Team Seymour members stretch legs to keep in marathon shape

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Aaron J. Jenne
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  Training for a marathon can be an arduous task, but the people who endure the thousands of miles of running, multiple pairs of shoes and hundreds of hours of endurance training find it rewarding.

Two Team Seymour members embarked on two different paths that led them toward a marathon's finish line.

In 1981, after reading "The Complete Runner," Lary Nickell, 4th Operations Group security manager, became motivated to improve his health and run his first marathon.

Unlike Nickell, Capt. Caleb Guthmann, 335th Fighter Squadron flight commander, found himself with a completely different motivation on why he wanted to compete in marathons.

While attending the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2002, Guthmann's father invited him to train for a marathon as a way to stay close while he was away. He said they only trained together twice, but they were able to keep each other motivated and the end result was his first completed marathon.

"My dad and I ran our first marathon in Washington D.C.," Guthmann said. "Running by all the monuments with more than 50,000 participants was very moving. It was amazing to see how far my father and I had come."

Training wasn't easy for either of the men.

With his mind set on completing a marathon, Nickell said he found the strength he needed to quit his pack-a-day cigarette smoking habit.

Guthmann's struggles were different. He said the hardest thing for him was just staying dedicated to his training.

"It's not easy running almost every day," Guthmann said. "You have to be devoted to put in the time and miles, but sometimes things come up at work or home, and your plans change, but you still have to make time to train. Finding the motivation to run 50 to 60 miles each week is difficult, but you need to if you're going to complete a marathon."

Both Nickell and Guthmann agreed there is a fine line between pushing yourself enough and training too hard.

"I can't count the number of times I've just laid on the floor because my shins hurt so badly," Nickell said. "You've got to push through the pain, but there's a difference between pain and injury. You have to know your body well enough to tell the difference."

While both struggled with training, they learned to overcome these challenges and saw many benefits of pressing on.

Nickell said smoking was a difficult habit to quit, but training for a 26-mile race started the lifestyle change he needed.

"I found that embracing a healthier lifestyle helped me quit," Nickell said. "The more I ran, the easier it was to not smoke."

According to Nickell, training for each race was just as difficult as training for his first. The challenges of training are the same today as they were in the '80s, but advances in nutrition and training routines over the past 30 years have helped.

Guthmann cautioned that no amount of running can make up for a bad diet. When your body only burns about 100 calories each mile, the benefits of running are easily lost by eating poorly.

The discipline necessary for keeping the training plan can also help people adhere to diets. These lessons can also be applied to a military career, Guthmann added.

"Training for a marathon isn't all about running long distance," Guthmann said. "You also need to do interval training and sprints. Work is the same way; sometimes it's the same grind, but sometimes you need to step it up. I found the discipline I need to finish a marathon is the same discipline I need to succeed in the Air Force."

Both said the biggest struggle appeared during the marathon at around the 20-mile mark.

"Runners call it 'the wall' - the point where every ounce of energy is drained and each stride is painful," Guthmann said. "It feels like your legs are made of lead. You don't know if you can make it."

For some runners, "the wall," hits them so hard they lose the will to finish. Nickell said this was true of him on his second marathon when he developed a side cramp.

"A marathon is about challenging yourself in every way," he said. "I was frustrated because I wasn't running as well as I planned. My friends ended up walking part of the race, but I watched them finish from the sidelines. I was ashamed that I quit and I promised myself I would never quit another marathon, no matter what. The race time isn't important, finishing is everything."

He kept the promise he made to himself, completing 31 of his 32 races.

"Even after all those races, I still remember crossing that first finish line with tears streaming down my face," Nickell said. "Marathons are long and grueling. By the end you feel physically, mentally and emotionally drained. Crossing the line made me realize how far I'd gone, quitting smoking and getting healthier, and how much farther I could go."