Deciding to Run a Half Marathon

Something happened two years ago that I did not expect.

I started running.

It was not planned. In high school I remember thinking of track and cross country as extremely boring activities. I didn’t even consider them sports. Sports required some sort of direct competition. Running was just a test of endurance. How much could you punish yourself. Oh, you got a letter in track? Good for you! That will be useful just about never. Even in the movies John Travolta didn’t really win Sandy back by being a jock.

In college an elliptical machine entered our first houses basement for about a year. That was my first attempt at weight loss. Back then low carb dieting was all the rage, and we did manage to drop a few pounds, only to gain them back with the demands of long months at West Allis Memorial Hospital, first in the postpartum unit and then the NICU. I was not fond of that elliptical, being a typical budget buy machine that college students could afford. It creaked more than its fair share, and more than once came apart as I was in the middle of burring off some low carb ice cream. It was so unremarkable that I have forgotten how we ended up getting rid of it.

The next piece of exercise equipment that entered our residence was a used treadmill Julie managed to find on her companies internal website, where, similar to craigslist, members of ThedaCare can post items for sale or request services like babysitters. Like I imagine most machines purchased for causing you sweat and pain, our new used purchase quickly fulfilled its roll wonderfully as a clothing rack. The few times it was used it left a lot to be desired.

Julie, determined that we should see the age of 65 without the need of oxygen tanks, continued to make attempts to get us moving. The spring of 2012 was when she finally got into a habit of using our coat rack on a regular basis, and it quickly became apparent that we needed an upgrade. I remember the trip to the store to look over the models, specifically because I was using my phone to take pictures and send them back to my wife when I was approached by a sales person stating that it was against store policy to let anyone take pictures. Slightly annoyed I still bought one of their machines and brought it home for assembly.

The used unit went out on the curb where, like everything made of metal that is placed on that spot, disappeared instantaneously. Our own personal Bermuda triangle.

I am going to state for the record here, that, if not for my wife, I would have never stepped on a treadmill. I’m not exactly sure why I decided to do it, but it was almost exactly two years ago in early August that I came downstairs one evening, in the only pair of shorts I owned at the time, and did one of the treadmills very mild pre programed 30 minute routines.

The following September Julie started nursing school. Part of the requirements of Fox Valley Technical College’s nursing program is that their students take time to volunteer in the community. Julie, always eager to get moving with any requirement, promptly signed up to work the finish line at that years Fox Cities Marathon. Since she had also joined the nursing student government, my photography services were made available that day for an article to appear in the student paper highlighting the student nurses activity.

There was something about being there. I was sitting just outside of the barriers marking off the finish area thinking, “I want to be on the other side.” I had only started running a couple of months prior, but that was the day I decided that I was going to run a half marathon.