Training for a Marathon in 2009

What goes through the mind of a person with AD/HD when considering her biggest New Year's Resolution? I know that was just a rhetorical question, because "normal" (for the purposes of this blog, defined as those folks without AD/HD) people truly could not possibly desire to know what it's like inside the AD/HD mind.... Just trust me when I say, it's a very scary place - topics and thoughts jump and bounce off the walls at a dizzying speed, each one yelling louder than the last - makes me tired just trying to describe that scene! Back to the topic - my biggest New Year's Resolution -- first, I thought of my good ol' standby - getting organized. I'll pause now so you can all laugh until your tummies hurt and you must wipe the tears from your eyes.... Uh-huh... Go ahead, let it all out - a good bellow of laughter now will help minimize the shrieks and snorts of giggles later should you happen to recall that I even considered that particular resolution. Yes, I have stated many, many times throughout my life that I'm going to get my act together - and I start out strong, with a book or class, and even a coach a few times. However, those attempts at organizing my life, my time, my stuff, and yes, even my thoughts, all ended in the same swirl of confusion. Thus the term "chronic disorganization" - don't just scoff and roll your eyes - look it up! I'm not the only one with this issue, and I'm finally facing facts - my brain does not process like most others, and I simply do not have the ability to organize everything into tidy little piles like the rest of the world. I still hope someday to find a way to have more control over my time and my environment, but I'm past expecting that I will actually learn to be organized like society has deemed I should. So, I decided to go with a resolution that actually could be defined and perhaps even realized. I'm referring, of course, to training for a marathon!

Ahem! I said my biggest New Year's Resolution this year is to train for a marathon. Yes, you read that correctly. Me - person who whines and grumbles through most forms of strenuous exercise - voluntarily training to run (or walk) in a marathon. Don't ask if I've gone completely mad; that happened years ago and has nothing to do with this resolution! First, I must give credit where it is due: My friend, Brandy, is my inspiration for this particular goal. She has been in marathon-training for months, and at one point, had planned to come visit me next summer and participate in a nearby marathon. She casually (and most likely, jokingly) mentioned that perhaps I could begin training, as well, and run the marathon with her. I began to turn the idea over in my mind, particularly since I've been saying for many years that I am going to start exercising regularly, but to no avail. My husband, Eric - always much more inclined to physical exercise than I, thought it was a great idea, and suggested that we could train together. It is to my advantage that he was so inclined, because life intervened for Brandy and forced to cancel her trip out West. She's still in training, but for a marathon much closer to her home. Besides, Eric and I have been trying to come up with a low cost (meaning no cost) activity to enjoy together (not sure how much enjoyment I will experience in marathon training, but I digress...), so we agreed this would be ideal. Not only is it a mutual activity, but also holds the promise of becoming healthier (and thinner, which is a very big, juicy carrot to wave in front of my nose - long gone are the days when I could eat like a pig yet be as skinny as a rail), and is a tangible goal that I can work toward and hopefully accomplish, thereby proving to myself that I can actually follow through and succeed at a difficult task, project, etc. So! There you have it, my biggest New Year's Resolution ever. Why the biggest? Mainly because it's a very visible goal that can be measured daily - unlike my usual vagaries, which tend to be so broad and overreaching as to make it rather easy to wriggle out of maintaining such a commitment by the first or second week after said commitment was made.

Where am I in the implementation of such a lofty goal? Weeeeelllllllllllll.... Ok, see, it's like this.... I hadn't exercised much at all in like... ever, and the author of The Nonrunner's Marathon Guide for Women(also recommended by Brandy), Dawn Dais, suggested that if one is not in shape and hasn't ever been a runner, that perhaps one should consider walking instead. So Eric and I started walking - a LOT (compared to my previous level of exercise) and for like 1.3 miles at a clip! We often walk to a library that is about 1.3 - 1.4 miles from our home (in approximately 15-20 minutes) - uphill both ways! No -- seriously!Of course, there's a very small downhill portion of the journey both to and from the library, and even a few feet that consist of level ground, but mostly, it's uphill. It's torture, I must say, but I'm always glad when it's over. I mean, when I get back home, I'm always truly happy that we pushed ourselves to walk that far and that fast (ok, so I'm the only one pushing, he just strolls along without breaking a sweat... grrrr). We started walking like this at least a couple times of week (and sometimes even more often) back during the last week of October. Another reason we focused only on walking, instead of running, was the lack of proper running shoes. We both had old, cheap tennis shoes that left much to be desired. Finally, my poor flat feet, and as a result, my ankles, were hurting to the point of feeling like serious damage was being done, so we just went for it during the second week of December, and bought a new pair of running shoes for each of us. My shoes are specially designed for archless feet, so as to correct the tendency for my toes to point outward while the inside of my foot rolls under (yeah, it looks just as sexy as one would think!). The shoe dude (aka, shoe salesperson in Joe's - a sports and fitness store in the Pacific Northwest) had me run down the store aisle (*cough* yes, my demented run right down the middle of the store - you should've seen the sales dudes who were heading back into the stockroom - they heard my clumsy gait and hurriedly turned and watched in trepidation, backing away from the stampede, until realizing that I was stopping to turn and "run" back toward the original shoes dude, at which point they seemed to relax and turn back to their conversation while sauntering into the back of the store). Then, the original shoe dude was like, "Well, the shoes do help correct that tendency, at least when you're running..." Leaving the distinct impression that my walk still strongly resembles that of a drunken duck. Anyway, not only am I still dealing with some ankle/foot pain, but there's now a ton of snow and ice outside, which has effectively ended my long walks for the most part. Another note along that line, I had an asthma attack on my last walk (very windy, cold day = not good for asthma), which makes me even less willing to venture out into the cold. Long story short, I guess you could say I'm nearly back to zero in regard to training, but I am determined to turn all of that around. How?

Five ways to turn it all around and actually keep this ambitious resolution include 1) finding a place or places to walk/run indoors (like a track at a gym, for instance). To do this, I'm going to Google community centers in my area, to see if any of them include a track that can be used for free, 2) implementing a realistic schedule, which, luckily, is provided in the previously mentioned The Nonrunner's Marathon Guide for Women by Dawn Dais, so I am going to transfer that schedule from her book to a large poster or dry-erase board on my wall, 3) buying fitness apparel for a very small amount of money -- possibly here , 4) registering for a marathon, and, in the process, attempting to connect with others who are in training for said marathon; I have found a few websites for marathons in my area by running a quick online search and, 5) finally, taking a page from my friend Brandy's book, writing a regular blog to keep me going when I'm totally sick and tired of running/walking for long distances, in hope that the prospect of online shame will be an effective motivator!

List of Sources

Judith Kolberg, FileHeads.Net , FileHeads Professional Organizers

Brandy Jensen, Diaries of Mid Mid-Life Crisis: Milestones! , Blogger.com

Dawn Dais, The Nonrunners Marathon , Dream in Motion

Joe's, Joe's , Joe's Sports, Outdoors & More

Runbargains.com, Men's and Women's Running Shoes, Running Gear, Running Clothes and Running Accessories from Asi , RunBargains.com