A New Year.....A New Record?????.......

Sunday morning, January 16th 2011 brought forth the first race of the new year for myself and my relay teammate Chris B. A perfect morning as the pre race waffle went down smoothly, may have been the best waffle ever, and the weather was feeling perfect. Not quite sure of the temperature when I left Chris at the Sun Dial Bridge where the buses were herding up the runners for the start of Redding Marathon/Relay. Anyhow, the morning air was great and we were headed off to, hopefully, start the year off with a bang!
Relay exchange point #1 at the Keswick Boat Launch off of Iron Mountain Rd is where I would begin my venture into relay marathon history. After driving, or in my case passengering, past this point which required a very illegal u turn manuevered by Lilys mom(for future reference I will refer to her as Cowbell! :) lol, she loves them cow bells!) we arrived at said point circa 8:24 am. Not really wanting to warm up these sexy young runner legs too early, I sat in the little Outback(yes a subaru) eyeballing the competition that had begun to trickle into the exchange. After changing into the running garb(I had to represent Eclipse Running again, thems my boys) and a quick rest in the portapotty, I was warming up on the course awaiting the arrival of Mr. B. At this point, my race crew was sitting in the car staying warm until the last possible minute. Lily and Cowbell are so awesome and the drive out was not uneventful at all. Anyways, back on track here Kirk..Gees! Okay 9:01, 9:02....the minutes were ticking down and the nerves were cranking up. Standing there at the exchange point is like standing at the real starting line waiting for the countdown. One difference though, I had no clue when I was actually going to start.
Okay cool....I see a runner! It is the first marathon runner which would mean that Chris would be coming soon. Yes, here he is....I notice the swift running virgin round the corner and my heart jumps. Not only does he look great dressed in all white, but my turn was coming to lead us to victory! A slap on the hand, a beep from the starting of the Garmin, and off I go into the unknown. I could still see the first marathoner in my sights as I started my half of the race which was encouraging and gave me a mental game to play. It was called.....Catch that Runner! How original huh?! Phew. Okay, so the path was a nicely paved bike route that felt great on which to run. Around the 1 mile mark(12 miles total) there was a turnaround after a short jaunt up a hill. Post turnaround, I could see the 2nd place relay runner who was only around .25 miles behind me. That didn't bring me much comfort since I knew he was only doing to 2nd leg of the relay where I had signed up for 2nd and 3rd leg trials. A sharp right turn and up another hill where I did pass the marathon runner as he stopped to stretch. Thinking he may have blown up a tad too early in this race but.....We all have done it! So continuing on now with the bike path up and around, then down and quickly and up and around once again. Finally after a really quick and technical downhill portion, I was crossing the road and onto the flat and fast section of the course. Time to kick in the after burners... Oh wait, I already had done that when the 2nd place relay guy had given that "Im going to catch you smirk at the first turnaround". So that just meant I had to maintain the afterburners for another 10 miles. Whoo hoo! Okay, not the thought that really went into my head at that moment, however, I'll keep it G-rated. Feeling good and strong at this point with 10 miles to go was an encouraging thought as my leg was still holding up perfectly. No pain, no gain! Hopefully that would come later though(the pain that is).
I had run past people walking dogs, pushing strollers, and other runners just enjoying the course. The cool part is that everybody I passed(they were going the opposite direction) were encouraging and really rooting for me to press on. Maybe they wanted to see if I would croak on the side of the road but I had a feeling that they were genuinely pushing for me. Mile 16, 17, 18 went on by without a hitch. After crossing a bridge back onto the other side of the river which would now have me heading west again, and making a few zig zags on the bike path, I rounded a corner into a residential neighborhood. This was the exchange point #2 where the third runner would begin. Where was he, I couldn't find my next runner!!! Oh crap, it was me and I had just under 7 miles to go. Game on! After seeing Lily and hearing Cowbell ringing those awesome bells, Chris decided to run a few hundred yards with me as support. The roller coaster, as Chris would affectionately call these things, came and went as my little legs pressed onward. The miles were counting down and the time was on our side as well as the.....well, pretty much everything on this day! One last bridge back across the river and eastbound I was for the final time. This time it was awesome though because I was coming up on other runners from the marathon and relay. Mind games and speed games were back in business! Perfect timing too because I could feel the legs starting to get heavy and the mind becoming numb. Picking off runners one at a time, like boogers when you have a cold, is a blast! Mile 24 came.....Mile 24 went. Mile 25 came.....Then my awesome teammate was there to run with me on a .70 mile out and back before the finish. We chatted as the pace quickened(thanks Chris) about the course and what was left once getting to the Sun Dial Bridge and finish line. We parted as I hit the bridge in full stride. Its so amazing what spectators, fans, and running enthusiasts can do to the mind and body. I hadn't run that pace all day long. I mean, I hadn't been slouching throughout the run but I hit another gear as the hollers and cowbells got louder. What a flippin rush to be the first person to cross the finish. Yeah, you read that right. The very very first person to cross the finish line was Kirk Ferris of Team Ferris! 2:37:39 was the finishing time! 9 minutes ahead of the previous record set last year.
2011 looks like it is starting off with the bang we were hoping for. Awesome times, awesome crew(gf and cowbell), awesome teammate, and one heck of a weekend. Thanks for being there to share that race with me. Going to be a year to remember! Later Later!

A Runners Dilemma....

Today is Thursday, June 10th, 2010 and as I sit here looking at the monitor on which I am typing, I can't help but think of what todays run will bring. Am I going to venture on a new single track through the mountains of Reno? Or is today going to be another speed session with dry heaving and burning on the city streets? Is the only company for that hour of ASICS pounding going to be the thoughts in my head? I have no answers for any of those questions. That's part of the mystery and lore of running: What will today bring? The first reason for all of these recent thoughts and questions happens to be the fault of my parents. Actually, my mother in specific! If she hadn't broke her foot, then she wouldn't have been laid on the table with the surgeon slicing her open. What in the world does that mean? Well, to take that a little bit further, I could blame it on Dr. Lundeen who is the aforementioned surgeon. Why would I be blaming my running dilemma on the doctor who helped me get back to running form? It has to do with his recommendation of the book "Born To Run". Oh, so you know this book huh?! Yeah, well it has inspired me to say that Scott Jurek is the ultimate stud! Caballo Blanco seems like somebody that I could easily befriend. Whoa there turbo....back to the point here! Gees, I almost blew it there.
So here is the first question that I sit and ponder.... Trails vs. Roads??? Let me give you a little background on my running career to begin this little argument. Background, background, oh wait, there is no background! One day I decided to run and that was the beginning of the story or....the beginning of the end, as some would say. Running has taken a front seat to many aspects of my life. I wake up and pack my running bag before eating, drinking, showering, getting fully dressed even. I eat to run and.....well, sometimes, I run to eat! Its one of those vicious cycles, you know. I know that I'm not the only one who, every now and then, likes to over-indulge on the sweets(sidenote: getting lost for 13 miles in New York was a good thing on that day). Okay, back on course or more accurately put...back on the trail here.
Trail racing/running was never really something that I enjoyed. Why risk rolling your ankle, hitting a tree, running off course and being injured? Not a good idea; Im a big enough pansy about my legs being hurt as it is. None of that made any sense to me. I would stick to the roads where the surface was smooth and there were other people around to keep my mind occupied as running hadn't become my life yet. Look at that car driving by! Wow, what are they listening to on the radio? Another runner ahead?, I better catch him/her to see if I can handle it. This is all evidenced by the races I had run....Sedona half marathon which was difficult but was on the aspahlt, Los Gatos half marathon down at sea level was fast but, once again, on the road, Rock N River half marathon(road), 10ks and 5ks, 8ks and more....So you have the visual right? Where there was a road, that is where I would be found. Where am I going with this mumbo jumbo?
Here is where I am going... Folsom, California and the Winter of 2009. Breakout Racing, Diane Cressey is the fearless leader, was doing a winter trail series down there in the Folsom area for local runners and the crazies who would drive from other cities. The drive to Folsom from where I live is only 2 hours so it made these races very appealing to my running mind. Different distances(3 to 13 miles, points standings(overall and age group), fun trails with weaves, turns, rocks, trees, branches(which never really came into play for myself), competitive trail runners, etc, and..... a new challenge for my running. How come it took me so long to realize that I was a trail runner trapped in a midget street-runners body? Man, this was a blast! My heart was pumping like it was going to explode at times, my eyes scanned the ground like a hawk looking for any advantage, the smile on my face was not that of pain and grimmace but of happiness and content with the challenge of conquering such runs with speed and power. No way was there going to be a course that dominated me! However, the Beals Point Long Course had my "unicorn". The "Water Tower Hill" brought me to my knees with such humility the first time that I had been conquered. A total of three times I made the trek up this hill and finally was able to reach the top without pain, the pain where you feel your temples throbbing, sweat dripping all over, and thighs burning where you can hardly stand. This was a defining moment in my trail running!
Seriously, give me 2 hours on a trail with nobody around and I will run. I will run and run with nothing on my mind and no particular place to go. Pouncing over the streams, hunkering through those hills, barreling down the sandy mountain side at top speed , hopping over rocks and dodging trees(which Chris will tell you that I suck at doing{sidenote: scar on left thigh}) brings such a joy and enthusiasm to running that a lot of running people never feel. I feel like the runners in "Born to Run" while running the trails. Standing on top of a mountain that you have just run up and looking down at the trail with awe is unspeakable. Breathtaking! So breathtaking that you wish your friends and family could see it and feel the same emotion. Can you get that same feeling standing at a street light waiting for it to change green again? No way in Hell!! The secret of trail running isn't in the speed, like the road racing; it isn't even in the perfect stride, like road racing; it isn't the competition either, like the road racing. What is it then? What makes myself and other runners enjoy the trails so much? Its the comraderie of being on the same trail that's only a foot wide. Its the feeling of being one with nature and using your feet to get somewhere. There is no step that is equaled or matched by your shoes. You will never run the same course/trail twice no matter how many times you really run that course.
Well, apparently the bias side of trail running decided to come into play and take over my little mind. This is the question that, Im sure, I have just answered to myself while writing this here little blog. I am definitely not opposed to running on the roads and racing them whenever possible but it seems that my heart relies on the rocky relationship brought on by trail running.
Until next time.....Have a great run! :)

Lets Run for the Tatta's(aka Moms on the Run)...

Its Sunday May 9th in Reno, Nevada which means that its time for the 10th annual Moms on the Run! Waking up the usual 3 hours prior to race time and eating breakfast happened to be like clockwork this morning also. However, one thing was happening that is a little different than usual. My parents were up and they were heading to the race with me......oh not to support me this time but to support the Boobies and run the race as well! Nice props to the parents. Okay, my sister was coming along too and pushing her little ham of a child, Kyra, in the stroller in the race. She just wasn't up yet so I failed to mention her in the beginning. My bad sis! As designated driver to Reno High, I wallowed my way through the backstreets as we discussed race strategy between us. They had all changed their clothes at the house into their running garb so upon arrival and parking next to the Industrial Arts building, they ventured to the tailgate for race prep. Me, you ask, well I have a weird superstition type thing where I don't change into my race apparel until I am at the race. We will skip the R rated version though and proceed to the warmup...after said changing had occurred.
Well, I was pretty sure that I knew exactly what the course had in store for us since the majority of races run in Reno, at some point, go along this particular area. I walked to the starting line which was a hug arch of pink balloons. Okay, Garmin on and Ipod on, time to roll! Running westbound along Foster was a nice straight run, turning left onto..yeah that street(have no idea what name it was), I skipped the middle section of the course and turned left onto the finishing 1.3 miles of the course as the final prep for warming up. I had the good upbeat songs playing on the Ipod which helped me find the "groove" for racing this morning. Finishing the warmup back at the pickup truck, I changed shoes, took off the Ipod, reset the Garmin, and walked to the starting line. Finding my parents and Katelyn, I gave hugs and best wishes to all of them and lined up in post position #18 which was pretty much all the way to the right hand side of the starting line. Hey look, it was Chris coming over to give me a handshake and wish me luck. He had run from the gym to the race to check it out. Familiar faces are always a great way to ease the nerves a little bit.
Okay, the countdown was completed after the singing of the National Anthem and a quick prayer from the Mayor. Off to the races we were! I started out okay, not fast but not too slow either. I wasn't too sure how the legs were going to hold up from the day before but so far they were feeling the flow. 1.4 miles into the race I had taken over 2nd place and was holding strong. 2 miles into the race, feeling the burn now from the Runamuck, I had caught the leader and we were running side by side until the last quarter mile. Turning back onto Foster heading for the Pink Arch of Balloons this was going to be my time to shine....NOT! He kicked, I kicked....but his worked and mine didn't. Have you ever heard legs talk back to people before? I hadn't really ever heard it either but my legs skipped talking to me and began a kind of screaming that seemed to be like a child who dropped his ice cream cone in the dirt. Damn the bad luck! Oh well, 2nd place finish in the Moms on the Run 2010 isn't too bad. I didn't hit my time of 16:30 either which bummed me out but that just means more work to be done. Next up No Excuses 5k in Sacramento on Memorial day. No races between now and then so I wont have any....excuses!
Everybody else had solid races as well. My sister finished 178th overalll and was the 3rd stroller to roll in. Mom and Dad finished well under the 10 minute per mile mark and no walking occurred this race. Props again! Katelyn finished well too in under 28 minutes(I think thats what she said). All in all, a great day and a happy mothers day to all involved.

2010 Edition of the Run A Muck.. Wait, are those...Shorts???

So its a Monday which means one thing..... There must have been another race and it is time to do this blog thing about such race event. This time I was running/racing in the Run A Muck for the Reno River Festival 2010 with my buddy Chris Badolato from Reno. The only information that I had recvd on this doosy of a race was what I had read from Chris' blog from the year 2009. Hey, why not join the fun and whip out a quick 2.35 mile race on a warm Saturday afternoon? Well, enough leading up to the action...let's dig into it.

Race time wasn't until 2 in the afternoon. What in the world was I to do all morning long? Sit around and think how I would look in these shorts, well underwear(yes, you read that correctly; its not a typo), until race time? Yeah, thats what I pretty much did! Along with modeling my "costume" for my dad and his friend, I was hoping that it wouldn't get much colder outside or I would have to make a trip to the store and buy a smaller version of my costume! You know, it was all shrinkage!! :) Okay, so 1 finally rolled around and I met up with Chris, Abby, and Hannah at the Library parking garage and we walked to Abby's post at the corner of First and....ah, Idlewild? Got me as to what street it really was. Sounds good though. After a quick shoe change which is a pretty cool feeling cause now I feel like a real runner with switching shoes all the time depending on the situation in which I am running. That's a whole other story! Shoes changed, check. Shirts changed, check. Okay time for the warmup which was going to be the course so we could see what was going on with it this year. Okay, Reno 911 officers with fire hoses and squirt guns...okay okay I can handle that. Next up, straw bales to hurdle.....consider it done. Football players with pads, helmets, and hitting pads....piece of cake. Mud pit was next on the course....not a problem considering it wasn't all packed with kids having fun at my time. Okay, rounding the turn for home and then a gate maze....Okay okay, weave through that and haul butt back through The Super Troopers with water guns, one little round of hopscotch like a 5th grader trying to impress the ladies, a bubble bath and the finish line! He shoots and he scores! Phew, the warmup was completed!! We did a little extra warmup as we needed to hit a certain mileage for the day but that's not important at the moment.

Race time, 2pm! Chris whips off the shorts and I go blind! I whip off the shorts and the world goes blind! Good thing that everybody else was there too in off-the-wall costumes so my junk wasn't on total display for every spectator to oogle over. 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-go; Chris was off and, wow, somehow started in like 7th place or something crazy! Get out of the way though cause here comes Captain Banana Hammock rolling through the field, junk and all, to hit the course. By the time that he had blown through all of the obstacles and raced back, oh yeah he lost the soap bar(our baton) in the mud pit, a commanding lead had been taken. What was my job then? To NOT relinquish the lead and bring home the bacon....or sausage in this case! :) Nasty! Anyways, this is turning PG-13 or NR pretty quickly, isn't it? We do the traditional high five as I take off from the starting line on my quest to run in most outrageous race the Reno offers. Reno 911 officers downed me with a quick squirt of Truckee River water, Straw bales cleared with only almost tripping on 2 of them, football players diverted(they were focused on some cute ladies at the time), mud pit slosshed through, maze(surprisingly easy) weaved through, another dousing from the officers, junk hopscotch completed, and the bubble bath which made me wish I had a rubber ducky with me, and finally the finish line! Task completed! 2010 Run A Muck champions! This would pose as a repeat for Chris, as he had won the event in 2009 also. However, we bested a lot of teams on this day. I hurried back to the corner at which Abby and my parents were posted for viewing pleasure only to change quickly and take off on the course for the cool down. We avoided all major obstacles and rounded out the day in good fashion at the awards ceremony. A pretty sweet helmet that is officially heavy and too big for my little head and a season pass to Alpine Meadows(which is restricted beyond belief) and the day was complete!

Thanks Chris for asking me to partner up with you on the run. Abby and Hannah, outstanding job at holding down the stop sign and for great picture taking. Although, Chris pointed out that I may want to change legs while injecting! :) Mom and Dad, once again you are always there to support me and all my wacky adventures. Good times were had by all and hopefully we can crank it out again next year.

Reno Rock N River 2010.........

Looky Looky Looky, its a fine Monday morning and Im writing another blog. I have come to many conclusions after 3 straight weekends of my midget legs pumping out the miles in races. Conclusion #1: Coach Rick is a stud!!! Amazing how far I have come in the past some-odd number of weeks with his coaching.
Conclusion #2: Coach Diane and her nutrition wonders are also amazing. Who really knew that eating the right foods at the right times would really help that much? Oh....You did?? My bad! Thanks for telling me sooner.
Conclusion #3: My parents, what else can be said, are the best support crew in the whole world. They have been at every race for the past three weekends along with many more before that. It's the best feeling in the world when you are crossing that finish line and they are standing there there to give out the congratulatory hug and high five. Careful guys, I could get used to this and then you would have to become Kirk Groupies and follow me all over the country. :)
Conclusion #4: Reno actually got the race right this year and had an outstanding turnout!!! Yes yes yes, I am surprised as well.
Okay, guess you figured out that I am going to head off on another blog about the Reno Rock N River 2010 version. Damn your smart! Well, I am assuming that the marathon went off without a hitch at 6:30 like it was supposed to do. Why am I just assuming? At that time, I was snoozing in the pickup truck over by the Sands Regency waiting for the alarm to go off so I could get ready. Hey, had to get there early enough for a good parking spot. Whoa, off on another tangent....back on track here, come on Kirk. Okay, I did watch the start of the half marathon at 7 though and was very impressed by the turnout. It seemed like the line of runners/walkers crossing the starting line would never end. That is awesome considering last year it was cold, rainy, and flat miserable. Not too mention that the course was poorly marked last year as well. Hmm, would that be the case again? No! 7:30 finally rolls around with all the 10k starters in the blocks. I would make a bang at this point but they didn't have a little fake gun or anything so I'll just say "Go". The usual faces were in the front....you know, Chris B, Fred Z, and some other intimidating factors. At this point, I was a tad nervous and looking for a porta potty! Good thing I was planning on a fast race so I could find one later if needed. Im not the quickest starter in the world but I could actually see Chris B for pretty much the first 2 miles. After that, he seemed like a spec out there on the horizon....or wait, that may have been a bead of sweat on my shades. Run Run Run, that is all that I could think of and the fact that I wanted to finish in the Top 5..at least. Out and back we strolled through Idlewild, down some other roads, back along the Crooked Mile, finally coming to a close back under the arch in downtown. With one final turn to go, my new Asics finally passed Scott Young for 4th place overall. I could hear him breathing down on me until Dad yelled for me to kick it up. Hey....and I listened to him! Not too bad for a little guy from Carson City. 34:42 and and 4th place finish overall. Chris B ran a 33:01 which is awesome and, one day, I'll hopefully be giving him a run for his money.
So congrats to Reno for finally getting the course correctly and managing what seemed like a good race. Weather held up and was beautiful while there were no shootings or drug busts along the path either. Win Win situation for everybody! Good race to Chris and Fred! Next up: The Run a Muck next Saturday! Good times!

Escape from Prison Hill 2010.......

Yep, you guessed it! Since I am blogging, that must mean that another race has happened since my last blog which was, dang really, only less than a week ago! You know, good thing some of these are close to home because racing is a blast and the drive after this one would have sucked severely. It's Monday, yeah two whole days after running this race, and yeah I can barely still walk. Damn hills these days!

This year I sucked up the pride and decided to take a try at the relay portion of this half marathon course. Oh come now right? It's only a half marathon which I have done plenty of lately but....This is no usual halfer in more than one way. Anyways back to the relay. Not exactly sure what the distances are for each leg but its a 2 man team which consisted of Myself and Dr. Shane Miller. When I say Dr., I am meaning veterinarian. The guy is a genius with horses and how to fix them. Not a bad partner to have when you are running on trails, right? Oh by the way, this is a partner that neglected to tell me that he hadn't run a 6 mile run, let alone a trail run, in over a year! Way to keep a secret doc, haha!

The race started at Silver Saddle Ranch on the backside of Prison Hill in Carson City. Its a cool little place...my daughters school takes field trips there all the time so its a great recreational area. Making a little 1/2 mile loop around the entry is the easiest part of the course and the best footing as well. Just past the entry gate is where the turn into the mountains takes place and the great Dr. Shane was out of sight. The beggining is just a single track through the first set of hills with very little room to pass unless you feel like brush-hopping so Im guessing he just settled in for a little stroll at this point. Sucks for everybody who wants to read further about the first section because, at this point, I was back in the truck heading to the relay exchange point. Good luck Shane!

Hey, Im back! After a quick wardrobe change in the passenger seat at the relay point, I was out of the truck doing my little warmup. Pretty funny running on the same trails that I had just finished mobbing up and down with the dirt bike a few days earlier. So warmup complete now with some time on my hands. Time to throw the plug out there for Mom and Dad now too! They stood there at the exchange point the whole morning clapping and cheering other runners on that would pass through. I was getting anxious and, luckily, I was able to talk to them and a few of the other 2nd leggers to keep from going crazy. One by one the leaders of the half marathon came and went. Dr. Lehman(?) was the first relayer to leave with a commanding lead on everybody else. Needless to say he seemed mighty confident in what lead they had been given. Great guy and an excellent runner as well. A few minutes later, I am pretty sure it was closer to 8 1/2 minutes later, we could see my boy Shane rocking down the course. The guy wasn't even breathing hard and had a huge smile on his face. "Later Doc, Im outta here." Oh you are ready for the fun and interesting part huh? Here goes, the first mile and a half was pretty much all up hill, 1200ft gain in elevation or some crazy amount like that. For the first time ever I am going to disclose some information that nobody has ever been told......I walked a bunch of this hill last year! This year, however, no walking was to be found! Some extremely fast downhills mixed in with a few more steep inclines and a river crossing led us to the road home. Luckily I had run this road the day before in an effort to know what I was up against and it was paying off. No lie, the legs were getting a little tired and sore with 1.75 miles to go. Whatever, pain is only temporary and I hadn't caught Dr. Lehman yet. Crossing the river one last time and running in the deep sand, I looked up to see Dr. Lehman at the top of this ridge. Honestly, I didn't think I had another gear left in me at this point but that nitrous Chocolate Outrage GU that I hadn't eaten prior to race was kicking in. Here I come! Rounding the final turn at a speed that my Garmin couldn't even register, well it was registering it but makes me sound faster this way, I ran out of real estate and finished 9 seconds behind the winning team. Oh so close!!!

Overall, this race is hard as hell on the legs but a great time. The views are perfect and the weather was tremendous! Kudos to Tom and all of the volunteers, sponsors, and event organizers as this seemed to go off without a hitch. I can't wait until next year...not sure that my legs are that excited, but hey, they will get over it!

A runner.. but why??

Running as defined by www.freedictionary.com is "To move swiftly on foot so that both feet leave the ground during each stride" or " To move without hindrance or restraint."
So after sitting here at work today trying to stay warm because, yes, it is snowing again here in wondeful South Lake Tahoe, I have finally decided what running really is to me.
Originally, running was basically called jogging as I was a little chunk trying to run away the pounds. There was a skinny kid trapped inside of this body that just needed some guidance. Constant motion with one foot in front of the other seemed to be a good starting point. 3 miles though, you have got to be kidding me. That first 3 mile run was a pain in the ass.....legs, feet, back, stomache, head, and every other body part! However, the weight started going and I started to enjoy it.
Alright, Chapter 2, running became a part of my lifestyle. Not only was it a way to continue staying in shape but I started becoming interested in the racing and competitive portion of it. Wow, that was an eye opener and, surprisingly, I become pretty good. Confidence booster and self achievement became the new reasons for running. I could do something.....Something that required just myself and my ability. Self achievement and gratification is amazing when there is nobody else involved but you! Hey, look at it this way, win or lose it is all on you! Who else can you blame when you give up or slow down and try to convince yourself that you are too tired to continue? Exactly, finding what you are really made of inside is amazing.....and running can do that!
Now that I have been through the first 2 chapters of what running has meant to me, lets go for Chapter 3. You ready for this one? Along with weight loss and self achievement, running has been the greatest mental release ever. I love the runs when that damn stress seems to be overflowing in every other aspect of my life. Lacing up the shoes, throwing the ear phones in my ears, putting the beanie over the head, turning on the garmin, and hitting the pavement is the ultimate release. Release from the rest of the world. No phone ringing, nobody else trying to get in your head. Heck, get all that crap out of your head and just let those thoughts flow. I can't believe the things that came from this mind when I am "in constant motion". Some people ask me why I run so many miles and what it takes to run all of them without a training partner or anything. "I can't believe you do that, I can't motivate myself to go alone, I could never run that many miles". BS!!! Everybody can run! Look where I started and look where I am now. I know not everybody will use it for the same reasons but, to me, running has been the best way to release all of the negative thoughts. Brings me back to earth and all of the real reasons that we are here.
I hope you all enjoy seeing this post and reading what running has become and what it could become for you if you focus and use it for what its worth. Have a great day!!