TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif.- Just keep running, just keep running.
This thought plays on repeat during the first few miles of training runs for Staff Sgt. Brian Gidcum, 373rd Training Squadron Detachment 14 aerospace ground equipment instructor.
Gidcum and his co-worker, Tech Sgt. William Vanover, 373rd Training Squadron Detachment 14 bravo element noncommissioned officer in charge, are on the brim of completing nine months of training for the 20th annual Air Force Marathon, taking place Sept. 17 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.
Running is somewhat new to both Airmen, who typically ran only when a physical fitness assessment was around the corner.
“I joined the Air Force in 2008 and since then have only run when I had to,” said Gidcum. “I was a never a runner, but I love playing sports. I started running again in 2013, using running as a stress reliever, running Pena Adobe Tower (in Vacaville, California) three times a week while in the 60th Maintenance Squadron. That May, I took the instructor position for the 373rd, where we did PT three times a week and it consisted of distance and speed work to help improve PFA test scores.”
The health benefits of running were what initially drew Vanover to the sport as well.
“About a year ago, I started to running to lose weight and get back in shape,” said Vanover. “I started to really enjoy running and realized how much I missed it. I was a runner in high school, but after enlisting in 2002, I ran only to pass my PT test.”
After a few months of increased running during physical training, the idea to train for something bigger grew. Though neither can remember who initially had the idea to train for a marathon, Vanover and Gidcum were excited to complete the 26.2 mile challenge.
“I look forward to completing the goal I have set,” said Vanover, who views the marathon as an opportunity for “seeing something long term through to the end.”
For both Airmen, staying healthy during the long training season is challenging. The team started out with six runners, but many fell victim to overtraining injuries.
“The biggest challenge with staying healthy is trying to explain to the doctors that you don’t want to run less, (and that you) just want them to find a way to keep you on the road and off of a profile,” said Vanover. “That and dealing with the constant chaffing.”
What keeps Vanover going is knowing how great it feels to be done after running twenty miles and being able to stop.
Gidcum turns to music for motivation and help staying positive.
“I listen to a lot of reggae or surf music,” said Gidcum. “Staying positive as much as you can (matters) because once a negative thought hits you, you get demotivated and start to think of ways to get out of running.”
Completion is the No. 1 goal for Gidcum and Vanover, who urge others to get involved in training.
“If you want to run a marathon get out there and put the miles in. Don’t worry about time when you start out,” said Gidcum.