Plodders do have a place!
I refer to a
New York Times article which relates to an “apparent”
concern about the period of time it takes some runners to
complete a Marathon.
“It’s a joke
to run a marathon by walking every other mile or by finishing in
six, seven, eight hours,” said Adrienne Wald, 54, the women’s
cross-country coach at the College of New Rochelle.
I realize that
only a small minority of people share the same opinion as
Adrienne however I believe that such a remark is a slur on the
improved level of physical activity that has taken place in our
society in recent years.
We should feel
extremely proud of how we have developed “fitness wise” over the
past 40 or so years. I refer to my parent’s generation and
generations before them. I’m unable to recall my parents, or any
of their relatives and friends, being involved in any form of
physical activity other than the occasional social game of
tennis or squash. Yes, times were different. Mum was full time
at home taking care of the household and kids, and Dad was at
work. There could be reason to believe that there was little
time left to allocate to a personal fitness regime however I
don’t believe this was the case.
We now belong
to a society which encourages exercise and running is the most
efficient way to improve one’s level of fitness. I’ve also found
it to be my drug of choice when it comes to achieving peace of
mind.
If a member of
my parent’s generation ran/walked 42.2k 40 years ago he/she
would have been the talk of the town and revered by all. Let’s
never fail to acknowledge how much our level of physical
activity has progressed in such a short period and I applaud
anyone who’s involved in distance running, regardless of how
long the journey may take.
Pat Carroll
Online Running Coach
PCRG mentor
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