How To Trick Your Husband Into Training for a Marathon

Manipulation and trickery are never easy. However, I'm pretty sure that I've improved those skills since marrying Adam.

He's, without a doubt, the funniest person I've ever known and is simply incredible. I've always believed that I am surrounded by the most amazing people. I won't question how I've been able to have the most generous, thoughtful, and loving individuals enter my life, and Adam is no exception. He has given me a sense of peace that I never imagined I'd have. He keeps me focused and has taught me that the dishes really don't have to be done before going to bed, which I've been able to do a few times. I sincerely enjoy his company and feel absolutely blessed to have him in my life.

As you can see, I'm his biggest fan. In addition to all of those wonderful things, he's also pretty smart. Because he's so smart, I've had to do some things that I'm not entirely proud of ... mainly tricking him into doing a variety of things I see as very essential. Training for a marathon has been no different. Initially, I didn't even know that I was manipulating him (that's how good I have become - even I don't know when I'm doing it).

Soon after agreeing to a marathon, I ran into a slight problem (this is where it becomes a bit embarrassing on my part) ... I realized I had to have a training partner because I was too scared to run alone at night. Yes, I am 30 and I'm afraid to run alone in the darkness. I'm not going to lie ... I'm actually afraid of quite a few things that don't exactly make sense. Just to name a few ... I'm afraid that I'm going to grow facial hair and not realize it. I'm afraid that, while I'm sleeping, my cat may fall asleep on my face and I will stop breathing (although, I don't think that fear is too far-fetched). I'm afraid that my toes are going to grow together. Then, I have fears that a lot of people have involving safety. I lock my doors immediately when getting into the car (and at home) because I'm afraid that someone will open my car door at a stoplight. I leave the porch light on so that if I get home after dark, I can see. I'm afraid that when our neighbor leaves their ladder out, someone will use it to crawl into our bedroom window. Then, of course, there is the one I've already admitted ... I'm afraid of running in the dark (What happens if I step on a snake? What happens if a raccoon attacks me? What happens if a man jumps out from the bushes). That's when I got Adam involved. He knows everything I'm afraid of (and still chose to marry me) so when I mentioned running alone at night, he knew that I wouldn't be able to do it. So, I had to ask if he'd train with me. He immediately said no (he believes that you can support a person without actually doing the activity with the person). I understood his reluctance , but I really needed him to do this with me. That's what I told him.

What it comes down to is this ... have some crazy fears and your husband will do just about anything to make you feel better. Well, he will, at least, agree to train for a marathon (he's yet to tell me that he will run a marathon). No worries, I'm working on that one.

I thought I was just going to be watching a video

I never imagined that I'd be training for a marathon. Five years ago, I weighed 245 pounds. I can't even believe that I'm able to admit that. It's one thing to know how much you once weighed, but it's another to say it out loud. I've decided to embrace it (it's much easier to do now that a lot of that weight is gone). Making the decision to lose the weight was easy. Actually losing the weight wasn't as easy.

I had been visiting family in Oklahoma City for Christmas. My mom had just purchased a new camcorder and decided to record the family opening gifts. That night, I had taken the video back to the hotel. As I sat on the bed watching it, I was absolutely horrified at the person I saw on the tape. It was me, and I couldn't get up off of the floor without rolling over onto both knees, and using the support of my hands to lift up. It was the most humiliating and enlightening moment of my life. I was 25 and I couldn't get off the floor. I knew I was big. I was wearing a size 22 so I couldn't exactly lie to myself, but I really believed I looked thinner than a size 22 (you know, maybe a size 18). Well, I thought I was thinner until I saw myself on the tape (I was, after all, wearing my "thin" outfit. Even then, pink was my color). It was the first time I saw myself in the same way that everyone else saw me and it was devastating ... absolutely devastating. People who haven't really struggled with being overweight often don't understand how a person can become significantly overweight without realizing it. Oh, let me tell you, it's actually quite easy. You just go about your normal routine. Then, poof, you wake up big. Okay, so it's not really that easy, but that's basically how it feels.

So, in that hotel room, after watching the video, I decided for the last time that I was going to lose the weight. More importantly, I knew that once the weight was gone, I would never gain it back. In short, I joined Weight Watchers online, discovered two teachers that I worked with also had joined (at the time, Christy and Darcy were just coworkers, now they continue to remain two of my greatest friends), and started measuring and weighing all of my food. Within the first few months, I had lost around 25 pounds. It took another year to lose an additional 25. In that time, I was able to keep off the weight that I had lost. Last February, to celebrate turning 30, I decided to lose another 30 (ended up being 35 pounds). Just this past June, I started to consistently incorporate exercise into my life. Thanks to David Felix (my bootcamp instructor), I realized that exercising could be fun, even at 5:45 in the morning. Soon after, I transitioned to boxing/kickboxing.

For some reason, it wasn't until this week, I began to notice the similarities between losing a significant amount of weight and training for a marathon. What is really comes down to is that the body is an amazing thing. If you set a goal and follow the plan, you begin to see results. My warm-up before taking a one-hour boxing class has turned into spending 30 minutes on the treadmill. Funny how I still need help getting off the floor. Just now, it's for completely different reasons.

It just wasn't the same

My training partner had class tonight, so I had to venture onto the treadmill without him by my side. Adam really has this incredible gift of making every moment better. Even though we're not really able to have a conversation while we're running (as much as I love to talk, I haven't figured out how to run and talk at the same time), I just love looking over and seeing him there. So, it was definitely different tonight.

Without Adam there, I realized a few things; mainly that I'm a freak. While running, I really have the most irrational thoughts. When I first arrived at the rec room, I was alone. As I started out running, I kept thinking, "What happens if I fall off of this thing ... who is going to help me?" "What am I going to do if this treadmill goes Gremlin on me and starts spinning completely out of control?" "How am I going to get my shoelace out of the machine if it gets caught?" I know ... I had completely freakish thoughts. Well, then a young man arrived. For a moment, I felt better. He did, after all, look like someone who would help me if I fell or if the machine started to eat my shoelaces. Then, I couldn't help but wonder if it was safe to be alone with this complete stranger (the fact that he looked 12 only confirmed what a freak I am). Finally, the rec room began to fill with a few more people and I immediately felt better. An older man got on the rowing machine next to me. At one point, I looked over and he looked dead. He was sitting completely still with his head tilted and eyes closed. He was wearing a bracelet (I'm thinking it was a medical bracelet). The sick part was that I kept running next to him, every couple of seconds looking over to see if his "condition" had changed. Finally, what seemed like an eternity, he opened his eyes. I've yet to encounter a dead body and I'm definitely not wanting it to happen in the rec room. That would definitely traumatize me for years to come.

The good news is that I completed 5.5 miles on the treadmill. I ran/walked the first 2 miles and walked the last 3.5 at an incline. After being on the treadmill for an hour, it just stopped, which completely took me by surprise. After what I had been through on the treadmill, that was nothing.

There's one thing I know ... I need my running partner back.

I think there's a runner hidden inside of this body

I realize that it's still very early in the game. It's just the 14th and I only started training on the 1st, but I think I might actually like running. I didn't want to admit it because, quite honestly, the thought scared me. It's one thing to run because you have to, but who runs because they want to? Until this week, I never understood it. My good friend Andrea is a runner. She even runs when she's in town visiting. Personally, I would take the weekend off (it's called a vacation for a reason). Now that I'm running, I get it. After a good run, you feel better. You feel invigorated and energized. I'm not going to lie ... my body is aching. Granted, the pain could be related to my boxing class last night. I went back after some time off. I decided to take some time off when the holidays started . For me, the holidays started in October. I would not recommend "taking time off from working out." Today, it feels like somebody beat me up. Not just "somebody hit me in the arm" kind of beat up. I mean it feels like somebody threw me on the ground, kicked me in the ribs, and then ran over me with a car. No, actually, make that a train. That is how sore I am. The pain only intensified after my run tonight. Yet, I still like it. It could be because I'm seeing progress. Last week, I was able to run for seven minutes without stopping (Level 3.5, at an incline). On Monday, I ran for twelve and half minutes (Level 4). Tonight, I ran for 14 continuous minutes (Level 5). For me, it's a big deal. I ran more than a mile without needing to stop. Now, only 25 more to go. Okay, so maybe there's not technically a runner inside of me because the thought of that made me want to cry (like curl up in the fetal position kind of cry).

You know the worst part of all of this ... my pants were still tight on me when I put them on the other night. They weren't just tight; they looked like someone had painted them on me. When Adam saw me in the pants, he said, "You're not going to wear those to work, are you?" (By the way, it was a great time to have the conversation, "When your wife's pants don't fit, you really don't need to mention it because she has a pretty good indication"). Damn holidays. Maybe next year, I shouldn't start the holiday season in October and I, most definitely, should not spend two and a half weeks in stretchy pants while on winter vacation. Add that to lessons learned.

Live, Laugh, Love ... Be Well

We recently learned that a family friend has been diagnosed with cancer. In an email exchange, he ended the correspondence with "Live, Laugh, Love ... Be Well." I absolutely loved his message and it just resonated with me. I'm adopting it as my life motto. So, in thinking abut how I can incorporate my new life motto into my running routine, I made a conscious decision to enjoy running and to appreciate that I'm able to do it.

I also made another significant change to my running ... I added a little bit of Justin Timberlake, Michael Franti, and Billy Idol (don't judge my selections, just trust me on this one). Why didn't I think of this three runs ago? It made such a difference! No wonder I was running 15 minute miles! I just needed some music to increase my speed. Running while listening to music keeps me distracted from focusing on the numbers and I have proof. On Tuesday, I ran/walked 2.39 miles in 34 minutes and tonight I ran/walked 3.15 miles in 45 minutes. I had to make myself stop (okay, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration, but I was able to run longer).

Despite Adam's initial reluctance to running, he is really impressing me. That boy looks like Forrest Gump on the treadmill (I mean that as a compliment). Tonight, I impressed myself by discovering that I'm able to run and dance at the same time. If you've seen me in action, then you know that I am literally incapable of combing any other motor tasks with running. I'm unable to talk and run at the same time or look over at Adam and run at the same time, but it all changed when I started dancing on the treadmill. I danced "Eldorado style", meaning I shook my hips a bit and threw one hand up in the air. It just felt so natural. Adam says that "it was a sight to be seen" (I took it as a compliment).

In other news, Adam and I will be running our first 5k in North Kansas City on March 20. This race was chosen for three reasons: it's run on a flat course, it's near the Oak Tree (Adam calls this place a hidden treasure in North Kansas City ) and we get to run it with our friends, Curtis and Ryan. My goal is to run the "Snack Chase" without stopping to walk. With the right playlist, I think I can do it.

Live, Laugh, Love ... Be Well!

15 Minute Mile

Okay, so I have a lot of work and endurance ahead of me. If I run a marathon at 15 minutes a mile, it's going to take me 6.5 hours to complete. I am NOT running for that long so I'm going to have to figure out how to get it to, at least, 11 minutes a mile. With that rate, I can complete the marathon in a little over 4 and a half hours. Now, that seems a bit better. I can not believe I just stated that running that length of time was "better." Who am I?

We got another 2 inches of snow last night, so running outside was quickly dismissed as an option, especially since the sidewalks are still covered from the snow we got two weeks ago and the roads are being cleared by snow plows. Adam and I decided to try out our local recreation center in Merriam. It's really a great deal. It's only going to cost us a total of $26 a month to use the gym equipment (a.k.a. treadmills). What's great about a treadmill is that you can track your progress (miles completed, time, calories burned) and you can watch television as you run (even if it was the Chiefs game - it was still television). Adam and I are relatively competitive with one another so running side by side on a treadmill can become a bit dangerous. When I saw he was running at a certain speed, I felt the need to increase my speed and vice versa. In the end, he won. Sadly, while running, I fell off the treadmill (in front of a group of women) and into the woman on the treadmill next to me and, so, I had to slow down. Even after all of that work (and some humiliation), I still only ran a 15 minute mile. Even worse than that ... I only burned 146 calories. I ran two miles and only burned 146 calories. That just seems so wrong. On the bright side, Day 2 of Marena's Marathon Training has been completed. Now, I want ice-cream.

From the couch to the road

As we were out celebrating the New Year last night, Adam mentioned that marathon training would start tomorrow. I completely agreed. However, we had different definitions of "training." I thought training meant that we were going shopping for the essentials (shoes, pony tail holder, pants, shirts, socks, etc). Adam thought training meant we were actually running. I'm still highly confused on how he convinced me to get off of our couch where we were wrapped in our warm Snuggies, to put on old workout clothes, and run in 14.4 degree weather, but he did. The plan was actually quite simple. To start our training, we're following the 5k plan. Once we are able to run for a straight 30 minutes, we will begin "marathon" training. This is why it's so great that we have ten months to train. So, for the first day, we just needed to run 60 seconds, and then walk 90 seconds. We did this for a period of 20 minutes. It was relatively easy. I was surprised to discover that the hardest part was not running. It was running in 14 degree weather around snow banks (I'm not exaggerating - all of the snow that the plows have removed from the roadways has created snow banks - a very dangerous condition to begin training because it means you have to run on the road). Roads are designed for driving, not running. However, the highlight of Day 1 training was looking over at my training partner as he ran with me. Because he doesn't have workout clothes, he was wearing work clothes (carpenter pants and a ratty sweatshirt) and it made me smile. I'm quite fortunate to have someone who is with me on this adventure. Plus, you never know, while training, you might even get the opportunity to get your picture with a New Year's Snowman (sorry, not the best quality - it was taken with my camera phone on a break during the run).