Are You Ready to Run?

The Marathon Comes to Half Moon Bay
As many of you are already , a very exciting event is coming to Half Moon Bay:  The !  , it will be held on September 25th, 2011 and will be run along the coast spanning from the down to the .  Included in this event is not just a full marathon (26.2 miles), but also a half marathon (13.1 miles), a 10K run (6.21 miles), and a 5K Fun Run (3.11 miles).  This promises to be a huge event for the coastside and a great promotion for fitness and health for all.  While registration for all of the races in the HMBIM is already , I was lucky enough to register in time (I'll be doing the 10K).

The origin of the marathon is based in Greek legend.  As it is told, a Greek messenger named Pheidippides was sent from a recently conquered battlefield at Marathon to Athens to declare victory for Greece.  He ran the entire way, delivered his message, and promptly died.  Now this is not how we want any of OUR marathons to end but the human effort required to run a modern marathon should not be underestimated.  There is intense and sustained training required to build up to the point where one can run a marathon successfully.  It is an effort that should not be entered into lightly!  But you don't need to sign up for a marathon in order to challenge yourself.

The Beauty of a Goal
There are many opportunities to engage in 5K or 10K runs around the Bay Area.  And if you are even remotely intrigued, I would HIGHLY recommend that you take the plunge and sign up!   The great thing about signing your name on the dotted line is that now you are committed to a goal.  It can provide great motivation and accountability for you to increase your level of fitness and overall health.  A great calendar of running events around the Bay Area can be found at the Norcal Running site.

If you are new to running, you may want to start with a 5K.  The great thing about that event is that you can train for it by walking at first and then slowly work your way up to running short distances and over time work your way up to running the 3.1 miles with little or no break.  Or you may be more fit and ready to take on the challenge of a 10K.  Again, everyone starts from their own personal fitness level and progresses from there.  You can also often enlist friends, family, and/or co-workers to join you in your race and make it a common goal.  This adds a lot of fun and camaraderie to the training and the actual run event. 

How to Start
So what resources do we have on the coast for training?  Well a great resource on the Coastside is the .  It is based in Half Moon Bay and holds a weekly run that starts at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve.  It's free and casual and is a great way to join a standing group and get started with running.  has fitness programs that provide excellent cross-training for a running program as well.  In fact, a group of my clients have started a running group to train for the 10K part of the HMBIM and we now have 14 people all training for the same goal.  If you are the do-it-yourself type, there are also many online training programs that can help you train all the way from walking a 5K to running multiple marathons.  Two of the most well-known and utilized programs can be found from Hal Hidgen and Jeff Galloway.  Both are excellent programs that have been used by hundreds of thousands of runners to train successfully.

If you weren't quick enough to register for the Half Moon Bay races, I hope that you consider taking advantage of another race in the future. (Don't forget Half Moon Bay's annual in October!)  It can be a great source of motivation and fun and get you in great shape along the way.

To Your Health,
Diana