Anietra Hamper, WBNS-TV

Something neat happens when you transition from ‘wanting’ to do something to ‘committing’ to it. That is what has happened with my marathon training. As a result of that commitment I researched all I could about nutrition, rest, stretching and pushing my limits. A chance meeting with Olympic Gold medalist, Ohio State track star and the ULTIMATE runner Butch Reynolds is taking that commitment to another level. Once Butch learned of my dream to run the marathon and my frustration at being stuck at 16 miles he jumped on board to help me. I now work with the mighty Butch 2 days a week and he has filled my calendar with training assignments on non-Butch days.

I like to say that there are marathoners (you know, the Butch Reynolds’ of the world that make it look so easy) and then there are the rest of us. There are many things I am learning from Butch that are significant and important to reaching my own personal potential. We focus everything in our training on keeping the body tight and conserving energy….we want to stave off fatigue as long as possible. I have learned so much—and I have improved my consistency so much that, with Butch’s blessing, I wanted to share some of the knowledge.

–STRETCHING: is key! I mean, really stretching. We want to lengthen those muscles. I realized I was not stretching enough.

–BREATHING: is everything! Full, deep breaths. Use your diaphragm and fill it like it is the last breath you will take. Slowly inhale and exhale. Try breathing in for 15 seconds..hold for 15…then exhale for 15. It’s tough! This will condition your body to take full breaths while you run. This has made a significant difference for me.

–RHYTHM: Hit your stride by finding a rhythm. I used to take off with no real game plan. Finding a rhythm also helps me remain consistent with my body positioning, my breathing and everything just seems to work together effortlessly.

–ARMS: ok, after participating in SEVERAL marathons, I just discovered that the arms have an actual function in this feat. Use your arms to pump and help the legs with momentum.

–POSITIONING: Butch pointed out to me that if I were running AND reading the news—I would have perfect form! Unfortunately, that perfect posture that helps me so much in my job is not gaining me any points in running. A big part of my training is angling my head down-just a tad. It has made a huge difference for me. The run is more comfortable, more natural.

Since implementing these drills into my running routine—my time has remained very consistent at a point when I would normally start to slow down. Between vacation, personal and professional obligations and recently an injured tendon, I have definitely hit some challenges. I have incorporated training drills with Butch several days a week and rigorous swimming in addition to my running. Our goal is to get me over the hump by becoming more efficient with my body. So, while I feel like I have had a small setback, I am more motivated than ever to push ahead!!

Training for the marathon or half marathon is such an individual journey. Everyone is at their own place, facing their own challenges and pushing for their own goals. There is no comparison of apples to apples. That is so neat! Someone struggling to break 3 miles feels the same reach for that goal as me struggling to hit last week’s 18 miles or as someone pushing 23. Hitting your personal milestones is all that matters. No one is judging your performance except for you. No one is monitoring your progress except for you. YOU are the biggest motivator or inhibitor in your success. I have discovered on very long runs that I sometimes think – “wow, I still have 8 miles to go and I’m feeling a little tired.” I have changed that. Now, when I am at those points in my run I say “wow, I have already tackled 8 miles and I’m feeling great!” There is something amazing that happens with the mental attitude when you change that perspective and put a smile on your face. I encourage those who are struggling with the mental part of the grueling runs to try it—just once.

Anietra Hamper, WBNS-TV

Circle of Support:

As the miles pile on and I am spending hours on the trail on long runs I have come to really appreciate my circle of support. From my family wowing over the miles I’ve logged…to my boyfriend Harry Peachey congratulating a good day and training with me (he is going to do the half)…to my co-worker and super marathoner Steve Harvey checking in daily on my progress and telling me it’s ok when I feel I’ve slipped a little…to my girlfriend and fellow blogger Miss Lisa bringing me champagne for tackling a very tough run… to the marathon king Darris and his lovely wife Star providing me with expertise and advice to keep it going… to my lovely friend Jamie McGann who surprised me on my grueling long-run last week by showing up on my route when I was really struggling and ran with me the last 4 miles…this support is essential! There are many times that I still consider the full marathon a bigger goal than I can handle, but my circle of support is lifting me and encouraging me.

You are what you eat:

Since I am pushing upwards of 40 miles a week I am really buckled down on nutrition and recovery. It became very clear to me at one point that my body can only perform on the fuel I give it. Girly lunches and tiny snacks don’t cut it anymore. Changing up my intake—has dramatically impacted my running output. I reserve a weekend day to have whatever I want and indulge in some ice cream and the rest of the week.

So I am on course. I continue to climb into new territory in my training and it is very exciting!

Anietra Hamper, WBNS-TV

As the weeks pass- and my running performance improves- my challenges change. I am at 14 miles for my last increase and I will tackle 16 next weekend. At this stage, good nutrition is even more critical throughout the week. I am slowly letting go of the things that tempt my sweet tooth and trading in ‘quick’ meals for ‘quality’ meals. I have a lot of nutrition questions that I hope to get answered as I struggle on some long runs with feeling very sick AFTER completing those runs. I am also trying to add in more quality carbs into my diet which is typically void of excess carbs. This is an adjustment.

As an ambitious perfectionist my other training challenge is trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel from the beginning of the track. I have been feverishly increasing my miles. All of the training schedules have ‘long run’ days that scale back throughout training. It takes a lot of effort for me to do that as I am eager to reach a goal that seems so distant at this point. I DID scale back this weekend to 12 miles. What I discovered is that same 12 miles I really struggled with several weekends ago was not as much of a struggle this time. In fact, I ended my run feeling tired but not sore or exhausted the way I had the first time and even the second time I ran 12 miles. This tells me that I am getting stronger, building endurance and making strides—literally.

At this stage of training I realize that rest is as important as running. I am seeing how training, nutrition and rest converge to enable your body to perform at an increased level. So, in addition to tweeking my eating habits (yes, I still allow for the occasional chocolate treat or ice cream) and increasing my total weekly mileage, I really pay attention to my sleep. Since I go to bed around 7pm for my work schedule it leaves little opportunity to go to bed ‘early’. So, I aim to go to bed ‘on-time’ and try to get good rest on the weekends.

I remain motivated. I focus on crossing that finish line. I ask lots of questions and seek out lots of resources. The support from the experts of the Columbus Marathon and from other runners is a tremendous help.

Anietra Hamper, morning news anchor, 10TV

Running a marathon has been on my life bucket list since I participated in the relay several years ago and caught the bug! In 2005 I made a commitment to train for the whole marathon. I do not consider myself a natural runner so this decision was a huge commitment in my life. Carving out time for training during the week, being diligent with my eating habits to fuel my body for training and passing up those Friday night cocktails to ensure a great long-run on Saturday mornings were all things that imposed big changes in my life. After months of training, I injured my Achilles on my left foot. I kept running not knowing the severity of the injury and before I knew it I couldn’t even walk. I wore a stability boot for weeks and despite my greatest intentions to still run the marathon— it didn’t happen. It was months before I could walk or work out again and more than a year before I could even attempt a short run. Last year I ran the half marathon with a goal to simply finish injury-free. I did it. When spring hit this year, I wondered if this would be the year I cross that marathon milestone off my list. I am 3 weeks into training. So far, so good. I am quickly reminded of the major time commitment involved for runs during the week. Since my work schedule requires me to get up at 2a.m. I literally have to schedule my runs like an appointment in the day to make sure I stick to my schedule. Some days, life gets in the way, but I have given myself permission for flexibility. When that happens, I re-arrange the rest of the week so I can at least be close to my target for miles. I make long-runs on Saturdays when I can carve out a chunk of time. I get up at 5:30am on Saturdays to make this the first thing I do in the day and it feels great! I still wonder if I have the time to make this commitment to the marathon. What keeps me going is the feeling of making a goal that you think it too high to reach— and then logging an incredible journey getting there. For those who say “I could never do that.” You are the only person standing in your way. If it were easy EVERYONE would do it. I look forward to the challenge of sticking to my weekly goals and taking all precautions to remain injury-free. I look forward to feeling great because I’m working hard and eating well (yes, I do indulge in the occasional fabulous dessert!!). And, I look forward to that incredible sense of accomplishment in October! On your mark…get set….GO!!!