WOMEN'S RUNNING

 

SEMPER FI By Sarah Cheffins

 

An Internet surfing session leads to an emotional marathon debut

 

    Runners and computer nerds don't appear to have anything in common, and up to 18 months ago I wouldn't have made either category. But put one extra factor in there ‑ the Internet ‑ and you have a marriage made in heaven.

 

    I got Internet access at work around the time I decided to have one last go at putting on my running shoes and losing weight. I discovered the RW USA website during a lunchtime surfing session, and read through the forums where messages are posted on any number of subjects. Anyone can reply, and soon I was receiving help related to motivation, aches and pains, what to eat and when, stretching, problems specific to women runners ‑ you name it, it was there.

 

    When a group on the Masters (Veterans) Forum invited regulars to come to the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) in Washington, DC in October, I got the stupid idea that I would join them ‑ even though I had never flown or run a marathon. I acquired a 'virtual' coach, a Canadian called Mikey, and tried to keep to e‑mailed training plans, posting my progress on the Marathon Training Group section of the Beginner's Forum for the next few months, along with several others.

 

    In October I flew out to stay with Jane, a forum 'penfriend', and joined the team, which now included about 25 runners of all abilities. Arriving at a Pizza Parlour for the first meeting and being suddenly surrounded by the faces and voices of people I knew well, but had never seen, was overwhelming. Most were a lot younger than their experienced advice had suggested, and they'd traveled a long way to be here. Apart from a hefty US contingent there was myself, Billy and Jussara Fanstone from Brazil, and DebbieO and DebbieA from London, Ontario. Most of us knew each other by our pen‑names ‑ MrBob, Dave the Brave, JC. From now on, our e‑mail would have a face and an accent.

 

    The bonding of the team was more than instant ‑ we'd done that before we even got there. Gifts and race T‑shirts were exchanged; JC gave me a Boston shirt with the message that this should be my goal. Music and dancing followed, to make for a night that surpassed everyone's expectation.

 

    The twist in the tale is that I wasn't allowed to complete the MCM. Even though Jim Fortner, a fast runner who has twice qualified for Boston, chose to stay with me throughout the race, a late start gun and torrential rain saw us fail to reach the Rocambeau Bridge (at the 22‑mile point) by 2pm, when it was closed to runners. I started to sob in disbelief as my first marathon ended abruptly, and had to be pushed onto the bus because I couldn't make the steps. Back at the hotel, Mikey handed his medal straight to me ‑ on loan, he said, until I have one of my own.

 

    The following day I logged back onto the forums and posted a tribute to Jim for sticking with me. Over the next few days, people confessed that they had been following our progress for months, and some had been in tears on reading the result. They said that Jim and I ran the race in the true spirit of the US Marines, whose motto is 'semper fi' ‑ always faithful. This had been written on the road signs overhead during the race; it now seems to sum up the whole experience.

 

    The forums are still invaluable to me. Mikey and Jim have pledged to keep me going towards my new marathon goal, London (if I get in). Now that they know how I run, they know better how to help me.

 

    Those who run alone, and those who just want to talk running, will love the 'net though they might not like the phone bill. I made lasting friendships through the RW site, and I hope one day to run with my new friends again. I still have some unfinished business in DC.