November 20, 2025
My Facebook account often features ads for Tai Chi, showing a muscleboung sixty-year-old who claims that doing just ten minutes of Tai Chi each day could make me look like him. I may have clicked on one of these ads in the past, leading Facebook to identify me as someone interested in fitness. I’ve always tried to stay in shape; jogging used to be my hobby. Let me share my early experience with running a marathon.
Over 30,000 people participated in the Ottawa International Marathon when I ran it in the 1980s. It took me a while to decide whether I should take part. I’m not sure why I chose to run it; perhaps it was to prove to myself that I could do it. I trained by running five times a week, for months, gradually increasing the distance I covered.
On the day of the marathon, I drove downtown to the starting line, where the massive crowd packed a six-lane road, stretching for a mile. My identification tag showed a red color start, which meant I was assigned to the middle of the queue.
The organizers positioned the elite runners at the front, while the rest of us were queued based on our previous times for the distance: the longer your time was, the further back you started. This system helped ensure that the top runners would not be blocked along the run. I cannot recall what I put down as my previous time since I have never done it before.
Waiting in line, I chatted with the people around me. There were individuals of all ages, enthusiastic and willing to discuss their training, gear, and anticipated finish times. When the whistle blew, it took us ten minutes to start moving; there may have been 15,000 people ahead of us.
We all had a strategy regarding how fast to run. If you start fast, you might tire out within half an hour; it’s important to gauge your pace. I ran with a small group, maintaining the same pace together. What helped us were the “bunnies,” volunteer runners wearing bunny ears for visibility, who had a target completion time for the marathon, such as two hours or two and a half hours. I ran alongside a bunny aiming for a three-hour marathon, hoping to keep up with him, which meant maintaining a speed of about 7 miles per hour—half the speed of the fastest runners.
At each water station, I took a cup of water but made sure not to drink too much, as excessive fluid can lead to bloating that might slow me down. I also grabbed energy bars at the water stations and ate them while running. The spectators along the route clapped and encouraged the runners, which was uplifting for my gradually tiring mind and body.
A joke at the halfway point was to shout out that it was all downhill from there, which was not true; the course was flat the entire way.
Slowly my body began to ache all over. My muscles felt like they were cramping, forcing me to slow down, but I pressed on. As the finish line approached, an increasing number of spectators gathered along the roadside. As I spotted the end, a wave of motivation surged through me. I started to run hard purely on willpower; I didn’t even feel my legs move. When I crossed the finish line, people grabbed my arms to help me off the track. I staggered forward in search of a place to sit down and rest and received a solar blanket for warmth, as did every finisher.
After resting, I mingled with other finishers before heading over to the refreshments. Students from a massage therapy program were awaiting us, and I decided to buy a ticket for a massage; it was incredibly satisfying. I felt every bone and muscle in my body walking back to my car; it took a day to rejuvenate my body.
I have always found running enjoyable. It started as a solitary activity for me until I joined a running club in Ottawa. Running with a group was a fun experience, even though I rarely talked to the other runners. This wasn’t due to being out of breath; rather, I am an introvert. However, I appreciated the conversations happening around me as the runners chatted about their training habits, families, and hobbies.
Running has significantly improved my physical health. It helped to maintain my weight, lower my cholesterol, and enhance my sleep quality. Additionally, I found great joy in being outdoors, inhaling fresh air, smelling flowers, listening to birds, and watching the landscape.
Whenever I ran, I felt relaxed, often listening to jazz on a Walkman. Whether it was winter, dressed in three layers, or summer, in just one layer, once I got into my rhythm some people refer to as “the zone”, I would empty my mind of daily chores and worries, I lived in the present. I highly recommend it to everyone.
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