What a Year!

Ok, so 2012 is just about to wrap up and be another entry in the old running log, but...As I look back over this past year, it was truly an amazing year in my running life. Ever since my heart attack in November of 2011, I have been trying to rebound and rebuild my running life, however, I was completely caught off guard by the rebirth that occurred during the process of recovering from this life altering experience. I have been blessed with so many friends and memories that make each step of the journey worthwhile and I wouldn't want to be any other kind of athlete than an aging, long-striding runner. So as we close out another trip around the sun here is a look back at my Top 5 experiences in the running life of 2012. Number 5: The Tule Fog Run 5K. When I was lying in the hospital bed during my extended vacation from life, I made myself a promise that I was not going to let a heart attack rob me of what I enjoy most in life, including my beautifully warped obsession of putting one foot in front of the other as fast as I can. One of the first questions I asked my cardiologist was, would I be able to run again? Of course I got the usual, "Well, each person recovers different from the other and you need to just listen to your body and be smart." At which my body was screaming, my demons need to get out and run wild doc! So, I took his advice, took it easy, ran slow, strapped on a heart rate monitor, took my meds, and started putting one foot in front of the other for a few miles each day starting on Christmas morning. However, I needed a starting point. A point of reference that said, from this day forward I am a new runner! So I registered for a local 5K a few weeks later in mid-January, toed the line, stayed in the mid-pack, ran the slowest, yet at the same time, most satisfactory 5K of my life. And, to show that God has a great sense of humor, I won my age division! I never thought in my wildest running dreams that I would be so ecstatic over a 22:30 PW (personal worst), but ecstatic I was and overjoyed with the sheer joy of just being out with "my kind of people" on a cold, wet, winter's day. There was only one direction left for me to go...up! Number 4: My Bux Peeps! One of the things I have discovered since turning 40 a few years back is that I need to play with kids my own age. Most of my running injuries over the past five years have come from when I was out running with my high school athletes that I coach. Kids these days just will not slow down for their elders and when the ugly head of pride rises to the challenge...another six weeks of ice, tylenol, and chocolate. Not only did I sign up for the Tule Fog Run when I got out of the hospital, I also immediately joined our local running club, The Visalia Runners. Of course it was an easy sell, they have a group that meets in the morning at the various Starbucks and after all, there is no better recovery drink than a Grande Dark Roast with Room! Turns out, this was the best decision I have made in years. Even though I have to rise at the ungodly hour of 3:30am a couple of times per week in order to make it to the 4:30 start time, it is well worth plucking the extra large chunks from my eyes way before the break of dawn in order to log a few miles, sip some steamy brew, and share a few laughs. Running is both solitary and communal. There are days when I need to just be with myself out on the trails, roads or canals, but most days the task of covering 8 to 12 miles can be a daunting endeavor that makes me want to run to the sheets and cuddle up with my wife. It is so much easier to slide out from under the covers, slip on the tights, grab the gloves, lace up, kiss my wife and head out the door knowing that my new colorful cast of friends await. There is something to be said about the shared experience of lunacy! Here we are, all grown, professional people, up before the rooster, running amuck on the streets of Visalia, scantily clad in a colorful array of bright colored shoes, shorts, and tights, cackling and laughing the whole way, all the while, the rest of our sleepy community slumbers as we glide down the streets at breakneck speeds. Then we ascend upon the other early risers drinking copious amounts of rich dark heaven, as if we really need a stimulant to get us going, swapping glorious tales. Ahhhh man, it is so much fun! So to all my Bux Peeps, which are way too many to name, but you know who you are, a huge heartfelt thank you for making this one of the best years in all of my thirty-one years of the running life. Until tomorrow when I will share moments 3 and 2, stay healthy and keep running!