Training with Dr. Troy
February 1, 2010
“In running (and in life) it is man against himself, the cruelest of opponents. The other runners are not the real enemies. His adversary lies within him, in his ability with brain and heart to master himself and his emotions”. Glenn Cunningham (American Distance Runner and Miler, 1930’s)
Welcome to Training with Dr. Troy, and congratulations on taking the challenge, whether it be the full marathon, half marathon, or to use this opportunity to improve your health by finding ways to be more active, have better nutrition, and understand yourself better.
So, who am I and can you trust me? I am a Colorado native and my family has been in Colorado since the 1800’s. I began running at Buena Visa High, I was not fast then, and am still not very fast, but I have found with running both a way to stay fit and a way to understand myself and life, as described by Mr. Cunningham above. I was not a consistent runner though college and medical school, but later, during my fellowship I began running again, and have maintained the activity since. My day to day work involves weight management and metabolism.
Until this week, I had run at least a mile every day for the last 1120 days, more on why and how that ended, and what you can learn from me, to come. Through this blog I hope to bring a unique perspective to help you achieve your goals: that of a physician who works daily to help people achieve activity, diet and weight goals; that of a runner struggling daily with the what and whys of this activity; and that of a neighbor, one who is from our community, and one who is not likely to win but who will be happy to finish at my best, and happy to help others do the same.
I will be sharing some of my thoughts on the process of preparing for an event like this. I will refer to resources if they are available and good, and will try to challenge thinking on ideas that might not have as much evidence as you think. I will also try to bring in the mind+ body+ environment aspects to these concepts, for although children can run without any training or tips, for most of the rest of us, a few tips or words of inspiration might be the thing you need to help master yourself and accomplish your goals.
We at Kaiser Permanente hope you’re planning to join our free Training to Thrive webinar later today, February 2, from 6—7:30 p.m. Get more details and sign in here: http://www.kpwebinar.org/. We’ll be recording it and sending out the link so you can access it later. And there will be another live one on April 7 from 12—1:30 p.m.