Hollister school teacher Rob Zimmerman is psyched up for his
first Boston Marathon
Sitting in his office at San Benito High School, surrounded by
medals and mementos from past races, one would not guess that Rob
Zimmerman has only been running for two years.
Hollister school teacher Rob Zimmerman is psyched up for his first Boston Marathon
Sitting in his office at San Benito High School, surrounded by medals and mementos from past races, one would not guess that Rob Zimmerman has only been running for two years.
So it would come as somewhat of a surprise that this amateur runner is participating in the Boston Marathon on Monday.
Two years ago he started running after a long hiatus and participated in the YMCA 5K in Hollister. He said that during the race he was out of shape and felt like he was going to die, like his heart was going to explode. It was at that point that he decided he would not run again until he could be successful at it.
“I’m kind of competitive; I don’t want to run unless I can win,” Zimmerman said.
That do-or-die attitude may stem from Zimmerman’s time in the Army as an Airborne Ranger, the Army’s Special Forces Command; however Zimmerman says it’s all about the mental game. He said that the physical part anybody can do – they just have to train – but the mental part, you have to put your mind somewhere else.
The 26.2-mile races can be grueling on the body, and Zimmerman knows a thing or two about pain. He puts his body through the ringer on a regular basis. His training ground is the Pinnacles National Monument, where he runs the trails in whatever shape they happen to be in, rocks and all. On average, Zimmerman says that he runs up to 70 miles a week.
He says that when you run a race, like a marathon, you trick yourself. You can’t think of the race in its entirety; you have to break it down.
“The mental is the toughest part of the race, but if you break it down, tell yourself you’ll run to that tree, then, when you get there, you set another goal,” Zimmerman said.
He explained that as a runner gets more focused, and the mental aspects of running become easier.
Diet is also extremely important. Zimmerman said that nutrition is a major part of his training regime and since when you run seriously on a regular basis you deplete so many vitamins and nutrients from your body, you have to make sure you replenish them.
“Breathing too. Breathing is a big part, you have to be able to control your breathing and have a rhythm. I’m getting faster this year – the fastest I’ve been – at the Fort Ord marathon, I knocked three minutes off my time from last year,” Zimmerman said.
The Boston Marathon is restricted to runners who meet a rigorous qualifying time. Zimmerman earned his qualification by placing high in the Big Sur half-marathon and he received entry to that by placing in the top 10 at the Monterey Half Marathon
Zimmerman’s had support getting ready for Boston. – both financially and otherwise – from friends and coworkers. Jess Morales, who coaches cross-country and track at San Benito High School and Dave Tari, who teaches athletic training and sports medicine also at San Benito have been essential, Zimmerman said.
“It’s one of the best things about working at the high school, having that access to a sports trainer,” Zimmerman said. “It’s like having an on-call doctor at your disposal. The combined knowledge of Coach Morales and Dave Tari is just great.”
Zimmerman said that his goal is to participate in five marathons this year and barring any major injuries he’s likely to accomplish that. However injury doesn’t stop him, he says that as an athlete you have to know the difference between being in pain and being hurt. He says that you can train through pain, but when you’re hurt, you’re just doing more damage.
Ultimately his goal is to start running ultra-marathons, longer-distance often multiple-day marathons.
“I have a saying before I go out to run: ‘It’s time to suffer,'”
Zimmerman said. “I tell people it’s gotta hurt, you gotta make it hurt. Because it gets worse before it gets better.”
