simplerich

On Saturday, May 15, 2010 I ran my first race ever. I’ve been running since September 12, 2009. I started running then doing the Couch to 5k (C25k) program on my sister’s suggestion. I started the running with the goal to not only complete the C25k program, but when spring got here to run a 5k race in under half an hour. That was my goal. Short term, complete C25k, mid-range goal, complete a 5k race in under half an hour. On Saturday I completed my first 5k race, a Charity race for the Des Moines, IA Ronald McDonald House, the Run for Ronald 2010 5k/10k race in 29:00 minutes.

On the right you see me in my running outfit minus my hat. I also wore my Memphis Riverkings hat. That hat means something to me because I got it when a season ticket holder for the Memphis Riverkings. I had a lot of fun going to those games. (The hat shows up in the second picture, below) It was a good time of my life. The red shirt here, that’s Honda red for a friend of mine who wears red a lot more than I do. You see the giant Garmin watch there? That was a Christmas gift from my best friend of the past 20 years. I wear it whenever I run outside. The ring I’m wearing on my left hand, that’s for luck and it’s in my pocket but there. The bib number, great first racing bib number, 88… that’s the year I went into the Navy. That was a pretty significant year for me in a lot of ways.

This race was, for me, the completion of 8 months of work. No, it wasn’t a marathon. But it was me setting a goal and sticking to it. I wound up running the race by myself, my friends weren’t able to be there and that was, at that point, just the icing on the cake. The part where I ran the race I’d set myself up to run was good. That was the cake right there. I ran the whole thing with a slight smile. Not just because the weather was perfect and the atmosphere of the race itself was fun, but because I was doing something I’d worked for and that I loved.

Doing something like that for myself, that much work, time, and sticking to it… that meant a lot to me. It does today, 2 days later. I’ve been trying to think of what is next, and I think right now next is to keep running and maybe do some more 5k’s. Summer’s coming, and it’s hot in the summer, and I’ve already noticed how much harder it is to run in the summers. I’m not done running. I love it. But this first race, this first goal that I set 8 months ago, and completed, for that I’m proud of myself. To those of you who supported me, put up with my running breaks, or my being late to places because I was running. To you, thank you.

Specific thanks to specific sites and online tools that I’ve used:
Couch to 5k, already mentioned, but a great training program.
5k101 has some great podcasts for running and training for a 5k. I still use them.
Active.com is full of tips for runners and is how I found which race I’d run first.
Twitter – I had lots of support from friends on twitter as I’d post my running times and progress.
SparkPeople – Great weight loss and fitness site that kept me focused on my diet while I learned how to eat while running.
DailyMile – this is where I log my runs. It’s a great site and I recommend it to anybody who exercises (Running, Biking, Swimming, Walking specifically)

Specific thanks to specific people:
My parents for being supportive, and teaching me that I could do what I wanted to do. The idea that I could do whatever I set my mind to if I just worked at it really impacts me in every way almost every day. I really don’t meet that many things that I think I can’t do. My confidence comes from them and that and I appreciate it and how much it’s impacted my life. I may be scared to try sometimes because I’m scared of not getting it right the first time, but I never believe I CAN’T do something if I work at it. That feeling is, as I meet more people, something a lot of people don’t have. A lot of folks out there don’t believe they can do much of anything and they limit themselves. You hear people say “My parents said I could be anything…” but I don’t remember my parents saying that. I don’t actually believe that either. I remember them teaching us that we could DO anything we were willing to work at. That’s an important difference. (I say that and internally flinch at what they went through when I made up my mind to be bad at math ugh, another story for another time.)

Kit, my roommate, best friend, and friend I’ve had the longest. I know you thought running was a ridiculous thing to do and that the times I was late to friends’ soccer games or parties or family events because I was running you made my explanations for me. You taught me to ride a motorcycle (something I was afraid of doing because I thought I’d crash and/or die), and always push me to do things even if I may not do them right the first time. You’re good at holding my feet to the fire and expecting more out of me even when I’m being stubborn. I said once that I like who I am better when you’re around than when you’re not and I mean it. I like who I’ve become by being your friend. Thank you.

My sister, Leigh. I’ve already done a whole blog post on how much I appreciate her and what she means to me. I’m not going to duplicate it here but I’d have been remiss if I’d not mentioned her here.

(This post is a double post, being posted to my simplerich.com blog as well as my running blog.)

I’m going to do my first cross-blog post involving both simplerich.com and my simplerunner blog over on blogspot. I’ve started running recently (First recorded run was on Sept 12th or so.) so it’s been slightly less than a month that I’ve been running.

I’ve been doing the Couch to 5k training program to ease me into being able to run a 5k race from being a couch rider who didn’t do much more than walk and hike. I read Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. The thing with running books, running podcasts, and stories about runners, is that they’ve always hit me on an emotional level. This isn’t true of all sports. I read and really liked The Blind Side by Michael Lewis but it didn’t resonate with me on an emotional level. I just really liked it.

Running for me though is something that is singular in the sports world to me… I know it’s not. Golf is all you too. But with Running there’s no technological advantage to be had by the wealthy. I don’t think you can buy your way into being a good runner. I do believe you can build a good football team with money. I also believe you can pour money into cars to have an edge in racing. Running though is a guy and the road and at some point it quits being about muscle and starts being about personal drive and desire.

There’s a point in running when the runner is running not on strength but on will power and those stories are the ones that hit me in the stomach. The story of Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope makes me cry every time I hear it. He ran 3339 miles in 143 days and he only had one leg. The other’d been lost to cancer. Phedippidations, a running podcast that I enjoy a great deal and have listened to for hours for the past couple weeks, has a great podcast about Terry Fox.

When I was in college I ran. There was a track between the University of Montevallo where I first went to college and the off campus house I was living in. I would go at night, in secret and run around the track. I never ran very far, and I never ran very long. I remember listening to the soundtrack to Joan Lui while I ran though. Still when I listen to my favorite song from that album I remember those night time runs.

I never told anybody, and didn’t stick with it because I was afraid I wasn’t very good at it. I’d never run track in high school and if you ever look at runners while they’re running… they’re not beautiful creatures. Nor are they graceful or awe-inspiring. They’ve got a sort of zombie-like shuffle that they do, and their faces are either pale or flushed, and always glisten with an unhealthy wetness. I was far too self-conscious then to admit to anybody that I was a runner.

I’m still self-conscious but there’s something about it now that’s different. Something that hit me when I was playing golf with my Dad. There is only one thing I can think of that looks more ridiculous and laughable than a golfer’s posture and swing… and that’s doing it badly and looking like an idiot and still having to chase the ball. It dawned on me that day on the fairway that golfers don’t look stupid to other golfers unless they golf badly.

Running’s the same way. I’ll look tired. I’ll look like I’m shuffling along and look nothing like the tall lithe Kenyans who break land speed records. But I’ll be doing something that I’ve wanted to do for over 20 years but was too embarrassed to do because of what other people would think. What a stupid waste of my time.

So. I run. I love to run. I like finding limits and pushing them. I like that I’m doing something that most people don’t/won’t do. I’m not doing it for my health or to lose weight. I expect it will improve my health and my weight’s not bad enough to really bother me that much. I’m doing it because I like it. I like it outside, and I like how I feel after I’ve run.

I’m going to run a 5k race in the spring. I don’t know where or when yet but I’m going to. I haven’t got a goal time yet either. But I want to run at least one 5k in spring and maybe a 10k in the fall. I doubt I’ll ever be good enough to run a marathon, but by next year I wouldn’t rule out a half-marathon if the running gods smile on me.

If you decide to run, or if you’re a runner, I’d love it if you’d drop me a line, say “Hi” or even point me towards some more good running podcasts or websites I might find helpful. Like I said. I’m a complete newbie to this running thing and while I enjoy it, it doesn’t mean I’m doing it right at all and I can use all the help I can get.

Thank you all for reading this. I know it was longer than my usual blog posts. Take care of yourselves and the ones you love.