Project Half Marathon: questions from a child

Almost exactly 75 days ago, myself and Oliver officially kicked off our personal half marathon project. In other words, a third of our preparation time has passed. I’m sitting in front of my laptop, dealing with a medium-sized amount of emotional chaos. On the one hand, I’m really proud that I’ve kept at it until now. On the other hand, I’m annoyed about all the things that aren’t going the way I want them to. But let’s start with the things that went well in the last few weeks.

Enjoying running

I have to say, I still really enjoy running. Even if I still don’t manage to consistently run a kilometre in under 7 minutes, the exercise boosts my motivation and mental recovery. I’ve even started to develop some kind of fear of missing out, better known as FOMO. Admittedly, I’m still a long way from planning my whole week around my running sessions and, to be honest, I don’t want to get to that point. But if I don’t manage to get that run in, it bothers me and I miss it.

And even if it’s made me more grounded in everyday life and looking at the results makes me feel happy, a couple of questions from my child threw me off.

But why?

It happened a few days ago. I’d almost left the house to go for a run when my three-and-a-half-year-old engaged me in the following conversation:

Him: «Daddy, where are you going?»

Me: «Going for a run.»

Him: «Oh no, not again?!»

Me: «Yep. But I’ll be back soon.»

Him: «But where will you run to?»

Me: «Well, I’ll actually run in a big circle.»

Him: «But where?»

Me, after what felt like an eternity: «Well, you know, I’m going to where we see those cows on our walks. And then back again.»

Him: «But why do you have to do that?»

Me: «You know, I’m training for a race where lots of people run together.»

Him: «But why do all those people do that?»

I realise the little one won’t understand any motives such as a personal challenge, improving your fitness, pushing your boundaries or midlife crisis, so I reply: «I guess everyone has their own reason.»

Him: «Alright... Will we go to the supermarket when you get back? I want a Paw Patrol pudding!»

The conversation on the doorstep lasted less than a minute, but for the first part of my run, all I could think about was how pointless it must sound to a child that adults spend weeks or months preparing to just run round in circles with complete strangers. Luckily, after about ten minutes of running, my survival mode took over and I had no capacity to think about anything other than breathing and my pulse.

Back at home, all the little one was thinking about was that pudding, so I was spared any further questions about why people run half marathons.

A problem shared is a problem halved

One of my highlights of the last four weeks was definitely going for a lunch break run together with my colleague Oliver. Although it started to rain right at the beginning, our spirits were high and we set off from the Zurich office in the direction of Werdinsel. A really pleasant route along the Limmat river. I’d been a bit nervous beforehand, as Oliver’s much fitter than me and I knew I’d be physically and mentally more exhausted than him if I wanted to keep up. And I didn’t want to keep him from training at his usual speed.

In the end, it was a fantastic run. Oliver and I had a great chat (admittedly, mainly about the run we were on and our previous training experiences) and he never made me feel like we were running too slowly, even though we definitely weren’t moving at his usual pace. Olla, if you’re reading this (and I know you are), let’s do that again!

Iron (Wo)men

Fast forward to last Sunday. The weather wasn’t great, but the kids still needed to get out. I didn’t want them to stay indoors all day and get cabin fever. So we set off to Rapperswil-Jona to go for a walk by the lake and let the kids run around. What I didn’t know was that Ironman 70.3 Switzerland was taking place there on that day. As a result, the town and the usually not as busy spots around the lake were crowded.

We found a quiet place in the end, but I couldn’t resist stopping along the route to watch the athletes. I’m glad I did, as what I saw gave me confidence. The field consisted of some well-trained runners, some semi-athletic-looking people in their mid-thirties and the odd participant who, based purely on what they looked like, you’d never expect to do an Ironman.

This sounds really superficial, but as the owner of a full-blown dad bod, I’ll allow myself to say that. And I don’t mean this in a patronising way, but I’m impressed and motivated, as it goes to show that no matter what your physical condition, your biggest opponent is your mind. That’s why I have the greatest respect for all participants in sporting challenges of any kind.

The 90-day challenge

Back at home and in my everyday life, the euphoria subsided quite quickly. Time to face my own reality again. I’m a far cry from completing Greifensee Run in good style, but I’ll keep making progress – at my own pace. I still have over three months to go and, as luck (or rather a smart algorithm) would have it, a 90-day challenge just appeared in my social media feed. Some ripped guy promises to help me achieve an unrivalled body transformation by September, completely free of charge. Seriously, no fees at all, he said it several times.

Of course, everything’s scientifically proven. And have I mentioned it’s totally free? Well, we all know that’s complete BS and we should ignore these kind of videos. Of course I did that – after about 20 minutes. That guy was convincing, I tell you! In the end, you’ll be glad to hear I did close it and will continue to rely on the results of our professional and realistic fitness checks.

Right, I gotta go now. Everyday life’s calling and I have household duties and other commitments to fulfil before the next training session. Here are my learnings from the last four weeks:

• Running with someone instead of alone makes everything a bit easier.
• Don’t even try to explain to a 3-year-old why running in circles makes sense.
• At the end of the day, it’s all in your mind.

Have you taken part in any running events recently? Join the comment section to let me know how it went – and keep those tips coming!

If you’d like to join Oliver and me on our half-marathon journey, here are some insights into how we’re getting on: