healthy you t
FITNESS
A n d w h y y o u sh o u ld c o n s id e r itto o
BY KATHLEEN PARRISH
business. I couldn’t go for more than five minutes at a
time without having to stop for breath. This gave me
ample time for thoughts such as: “I’m too old.” “This is
stupid.” “It hurts.” “I think I swallowed a bug.”
But I kept at it, walking then jogging, jogging then
running until I reached three miles. Slowly, the runs
became easier as my stamina and endurance increased.
Not only physically, but mentally. I lost eight pounds
and, to my surprise, my legs even began to look like
those of the long-ago cheerleader.
Sure, I endured blisters, shin splints, and chafed
thighs (some people call it chub rub, and I like to punch
those people), but I was doing something I had thought
impossible only a few months before. Breaking self-
imposed boundaries is heady stuff.
Finally, race day arrived, and as I stood at the start line
with 12,000 other runners I felt a sense of community I
had never before experienced. The paths we had taken
to get there may have been different, but we were in it
together. Two hours, sixteen minutes, and seven seconds
later I crossed the finish line, and I felt like a rock star.
Running has changed my life. It taught me patience,
deepened my commitment to healthy living, and gave
me the confidence and courage to try new things.
Now, I seek out start lines, knowing baby steps can
lead to big things. It’s the journey that I treasure, not
the hour I arrive.
n my 40s I decided to take up running in an
attempt to distance myself from middle age.
1
There was only one problem—I’m not much
of an athlete. Never was. In college I was a
pom-pom girl. But then I traded up a skirt size
due to the Freshman Fifteen and got cut
from the squad.
Later, I joined a gym, the monthly fee coming straight
out of my checking account. I went twice. I bought an
elliptical trainer and after a few gung ho workouts used
it as a staging area for my closet. I’ve sold exercise videos
at garage sales still encased in shrink wrap.
But middle age changed something in me. I knew,
more than ever before, that the time had come to reject
a sedentary lifestyle. I bought fancy sneakers that cost
more than my monthly cell phone bill (which is pretty
hefty), and hit the sidewalks of my suburban neighbor-
hood. I decided to train for the Jefferson Hospital
Philadelphia Distance Run, a half-marathon—13.1 miles
—less than four months away. Ambitious? Perhaps. But
as a writer, I’m nothing without a deadline.
It was difficult in the beginning, but first steps always
are, whether it’s running a mile or running a new
To help her train for the half-
marathon she describes in this
story, Kathleen Parrish sought
the advice of Bart Yasso, the
“chief running officer” of
Runner's World
magazine. The
two hit it off so well they began
an unexpected collaboration that culminated in Bart's newly released
memoir
My Life on the Run: The W
it, W
isdom, and Insights of a Road
Racing Icon.
He did the talking Kathleen did the writing. The result is a
delightful, funny, inspiring read with stories that range across all seven
continents. And, at the back of the book, thereare training guides for
those who w antto prepare for everything from 5k runs to marathons.
1 7 4
AUGUST
2008
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
PHOTOS: (RUNNER) GETTY IMAGES; (BOOK COVER) RODALE, INC.
