense of obligation to those who were supporting us kept me motivated. Our goal was simply to finish. We placed no expectation on the outcome, and sought only to run at a comfortable pace.

Another benefit of this long distance training was its effect on our nutrition. Nothing will reveal a nutrition deficiency like a 15-20 mile run. As our distance increased, we realized we needed to change our eating habits. Going mostly by instinct, we have eliminated a lot of processed foods. We have increased the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables. We eliminated dairy products. (This was the hardest part for me, since I love a good cheeseburger.) The difference in energy levels and attitude was notable.

On race day, we felt relaxed and confident. Standing in the starting corrals, there is a very energizing feeling of excitement among the group. With over 17,000 people running, the initial part of the race carries you on its own momentum. Both of us agreed that the first 13 miles of the race were the easiest miles we had ever run. Perhaps it was the ease and excitement with which those miles passed that caused me to lose focus on my form. Since my wife has a much shorter stride and I stay at the same pace as her, I used the time during our training runs to concentrate on my running form. Using the shock impact of my stride to cause exhalation and release of tension, I try to make sure that there is no area of my body being overexerted or held statically contracted. With so many things to take our attention in San Diego, I may have ended up running with a bit of a hunch in my back (having tried to work a knot out in the days prior to the race) and been contracting my abdomen without releasing the tension. Around mile 16, I developed a “stitch,” which may have been due to this contraction, or, perhaps, salt depletion. I worked on moving the area as much as possible while maintain form, using the impact shocks to try and shake the tightened muscle loose. In addition, since we were taking a lot of water in (perhaps I had too much?), I had a salt packet. Within a mile, the “cramp” was gone.

By mile 20, we were beginning to feel the pain of our muscles and joints. Our protocol of never running beyond the ability to talk without gasping kept our breathing under control, but, at this point, muscle fatigue was a factor. Our plan from this point forward was to smile our way to the finish line. Surprisingly, this seemed to make a difference. From mile 22 to the finish, the smile changed from a technique to control our attitude to a genuine smile in recognition that we would complete our goal. I was proud of my wife for completing her goal, and, for inspiring me to pursue it as well. We were able to raise around $4800 for stroke prevention and research during this project, which is almost as satisfying as the achievement of completing the marathon itself.

As for me, I working in a new job in an area that I love. (My plan worked!) I also have realized that if I am going to make a commitment to my physical training, it’s vitally important that I have something beyond myself to train for. In the same way, I needed to feel that I was working for something beyond myself in my professional life. All in all, I think this has been a great experience. A highlight. As I am wrapping up my week off, I am starting to think about my next goal and how I will tie it to the lessons I learned from this experience.

[Jim Tinney]

Oh, and by the way, at the end of this, I am weighing in at 174 lbs.

[Scott Sonnon]

Jim,

What a treasure your post is! Here are some notable quotes:


Mentally, this obligation changed my approach to training. Since I was doing it for a cause, I was able to sweep a lot of excuses aside. This is the most successful I have been at keeping to a plan. No better definition of "tribe" I have seen!

Using the shock impact of my stride to cause exhalation and release of tension, I try to make sure that there is no area of my body being overexerted or held statically contracted. Perfect example of the SlavyanskiyByeg: Effortless Running Gait

the smile changed from a technique to control our attitude to a genuine smile in recognition that we would complete our goal. If you want to be happy, smile! Superb demonstration of behavorial modification through facial calibration - great work!
Jim, thank you for sharing your full report, and congratulations on meeting your professional and personal goals through the vehicle of physical cultre! I am absolutely proud to know you.

[Jim Tinney]

Thanks for the kind words, Coach. As you can tell, I have adopted alot of the strategies that I have learned from here in my training.


I think I am going to take up the coaching offer in the program design section, assuming I can track down a digital camera. It's time to knock the dust off my clubbells! :twisted: