Several years ago, doctors diagnosed my father with a severely slow heartbeat. At times, his heart rate would slow to only twenty five beats a minute. Doctors installed a pacemaker in his heart to control the beating and to save his life. Before his heart problems, my father was very active. He ran almost daily and competed in several races. After his pacemaker, I thought he would slow down and lead a more relaxed lifestyle. I was wrong. He continued running and inspired me to begin the activity. Running has become an integral part of my life and helps me feel good and stay in shape. I run for fitness, not competition, but a dream of mine is to run a marathon. My challenge is I am unaware of how to train for a marathon. I know it is a serious commitment and requires more than running several miles weekly. I am in my mid-thirties and feel now is the time to work towards this goal and that is why I am researching the topic for my Information Awareness Report.
As Weinberger suggested, one of the best sources is an expert. Unfortunately, I do not know any marathon runners so I began my search at the library. My first search term was “marathon running” which yielded 50 results in the catalog. I found several of the results to be totally irrelevant. There were fiction books about running, and some results appeared only because the word running was in the title. Listed are some of the titles that matched what I wanted.
Marathoning for Mortals by John Bingham and Jenny Hadfield
The Nonrunner’s Marathon Guide for Women by Dawn Dais
Marathon Runner’s Handbook by Bruce Fordyce and Marielle Renssen
Marathon: the ultimate training guide by Hal Higdon
I decided to try my search again, but this time using the search term “training for a marathon.” I thought this search term would generate many results, but only 6 titles appeared. Three fourths of the titles were unrelated to my search, and titles that did match were identical to those in my previous search.
In my third search of the library’s catalog, I tried a different tactic. I searched using the term “women runners.” I hoped to narrow the results to materials specifically designed for women. This exploration yielded 30 results, with most relating to famous female runners. Listed below are two good sources I can use to prepare for a marathon.
Run for Your Life: a book for beginning women runners by Deborah Reber
Runner’s World Complete Book of Women’s Running by Dagny Scott
I conducted one last search of the library’s catalog using the term “running for women.” This search resulted in 78 hits, many unrelated to my topic, and many of which appeared in previous searches. I did discover some appropriate sources. The search displayed books dealing with running issues related to women, such as running while pregnant, and how running affects a woman’s body. Displayed below are sources I would use to train for a marathon.
Run for It by Karen Bridson
The Complete Book of Running for Women by Claire Kowalchik
I had a positive reaction to the sources I found in the library. I learned the importance of something as simple as selecting running shoes and how to eat for optimum nutrition. The books were great resources because they covered all facets of marathon training. They covered the initial phases of training, all the way through what to do for your body after you complete a marathon. The motivational stories and technical tips, interspersed throughout most of the books, kept my interest high and made me feel I really could do this. These books will be useful tools as I move towards my goal.
Time was the one negative of consulting books. Once I chose a book, I needed to review it, and that was time consuming. Each book contained good information, but it was not easily accessible. I needed to peruse the book and find the chapters that best fit my needs.
After consulting books, I searched online. I conducted Google searches using the following terms:
• Training for a marathon
• Running a marathon
• How women should train for a marathon
The searches resulted in an abundance of information. Each search term yielded more hits than I could ever view. I narrowed the search by reviewing only hits displayed on the first page. I hypothesized that these were the most relevant to my needs. The websites I found most helpful were Marathon Rookie, Runner’s World, Marathon Training, Cool Running, Associated Content, and the Women’s Sports Foundation. Listed below are their URLs.
http://www.marathonrookie.com/
http://www.runnersworld.com/subtopic/0,7123,s6-238-244-255-0,00.html
http://www.marathon-training.net/
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_4/143.shtml
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1619983/tips_for_women_training_for_a_marathon.html?cat=5
http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/Content/Articles/Sports-And-Fitness/M/Marathon-Training-Tips.aspx
My online search also yielded positive results. The information gleaned was informative and helpful, and presented in a more concise manner. The websites were easier to browse and were not as time consuming as reviewing the books. I found the information presented on the websites to be similar to the information I discovered in the books. The websites stressed nutrition, avoiding injuries, training schedules, staying motivated, and success stories. The one piece of website information I found particularly interesting was the mind/body connection. Some of the sites stressed the importance of training your mind as well as your body because your mind propels your body to finish a marathon.
The only negative aspect of my website searching was information overload. There were too many websites to examine and I found myself becoming overwhelmed. I ended my information search because I felt I had sufficient resources to train for a marathon. I know what to wear, what to eat, how to train, how to stay motivated, how to avoid injuries, and most importantly, how to devise a training schedule I can follow. I believe I can successfully complete a marathon by the end of 2011.
The fact that I consulted books before the Internet speaks volumes. For everyday searches (weather, movies, etc.) I happily use the Internet, but when it comes to research, I usually begin with print resources. My emphasis on print resources comes from being a History major. Through my undergraduate and graduate career in History, my professors taught me the value of books, and I still believe in their value. I am not opposed to the Internet, but it is usually not the first resource I consult. As Weinberger states, we are living in an age of abundance. When I use the Internet, I sometimes feel inundated with information and it makes me want to quit searching. Dr. Roland stated that people born prior to 1980 are not as comfortable with technology as digital natives are, and perhaps that is true. This exercise taught me that I need to use both online and print resources equally. If I concentrate on one more than the other, I will be doing a disservice to myself or a patron.
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