Home > The Running Report > Archives > 2008 > March > 12
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
How did you get Hooked on Running???
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Whether you’re an elite runner or more of a slowpoke like me, one thing rings true for everyone.
We all love it.
John Tackett, 51, started running nearly five years ago as a way to lose weight. Now he’s 140 pounds lighter after running seven marathons and six half marathons, he says.
This year’s ING is training for when Tackett runs the Boston Marathon in April.
“I was always a large guy,” says Tackett, 51, who weighed more than 300 pounds. “I [started] jogging around the neighborhood as part of the diet.”
At first the East Point resident was out of breath, but these days Tackett, who now weighs 170, concludes his runs by racing his dog back to the house, he said.
Along with those neighborhood runs back in 2004, Tackett built up miles on the treadmill. In a year’s time he worked his way from running around the block to finishing the Peachtree Road Race and completing the 2005 Atlanta Marathon.
But it was the half marathon at the 2005 Museum of Aviation Foundation run at Warner Robbins that gave Tackett, his first runners’ high.
“It was about mile 11 at the back of the airbase and I was like ‘how tranquil is this’ ” he said.
He was hooked.
Many of you have blogged about your recent or upcoming marathons. What led you to your first marathon or half marathon?
Shonda, another avid runner, said by email that she just kind of fell into her first half marathon in 2007.
She wrote: “At the encouragement of a friend I signed up for the ING half marathon last year even though I’d never run a race, not even a 5K! It took me 3 plus hours to finish, but it opened the floodgates.”.
Since then Shonda says she’s run five half marathons. And she’s training for Chicago’s full marathon in October.
What’s your story? How did you get hooked on running?
MORE: State of the Art Marathon Training. USA Fit/Team Spirit Active Trainer. Peachtree Road Race. Road Rules. ING Georgia Marathon.
.JPG)
-1.JPG)
Services »
