Sunburned and dehydrated, I lay in the fetal position in the back of my mom’s car as she drove us home.
Minutes earlier, I had been credited with running 14 miles—more on that later—in my school’s annual walk-a-thon. I finished second in the entire school; only a fifth-grader covered a greater distance.
I was a second-grader at Sunnyvale’s Cherry Chase Elementary School, and like most of my fellow students at the time, I entered the event thinking I would complete a couple of laps around the school’s perimeter and call it a day.
Besides, it was around 90 degrees that day, conditions not exactly suited for a long run. Ten minutes in, I was already dripping with sweat. Rather than stopping, however, I felt the urge to keep going.
To this day, I could still hear my mom repeatedly saying, “Emanuel, you don’t have to keep going!” But I did keep going. Something inside of me told me I couldn’t stop. That I had to keep on suffering. And that’s exactly what I did for 2½ hours.
In the end, I was credited with running 14 miles; somehow, I can’t believe I was able to cover that much ground at such a young age. Whether it was 10, 12 or 14 miles, I don’t know why I pushed myself for so long and so hard that day, but the memory is as fresh today as it was 31—count ’em, 31—years ago.
At the ripe old age of 38, I’m running my fastest times ever. You don’t have to get old. Today’s professional athletes are living proof of that. Due to advances in science, nutrition and ahem, performance-enhancing drugs (let’s not be naïve here), there are more pro athletes playing well into their 30s than ever before.
Sure, average Joes like myself can only dream of running a 2-hour, 30-minute marathon, deciphering complex defenses like Tom Brady or shooting a basketball with the laser-like accuracy of a Stephen Curry, but we can all take cues from the best.
In a January New York Times Magazine profile of Brady, it was revealed the Serra High-San Mateo graduate and arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history is a stickler for nutrition.
No surprise there. Like a number of pro athletes, Brady has his own nutrition advisor and chef—the article said after morning workouts while on vacation Brady often had protein shakes that included kale and collard greens.
Brady does have the occasional treat or two—if you count raw macaroons and ice cream made from avocado as treats. And I thought I was a health nut. Brady’s father, also named Tom, gave a nice anecdote in the magazine piece.
“Sometimes we’ll go over to Tom and Gisele’s (Brady’s supermodel wife, Gisele Bundchen) house for dinner. And then I’ll say afterward, ‘Where are we going for dinner?’”
For the majority of people who can’t afford their own nutritionist and chef, eating healthy isn’t the chore as it’s made out to be. Now sticking to it, that’s an altogether different issue.
This column will touch base on a variety of topics, including running, nutrition, strength training and training the mind to achieve a healthy lifestyle. Sometimes the topic will be the news of the week, other times a profile on someone in the community who exemplifies healthy living.
Even though I love performing kettleball swings, intervals on the rowing machine, weighted dips/pushups and engage in core-busting workouts involving a sledgehammer and battling ropes, running is my No. 1 exercise of choice.
Running is the perfect metaphor for life: You get out of it what you put in. Some runners are more naturally talented than others. Yet all have the same goal—to finish the race. I run not just for myself, but also for my family and loved ones—especially my father, Thomas, who died nearly 15 years ago.
When I toe the line for the Aug. 23 Santa Rosa Marathon, I’ll be completely confident knowing I’ve put in the necessary training and properly fueled my body to reach my goal of running a 3-hour, 17-minute marathon, which averages out to a 7:32-mile pace over 26.2 miles.
I’ll say a prayer and then I’ll think about all of the people who can’t run, knowing the ability to freely run is a precious gift, never to be taken for granted.
Emanuel Lee is sports editor of the Free Lance.
