Marathon Method

Dear friends:

I am happy to report that the weather finally feels like spring where I live.  The snow is gone, the ground is drying out and there are runners, bikers and walkers everywhere.  I love spring in Wisconsin!

Part of what I love about spring here is that it follows a very long winter.  While I try to get some real running in over the winter, the fact of the matter is that the snow and ice tends to reduce my running to treadmill training for months at a time.

So this is the time of year when I can finally get out and do some road running.  Its terrific.  But it is also the time of year when I am reminded by how much I have lost, or in the case of my weight, how much I have gained, over the winter.

This year I plan to run the Chicago Marathon.  The marathon is in the fall so I will use the summer to train.  If things go well, I will also run the New York City Marathon a few weeks later.  But as I begin my training in earnest, I am reminded of how far I have to go before I even get to the starting line of those races.

When I wrote my book and training program, I had no idea how it would be received.  I simply didn’t know if anyone would ever read it.  I am shocked at how wrong I was.

I proud to say that literally thousands of runners, some new to running entirely, are using my program to train for their marathons, including, by the way, for today’s London Marathon.

So while I am proud of the success of the book, the real gift to me has been all of the email messages I have received from runners all over the globe.

• I have heard from a mom in Ireland who beat breast cancer and is celebrating by running the Dublin Marathon with her daughter.

• I heard from Steve from the U.S. who informed me that he would be running the New York Marathon on a prosthetic leg.

• I’ve heard from a couple in Australia who are raising thousands of dollars for charity through their training.

• And I have heard from a man who will finish today’s London Marathon after losing more than 100 pounds and beginning a new and healthy life as a runner.

But mostly I hear from people like me: people with normal jobs and normal lives who are changing their lives in a very positive way by running a marathon.

I use a quote at the beginning of the book that hits this point directly:

“The running of a marathon is proof that ordinary
people — people with jobs, families and worries — can
do something extraordinary.”

As I begin my training and take the first steps in my marathon mission, I am reminded of the voices of people I have heard over the last year.  These gifts of inspiration are greatly appreciated but should not stop with me.

I have documented my training in a very public way through my website (www.MarathonMethod.com) and now through Twitter.  As you train for your marathon, I urge you to so the same.  Not only will it help you stay focused and engaged in your training, but it will encourage others to follow your lead.

You can set up a free Twitter account at Twitter.com and there are lots of free blog sites.  I use WordPress.com.

Remember, just as with the actual marathon, when training for a marathon, we are all in this together.

With that, I hope you have a great day.

As always, keep running!

Joe Donovan
MarathonMethod.com

P.S. Don’t forget to let me know about about your blog and Twitter account so I can follow your training.