Teaching on the Run

When being sponsored to run a race, most people just say “WOW, thanks (insert company here)” and post a few pictures. We are obligated to do so and most people really enjoy it. Nothing against it, but it’s not me. I will always opt for sincerity over irony, and this will be a sincere reflection of my experiences and observations. Also… I’m a teacher. Working with an audience that probably-isn’t-listening is what they pay me the medium bucks for. 

There is another reason I chose this format, but I have to do some background before it will make sense.

I like to run. I lift, do yoga, and go for a lot of walks, but no form of exercise has ever spoken to me the way running has. My runs have become the blessed barrier between my responsibilities at school and my responsibilities at home. I need to be at my best in both of those spaces, but running can be as messy or imperfect as I need it to be. I never regret it when I am done, and I want to do it forever. I’ve been running for 8 years now at various levels. I’ve raced a lot as well, and having the goal of a race has helped me to stay disciplined and motivated. There are races of all lengths and sizes. There are 5k’s, 10k’s, half-marathons, marathons, fun runs, color runs, mud runs, trail runs, and even ultra marathons. I also just read about an annual 5k at a nudist colony in Virginia that is haunting my nightmares; But right now my focus is on marathons.

What is a marathon?

The marathon is a 26.2 mile race. It is one of the oldest running events, having started in the time of the Ancient Greeks. The history teacher in me is crying out. The intrusive thoughts, the horrid NEED to tell the story of the first marathon is so strong…but I’ll save it for my students (they’re a captive audience and running away from my class is punishable by law). Short story short? Pheidippides (the first guy to run a marathon) supposedly died doing it…So naturally we do them for fun now. I’m including two links below for people who want to learn more about the first marathon so the historian in me can feel like it did its duty. One is a short history of the first marathon, and the other is a podcast episode I really enjoyed on the same topic. Pick your format. Learn some history and annoy your friends.

Marathons. I ran my first marathon in Columbus in 2023.  I was focused on coaching at the time, but I had also been running with my athletes at my practices for 5 years. As an aside – this is easily one of the things I miss most about coaching, as I was a witness to so many of their triumphs that I would have missed otherwise. I ran and trained in the offseason too, constantly experimenting with new training and injury prevention methods that I could pass on. After 5 years, though, most of my experience was in the 5k (a 3.1 mile race). I had run the half marathon (13.1 miles) twice, once in Columbus for Nationwide Children’s and the Happy Half in Springfield prior to that. Around that time, a person I trust said to me, “If you can do a half, why not just do a full? It’s twice the distance, but you’ll be fine.” 

I should have thrown rocks at that person. The full marathon was twice as long but it felt 10x harder. It was also the most difficult single thing I have ever done in my life. Everything can go wrong in a race that long. You can usually gut your way through most races, even if you’re not ready. Heck, I watched my student-athletes run personal-bests with nothing on their stomachs but McGriddles and good intentions. You’re not doing that in the marathon. Go out too fast because you’re nervous? Your body will make you pay for that and force you to slow down. Go out too slow? Good luck finding energy to speed up after 18 miles, chump. Didn’t eat and drink while racing? You are going to “bonk” (run out of energy and stop because your body literally used every calorie in your system). Eat too much before or during the race? Good luck holding that bowel movement, pal. I came away from my first marathon barely being able to walk and triggered arthritis in my knees that shouldn’t have made an appearance until I was applying for an AARP card…But it happened anyway. I ran the race in 3 hours and 2 minutes (about 6:56 per mile). And the worst part? I knew I wanted to do another one. Sickening. By running the race in under 3:05:00, I had also qualified for one of the Abbott World Major Marathons. I was going to run in Chicago.

The Marathon Majors

Most marathons are simple. You sign-up, you show up, you suffer, and the give you a t-shirt and commemorative medal for it. The Majors are different, though. You have to qualify. In other words – you have to be fast enough to get in. How fast that is varies based on age and gender; but only around the top 5% of all marathon finishers are fast enough to qualify for a major. For example, the Boston marathon’s qualifying time for Age 18-34 men is 2:55:00 (6:40 per mile). The average marathon finish time, according to The Running Channel is just over 4 hours. I still think there is no such thing as an “average marathon” because of how hard it is, but even I have to concede that qualifiers are different monsters. It takes a Herculean effort to achieve a qualifying time, and it’s difficult regardless of age or gender category. I’m talking years of dedication, consistency, and talent. I still haven’t reached that. I’m not sure I ever will now that requirements have changed. 

Majors are a big deal. Among marathoners they are status symbols. Wearing a Boston Marathon silhouette while boasting a qualifying time commands instant respect from anyone who knows running. They know that it had to be earned, and respect that. That said, to a normal person they’re just wearing weirdly colored jackets that look like a Wiggles cosplay. I find that’s always humbling for anyone who gets too big for their britches. 

I ran the Chicago Marathon on October 13th, 2024. I loved running it, and I had an amazing weekend with my family there. Chicago is my favorite city in the United States. The food is great, the people have been kind, and the public transit system is fun/easy. I had a blast with my family there in the weekend before the race and still managed to achieve my goal of running a sub-3 hour marathon. But 2:59:45 isn’t fast enough to qualify for any majors anymore. The running community has exploded in size, so more people are qualifying than ever before. The qualifying times have had to go down to keep the fields within reason. So when the race was done, I thought I had run my last major marathon on my own virtue. I made my peace with that.  

Enter Team TCS teachers. It was the only application I sent out where I didn’t have to sacrifice my first born… or essentially the only marathon entry I could be given without requiring me to raise a whole lot of money. They would allow me to run the race *because* I am a public-school teacher. In other words, I just had to be proud of my profession. And I am. Immensely so. It felt unlikely that I would be win here, because there are a ton of applicants and only 50 spots awarded. However, to my surprise and elation, they accepted me and gave me a spot in the New York City Marathon. So here I am. All team TCS is asking of me is that I proudly advertise that I am a teacher *and* a runner. I can do that. 

Why?

I’m not a running influencer and I’m not taking videos of my runs. I’m not attractive or fast enough for that. So…I decided to write. Despite having a Masters in Literacy and coaching talented creative writers every year, I don’t think this is my strong suit. But what I lack in confidence, I make up for in perspective. Because what I do have is a unique view of running, teaching, and parenting. I walk in many worlds.

I’ve been a runner for 10 years. I’ve been a public-school teacher for 8 years. I’ve been coaching the creative writing team at Graham Middle School for 6 years. I was a Cross Country coach for 5 years. I’ve been a parent for 5 years. These things are all related. They all draw on my time and energy. They were all choices that I actively made in hopes of shaping a better future for myself and those around me. So those are the things I will talk about.

I want this to be less about me and more about the communities I am a part of. I like to listen to those around me in order to learn from them. I hope to share some of what I’ve seen and even more that others have taught me. I don’t know how regularly I’ll post, because I’m not going to say anything unless I have something worth saying. Otherwise it’s just empty words.

I’ve added some posts on my main page. About me, current gear, and a link to my Strava (where I post details on all my runs)…My next post will be this week some time, as I finish up some experimenting I’m doing with running in intense heat/humidity. Until next time.

– Godspeed, Christian