Answers

In training, nothing sucks more than knowing that something is wrong. There is that moment that you first feel it and you just think it's nothing... just a pop that will work itself out. You try not to focus on it but it's there, in the background, growing in your mind. Quietly, you start to weigh the pain and decide on your next course of action, "Should I push through? Are you just being a baby? Maybe I should stop and make sure I run another day."

That was yesterday. I was out for a 12 mile run and I could feel a slight pain on the top of my left foot. I had felt this the day before but it was this day that I knew, barely two miles into the run that this was something wrong. Dread filled my body. This pain, more like a discomfort, was taking me down. I hated it. All the past injuries rushed over me and I knew that I would be wrapping my foot repeatedly with ice packs and heating pads... fun.

So here I sit, with the heating pad on and thinking about my future as a runner. I've done 5 marathons with alot of personal success. But maybe it is time to re-think the distance. I am 43 and not that my body held up wonderfully in past training periods but maybe I need to really think about what I am trying to do. Listen, every time I have been injured it forces me to "reset". It's a time that I re-evaluate where I am at and what I need to do to get to where I want to go.

So! Where the f' am I at? I don't know. Where do I want to go? I had hoped for 26.2 in Stroudsburg, PA and I am not ready to give that up yet.

So... I wish I had an answer but I don't. Stay tuned, true believers and send me some love.

Time to switch to the ice pack.

Brian's Run

Roughly, six years ago I ran my first official race. I had been running for about three or four months and a couple people asked me, "Are you running Brian's Run?" I accepted this as fate considering the short timespan of the inquiries and registered. Needless to say, I was nervous and intimidated and lined up in the back with the "walkers". This was a God-send because it allowed me to build confidence. As I passed people, I felt better and ran harder. This was my first lesson that running was more mental than physical. A cheap mind trick but it worked. To this day, I still tend to line up a little beyond my actual ability.

So we were off and running. I loved it but my fear held me back. I didn't want to walk, gassed out, looking like the rookie that I was. I held my conservative pace until the last half mile. Secure with the knowledge that I was "right around the corner", I opened and flew. I blew the doors off of people. One guy commented outloud, "Damn, the dude in the knit hat (me) is flying!" I loved it. Turning the second to last turn, I saw my family cheering me on. I have no recall of the actual finish line, I just remember seeing my wife, Mother-in-Law, and two small children. It was amazing.

Shortly after this I called my father, a retired Colonel in the Marine Corps. As a father would do, he praised and the gave a subtle challenge, "If
you ever think of doing a marathon, think of the Marine Corps Marathon... it's really well organized." I wasn't really looking at doing a marathon, even a well organized one but I entered the MCM lottery and got in.

That was the first of five marathons.

Today, I completed another Brian's Run. This run has again become the catalyst for another marathon.

After my last marathon in 2006, I promised myself that and my wife that I would not do another marathon until she had completed her Doctorate. I had felt guilty of being selfish and taking too much time for personal pursuits resulting in time lost in family time.

The time away from running was nice but as a runner I lost my focus. I missed the schedule and final goal.

This past Friday my amazing wife successfully defended her dissertation. Late that night I was still basking in the pride that I have for her and happened to open the new Runners World magazine. The first page that I opened to was a picture of the Steamtown Marathon... it seemed like the perfect opportunity.

So today as I ran with my buddy and The Chicken to the start of Brian's Run. We talked about old marathons, Brian's Run, and ...Steamtown.

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Float

You get to point in running that your mind just floats. While running, I still do my "checks and balances" but that all happens in the background. Today, while I was out running, I floated through all my past injuries and the effect that it had on me at that time. As I arrived at my latest injury, one word came to mind, "reset". This recent injury brought me back to square one and gave me the perspective of appreciation of being back at the beginning. After years of 20 mile runs, I am cool with 3. It's really not the distance. It is the act - mentally, physically, and most of all spiritually. Just having the ability to go out and run... to float. That works for me.



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First Run

Today was a day of a couple of firsts. One was that I ran for the first time in months. Due to injury, I have been laid up and not very happy about not being able to enjoy the weather with some long runs. But God puts you where you need to be so I stretched and stretched and stretched and hoped for speedy recovery.

Today was the day. I went out on a beautiful day and went for a wonderful run. It was the best two and a half miles a man could ever ask for... but it gets better. Upon reaching my house, I walked in and yelled, "Who's ready to go for a run?!" After hunting down shoes, insisting on socks, and allowing my youngest to run in his underwear - we headed out. I told them about breathing and pacing themselves. I told them not to be afraid to say they need to stop and in the end we all sprinted for the "finish line". I could see that they were all happy with their first run but I beamed. I hope this isn't the last run together and I know it is the continuation of many firsts that I will experience with my family.



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Hurt

There is no better way to say it... when you are hurt you can go insane. During some runs, I pulled
a hammy and now, roughly, a month to six weeks later my leg is feeling better. I hope to get running very, very soon. I hated being there but sometimes you have to get hurt and fall back to move forward.

So... what lays before is stretching, stretching, and more stretching. After a week of pain, the running, push-ups, and sit-ups begin.


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