When I was a kid, I hated running. The main reason is that there was no real reason to run unless it was to first base. That was pretty easy. When I was in middle school, my PE teacher was also the high school football coach. He was a pretty mean guy, at least in my mind. Coach Pharo. That's right! We played soccer every day and the team that lost had to run laps. If we lost 4-2, we had to run 2 laps. The problem was, we got the crap beat out of us every day. I ran many laps that year. I hated running!
Now, at age 58, I love to run. There is nothing like going to the Big Creek Greenway in Forsyth County, Georgia on a beautiful day and running several miles. I enjoy listening to music and observing the wild life and beautiful landscape as I run. That does include the occasional snake! It is amazing what a long run does for me mentally. It clears my head. The Greenway is my sanctuary. I believe I am closer to God on a long run than most any other time in my life. I just love to run!
Most of you know my story of being over-weight for most of my life. The frustrating thing about that, looking back, is that I was an athlete inside of a non-athletic body. I loved playing baseball but being over-weight made it tough to compete. I did enjoy playing church league softball, where being over-weight did not keep me from at least having fun. I wonder what my athletic life would have been had I treated my body like a temple? I think I could have been a really good baseball player but evidently didn't care enough. There is no reason to dwell on what could have been at this point. Nothing can be done about it now. I look ahead at what can be with a new body. Barring injury, the future is bright, even for an old guy like me!
My athletic competitiveness is coming out now that I can run in races. Running is a lot like golf. You really compete against yourself. There are people in my age category that I can never beat but that doesn't matter. I am always looking to improve my personal record. Right now, my PR for a 5k is 26:24 and for a 10k, it is 57:54. I have won several medals but that all depends on who shows up for the race. They are nice but it's the race with myself that counts!
I love running! Injuries happen and that really stinks but it is a part of the deal. Right now, my legs are healthy and am looking forward to racing this year. I have several races on the agenda that I am really excited about. I can't wait to run in Boston in May and across the Golden Gate Bridge in June. I love to run in races in new places. My ultimate goal to run a race in every state. I am at 14 right now.
I love to run. Who knew?
