Boston Marathon: April 15, 2013

Sally has waited for me at Finish Lines more times than I can remember.  Hours of standing around waiting for that all too brief glimpse of me finishing another race.  I may not see her as I strain to hit the timing mats, but I know she's there and that's all that matters.

As I watched the horror unfold in Boston on Monday, I was sickened then saddened.  What an incredibly terrible act on innocent people.  I thought about my own personal experience with Sally waiting patiently for me to finish so many of my races.  Then my heart went out to all the people in Boston:  runners, volunteers, staff, spectators, family and friends.  My thoughts and prayers were with you on Monday and will be with you forever.

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

++++++++++

I'm raising funds for the Heart & Stroke Foundation in 2013.  My goal is to raise $2,000 by December 31.  My planned races in 2013 include:

1. The Sporting Life 10K, May 12
2. The Toronto Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront 1/2 Marathon, October 20
3. The Reggae Marathon, December 7.  

Please join me on Facebook at Run for Heart.

It's been 6 months since my last long run

My favourite place to run!

10 kilometers!  That's how far I ran on my 'long run' this past weekend.  The first time I've been out for any reasonable distance since last September when I had 'The Incident'.  

I had a good run.  Let me re-state that:  I had a GREAT run!  Finally!  

I ran at my favourite time of day, early morning along one of my special routes:  the Hunber River.  That's a picture of the trees along the paved path that follows the river.  And even though it was early April I had the full winter running gear on.  Winter just does not seem to want to leave us in Toronto this year.

It wasn't a particularly fast fun but that wasn't the point.  Getting it done was the achievement.  Here are some of the thoughts that rambled through my head:

• "I did it".  An adaptation of the 'Just do it' slogan, I really wasn't confident I could actually run again. Silly thought I know...broken bones do mend.
• "My breathing has gone to hell".  I was fine until 'The Hill' at around the 6 km mark.  "Will this climb ever end...why am I so out of breath?".
• "Holy Crap...My quads hurt".  I have to re-train those big upper thigh muscles to run again.  
• "Love handles?...where did those come from?"  Thankfully it was still dark and I was wearing a jacket.  This jiggly stuff around my waist sure is't fun to carry along for 10K!
• "Mid-foot running".  Short strides, faster turnover, easier running.  Hey, I think I finally got the hang of mid-foot running.  

With that first long run under my belt I'm now looking forward to my first race on May 12 the Sporting Life 10K.  Straight down Yonge Street to the Lakeshore.  It's mostly downhill.  Gravity should compensate for my lack of speed.

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

++++++++++

I'm raising funds for the Heart & Stroke Foundation in 2013.  My goal is to raise $2,000 by December 31.  My planned races in 2013 include:

1. The Sporting Life 10K, May 12
2. The Toronto Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront 1/2 Marathon, October 20
3. The Reggae Marathon, December 7.  

Please join me on Facebook at Run for Heart.

A few of my favourite runs

Another run on the Beach

I've been running for a long time.  Lots of training runs, fun runs and races.  And I've run in just about every place I've traveled.  I have lots of memories of great runs and very few of the bad ones.  Funny how running seems to do that.  For this post on a -4 degree Celsius morning on April 2 (I thought April Fool's Day only lasted until 12 noon April 1), I'm motivated to share a few of my favourite runs:

• Calling myself a runner way back at this early stage is a bit of an exaggeration.  A shuffler maybe, a jogger for sure.  But after making the decision, I made it through my first 10 K:  My 1st 10 K
• By the time I wrote this next blog post I'd been running for many years.  I'd completed numerous 10K races when that distance was all the rage.  I'd done some 15K races and even a couple of Half Marathons.  But I'd never completed a Full Marathon.  Could I call myself a real runner?  My first attempt at the Full Marathon distance was to be my last for many, many years:  The Unfinished Marathon
• It wasn't quite a backpack trip through France and we didn't stay in First Class hotels but when I traveled through France with my friend Tim, I enjoyed a number of great runs with him in places such as Tours, La Rochelle and Biaritz.  Her is one of my favourites from that trip:  Tim and Chris run in Tours
• When I look back on the Christmas of 1997 I still shake my head in amazement that I managed to handle the stress and challenges of taking Court, Andrew and Holden on a two week vacation to Australia.  The long flights were worth it though:  on stopovers in Vancouver on the way down and in Hawaii on the way back, we took in a lot of experiences.  We had fun...we bonded.  It remains a highlight of my life to be sure.  And of course I got to run in Australia.  My favourite:  Coogie Beach, Sydney
• 2008 through 2009 was a tough 18 months.  Time has softened it a bit but it was still challenging.  From the passing of my Dad in September 2008 though loosing my job at the depth of the recession, running was constant.  The highlight was the Reggae Marathon in December 2009 where I successfully finished my first marathon:  Unfinished business finished at Reggae Marathon

To be sure there are many other running experiences and stories.  Some written and many to come.  These are just a few of my favourite runs...so far.

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

++++++++++

I'm raising funds for the Heart & Stroke Foundation in 2013.  My goal is to raise $2,000 by December 31.  My planned races in 2013 include:

1. The Sporting Life 10K, May 12
2. The Toronto Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront 1/2 Marathon, October 20
3. The Reggae Marathon, December 7.  

Please join me on Facebook at Run for Heart.

Running saved my life

Lisa reminded me of why I love running.  And I don't just mean because of the positive health benefits although managing my weight and blood pressure were the reasons I started running in the first place.  No, beyond the physical, running saved my life during those dark periods in my life when it looked as if I would never get through the 'Life Challenges'.  Discipline, mental toughness, "Just do it' are all part of the running experience.  In running as in life, the only way to succeed is to "Just keep moving!"  And running saved my life again recently.

I was drawn to this train of thought after a particularly intense conversation with a fellow runner this past weekend.  She mentioned that beyond the health benefits, one of the reasons she joined a running group was that it gave her the motivation and inspiration to keep going through a particularly difficult time in her life.  Her words spoke to me.  The past couple of years have been particularly challenging.  I've only make it through because I've kept running.  Not running scares the crap out of me!

First it was the 'Age Thing'.  It's taken a while but I've finally accepting that I really am 55.  Now when I see myself in pictures I don't wince at the image of the 'Old Guy'.  Well, not much anyway.

Then there's been the challenge of transitioning to career #3.  "Morales the Recruiter" has been a natural transition and I wish I had started sooner.  I am not a patient person though so when the business hasn't progressed as fast as I've wanted it to, I've been frustrated.  Every day though I remind myself that as long as I keep moving I'm a winner.

Then I had the ultimate scare with the broken foot last September:  what if I can never run again?  Seemed real at the time but I kept at it.  I swam for 3 months then as soon as I could I started walking.  Now that I'm back to running 3 - 4 days each week I can't believe how silly the thought of not running was.  I'm looking forward to my first race, the Sporting Life 10K on May 12.  I'll be running it with two of my boys.  They'll leave me in their dust but I'll be in the race.

"Just keep moving!"  I know it sounds cliche and maybe it is.  I am sure though that as long as I keep moving life with be OK!  Thanks for the reminder Lisa.

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy
++++++++++

I'm raising funds for the Heart & Stroke Foundation in 2013.  My goal is to raise $2,000 by December 31.  My planned races in 2013 include:

1. The Sporting Life 10K, May 12
2. The Toronto Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront 1/2 Marathon, October 20
3. The Reggae Marathon, December 7.  

Please join me on Facebook at Run for Heart.