Nicolas Weissenberg
Staff Writer
When teachers are not educating, they are usually grading papers or enjoying their free time. One way that some teachers enjoy their free time is by working on cardio and running half marathons. A single marathon is around 26 miles while half marathons are of course 13 miles.
“I run twice a year usually, I do the rock and roll marathons or half marathons, we do them in different places across the country,” English 3 AP teacher Justin Stephens said.
Stephens began running in marathons three years ago and last school year he took a leave of absence to participate in a half marathon that was set in Las Vegas. Although running sounds painful to some people, Stephens enjoys certain aspects of marathons.
“Knowing I can do it ‘cause I feel like I’m getting old and that it’s becoming less possible so I feel like the best part is taking some pride and accomplishing it,” Stephens said.
Stephens’s finds being proud and completing the half marathons as his favorite part. Though before you can complete anything, running in marathons takes some kind of preparation.
“I run about 15-20 miles a week leading up to the event. I eat pasta the night before. Other than that I just hope that I survive,” Stephens said.
High carb foods such as rice, potatoes and obviously pasta are very good sources of energy. A lot of energy is needed to complete half-marathons. Not only does running in marathons burn through your energy, but it also takes a toll on your feet.
“Shoes suffer damage and have to be replaced about every six months or so. My feet usually develop blisters and my knees hurt for about a week. So far, that has been the extent of personal damage,” Stephens said.
Even through the pain he remains proud. Dealing with the effects of running 13 miles is true commitment. Besides Stephens there is also another teacher on campus who participates in half marathons.
“I run at least three to four times a week. Last year was my first one. It’s a healthy way to relieve stress,” Biology and Anatomy teacher Kristin Pahl said.
Running 3-5 miles several times a week may sound insane to some people, but to Pahl it’s her weekly routine. Pahl has ran a total of four half marathons. Though participating in marathons is primarily to work out cardio, running them is apparently also a good stress reliever. Now onto the ground level of running. Most people usually run with shoes or at least some kind of footwear, but to most efficiently run marathons you can not buy just any shoes.
“You can’t buy cheap shoes. You have to have the right shoes. The most important thing is shoes,” Pahl said.
While running for long periods of time your shoes will endure some type of damage. Having the right shoes is the one way to ensure that you run at your full potential.