A Much Needed Break

Wow, it has been two weeks since I last posted anything and it is because of a good cause; a much needed break. After 130 straight days of running and pounding out the miles, a busy work schedule, family obligations and a worn out old body, I needed to take a week off of running.

During my week off of running I did not bother to watch what I eat, didn't care if I slept in, and if I wanted an extra cup of coffee, beer or soda, I had one. In other words, I became an honorary normal middle aged citizen of the republic. Heck, I even complained with gusto about the inefficiency of the government while waiting in line for my custard filled chocolate doughnut and extra bold with chunky grinds at the bottom of the cup. It was a good, wait, take that back, it was a great week.

Alas, when the week ended, I was ready to get back to being what I love to be, a runner. It was a slow and easy week, but it felt good to drag the ol' bones around the canals and trail and feel my legs pound away the miles. The bottom line is, I just don't fit in with normal society. Not that I am some kind of late in life social outcast or freak, it is just that I still love to push myself to see what these two old pasty white legs can do. So at 6:00am this morning, I joyously romped around my favorite hilly course in the rain, smiling the whole way, knowing, that this is what I was created to do!

As always, stay healthy and keep running.

Disappointment

This past Sunday I ran in my second race of the year, a local 2 mile race that is put on to support a great organization that helps troubled teenagers in our area with mental and emotional issues. The race has evolved over the years from a once highly competitive six mile to a two mile fun run and now a highly competitive two mile, drawing some of the best high school and junior college talent from our neck of the woods. And even though I won the 40-49 age group, I was extremely disappointed in my race.

The race also marked the 20th Anniversary of when I became the first person from my hometown to win this race, so I was hoping to have at least set a masters personal best to celebrate, but the prior two weeks have just been disastrous in terms of training. Between illness, work, family and very little sleep, it took just about everything I had to keep the streak going. As I age, I am founding it more and more difficult to just bounce back after being sick and other set-backs. I have just come to grips with hair sprouting out of every little crevice, now I have to be patient with returning to form in my athletic endeavors. Which has me wondering, will I ever return to form? I know I am never going to run as fast as I once did, but I can at least get into decent shape, right? I can still trim down and at least resemble a cheetah on the prowl, right? I know we runners are a bit narcissistic, but is it wrong to want to have that half-starved, castaway frame that mows down competitors like an obese slob at the Home Town Buffet? Is it wrong to want to push against the hands of time and give it the proverbial finger and shout, "Not yet! I'm not done!"? Is it wrong to still want to at least improve on what I did yesterday? And the day before?

An 11:52 is a humbling experience for a person who has gone sub 9:00 for two miles, even if it has been almost twenty years since I ran that time, it still defines how I view myself as a runner. I find it hard to look in the mirror and see the middle-aged guy stare back at me at times. He is not sub 9, sub 15 and so on anymore. I tell myself that I have come to terms with who I am and celebrate that I am 44, healthy and still enjoy one of the greatest gifts God has given me, the ability to run. But honestly, Sunday, I was disappointed. When the younger runners ran away so effortlessly and I could not even respond, I knew then, my running life has changed forever. I would be a liar, if I did not say that this cut deep into the core of my running soul.

So as I learn to be content with the shadows of who I was as a runner, I lace up and head out the door and dream of a new me and what that new aging runner might be able to accomplish. My disappointment will pass, but my love for this sport burns brighter and hotter than ever before and it is time to pound some miles. As always, stay healthy, keep running and I hope to see you at the races soon. Don't think for a moment that I am going to stop racing!

Forever Fast

I just watched this video this morning on Masters Track and Field and it reminded me of why I love this sport. Although we are slower, can't jump as high or far or throw into the outer limits as we once could, we can still run, jump, hurdle, vault and throw. We are athletes. We are what we were created to be, the body in motion. So for all of you who still wake up and dream of being the best you can be, enjoy! For those of you who are sitting on the sidelines or bleachers, here is your open invitation, come join us, it is still a lot of fun!\

As always, stay healthy, keep running and I hope we get to share fast times, hearty laughs, and some dark brews this summer.

Cocky...

I always loved racing and competing against cocky, trash-talking athletes. It was always like they were trying to compensate for some inadequate ability or something or another. Or maybe they were just so insecure with their own training and racing ability they thought that they needed to resort to silly, childish mind games. Yes, little man, run your mouth! Because I am going to let my feet do my talking, win or lose, fast or slow, come what may, at least it is what it is. More importantly, it is real. It is honest. It is competing with dignity and integrity.

All athletes walk a very fine line between being confident and crossing over to being cocky. A little swagger is beneficial. It lets those whom you are about to go toe to toe with know that you are ready to take on the challenge and bring the heat. However, when one becomes cocky, well, now things start to get interesting. So as I tell my athletes, let 'em talk. Let 'em brag, boast, and carry on like a cackling old hen. When push comes to shove, just rest assure that you have done all that you can and let your feet do your talking. In the end, it doesn't matter who crows the loudest. What matters is that you have done your best and maintained your class, dignity, and reputation. Integrity always trumps cockiness.

So as I swagger out for another day of running, to all those who tend to talk trash, just remember, there are some very confident, quiet, hard training athletes who have placed a target on your back and are taking aim.

Practice What I Preach

Being a teacher and a coach is both challenging and rewarding. I literally love what I do for a living. Each day I am thankful that I get to give back to our community by helping our young people succeed in their endeavors in life. And one is for certain, when you are a teacher, there is never a dull moment. Such as yesterday...

In my English class at the end of the day I was explaining how one can make a story longer by embellishing the facts and being more descriptive in the important details of a narrative piece, when a student said to me, "I'm calling your bluff. You do it." Chuckling to myself, I responded back, "I love to write." At which point they questioned when do I ever write for just the fun of it? Which lead to discussing about a book I have been in the process of writing for several years and this humble blog about my passion of running.

As one who tries to practice what I preach, I know that the best way to teach and coach others is to lead by example and have a strong appetite for that very topic/activity you are sharing with others. I always love it when students tell me stories about obese, chain-smoking, super-size me coaches they have had in youth club sports trying to impart to them their wisdom of healthy living while stuffing another Jumbo-Jack in between gasps for air at each syllable spoken. I even had a colleague at another school I taught at tell me he never reads and that he had not read a novel in years. And yet, this was our department chair for English! Are you kidding me?! How can you expect others to be enriched by reading if you don't get excited about it? How can one point to the heroics of Atticus Finch, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, Holden Caulfield, and Don Quixote if we are not engulfed daily in the beauty of the written word transporting us to new heights of enlightenment?

Which leads to why several times per week I wake before the sun peaks up over the Sierras, fill my cup with that rich, heavenly, dark, steamy brew, and spend time with my good friend Mac. I love to write. Just like my running, I am mediocre at best, but it is one of the few pleasures in life that brings contentment and I can't imagine not doing it. Likewise, as I lace up to head out the door for day 125, I know I can't inspire my athletes to new heights of glory, if I myself did not burn with a driving hunger to run with the gods. Bottom line is, I have to practice what I preach or be silent.

So to all my students and athletes, thank you for inspiring me to be the best that I can be! I too, am a student and each day you teach me the lessons on how to be a better teacher, coach, but more importantly, how to be a better human being.

As always, stay healthy, keep running and remember, you are an inspiration!