Posted: February 16, 2004

Athletics: How To Run and Enjoy the Marathon - Chapter I

From James Raia:

(A Practical Guide To The 26.2-Mile Journey) By James Raia
Web site: www.byjamesraia.com  
E-mail: James@ByJamesRaia.com

Runner's Web Editor's Note:
We will be running one chapter of this book on the Runner's Web each week for the next 15 weeks.

Introduction
How to Run & Enjoy The Marathon, a series of 15 self-help and service-oriented articles about running marathons - the proper shoes to running etiquette - is written by James Raia, a journalist and veteran marathon and ultramarathon runner in Sacramento, Calif. A contributor to many newspapers, news services, magazines and internet sites, Raia began to run long distances in 1983, the same year in which he completed his first marathon, the California International Marathon, in 4 hours, 12 minutes and 30 seconds.
How To Run & Enjoy The Marathon is based on the author's more than 20 years of writing about the sport -- its nuances, its elite athletes and the running masses.
Since he began training for his first marathon, running has become an integral component of the author's lifestyle. Raia has completed nearly than 70 marathons and ultramarathons, including several 50 milers and double marathons. His fastest marathon, 3:07:42, was run in 1990. A two-time finisher of the Boston Marathon, Raia for the past several years has completed many of his marathons in the 3:45 range.
Raia, 48, has traveled to more than a dozen countries on assignment for myriad publications, Runner's World to Modern Maturity, The New York Times to USA Today. He also writes syndicated cycling and running columns, publishes two electronic newsletters, Endurance Sports News and Tour de France Times, and is the author of The Tour Within The Tour de France, a travel/sports e-book about the prestigious cycling event. He lives in Sacramento, Calif., with Gretchen Gaither, a teacher and sculptor.

For additional information on his two free newsletters or his other e-book, visit the author's web site, www.byjamesraia.com or contact him via e-mail at RaiaRuns@aol.com.

Table Of Contents
1.Marathon No. 1: It's not all about pain
2. What Marathon? Plentiful choices abound
3. The Basics: Common sense for the masses
4. Marathoning For Dollars: Running is fitness on the cheap
5. Want To Finish: Join the club
6. Fleet Feet: If the shoe fits, wear it
7. Need Motivation? Take a break
8. Now Hear This: Just Say No To Headphones
9. Night Moves: Exercisers Need A Visible Presence
10. Women Marathoners: Running Safe Means Running Smart
11. Running vs. Walking: Marathoners Can Do Both
12. Runner's Creed: Share Thy Space
13. Marathon Time Limits: The race directors' dilemma
14. Marathon No. 1 (Revisited): Don't Forget The Little Things
15. Reference Guide: Where to Find Out More About The Marathon

1. Marathon No. 1: It's Not All About Pain

Completing a marathon seems like a daunting task. Many who've accepted the challenge have been abruptly deposited on the side of road questioning their sanity and pondering a new sport. But the accomplishment of putting one foot in front of the other for the marathon distance can be exhilarating, satisfying and enjoyable - especially for first-time marathoners.

"You learn a lot about yourself, and it's good to share the experience with a friend," says Rich Hanna, an Olympic Trials marathon qualifier, publisher of five running-related books and co-coach of Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America's Team in Training program in Sacramento, Calif. "When you finish your first marathon, it's something you'll never forget. If you've trained properly, you won't finish suffering, you'll finish with a feeling of accomplishment."

Completing a marathon means covering the distance of 42.2 kilometers or 26.2 miles. The marathon distance dates to the legend of Athenian messenger Pheidippides, who in 490 B.C. ran 24 miles to spread the good news of a military victory. He collapsed and died upon his arrival. A 24-mile run was included in the inaugural 1896 Olympics in Greece.

The 26.2-mile distance debuted in 1912 when the Olympic event was routed to finish in front of the thrones of the king and queen of Sweden. Since then, marathon popularity has fluctuated. But in the mid-1970s, the marathon rivalry between Americans Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter gave the running distance a huge boost.

Rodgers won the Boston and New York City marathons four times each; Shorter won the Olympic marathon twice. With their diverse personalities, and their competitive, enticing battles, the sport was catapulted into the mainstream. A decade later, the women's marathon made its debut in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Joan Benoit (now Samuelson), a native of Maine, waved a small American flag as she circled the final 400 meters en route to her victory on the track of the Los Angeles Coliseum. The popularity of women's marathon running soared following Benoit's win.

Women around the country formed training groups and joined running clubs previously frequented by men only. Another surge of women marathoners followed in 1994 when Oprah Winfrey completed the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C.

Yet, while Rodgers, Shorter, Benoit and Winfrey may have provided inspiration, once runners began to increasingly pursue the sport, its benefits become more well-known -- cardiovascular fitness, stress relief, weight control and camaraderie.

There are now approximately 400 certified (accurately measured) marathons held annually in North America. And in 2000, more than 450,000 runners completed marathons in the U.S., a huge increase from 260,000 runners who completed the distance in 1990.

"It's like a snowball rolling downhill," explains Ryan Lamppa, a researcher for the USA Track & Field Road Running Information Center in Santa Barbara, Calif., in the book "Marathon" written by former Olympian Jeff Galloway. "The marathon, the sport's Mt. Everest, has a special connotation in people's minds," continues Lamppa. "It's a challenge, a sense of accomplishment that is different than running a 10km or a half-marathon. Call it the marathon mystique."

There are marathons for the masses, like the famed Boston, New York City and Los Angeles events. They entice the world's fastest runners with huge prize money as well as thousands of recreational runners. The Boston Marathon, for example, had more than 30,000 finishers - then largest marathon ever held in the U.S. - in its 100th edition celebration in 1996.

But there are also small-field events like the Gold Country Marathon in Nevada City, Calif. Held for more than 20 years, the rugged course meanders through breathtaking vistas in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. But it rarely has attracted more than 50 entrants, all of whom run for the enjoyment of the sport.

Regardless of the marathon a runner chooses, he or she must prepare. And that's the purpose of this e-book. With the proper preparation, running a marathon will be a challenge, but it can be an accomplishment based on celebration, not agony.

To buy the e-book: www.byjamesraia.com/?page=ebooks

© Copyright 2003, James Raia

Posted with the permission of James Raia.

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