Yeah runnin' down a dream
That never would come to me
Workin' on a mystery, goin' wherever it leads
I'm runnin' down a dream
Running allows you to dream and then lets you chase that dream to whereever it leads. In your mind it appears within reach; with each step and breath, it is closer. You run a bit harder, faster and further to reach it. It is almost within your grasp. You reach deeper when you are fatiqued thinking you can't go anymore - certainly not faster, but you find that inner spiirit to pull you through. The inner spirit can take many forms - a person, a thought, an experience, but something that we can hold onto to to get to the finish and sometimes to the dream.
Racing is very much like this. Finishing is sometimes hard but if you know that there is a reward at the end it drives you harder to the finish and allows you to get through the rough times. You draw your energy from everywhere imaginable both mentally and physically. Your thoughts change, your legs stride differently, your arms help drive your legs, your breathing becomes a well-defined cadence, you look to find that one face in the crowd that gives you that last bit of assurance - the finish is in reach.
I raced twice this weekend. The George Sheehan Classic, a 5 miler dominated by Kenyans over the years but better known for its comunity spirit and charity. If you do not know who George Sheehan is, you should. He is one of the most profound philosophers as it relates to running that there has ever been. The race is held in his honor after he died of cancer several years ago. Forty of his family members ran in the race. I ran 36:45 finished 225 out of 1738 and 30th out of 193 in my age group. Overall, it was a good race.
On Sunday I ran Run For Dad 5K on father's day. I ran 21:55, good enough for 71 out of 458 and 9th in my age group. My Dad died at the age of 60 due to lung cancer as he was a smoker. I figure that for evevery breath that he couldn't take in his life, I have been able to take as a runner. I was able to pick that one face out in the crowd that got me to the finish - to see a smile at the end.
Even if your dreams are a mystery, even to you, keep running and you will find them. They will become more clear, within sight and reachable. You may find them in places where you might never look or in people who have touched you in ways you thought not possible.
Happy Father's Day Dad!
Monday, June 20, 2005
Friday, June 17, 2005
Pickin' Wildflowers
Whatcha say we go pickin' wildflowers?
Got a spot way back in the woods.
Sneak away for a couple of hours,
You and me, pickin' wildflowers.
Trying to convince beginning runners what they need to do to be successful and injury-free in the sport is a difficult proposition. I’m not defining success here as winning races or age group awards. I define success in running by having an active, healthy running life where you get both mental and physical satisfaction from running day-in and day-out, where is becomes part of your lifestyle and a welcomed one, not one of drudgery. I also define success by what one can take from running and apply to life.
So many beginners want to go out and run too fast, too far, and sometimes just too much. When the runs aren’t fast enough, far enough or just plain “enough”, they get frustrated and end up stopping without ever giving it a chance. Sometimes I hear about the little aches and pains – well this hurts and that hurts. Truly, what hurts more is a sedentary lifestyle. Sitting in my chair is worse on my back than running. Yes, runners do need to listen to their bodies for more serious injuries or fatigue that can lead to injuries. However, for me, running cures all ills. If I have a backache, headache, foot ache, depressed, or stressed running stops it – sometimes for just that short time while running and sometimes for good or until the next time.
So what’s my point in all this? Just go out and move – run a little, walk a little, run some more and stop and pick some wildflowers, talk to a horse then run a little more and enjoy the body in motion and exploring both nature and yourself. For beginners and veterans alike, take the time to enjoy the experience. A few entries ago I spoke of stopping to pet and talk to a horse. I smile at deer and rabbits, I jump so I don’t step on a snake, I pick a wildflower that I have never seen, and I smell the newly blossomed honeysuckle – all of these things on my runs.
All said, I am serious about my running also. I like to compete (mostly against my own times) so I do train and do focus and work hard when I need to. Not every runner has to do this. To be a runner, you just need to run and sometimes go pickin’ wildflowers.
Got a spot way back in the woods.
Sneak away for a couple of hours,
You and me, pickin' wildflowers.
Trying to convince beginning runners what they need to do to be successful and injury-free in the sport is a difficult proposition. I’m not defining success here as winning races or age group awards. I define success in running by having an active, healthy running life where you get both mental and physical satisfaction from running day-in and day-out, where is becomes part of your lifestyle and a welcomed one, not one of drudgery. I also define success by what one can take from running and apply to life.
So many beginners want to go out and run too fast, too far, and sometimes just too much. When the runs aren’t fast enough, far enough or just plain “enough”, they get frustrated and end up stopping without ever giving it a chance. Sometimes I hear about the little aches and pains – well this hurts and that hurts. Truly, what hurts more is a sedentary lifestyle. Sitting in my chair is worse on my back than running. Yes, runners do need to listen to their bodies for more serious injuries or fatigue that can lead to injuries. However, for me, running cures all ills. If I have a backache, headache, foot ache, depressed, or stressed running stops it – sometimes for just that short time while running and sometimes for good or until the next time.
So what’s my point in all this? Just go out and move – run a little, walk a little, run some more and stop and pick some wildflowers, talk to a horse then run a little more and enjoy the body in motion and exploring both nature and yourself. For beginners and veterans alike, take the time to enjoy the experience. A few entries ago I spoke of stopping to pet and talk to a horse. I smile at deer and rabbits, I jump so I don’t step on a snake, I pick a wildflower that I have never seen, and I smell the newly blossomed honeysuckle – all of these things on my runs.
All said, I am serious about my running also. I like to compete (mostly against my own times) so I do train and do focus and work hard when I need to. Not every runner has to do this. To be a runner, you just need to run and sometimes go pickin’ wildflowers.
Saturday, June 11, 2005
A Day At The Races
June is an interesting time to race for those of us who live through the four seasons. This is especially true when the temperature and humidity go from spring-like to mid-summer in what seems like overnight. I think to get the Varieties of Running Experience though, a runner must experience running in all conditions and in all the seasons. I do have days in the middle of February where I wake up and wish I lived in San Diego or one of the other best running weather citiies that just came out in Runner's World but then I come to my senses and realize the variety of conditions and experiences that I am fortunate to have as a runner in the Northeast. These conditions and experiences make me a better runner. My body and mental outlook adapts accordingly and I expect more or less from the season. Each season and each condition is a different experience. Even running in the rain during the seasons is different. As runners, we get to experience life and nature in their truest forms. I am not saying you can't expereince these things as a non-runner or another kind of athelete but I don't believe it is as complete.
It takes the body a few weeks to transition from low humidity and cooler temperatures to high humidity and downright hot temperatures. I have a few runs in the humidity this year but today was the first race that pushed the limit. The body will adapt - it always does and helping it along never hurts.
I ran the Princeton Fete 10K race today. It was hot and humid even at 8:00 AM. As always, I might have started a bit fast running the first mile in 6:57. I hung in there as long as I could with the weather. I sweated and I tried to drink (except the race organizers decided to give shot glass sizes of water in plastic cups and if you don't know what this means, someday you will!) and worked my way through the course. One saving grace was that most of the course was tree-lined and had plenty of shade. The downhills were slight so I could increase my stride without jamming my feet and knees into the road surface. The hills flirted with the flat and downhill surfaces but were not really a problem. I hit the 5K in 23 minutes so I certainly ran a positive split finishing in 47:51. I was nearly 2 minutes slower in the second half which I think is a lot in a 10K. I've tried working on more even splits and starting a bit easier but I guess I still didn't get it done today. The finish was on a soft spongy track at Princeton University. I love track finishes mostly because that is what I used to be - a 200 meter sprinter. When I hit the track - I go back!
Thus, a day at the races! One gratifying thing I did after the race was went back out to the track and cheered on the remaining runners. This was probably as gratifying as running. I love the people who believe they are not runners but are out there making the effort and in doing so are REALLY runners! Those runners are the ones who drive the sport and drive the motivation for so many of us as runners.
Happy Running!
It takes the body a few weeks to transition from low humidity and cooler temperatures to high humidity and downright hot temperatures. I have a few runs in the humidity this year but today was the first race that pushed the limit. The body will adapt - it always does and helping it along never hurts.
I ran the Princeton Fete 10K race today. It was hot and humid even at 8:00 AM. As always, I might have started a bit fast running the first mile in 6:57. I hung in there as long as I could with the weather. I sweated and I tried to drink (except the race organizers decided to give shot glass sizes of water in plastic cups and if you don't know what this means, someday you will!) and worked my way through the course. One saving grace was that most of the course was tree-lined and had plenty of shade. The downhills were slight so I could increase my stride without jamming my feet and knees into the road surface. The hills flirted with the flat and downhill surfaces but were not really a problem. I hit the 5K in 23 minutes so I certainly ran a positive split finishing in 47:51. I was nearly 2 minutes slower in the second half which I think is a lot in a 10K. I've tried working on more even splits and starting a bit easier but I guess I still didn't get it done today. The finish was on a soft spongy track at Princeton University. I love track finishes mostly because that is what I used to be - a 200 meter sprinter. When I hit the track - I go back!
Thus, a day at the races! One gratifying thing I did after the race was went back out to the track and cheered on the remaining runners. This was probably as gratifying as running. I love the people who believe they are not runners but are out there making the effort and in doing so are REALLY runners! Those runners are the ones who drive the sport and drive the motivation for so many of us as runners.
Happy Running!
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