In October 2003 I reached "the big six-zero" (age 60), and chose, as a gift to myself, to train for my first marathon. Actually, I had met a plump young fellow at a career seminar who, in a show-and-tell, displayed his marathon medal. And I thought, "If he can do it..." I had run a few 5K's (3 miles) and 10K's (6 miles) in the past, and even a couple of triathlons, but could I complete a full 26.2-mile marathon?

Then I learned of an injury-free training program for beginners. It was prepared by Jeff Galloway, a member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic team, and includes training groups in many U.S. and foreign cities. His book, Marathon, describes a plan "used by over 100,000 average, sedentary people in their 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's to finish a marathon without major changes in lifestyle". I thought, "That's me!" In December, on his website, JeffGalloway.com, I found a local group which had began a month earlier to train for Cincinnati's Flying Pig Marathon, to be held on May 2, 2004. There were a few dozen guys and gals in the group, from all walks of life, mid-20s to mid-50s in age. They welcomed me as their oldest member, and the adventure began.

For the next five months we followed the plan - jog for 30 minutes on your own time a couple days during the week, and join the others every Saturday morning at 7:00 for increasingly longer runs. We used the run & walk method (3 minutes running, followed by 1 minute walking). The goal is to prevent fatigue and injury, as your running muscles continually recover during every walk break. When May arrived, I'd completed over 370 miles. The best part was meeting and talking with the group (students, surgeons, realtors, violinists, unemployed, etc.), which made the minutes and miles pass quickly.

On Sunday, May 2nd, 4000 others from 50 states and 19 countries gathered for the 6:30 A.M. start. I was there, at the back of the pack. Spring had disappeared, as the balmy 70-degree weather earlier in the week had given way to a mid-30's cold front and rain. When the gun went off, it took me 10 minutes to reach the starting line. The rain continued for the first 17 miles. But the plan worked, and the bands played on as spectators cheered and gave us water and fruit. Even my wife, Margaret, drove to a few checkpoints to wave me on. (The only minutes I regret were those I spent in port-o-lets along the way.) 5 hours, 45 minutes later, I crossed the finish line, feeling good and still talking ... in 3,898th place! One timekeeper even informed me that I'd run the second half faster than the first!

So, what did I learn about narcolepsy and myself? First, I still have it. But it became a smaller part of my life as I focused on working towards another goal. Sleep and muscle attacks still occur; and my medications have not changed. But feeling more fit, I'm more in control. I never slept on my feet, but usually napped at the end of each run. Moreover, I slept better at night and felt more energized during the day. And perhaps the biggest benefit was learning how eating habits can improve both energy and wakefulness. We were told to eat half as much, twice as often. This meant 3 light meals and good snacks a day, with an emphasis on less sugar and more carbs.

Finally, marathons (and many other events) are often undertaken to raise funds for charities. A few last minute letters to friends and relatives resulted in a small gift for the Network. What might we accomplish with a group run for narcolepsy, or with the sleep community for sleep disorders, perhaps as part of a large conference or meeting, in one place or many locations on the same day? We are only limited by our imagination and willingness to persevere! For as another older runner (John Bingham) wrote after his first marathon: "The miracle isn't that I finished. "The miracle is that I had the courage to start."

(Bob Cloud can be reached at rclou@cinci.rr.com)

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