If you are like me, you might be thinking, “Why the heck would I want to do that?” When my sister, Kara, first asked me if I wanted to run a marathon with her, my initial response was, “Absolutely not”. I can’t even run a mile. My regular exercise consists of walking with the kids in a stroller and yoga classes. So how did I get from there to here?

A Marathon for the Whole Family

 I asked Kara which marathon she was going to train for, since these are held all over the country, throughout the year. She said the Disney Marathon in January 2011. This was appealing for a few reasons. First, it is six months away, which seems like a doable amount of time for training. Second, I joined Kara, as an observer, when she ran her first marathon in Disney World in 2004 and it was a fun event. Third, with three small children, my family loves to vacation in Disney World, so the whole family could enjoy my marathon adventure.

 The next obstacle I needed to consider was the amount of time needed to dedicate to training for a marathon. As I mentioned, my sister Kara trained for a marathon in 2004, so she has some experience in this area. Her training schedule consisted of one long run on Sunday mornings in which the duration of the run was increased by one mile each week until she reached approximately 23 miles. In addition, there was one half-duration run midweek. For example, in the 10^th week we would run 10 miles on Sunday morning and on Wednesday we would run 5 miles. In addition to the two longer runs, the schedule consists of 2 or 3 short runs, about 1/2 hour in duration.

 The Importance of Exercise for Perfect Health

 I’ll admit, this still sounds like a big time commitment, but I think it is possible, and, more importantly, I believe in the necessity of exercise for Perfect Health. There are so many health benefits attributed to regular exercise. Your heart and lungs are muscles that are strengthened with aerobic exercise. Physical activity increases bone density. Summertime in the northeast US is the perfect time to get outside and enjoy those natural mood-enhancing endorphins that are produced during training.

 Ultimately, the final reason I decided to train for a marathon is because I want to incorporate regular exercise into my life and I feel particularly motivated when I have a goal and a deadline.

In addition, since I have recently crossed over the four-decade mark, “I’m not getting any younger, so, if not now…when?”

Want to train with Perfect Supplements?

Subscribe to the Perfect Supplements for Perfect Health newsletter and track your training progress with us on the Perfect Supplements for Perfect Health blog. Reach your training goals and we will send you a free team t-shirt.

 Interested in Running for a Cause?

Join our Perfect Supplements for Perfect Health Team and raise money for the American Cancer Society. We chose the ACS because we believe that cancer is not just a health issue, it is also an environmental issue. Perfect Supplements will match every dollar you raise with an equal donation (up to $500). Subscribe to the Perfect Supplements for Perfect Health newsletter and raise $50 for ACS and we will send you a free team t-shirt.