The mere thought of running 26 miles makes me want to assume the fetal position and weep. I’m seriously in awe of anyone who aspires to complete a marathon and actually accomplishes it. Putting your body through such an agonizing physical test takes commitment and courage. Enduring that kind of wear and tear can also take a toll on your joints, resulting ininjury. Running mile after countless mile, without any additional form of stability and strength exercise probably isn’t the best idea. One Dancers Shape client learned that lesson more than once, and since she discovered the barre method last summer, her workouts at the studio have made her a better, pain- and injury-free runner.
Bethany Albertson is responsible for teaching 350 students as an assistant professor in the government department at UT. She’s also working on a book about anxiety and politics and keeps up with her active two-year-old son, Will. She has run two marathons and plans to complete the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC, this October. Next month she’ll start training, which involves running three days per week at three or four mile distances that build up to five miles at a time. On the weekends she goes for one long run, which begins at five miles and then increase to seven miles, nine miles, 11 miles, and so on — bumping up the distance in two-mile increments until she’s trekking 20 miles. “I run marathons to have fun and be healthy. I’m not trying to win,” Albertson says.