THE PERFECTION CHASERS ~<~

It’s a Celebration of Life

BY RHONDA PROVOST (age 51, 26 completed marathons, 3:18 PR)

M ARATHONING, IN all its splendor, made a serendipitous entrance into my life. Roughly 20 years ago, to increase my aerobic fitness level, I embarked on a running program for the third time in my life. I was 30 years old and had noticed my clothes were fitting tightly. At one time I had been able to eat with abandon, anything I wanted, but now I felt soft, no longer lean as I had been in my relative youth.

In April 1979, as a native Bostonian, I was introduced as a blind date to the man who would become my husband. He was a journalist and was in town to cover the Boston Marathon. He was a veteran marathoner; I was a fledgling runner. As our relationship blossomed, we typically would frequent running events, including marathons, where I would cheer him on as he crossed the finish line. Within the first year of my running program, inspired by what I was exposed to in the marathoning community, I was motivated to run one.

My initial efforts to train for a marathon proved unsuccessful, however, for I lacked the endurance to run for more than 90 sustained minutes. I abandoned the marathon vision, presuming I wasn’t suited for the distance.

Early in my running pursuits I experienced the usual running injuries. As is typical for novice runners, long after my heart and lungs had adjusted to what I was demanding of them, ligaments and tendons still needed to comply. So I supplemented my running with strength and flexibility training. What resulted was not only hastened recovery from existing injuries but also prevention of future injuries. Over time, my running performance improved, fueling a desire to challenge myself more and test my limits.

DREAMS OF IRON

Witnessing coverage of Julie Moss’s heroic stagger-and-crawl finish at the Ironman Triathlon in 1982 sparked my interest in the sport of triathloning. As a nurse anesthetist with a solid background in the sciences, the physiology of

exercise fascinated me. My desire for balance coupled with my penchant for hard work, self-discipline, focus, and commitment dovetailed nicely with the demands of the sport and all its cross-training. I was fortunate enough to experience years of reasonable success at varying distances in events up to the HalfIronman distance. As I began to aspire to competing in the Ironman, the next logical step was to qualify for it.

Assessing what I needed to do to achieve my goal, I determined that of the three sports involved, running the marathon at the conclusion of this grueling event would be the most arduous. Since I refuse to ask my body to undertake anything I haven’t trained it for, I found the marathon staring me in the face once again.Undaunted, I embarked on a marathon-training program with my husband as coach and mentor.

This time I experienced success. The miles I’d been consistently and intelligently logging at shorter distances over the years laid the foundation for the safe completion of my first marathon in 1984 in 3:56:00—a perfect nineminute per mile pace. But, just as important, the race left me inspired. I immediately wanted to do another one, but faster.

Thus began my serious preparation for building toward Ironman. Over the next few years, my training included long bike rides building to the century distance and enrollment in masters’ swim programs. Now a resident of Northern California, I did my open-water workouts in San Francisco Bay. Back-toback workouts of increasing distances, as well as top-five age-group finishes in races forebode my success. My performance in the marathon continued to improve, as well. In fact, I eventually qualified to run Boston. My goal was to run a 3:20.

On an unseasonably hot day in April 1989, precisely 10 years after meeting my husband on marathon weekend, I ran a 3:18 PR at my first official running of the Boston Marathon. I was informed by those in-the-know that with the heat factored in, I could easily have shaved 10 minutes off that time. Imagine my initial jubilation! Maybe the distance held some promise for me, after all. After the race, I spent the rest of the evening sick to my stomach, recuperating from the effort in the heat, but this did not diminish my enthusiasm or sense of satisfaction.

In the aftermath of Boston ’89, I recalled that years before I had attended Jeff Galloway’s running camp in Squaw Valley. His wife, Barbara, had shared with me that her PR in the marathon was a 3:18. To me, that was a very impressive time. Now that I had achieved that time in an even older age group, it somehow seemed less impressive. Why must we always minimize our accomplishments? After all, didn’t one of my sisters watching along the course tell me that, as I passed her, a friend exclaimed, “That’s your sister? Wow! She’s a real runner!”

THE RUNNING ALLURE

I must confess that throughout my triathlon years, although I immensely enjoyed training in all three sports, running held the most allure for me. It was also my strongest event, affording me a distinct advantage at the end of the typical triathlon when, with strategic pacing, I could overtake people as the event unfolded. The longer the event, the better I performed. To this day, running remains the simplest, the purest of sports for me. It requires no pool hours, no traveling to open-water swim sites, no machinery. Just slip into some running shoes, put one foot in front of the other, and enjoy the experience of being alive.

This awareness proved to be a blessing for me, for life was about to throw meacurve ball. After years of preparation for Ironman, a once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity presented itself. Training for Ironman was precluded. But running exclusively was not. I remained flexible, as we often need to be in life. In fact, this period in my life became my introduction to ultrarunning.

With the long hours and excessive workload of my new management position, I lacked both the time and the creative energy to train for a fast marathon. But my endurance base was such that if I ran slowly, I could run longer. The solitude of running trails alone for hours became my escape from policies, procedures, bylaws, meetings, telephones, interviews, budgets, equipment, supplies, and staffing woes. Gradually, my endurance built to the point that friends encouraged me to try ultras. Slow marathons became training runs. In fact, relative to ultra times, my previous marathons had been “speed work,” so the conditions for success at the ultradistances were present and realized.

Eventually, for personal, professional, and political reasons, I resigned my management position under extremely challenging circumstances that came closer to breaking my spirit than anything in my life ever had. To restore my faith in myself and the divine forces in the universe, I embarked on

“Excellence (not perfection) as a human being is what | aspire to. Running—and especially marathoning—keeps me grounded in that pursuit”—Rhonda Provost, shown here finishing the 1989 Boston Marathon.

Rhonda Provost IT’S A CELEBRATION OF LIFE & 43

an undertaking that was intended to test my soul. I wanted to practice nurturing strength of spirit to shield me in future misfortune. Is it any wonder that running became the vehicle whereby this could be achieved? In August 1995, my ultrarunning experience culminated in the successful completion of the 300mile Death Valley-to-Mt. Whitney out-and-back. Intended as a spiritual quest, it was indeed a divinely inspired run.

I’ve now returned to the marathoning community. In April 1999, precisely 20 years after meeting my husband, and 10 years after my PR, I qualified for and ran Boston in my PW (Personal Worst) as a masters runner. I was too cavalier and got the comeuppance I deserved. (I also learned that your soul can get tested running 26.2 miles!) Although I’ m optimistic that with proper preparation I still have a PR waiting within me, or at least some respectable times by masters’ standards, one day I won’t. Then what?

It seems when people talk about running performance, it’s typically in the context of improvements, achievements, accomplishments, and performance in the physical sense; you know, “How fast can you run?” Don’t misunderstand me. Time goals are a worthwhile, measurable way to assess how well you are achieving your physical potential. But physical prowess is not the only potential you possess. People don’t seem to attach much significance to the improvements, achievements, accomplishments, and performance in the personal sense as part of our journey as athletes; you know, “How much character have you developed?”

THE METAPHOR

What keeps me coming back to the marathon distance although my times will ultimately get slower and slower? Running—especially running long distances— is a wonderful metaphor for and celebration of life. Running inspires, challenges, daunts, fulfills, and humbles. It can at once afford escape and foster a spirit of community and sense of belonging. It teaches so much that translates magnificently into the world. You go until you think you can’t go anymore. Then, guess what? You go some more. Just like we all keep going in life even when we think we can’t anymore. With a mindset like that, you can’t lose— regardless of what your stopwatch reads.

My plan is to run into old age. Does it matter that my times will ultimately slow? No. My effort and enthusiasm will remain. I’ll feel grateful and blessed to even be at a starting line. Any pain I feel during a race will augment my experience of being alive. Instead of being self-absorbed, I’ll getto serve others and contribute more as a consequence of my stamina, vitality, and fitness instead of merely defining myself by my times. Excellence (not perfection) as a human being is what I aspire to. Running—and especially

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Running Within offers positive, practical recommendations for infusing the body, mind, and spirit with new energy and passion for running. The book will help you perform better, have more fun, and experience a deeper connection with running. Included are

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