Of Black Toenails and Shin Splints

Running Round-up: Week Three

We've enjoyed sunny skies and mild temperatures (for June) in Chicago. It's been great running weather, which is awesome when you're in the midst of marathon training. What's going on in the world of running? Find out below.

-The Singing Runner cops to being a competitive person. I've been there, too, and it's a hard habit to break.

-On Twenty Six and Two, check out this post about the Grandma's Marathon in frigid weather.

-Running Times has a neat piece on peaking while training. I feel like I've been training for Chicago forever, so this is incredibly timely for me.

-This is an oldy but a goody from Runner's World on personal safety when running. I'm surprised the article doesn't mention using pepper spray - or at least a whistle - and carrying a cell phone with you at all times.

Running round-up

(I totally felt like writing "Yee-HAW!" after that title.)

I'd like to use this feature to highlight what's going on in the running world these days. I would also like to profile average Janes and Joes who are runners. Maybe it's your first time running, or maybe you just realized you ran your 1,000th mile. Perhaps you're training for your first or your fortieth marathon, and maybe you're returning to running after a major life change. Email me at MeghhrunsATgmailDOTcom, and I'll include it in the round-up.

Friday Flick: Run, Fat Boy, Run

It's not every day that I come across a running-themed movie set in London and directed by David Schwimmer. Yes, that David Schwimmer. (Hint: Look for him in the last 10 minutes of the movie.)

Friday Flick: Spirit of the Marathon

The subtitle to Spirit of the Marathon should damn well be "You will not stop crying when you watch this."

Seriously. I felt like I was in the throes of pregnancy as I watched each runner discuss why they were participating in the Chicago Marathon. Some were seasoned vets, who have run many a marathon before (including Jerry Meyers, who STARTED running marathons when he was 65, like, whoa), while others were just about to embark on their first 26.2-mile race. They all had a story to tell, and basically, they all wanted to overcome something, be it a divorce, their first-ever world marathon victory, or just the sense of accomplishment.

And I cried like a baby during every story. This surprised me, as I have become extremely unimpressed with the typical "athlete with a story" type of, well, stories that you see during the Olympics. You know what I mean: Bob Costas interviews a sprite of a figure skater who has incredible pressure on her shoulders; or a swimmer from, say, China, who hasn't seen his family in years because of his intense training; or a gymnast whose parents have risked everything (including putting a second mortgage on their home) just to pay for training in the hopes that their baby girl will do good on their investment; and the music swells as Bob tells us about all that they've sacrificed to get to where they are today, and how devastating it will be if they lose. It's a shiny, slick way to get you to care about someone you would not even think twice about, and it's a tired, contrived tactic.

But the movie does a great job of not getting into "tugging at the heartstrings" territory, which I appreciate. It also has that (un?)intended effect of inspiring me to march out the door and run 10 miles, so that's good to know, too. I ended up feeling for the runners, and I highly recommend this film. How It All Ends, which is a staple of the documentary film, is not really necessary here - the journey to the start line, and the actual marathon itself, is the "meat" of the movie. John Dunham, the film's producer/director/cinematographer, took an understated approach to the film, which, when you think about it, is appropriate to running, a no-frills sport.

Would I see it again? Hell, yes. I'll probably add it to Netflix in the weeks before the Chicago Marathon.

Number of training montages: The whole damn film. Bonus? This film includes beautiful, breath-taking shots of Chicago in the months leading up to the Marathon, as four of the runners profiled in the film live in and around the city.

Is this one of those "couch-potato-to-marathoner" stories? Yes and no. Two of the six marathoners were competing in their first marathon, while the other four have extensive (re: intimidating) levels of experience with marathons.

Number of inspirational songs: Nothing really stands out.

What I give this movie: Four out of five running shoes.

This is why I run

Whenever I head out the door for a run, my three-year-old, Gracie, asks me "Where are you going?"

"I'm going for a run," I reply.

"But why?" she asks, clearly thinking that I'm crazy for giving up time better spent finger-painting or playing with her Fisher-Price sets.

I hem and haw, because this question always gives me pause. Why do I want to run out in the cold and rain, and run for quite a few miles, at that?

The short answer is that I need to train for the Chicago Marathon, the first marathon I'll ever run. You don't just get ready to run 26.2 miles overnight, you know.

The long answer is that I'm a life-long runner, and running a marathon is a natural progression of the races in high school and college, and the casual running over the weekends. I'm not out to prove anything to anyone (except, maybe, myself). I'm not one-upping anyone. To be honest, there are days when I lace up my running shoes and think "Will I even do this run, all of five miles? And why the hell did I think I could run a marathon?"  So, self-doubt, low self-esteem, etc.

I run because I want to, and because I can. Because this is more than just a lofty goal of things I'd like to accomplish before I turn 40 (and as I just turne 30, I have to get crackin'). Training for the marathon is about discipline, about dedication, and about sacrifice. It's about being unsure of yourself, but going for the run, anyway, because why not? I've already sunk money into the registration fee; I may as well get my money's worth for it.