When I run I have a lot of thoughts. Most are inane, some are funny and the rest are just simply to get me around the next corner.
Here are a few of them:
“I’ve only run how far?”
“I hate this (insert irritable item of clothing here) why do I keep wearing it?”
“I should have gone pee before I left.”
“I am wearing way too many layers.”
“I am not wearing enough layers.”
“That’s a new pain.”
I can’t believe we are only one week away from the marathon! By this time next week we will be finished our race (hopefully!). I feel like I still have so many things to do… laundry, packing, travelling and of course a lot of resting!
I am staying in Victoria for a few extra days after the marathon so have been looking into things to do. I haven’t been there since I was a little kid so I am pretty excited! It’s hard to know what I will feel like doing after the race so I am trying to find at least a few not so physical activities. Any suggestions?
You might be training for a marathon if… this is considered an afternoon “treat”.
You might be training for a marathon if… choosing where to go out for dinner is especially challenging.
Did you know only 10% of Canadian kids get enough exercise? Ten per cent! That number makes my heart hurt.
When I was a kid I was extremely lucky to be exposed to all kinds of sports at a young age. My mom was a skating teacher and recreation coordinator at a large rec facility in Calgary. My dad was a college hockey player and a talented ball player. Growing up we were an active family, I did skating, dance and gymnastics with my mom. We went on family walks and bike rides and threw balls around in the park. Eventually I started swimming, which was the sport that really stuck for me.
I now know that establishing that base of physical knowledge at a young age is what made me the confident and competent athlete I am today.
Not all kids are as lucky. Many aren’t taught the basic’s of how to move, jump and run when they are young. Not having those skills takes the fun out of sport and exercise and often discourages kids from continuing in sports into their teenage or adult years.
Over the last few months I’ve spent a lot of time writing about my own marathon training journey and while it has been a great experience, it has also been really hard. I’ve come to realize it’s a lot more difficult to write about myself than I thought it would be. As a journalist I’ve always found myself much more interested in telling other people’s stories than my own, so I want to make sure I take the time to do that.
With more than 60 current members, the UofC Marathon Training Program is a hugely diverse group of people, each with their own inspiring tales to tell. Some of them have been running marathons longer than I’ve been alive, some picked up running later in life. Some are competitive and are training for big races like the Boston Marathon and some run for the community and for fun.
I plan on telling some of the amazing stories of the group’s more experienced runners over the winter break, but for now, there are several other first-time marathoners with the UofC program whom I am so excited to introduce you to.
I have gotten to know each of these people pretty well after training together over the last few months. We have taken each scary, exciting, painful and triumphant step together since March and I am going to be featuring each of them while finding out what made them want to take on this crazy challenge.
I am proud to introduce you to Nand. Throughout this journey there have been many tough moments but as a quiet leader with seemingly endless optimism, I don’t think I’ve every heard Nand complain once. His consistency in both his pace and his attitude make Nand a delightful person to run with. His hidden talent is only laughing at things he finds REALLY funny. If you’ve made Nand laugh, you’ve made it.
Name: Nand Lal Khatri
Age: 30
Occupation: Petroleum Engineer
Goal race: Victoria Marathon