Have you ever wanted to be in two places at once?  I know I have, most notably last March 31, as I accompanied my son through the streets of Knoxville in the Cariten Kids Run, a very special component of the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon.  Indeed, I was most proud to hold his hand, especially as we ran through the tunnel and emerged onto Shields-Watkins Field in Neyland Stadium and saw our own images displayed on the gigantic 44-foot high Jumbotron.  It was at that moment that, my own eyes glued to the big screen watching my boy and I, I wished I could at the same moment gaze down and see the wide-eyed wonderment that I knew resided there.  Had I tried to do so, however, we both would likely have tripped and tumbled to the ground in total embarassment, so it is well that I resisted the temptation.

The Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon has imparted a rejuvenating burst of energy to what was already a robust running town.  For years Knoxville has enjoyed a well-deserved reputation as a mecca of running in the region, the Knoxville Track Club arguably the largest per capita running club in the nation, UT a national powerhouse in both men’s and women’s track and cross country, and the KTC Youth Athletics Program a preeminent standard-bearer for kids running and fitness, something of incomparable importance in this era of obesity and sedentary lifestyles.

With the advent of the marathon, energy and participation in running and walking has redoubled, the community embracing the event like nothing in recent memory, thousands of Knoxvillians participating in one of the four exciting events, thousands more participating as volunteers and spectators.

Jason Altman, co-director of the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon and assistant manager at Runners Market, a local running specialty shop, is in a unique position to observe the phenomenal growth of this series of events.

“Twelve weeks prior to our April 1 date, our overall registration numbers for all events are up an astonishing sixty percent, with most significant growth in the half marathon.  The 5K and Kids run are also experiencing vigorous growth, with over 200 kids showing up at the Knoxville Zoo on January 12 for the kickoff of the Kids marathon.”

The Cariten Kids Run is a unique event that promotes fitness in a creative and exhilarating way.  Those who signed up at the zoo paid the early registration fee, receiving their T-shirts and training logs, then went on a one-mile run around the zoo.  With a mile under their belts, kids complete twenty-four more by race day, running the final 1.2 miles on April 1 in the wake of the marathoners, half marathoners and 5Kers.

A key component of this year’s Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon is the Fittest Company Challenge, in which local companies compete to involve the greatest number of their employees in running or walking these one of great events.

“The huge early registration numbers are due, in large part, to the Fittest Company Challenge,” Altman said.  “Especially in the 5K, where First Tennessee sent in sixty-five entries, Clayton Homes promised another seventy-five, and Ruby Tuesdays will enter nearly fifty.”

New this year is scoring for volunteers, with an additional point in the competition notched for every employee who volunteers to help with one of the races.

Nowhere is the excitement generated by the approach of this third annual event more evident than on the roads and greenways of Knoxville and surrounding communities, where groups of dozens of runners and walkers get together to train for the upcoming distance classics.  A recent marathon training run saw a turnout of over a hundred runners.  Other group runs have met with similar success. 

One thing to remember about the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon is that there’s something for everyone. Anyone with even a beginners level of fitness, including those who are just beginning a walking program, should consider participating in the 5K, a 3.1 mile jaunt through the streets of Fort Sanders that ends on the fifty-yard line of Neyland Stadium, just like the marathoners and half marathoners.  Those who have been running steadily for a year or more could still build sufficient mileage to attempt the half marathon.  To register or volunteer for any of the four events, or for more information on training, see their website, www.knoxvillemarathon.com. 

And if running or walking sounds too daunting for this year, mark it down on your 2009 calendar, when the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon will celebrate its fourth year.  But don’t relegate yourself to sleeping in on March 29; there are hundreds of key volunteer positions just waiting for someone with your particular energy and skillset.  And don’t worry; it’s not necessary to have experience in race officiating.  Just contact someone from the Marathon Organizing Committee, and they’ll find a way for you to participate in one of Knoxville’s most presitigous events.  You’ll be glad you did.  You’ll be helping stage an event that promotes fun and fitness on a scale that Knoxville has never before seen, and having so much fun in the process that you’ll vow next year to be on the starting line, ready to make your own way through the streets of Knoxville and, like my son and I, see yourself on the Jumbotron, like so many other sports heroes who have gone before you.

MARATHON DO’S AND DON’T'S

* DO PLAN FOR ANY CONTINGENCY

Especially when travelling to an out-of-town event, bring one of every type of apparel, i.e., short-sleeve, long-sleeve, shorts, pants, etc.  The last thing you need is to awaken on race morning, look out the window, and find that the weatherman has gotten it totally wrong, realizing much too late that you’ve got just the right outfit for the unforeseen conditions but it’s still in your dresser drawer back home.

Remember the twenty-degree rule:  Once you’re fully warmed up, the air temperature will feel twenty degrees warmer than the thermometer reading.  Don’t overdress, unless you’re willing to toss away unneeded items.  This isn’t the worst idea, however; many races will gather up the discarded jackets, gloves, etc., and distribute them to the needy.  If you have an old windbreaker that you don’t mind losing, this would be a good time to wear it to the starting line and perhaps for the first mile or so.  Remember, you may be standing at the starting line awaiting the gun for quite some time.  Other, less-fashionable options include wearing a large-sized trash bag over one’s head to ward off the cold and/or rain, then peeling it off once things get going.

* DON’T TRY ANYTHING NEW ON RACE DAY

This, of course, includes wearing brand new shoes, but also includes socks, shorts, shirts, and also any new sport drink, energy gel or bar, or supplement.  To forestall disaster, make sure to try out any new apparel or diet item well in advance of the race. 

Most marathons will give out gels on the course, but often at intervals other than what might be best for you.  Find out exactly what they’ll be giving away, buy some of that exact brand and flavor, and try them during a long run.  If results are anything other than excellent, plan on bringing your own with you.  To carry gels, consider purchasing shorts or top that has extra pockets, but remember, again, to try them out well ahead of time.  Besides pockets, other ways to carry gels include stuffing one underneath each shoelace, carrying them in a glove, under a hat, or safety-pinned to the lining of your shorts or pants. 

Take a similarly cautious approach to sport drinks.  Sure, it’d be easiest not to have to carry your own, but make sure what race volunteers are offering is something that your stomach likes, and if not, then BYO; there are many functional and relatively comfortable options for hauling sufficient hydration along with you. 

Test wear your chosen apparel items ahead of time, preferably during a long run, to best replicate daunting conditions encountered on race day.  Sometimes it’s difficult to train during similar weather to your chosen race venue, but do your best to put your high tech apparel to the test.  It’d be a shame to ruin six months of training with a sudden agonzing case of chafing or blisters.  To that end, also make sure you are running or walking in socks that fit well with your shoes and wick moisture away from your feet.  There are many superb choices of technical sock that are far superior to the old cotton socks we grew up with.

Plan your footwear choice well ahead of time.  Ideally you should purchase a new pair of your chosen race day shoes 4-6 weeks before the marathon; use them for one long run and a couple short ones, mostly to ensure that they work well. Then put them away until race day and finish your training in your old ones, as long as they’re still serviceable.

* DO RUN YOUR CHOSEN PACE

This is essential.  Try to line up with others who have similar time goals, so that you are not tempted to waste significant energy weaving through a crowd of slower runners.  If you find yourself buried early in the race, resist the urge to burst free; you’ll be better off in the long run if you run more slowly early on.  The next critical point will come at some point later in the race, when you’ll be passed by some short, fat, bald guy who looks like he belongs at a bowling tournament.  You’ll think to yourself, “Hey, I must be going too slow; no way that guy should be ahead of me.”  Do not abandon your race plan.  One of two things will happen.  Either he’s going too fast and you’ll catch him later, or he’s in better shape and you won’t.  Stay within yourself.  While it’s true that the only sane goal for a first-time marathoner is to finish the race vertically and with some semblance of mental and physical dignity, you still have your best chance of achieving that goal by staying within yourself and running the pace that you’ve trained to run.  Don’t ruin your day with an ill-timed ego-fuelled charge after someone you have no business chasing.

* WHEN IT’S OVER

Resist the urge to lie down or sit hunched over on the curb.  Keep moving; otherwise blood will pool in your lower leg and be stiff and even more sore later that day.  It’s essential to keep the blood flowing.  Sure, you’re wiped out, and even in the throes of marathon finisher’s high, you’re still wanting to collapse into a puddle of exhaustion somewhere close by, but keep moving and stay warm.  Try to take in liquids upon finishing, and eat something within 30-60 minutes, even if your stomach has other ideas.  Later that day, go for a walk; your muscles will thank you later.

* RECOVERY

Although you are now in perhaps the best shape of your life, you have also done some significant damage to your muscles and need to give them time to heal.  Many people think a runner should do no running at all for the first 7-14 days after the race.  During this time walking is highly recommended.  Then, for the next two weeks, continue to take it easy.  Do no hard running, no workouts, and no races.  After a month, gradually resume your normal training regimen.

One last rule: any decision you make during the first thirty days after completing a marathon, i.e., “Wow!  I’m gonna do one every week!” or “Gawd!  Never again!” do not count.  Fact is, you’ll probably go through both of those stages of resolve and a few others.  Just relax and go with the flow.  The marathon is indeed a test of strength and character, one that brings out the best in many of us.  Follow the above list of do’s and don’t’s, and you’ll pass the test with flying colors.