Not this Sunday morning, anyway.
The 43-year-old will be one of 16,000 runners running in the Flying Pig Marathon and Half-Marathon in Cincinnati.
Sanders will join about 14 other members of the Portsmouth-based Shawnee Running Club who will be running in the event.
The 26.2 mile and 13.1 mile races will start at 6:30 near Great American Ballpark.
Sanders, an assistant manager at a local pizza franchise, will run in the 13.1 mile race.
He finished a half-marathon in Athens on April 1 in just more than two hours. Sanders is hoping to finish Sunday's race in 2 hours and 30 minutes.
But few probably had a bigger challenge than did Sanders when he started his running career about a year ago.
He said he was near 300 pounds, but has since dropped 100 pounds to get into running shape.
“I was badly overweight,” Sanders said of his decision to get into shape. “I was tired of breathing real heavy, especially walking up the steps at home.”
His waist size reportedly dropped from 42 inches to 36.
But getting into the shape that competitive running demands is not easy.
“When I first started running on the treadmill, I couldn't do five, 10 minutes,” he said. “I was ready to get off. But I kept increasing my time and my pace and it started getting boring.”
Sanders then decided to run 5K (3.1 miles) races to alleviate the boredom of the treadmill.
“Of course, the first time it took me 35 or 40 minutes,” he said. “I kept doing that and doing that.”
That's about 15 or 20 minutes slower than some men in their early 40s take to complete a 5K race.
But then he took a running class at the Southern Ohio Medical Center LIFE Center to improve his running. He said he learned the proper techniques needed to run, including how to breathe during a race.
Sanders now runs a 5K in about 25 minutes.
But he and some running friends decided to train for longer distances.
So Sanders said he started keeping a log of his training runs, some of which reach 14 miles. He also runs in a pool for the resistance the water provides.
Additionally, he rides a bicycle and swims as part of his training routine.
He runs about six days a week. But Sanders plans on cutting that back some after Sunday to let a minor heal injury clear up.
Distance runners also back off running the week before a long race, which is something Sanders plans on doing this week.
He said he is nervous about running in the Flying Pig.
“I'm nervous as heck for all of them (races),” Sanders said. “My problem is I start out too quick because you get all pumped up inside with the nerves.”
There is a lot of hard work involved in a successful running program. But it's not all work.
“I've got the attitude that you run to have fun,” Sanders said. “As soon as you make it a chore or a job, you might as well give it up.”
He also has some advice for those who want to begin running but are still a little hesitant.
“I would tell them it's great,” Sanders said. “It saved me and it brought me back. It gives you more confidence.”
JEFF BARRON can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 236.
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