Some folks say there is a fine line between ambition and obsession. My wife insists that I cross that line all too often. I have decided to try a new challenge this fall and she is convinced I am either deluded or just plain senile. I like to think I am simply not acting my age. I have decided to do a half marathon marathon. I know on the surface that sounds a bit confusing and you may be agreeing with my bride at this point, or simply thinking I didn’t proofread this well and am repeating myself; but I intend to run four half marathons in four successive weekends in October. So indeed it is a marathon of half marathons. Of course you may be thinking, as does she,”You nut, you are 52 years old and you wear black socks with sandals. You have no business running that number of long races in a short period of time.” She has a point, but I think it can and should be done for a variety of reasons. Allow me to eloquently explain why.
First, I agree with my bride that I am a bit obsessed. Over the past 10 years I have made a careful study of healthy lifestyle habits, not only for myself but for my patients, and I have concluded that exercise is the true fountain of youth. There is no single thing a person can do that will more comprehensively prolong the quality of life and reduce morbidity and mortality as a 30-45 minute daily aerobic session. I have preached exhaustively that this doesn’t have to be training for a marathon, wind sprints until you throw up, or bench pressing 300 pounds. Just walking at a brisk pace and throwing in some hills will achieve remarkable results for weight management, disease prevention, and mental health. Those of you already practicing this and yet finding you are still gaining weight or not improving fitness need to fool your body. Years ago there was a commercial on TV that had the tag line,”It’s not nice to fool mother nature”. In this case that’s exactly what you want to do. If you’re in a rut as far as weight for example, you simply have to change your regimen a bit to jump start the gains. If I run 5 miles every day soon my body adapts to that and I no longer see the dramatic benefits I once did. I fool my body by altering my exercise and my weight improves and I get fitter. Instead of always running I cross train 2 days a week by lifting weights or cycling. The variation keeps things interesting and leads to additional benefits. My wife has recently introduced me to cycling (not menstrual cycling you understand ... a gyn joke there) and since I have been bike riding on my non running days, I have seen my running improve. The take home here is to first: start exercising, and second: if you are already exercising, vary your activity for the greatest benefits.
Second, I find that if I have a goal I tend to be more productive and focused. That applies to everything from exercise to work. A study done at Harvard (someYankee school up north) a few years ago concluded that those individuals who had written goals tended to be higher achievers in all aspects of their lives. I know for myself that if I have a race, or in this case a series of races, that I am planning for, then I am much more motivated to train and stay focused. It’s a lot easier to get up at 5:45 AM for a long run when you know there is a specific goal you want to achieve. That doesn’t mean you have to sign up for the next 5K in your town. Your goal can simply be to lose 10 pounds or to reduce stress. Whatever the reason, find a specific goal for your exercise and write it down. Include a timeline and signposts along the way to measure your progress. Make it both fun and achievable, and reward yourself as you successfully complete the milestones.
Third, I am running this half marathon marathon with the proper tools. By that I mean I am using the supplements, gadgets, and gizmos that are available to both make it fun and keep me healthy. I have told you in previous communications of my love affair with a product called OmegaXL. It is a concentrated dose of omega 3 fatty acids which act as both an anti inflammatory agent and an anti oxidant. In exercise, or just walking around, your body produces an enormous amount of metabolic products called free radicals. These are not college kids holding protest signs, but chemicals that can have a destructive effect on joints, tissues, and other organs. The anti oxidants in OmegaXL act like little Pac men going around in the bloodstream gobbling up the nasty little free radicals thus both preventing things like muscle fatigue and arthritic pain and creating an environment where the body functions more efficiently.
Fourth, I’m running to set an example for my kids. One of the greatest legacies I can leave is that of a healthy lifestyle. My kids are no different from most. They tend to do the opposite of what their parents do or say, but I’m hoping that one day when they visit me in the nursing home they will tell me of the latest race they completed with their kids. I take solace in knowing that I laid the foundation while they were growing up. The example we set as parents has more of an impact than we often realize. Your teens may be committed couch potatoes now but as they get a bit older, I trust they will remember the things you taught them about exercise and nutrition.
