What the heck was that!?

Over the course of the last week I have experienced my first earthquake and hunkered down to battle the remnants of Hurricane Irene.  Who would have ever thought that us Marylanders would have to endure such a strange and hectic week, but hey it's been one crazy summer so I wasn't completely blown away. What I find interesting is that how endurance running can produce the feelings and emotions that are similar to those found from natural disasters.  Now I will make it clear these are two completely different monsters.  One, we pay good hard earned money to have a miserably great time while on the other hand natural disasters are uncontrollable circumstances where lives are taken and life is disrupted.  Clearly they are two different things but still from what I find there is a similar feeling.

Both exploit our vulnerability.  I've yet to run a race whether it was a marathon or a 50 miler where there wasn't a short period of time that I became vulnerable.  In my case it's generally my emotions.  No I don't become a blubbering crying idiot but I often find gratefulness and importance whether it's certain people in my life or memories I have collected.  I can honestly say that last week even though the earthquake was minor and the hurricane was less significant than forecasted I had similar feelings.  I immediately thought about my loved ones, I immediately thought about things that are important to me, and I immediately thought without fear there's no hope.

What I learned from this last week is that not only does my running allow me to eat a lot it allows me to remain calm in tense situations.  Running has strengthened my patience, it allows me to remain calm and I constantly compare it to life.  If I have a string of a few tough days I relate it to parts of a race where you have those few tough miles.  After you push through you will be rewarded.  Things always have a way of getting better, to me it's the only option.  This leads me to my favorite word, persevere.

As described by the dictionary persevere is defined as continuing in a course of action even in the face of difficulty.  I find this in my running and in this past week I saw it in our region.  And as Joe Dirt says, "Ya gotta keep on keepin' on".

On the running calendar - this weekend another 20 miler...Freedom Run is one month away!

Only a Pig can Help

Last weeks running took a backseat to a family tradition.  Yes I was able to sneak a few weekday runs in but there was a pig to be roasted and money to be raised.  For nearly twenty years my family has been hosting a good 'ol fashioned South County pig roast.  The ingredients are simple.  You find an old oil drum convert into a big ass grill, get a large pig (preferably over a hundred pounds), call all your close friends and family, put some beer on ice, and then eat and party all night long.

A few years ago we decided to turn something good into something great.  We would turn our backyard bbq into a fundraiser.  The only thing that changed about the party was a band ( www.kleptoradio.com ), a moonbounce, a few more people, and a great cause to support.  All we would ask is to either bring a dish or a donation.  Four years later we as a family with the help from all our friends have helped to raise almost ten thousand dollars for Team in Training and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

I couldn't be more proud of what we do and couldn't feel much better about giving.  And to me it's running that made all this happen.  If I hadn't signed up to run a marathon with Team in Training in 2004 none of this would have happened.  Sure we would still be having our pig roast, but it wouldn't be what it is today.  What this party has taught me and what running continues to teach me is that I won't be a "should've" person.  We turned our party into what it should've have been, more meaningful and giving. 

We should be willing to take risks, we should seize opportunities, and we should never look back and say we "should've taken a chance".

A Full Moon

It wasn't until I stepped foot outside tonight that I noticed I would be accompanied by a full moon.  It would prove to be a friendly companion.  In my years of running I have only attempted one night run, it was last year on a hot and humid summer night and would turn out to be no more than ten miles.  Tonight would be different, at least I hoped.  The weather couldn't have been better and my psyche was top notch.  I mapped out an out and back.  Out and back courses are not always my favorite but the are effective.  My thought is that with an out and back you have no way of cutting the course short or altering the run.  Once you make it halfway each step is one step closer to home.  This run was a success.  I managed to get a solid twenty miles in with only a handful of walk breaks.

Tonight's run was fresh, it was new, it was extraordinary.  Many use the expression "you can't have your cake and it it to" which really means you can't have the best of both worlds.  This expression is true, people try it and eventually it falls apart.  I believe that you can't have the best of both worlds, but most definitely you can have the best world.  What I mean is that with proper balance life can be great, and it doesn't have to be selfish.  To many my running may seem a top priority but in all actuality it is a fraction of the pie.  I asked myself tonight halfway through my run if I could live without it, my answer to myself was "possibly, but I couldn't live without all it has brought to me and what it will continue to bring". 

Goodnight room, goodnight Moon.

Is this a Puzzle or a handful of Mike and Ikes?

I feel that you should always have goals within goals, it makes reaching the big one more attainable and more fun.  Vermont is less than a year away but I plan on running at least 3 or 4 50 milers along the way as well as marathons and 50k's.  A couple days ago I signed up for Stone Mill, a 50 miler close to home in mid November, it will be a challenge.  I am now debating what other races I will run before this race.  I have a couple in mind perhaps the Freedom Run in WV and my old faithful Marine Corps. 

Almost everyday at work I either find a quarter or "borrow" one from a co-worker and get a handful of Mike and Ikes.  What I find interesting is that I eat them in a certain manner.  I first sort them by color and then by quantity and then eat them from largest quantity to smallest.  Without a doubt the red ones always have the lowest number and they also happen to be my favorite.  I thought today as I was sorting colors and quantities that perhaps Vermont is the "red one" and all the others are the ten milers, half marathons, marathons, and 50 milers. 

These are completely weird and random thoughts but one of the ways I help to keep my running and my life into perspective.  I find that being able use such quirky similes helps to pull everything together and makes life's twists and turns make a little more sense.  And what I also find interesting is that even though red colored candy is my favorite by far I would never buy a box completely full of red.  It takes away diversity, takes away the ability to choose, and takes away the satisfaction of working your way through all those different colors and flavors.

On a normal note my body feels great and my training has been adequate.  In the upcoming months I am going to have to start putting more mileage in and start paying more attention to my diet.  I am also planning a night run soon which should make for a fun post.