Why Ashton Kutcher Is Running His First, and Maybe Last, Marathon?
A couple months ago, my friend Mike and I were talking about running with the whole world watching via the internet. We were feeling pretty good about ourselves, but were aware that we were a long way from the “real world” and that we were bound to be a little under-prepared. We both felt like we needed to do the necessary prep work before we headed out into the world, and when I was asked what I expected for a 5K race I said I think my goal was to get a sub-11-minute 5K.
Now that I’m in that training zone and going through what looks to be the initial training stage before the real world kicks in, I can honestly say I’m feeling all too much pressure. I’ve run two full marathons and felt the first step of the marathoners through me. The pace that gets me through the first mile is not what I want to run for a half marathon, and I’m feeling a little nauseous. I’ve read several other posts by running bloggers and others who are starting their first half marathons and have shared their stories about running through those first few miles. I’m also looking forward to running my first full marathon in less than six months. But I’m also a little scared.
One of the best friends I’ve ever had, who is also a pretty great runner, was my running partner when I ran my first marathon. We started running together in 2008. Back then, she had a race planned for that year, but she never made it to the finish line due to her own issues. She also didn’t live to tell the tale. One of my friends told me about her this time around and I was hooked. I started training for her marathon and never looked back. I’ve been running with her since, and we became the definition of running partners.
She lived to tell her story, and in many ways, she lived to tell it, too. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, and I was in recovery with my own personal medical issues. Over the next few months and years, we would race together and I realized that I wasn’t going to be the only one in pain. And no one else had experienced the same, to put it lightly. But when she did, I was in the midst of a good run and feeling really good
