Brian and I meet privately 3 times a week for strength training, swimming and subsequent cardio sessions which often last more than 2 1/2 hours. Since April, Brian has entered and finished 3 sprint and 2 olympic distance triathlons. He has his sights set on at least 3 more triathlons this season, including a ½ Ironman, then the Hotter N' Hell 100 and then White Rock Marathon. Beware: "The Strong Arm" is getting stronger!
Margaret Elizabeth Perry is a senior at University of
Richmond in Richmond, Virginia. While ME had a background
in Horse Jumping, she only ran a few miles now and then for
fitness. Back in late July she came to me with the idea to run
a marathon. 26.2 miles? Was she Crazy? Realistic? In my
experience, not too many 21 year olds can follow through by
successfully training for and eventually running a 26.2-mile marathon.
With the encouragement from her parents, ME and I worked
hands-on in Dallas for only 3 or 4 sessions. The balance of
the program was done on paper and followed-up with twice weekly
phone check-ins.
ME's strong points were her consistently
longer and longer weekly long runs. "The long runs were definitely
what made the marathon a success. "They prepared my body and mind
so that I was confident in my capability to finish 26.2 miles."
Well, this story has a very happy ending. On The morning of Nov 12th
Margaret Elizabeth Perry finished The Richmond Marathon in a very
respectable first-timer's time of 4 hours and 37 minutes. Her future
plans include, "At this point, I would like to run a marathon per year
and shorter races along the way. I am excited to continue to use
running as a method to keep my mind and body fit." You go girl!
