Motivation on the Big Screen

While walking to our car after seeing "Spirit of the Marathon II" in the theater this past Wednesday night, my ten-year-old daughter Mary asked a question that I couldn't have imagined asking at her age or, quite honestly, even a year ago: "Daddy...when am I going to be old enough to run a marathon?"

In an age in which childhood and adult obesity have hit epidemic proportions, during a period in which I have seen my own body change from obese to overweight to just about normal, and at a key moment in which I am about to start training for my first marathon, it pretty much goes without saying that Mary's question evoked a series of positive emotions and feelings within me. And that I was still drying my eyes from some of the movie's final scenes certainly added to the moment.

What we had just witnessed on the big screen were a number of stories following the journeys of seven people to the Rome Marathon in 2012. Like many of us, each person featured in the film was faced with incredible challenges, and each set of circumstances served to motivate them to undergo a 26.2 mile run on some of the world's oldest streets. From personal tragedies to a struggling business, from aging bodies to familial partnerships, and from a population's genocide to dreams of the Olympics, the reasons to run were presented to us in artistic fashion as we watched the screen in awe, wonder, and support for these new-found protagonists. We crossed fingers for their triumph, longed for their success, and said silent wishes that we, too, would have the motivation and internal drive to make our way through life's challenges and obstacles.

Whether you are a runner or someone just looking for inspiration, and if you didn't get a chance to see "Spirit of the Marathon II" this past Wednesday, please do yourself a favor and keep an eye for it to come out on DVD later this year...and then take the less than two hours to sit back and observe the human spirit we all wish we possessed. And in the interim, I recommend checking out the original "Spirit of the Marathon" on Netflix, DVD, HULU, etc. Both films are worth it!


With motivation from the movie, I changed up my schedule slightly this past week because neither my wife Michelle nor I wanted to cross train the day following the movie. As such, we decided to do a short "leg stretcher" run on Thursday rather than go to the gym! Here's the recap from last week:

June 10 - June 16 Monday - 4.21 Mile Run (10:49 Pace)
Tuesday - Stationary Bike (45 Mins, Hills, Level 7), Abs (2 Exercises, 3 x 12 Reps)
Wednesday - 3.12 Mile Run (10:08 Pace)
Thursday - 2.62 Easy Run
Friday - 6.14 Mile Run (11:21 Pace)
Saturday - OFF
Sunday - 2.65 Mile "Family" Run

Total Miles on the Pavement - 20.64 Miles (Included Warm Up and Cool Down Walks)


The schedule for this week is a little different because we are going to be away for a few days...but on one of those days, I'll be running a 5K! Here's the schedule...

June 17 - June 23 Monday - 3.13 Mile Run (10:08 Pace) - COMPLETE
Tuesday - Stationary Bike (45 Mins, Hills, Level 7), Abs (2 Exercises, 3 x 12 Reps)
Wednesday - 5 Mile Run
Thursday - 3 Mile Run
Friday - Cross Training (Maybe a Run)
Saturday - 5K
Sunday -  OFF


Oh, in case you were wondering, according to the various marathons on what is becoming a bigger and bigger bucket list - which now includes Rome, by the way - Mary will be able to run with me when she's 18...so I am hopeful that in eight years, she'll still have the desire...and I'll still have the ability.


Until next time, enjoy your journey...