Marathon Training Team Provides Support Network
by Jon Lugbill
The thought of running a marathon can be daunting. I sat in on a Sports Backers Marathon Training Team information session to learn what first time participants are thinking about before they start our program. Sean Cusack, Assistant Head Coach of the Marathon Training Team, provided information about the program to 20 potential team members and answered their questions. He started off the night by saying, “Our training program has a fantastic social aspect, but it is still about running a marathon.” You’ve got to understand that Sean is not really the warm and fuzzy type.
I kept asking myself what is going through people’s minds just before they take part in the Marathon Training Team? Sean kept pounding through the details of the program and described the choice between the novice and intermediate programs. It really is just a matter of the amount of running you are doing consistently before the program starts on May 30 or 31. The pace is not always the big factor but rather if you are okay with running 5 days a week instead of 4. He explained how the 70 coaches divide the 1,300 runners into smaller teams with wacky names like “Pink Nation”, “Duct Tape” and “Nacho” based on the novice and intermediate training levels and your expected pace. Sean added his typical no non-sense description, “The program is recreational with everyone getting the same medal at the finish line, but it is still a commitment to get the miles in.”
He even talked through the benefits of the program with the water and Powerade stations every 3-4 miles for the longer runs, and there are even snacks! He talked about the website and the message board containing information about the routes for each week. He described the different clinics that include topics like what shoes to wear, nutrition tips, injury prevention, and what to expect on race day. He even mentioned the trainers from CJW Sports Medicine who come out every other week and help answer any questions you might have about your aches and pains.
He then started providing reasons for turning the marathon into a team sport. He described how you really get to know the people you run with on your long runs. The shared experience of running a marathon creates bonds that can last decades and even a lifetime. He described the team’s social events throughout the program. Sean added there is another reason the strong sense of team is helpful, “The knowledge that the other people on the team are counting on you to show up motivates you to get up and get going week after week.”
He got done with all of the logistical stuff, and then I swear he briefly became emotional when he started talking about the motivation for the coaches giving so much of their time to the program: “Marathon Day is why we volunteer all of our time for 24 weeks—to see you achieve something incredible by finishing a marathon.” I think he even had to wipe his eyes.
I still was wondering if Sean was answering the nagging question in the back of everyone’s minds. I stood up and finally asked, “What is it about signing up for Marathon Training Team that is scary?” Crickets. No one said anything. It suddenly dawned on me that all these people were ready to begin their marathon journey. I then asked why they were motivated to do it. Someone yelled out, “Because I can!” Someone else shouted out, “It is the natural progression of my running career to move up from the Half Marathon.”
Rachel Berry, a participant in last year’s Sports Backers Marathon Training Team interjected, “The program is genius, the water stations alone are worth the price of the program.” She added the deal clincher, “If you can talk yourself through this and finish the marathon, then you can do other things in your life that you didn’t think were possible.”