Mar 6, 2009 6:46 pm US/Eastern
Treacherous Winter Doesn't Slow Marathon Trainers
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
Dec. 19, Jan. 18, March 2. Those were snow days for many, but they were training days for thousands of runners planning to line up in Hopkinton on Patriots Day.
More than a century ago, members of the Boston Athletic Association, inspired by the Olympic marathon, decided to hold a 26.2 mile race in their own backyard. They chose spring instead of fall, forcing the hundreds of thousands who have since crossed the finish line to train through dark, cold, inclement winters, instead of beautiful, sunny summers.
"I will not run probably if it's 5 degrees. But I've run in a snowstorm, I've run in a rainstorm," says Jennifer Davis, a member of the run for research team, which raises money for the American Liver Foundation.
Says Sally DiLoreto, a member of the children's Hospital team, "I have had a few falls on black ice, and everyone laughs at you but you move on."
Just not always when you want to.
Twice this season, the run for research team had to cancel scheduled group runs because snow made the roads unsafe.
"This year has been challenging, and probably a lot more treadmill runs than any of us would like, but it's part of the challenge and part of the reward," says Laura Dempsey, director of the Run For Research team.
After this winter, the finish line looks a little worse for the wear -- just as runners can by the time they cross it. Especially if they've missed a lot of training.
"It's important to get out the door, and important not to use the dark, the cold, or the snow as an excuse. And you've got to get outdoor 5 to 6 days a week," says coach Fred Treseler.
If you haven't, says Treseler, you could hurt yourself trying to make up for it now. He says there's still enough time for runners to squeeze in two to three long training runs of 16 to 20 miles each.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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