Article: I recently had one of...
I recently had one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life when I completed the Little Rock Marathon. It must have been an extremely weak moment last fall when I agreed to participate in a marathon. It had started innocently enough. After being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes two years ago, I realized I was setting a terrible example for the people of our state. I also realized I was possibly in the final decade of my life if I didn't do something drastic about my health. We have a health crisis in our state, and Arkansas had a governor who was a prime example of what not to do. About my only exercise at the time was lifting forks. In fact, I had never exercised on a regular basis. I knew I had to set a better example if we were to make Arkansas a healthier state and if I were to hopefully enjoy playing with grandchildren one day.
I began my exercise routine by walking around the Governor's Mansion grounds early each morning. One day, I decided to jog a few yards. Frankly, I was proud I could do it. The next day, I decided to jog a little farther. With each passing day, I covered more distance. Caught up in the enthusiasm surrounding the fact I was writing "Quit Digging Your Grave With A Knife And Fork" and excited about my own quest for health, I said during a civic club speech that I might just run a 5K race. The crowd applauded and I smiled, not knowing there was a reporter in the audience. After the event, an Associated Press reporter approached me and asked which 5K I planned to enter. I realized then I had boxed myself in. It was time to begin serious training and actually enter a 5K event so it wouldn't appear as if I were all talk and no action.
On the first Saturday morning of July 2004, I ran in the annual Firecracker 5K at Little Rock. Not only was I able to finish the 3.1-mile race, I still had energy left at the end. When someone asked me what my time was that day, I answered: "48 years, 10 months and nine days." That's because it had taken me that long to get to that point. A year earlier, I couldn't have walked a city block without being winded. I'm not exaggerating. Whenever I walked up the marble stairs at the state Capitol, I would pray that a reporter wasn't waiting to ask me questions at the top. I would simply be too out of breath to speak. From that 5K last summer, I moved up to an 8K during the fall. Then came the training for the third annual Little Rock Marathon. As a person's fitness improves, that person will crave more and more—more distance and more speed. It's an addictive activity. Those working with me warned me to be patient. You simply can't push yourself too hard. But I steadily added to my distances during the fall and winter. When I finished the 20-mile run that marked the longest training distance, I knew I could run 26.2 miles. Again, I listened to my trainers, slowing to a brisk walk for one minute after every 10 minutes of running and drinking the amount of fluids that had been recommended.
I was surprised when I learned that the Road Runners Club of America had named me its Southern Region Runner of the Year. I was even more surprised later in the week to be named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week for the entire country. Had you gone to a meeting of all 50 governors two years ago and said, "One of these people will be the USA Track & Field Athlete of the Week," I would have finished 50th on everybody's list. That's my point. I wanted to prove there's hope for those who are badly out of shape as long as people focus on their diets and exercise. I never expected any of these awards. Winning awards wasn't the goal. The goal was to prove something to myself while encouraging others. I'm not suggesting you have to go out and run a marathon. Just getting off the couch and walking for at least 30 minutes five days a week is enough to reduce by 30 to 50 percent your chances of dying from largely self-inflicted diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
Copyright ©By Governor Mike Huckabee