Adventures In Running

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Biggest Loser Marathon

I just finished watching the 3rd The Biggest Loser Marathon tonight. Each time I have watched this previously I have had some strong emotions. Of course, having done numerous marathons myself I have a different perspective than the average person.

Let me tell you, no matter how much or how little I have liked the 12 marathon contestants – I have the utmost respect for what they accomplish during this event.

Two seasons ago – I absolutely loathed Ron. I felt he was a backstabber and had blown his chance to lose weight. However, the fact that he finished a marathon with totally trashed knees when I thought he would give up after 5 or 6 miles – that is incredible.

Watching Tara finish her marathon in under 5 hours left me happy and sad. Happy to see her come so far and accomplish so much. Sad because I felt like a loser because I have not yet broken 5 hours in a marathon after years of trying.

I was excited tonight to see Daris smash the record and come close to finishing sub 4 hours. I was actually tickled to see Koli (Mr. I want to win at any cost) be more than 2 hours behind him. Impressed that Michael and Ashley did so well in a marathon when they are both still relatively overweight.

What can I take from this show? Maybe I don't expect enough of myself. Maybe I can push myself harder. Maybe I have mental limits that I need to overcome.

I have 19.5 weeks until the St. George Marathon and 21 weeks until my 50 mile race. What can I accomplish in that period of time and how much can I improve my fitness and endurance without causing an injury?

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