Start. Here. Now...

Today I woke up like a corpse in a horror movie. You know:

First I twitched a few fingers on the right hand. They moved. So far, so good. Then I stretched my right hand. Flexed all fingers. Twisted the wrist. Moved my arm -- all the way up to the elbow.

You know: like a corpse in a horror movie... a corpse that is about to rise up as a zombie.

And when I sat up -- I felt a bit like a zombie.

Had I been overdoing the exercises ??

I'm training to run marathons. Well, actually, I will be running a marathon in a few weeks and I'm following a *half* marathon training plan. Lots of running, perhaps not enough running. And this week I added a set of upper body exercises. Twice.

Tired ? Tell me about it !

So why am I posting this story to my blog ? Why do I want to tell the world about my being tired ?!

Because it's an inspiring story...

Okay, inspiring if you are in my condition -- and believe that there is no way you could run a marathon. No way... Not in my condition !

My condition:

In 2008 I ran my first fun run, the Perth City to Surf. I ran it in one hour 22 minutes. My wife beat me by a couple of minutes. We were both near the end of the pack... Our first fun run and we were struggling to finish at all.

I am not an athlete. I have never been an athlete. Healthy, yes, Fit, no. Just a few years earlier, I had been puffed after a rapid walk of less than a kilometre. A year of occasional -- a couple of times a week -- jogging training and I had managed to complete a 12km fun run.

I was inspired ! (For you, there is more inspiration still to come.)

In 2009, the same fun run -- in two hours 19. Just a few minutes faster. In May 2010, a 14km fun run... completed at a per kilometre rate just a bit slower than the 2009 fun run -- but better than in 2008.

On a roll ! Though 14km was right at the limit of my endurance. Yet I did beat my wife, by four minutes :-) On the other hand my son, with very little in the way of preparation, beat me by 14 minutes.

I was enjoying this running ! Still finishing at the end of the pack -- but finishing :-)

We decided to make a serious effort to improve. More regular training runs. Later in 2010 I ran the City to Surf -- running the half marathon...

Running ? More like staggering ! I started at a gentle jog. Ended up walking... from before half way. Pushed for a burst of speed -- no more than a gentle jog, even slower than at the start -- and crossed the line. In two and a half hours.

Success !

We paid for a training plan... A good one, with encouragement when needed. What we really needed was the assurance that we were not just going running -- but going for training runs towards a target. Towards my wife's target, that is. I followed the plan and added extra as I could be bothered.

A few more half marathons and -- to cut to the chase -- I decided to try to run a marathon... Never too late, I thought. Already, I was more fit than ever before in my life... Time to test to a new limit.

More fit than ever before in my life ? As I said earlier: I have never been an athlete. These few years had been my first ever consistent training. In fact, my only fitness training. I was improving every year :-)

So I trained consistently. Ran -- staggered -- on some very long runs around the suburbs. Felt that I was ready for my first marathon.

On the 17th of June 2012 I ran my first marathon ! This was just eight days after my 60th birthday.

Are you too old and unfit to do any exercise ? Ha !

I ran my first marathon just over a week after I turned 60. It took me five hours and 18 minutes. Twelve months later I ran the same marathon -- the WA Marathon Club Perth Marathon -- in just under five hours. Even the commentator was impressed: He called me over the line with the comment that a Personal Best after 60 was quite unusual :-)

I hope that you are inspired !

Because I want to write about my experiences, about coming from a couch potato to a marathon runner... Slow, yes, but I usually finish. I hope that I can inspire you -- no matter what your present level of fitness, no matter what your age -- I hope that I can inspire you to give it a go.

Of course, you must first check with your doctor !

I'm lucky, I'm healthy. I know, because my doctor said so. Okay, I have dodgy knees, weak muscles and a lack of dedication...

I plan to write about all of those. And to write about how I dealt with problems. (Or leant to accept them.)

I plan to write about what I have done and am doing. I will write about what works for me.

Some of my ideas may work for you. Especially if -- and I recommend this -- if you question everything. Read it, think about it, try it. Adapt it to what works for you.

But please, see your doctor first... And regularly !

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Agamedes Consulting [ Problems ? Solved. ]
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"Saying a subject is too awful or too painful to joke about is like saying a disease is too awful to be treated." … Louis C.K.