Running Scared

There is a movie and a song called "Running Scared." I have not seen the movie nor heard the song. So, anything I say in this blog is not related to either. Of course, I have heard the term "running scared" most of my life. It means to run away from a challenge you may have instead of facing it head on. It means something else to me, however.

This coming weekend, I travel to San Francisco to run in the San Francisco Half Marathon. California will be state #16 in my quest to run in a race in all 50 states. Not all of the races are half marathons but I wanted to run across the Golden Gate Bridge, so I chose this half marathon. This will also be my 5th half marathon. I have completed one full marathon, the Chicago in 2011.

Training for a race can be challenging. Time, weather and injuries can be a factor when it comes to training. So far, I have had time but the weather has been sporadic. Now, the heat and humidity has set in here in Atlanta. A 5 mile run can feel like a half marathon. It is just part of the deal and I can live with it. What I cannot live with, however, are injuries. I have had my share. I have strained both hamstrings, my left calf muscle and my right groin muscle. Of course, most all runners deal with feet problems. We lose nails and we get blisters. Again, it is part of the deal.

So, what do I mean by "running scared?" As the time gets closer and closer to a big race, my training runs are scary. I run scared. A strained muscle a few days before a big race, when you have spent money for the race and travel, is devastating to a runner. It's a little like having car trouble on your way to your vacation. It messes everything up. So, right now, when I am going out to the greenway to run, I am running scared. I hope that running scared does not cause an injury. If you see my running times on Facebook or Twitter, you can see that I have slowed way down. Running scared. But....running!!

 

Happy National Running Day!

I didn't even know there was a National Running Day but I'm glad there is. There is a day for most everything else and certainly there should be for the world's oldest sporting event. The question is being asked "why do you run?" I immediately thought of my blog name. I run for freedom.

I still consider myself a novice even though I have run about 40 races in 15 states including 4 half marathons and 1 full marathon. My first race was a 5k on Thanksgiving of 2009. I have probably run about 4,000 miles since then.  Obviously, I love to run. There have been many challenges of injury but that just comes with it. Athletes have injuries but we never give up. Athletes have challenges but we never give in. No terrorist will ever stop us from running

I run for freedom. I am free from being over-weight. I am free from an unhealthy lifestyle. I feel more free when I am running than anytime in my life. My mind is free to hear spiritually and to refresh mentally. The running course is my sanctuary. Running reboots my competitive spirit even at age 58.

I am so thankful for my daughters who encouraged me to walk and run as I was losing weight 4 years ago. Had I not done a 5k, I may never have known the joys of running like I do now. The t-shirts are cool, the medals are neat and the bibs I have saved are great mementos. But better than all of those things is the feeling of freedom I have when I run. So, on this National Running Day of June 5, 2013, I run for freedom. Let's go on a run!

The Finish Line in Boston

On Sunday, May 26, I completed my 4th half marathon in Boston. When I signed up for this race, I had no idea the significance of the race. Obviously, the Boston Marathon bombings put an emphasis on this memorial to fallen police. Within a day or so, the race sold out even though the prognosticators said that the bombings would hurt the attendance of these events. They were wrong. 11,000 entered in this race, a record for "A Run to Remember" race.

We arrived on Saturday. We had family already there and we went over to the Expo to pick up our packets and look around together. The weather was wet, windy and cold. The next morning was going to be even colder. I bought a jacket and hat to add to what I had prepared for the race. We enjoyed a nice evening in Boston and got to bed early.

Sunday morning was race day. I had run 10 miles 2 times over the previous week and felt ready for the half marathon. It was very cold but I layered up and was fine. In fact, I got warm in a hurry and dumped one of my jackets. It was one I bought at Goodwill for the purpose of dumping along the way. Many races plan for this and the extra clothing gets picked up and donated to shelters. The race begins!

We started at the Seaport and ran through some of the historical parts of Boston, running right by the Old State House. We went across the Longfellow Bridge and down by the Charles River. The highlight of the race was running past all of the police at MIT, getting "high fives" from them. It was their fellow officer, Sean Collier, that was killed by one of the bombers. The race was dedicated to him and some of his family were racing with us. This was very emotional.

We ran to Harvard and made the turn around back to Boston. I was maintaining a pace that I planned for which was about 11:30 per minute. We got back to Boston and ran by Cheers, Boston Commons and back to the Seaport to the finish line. I didn't reach my goal of under 2 1/2 hours but did do my best half marathon time at 2:30:58. Massachusetts is my 15th state in which I have run a race. I am blessed! Next up, San Francisco on Father's Day. Another half marathon that runs across the Golden Gate Bridge!

This is me, on the right, crossing the finish line:

Running in Boston

On Monday morning, April 15, I enjoyed watching the many tweets of my running friends who were either running in the Boston Marathon or had friends who were. This is the only way I would ever be able to feel like I was a part of it. The Boston Marathon is the "Super Bowl" of races in the US. For those of you who are not aware, like I wasn't a few years ago, not just anybody can run in the Boston Marathon. One must qualify to run in the race. It is so much of a dream for me, it is not even on my bucket list. It is just not a race I am willing to subject my body to the countless hours of training, which includes increasing my speed.

Everything changed with 2 bombs. The Boston Marathon will never be the same. That is what terrorism seeks to do, cause fear. But, we will not stop running. We will not stop entering races. We will not stop living life. In fact, I have this overwhelming desire to run in another marathon. I have only run in one marathon, which is 26.2 miles. I have run 3 half marathons and many 10Ks and 5Ks. But, a marathon is a special race. The marathon itself is not so bad but the months of hard training is rough. All it takes is one strained or pulled muscle to kill the training. There is some luck involved. After I ran the Chicago Marathon, I thought that would be my last. After what happened in Boston, I am reconsidering it. I am drawn to another marathon. Details to come.

Over Memorial Day weekend, Cathy and I are flying to Boston and I am running in the "Run to Remember" Half Marathon there. It means so much more to me now. It really will be a run to remember. Hopefully, by that time, the sick person who sought out to terrorize good people will be caught and on his/her way to their fate. My prayers go out to those who were injured and to the families of those who lost their lives. I can't imagine. I will honor them in a very small way today by wearing a race shirt, as the call has gone out for runners to do so. Today, I remain a runner but I am a Bostonian.

Maintaining my weight loss

For most of my adult life, I weighed around 300 pounds, hitting a peak of 333. I lost weight on many diets through the years, but what always happened? I gained it back. This time, I have maintained the weight loss for 3 years. Why? There is no question that it is because I am involved with a physical activity that I love, which is running. I read last week that being physically fit was the number one reason for maintaining a weight loss. Of course, I totally agree. The key is doing an activity that is fun. If I didn’t enjoy running, I would have quit a long time ago.

Running clears my mind, gives me alone time with God, builds my heart and gives me self-confidence. I believe that a healthy, fit life is God’s best for us. My wish is to see my friends and family become healthy and fit.

If you want to get started and need some help, consider joining my Facebook group called “All My Strength.” You may follow me on Twitter ( @eddierobbins ) as well. If you are young, don’t waste time, start NOW. If you are older, like me, don’t waste any more time, start NOW! What would you like to do that you haven’t done in a long time? Running, hiking, walking, swimming, weight lifting, biking, tennis,? Let’s be healthy and fit, not only for us, but to take care of this body God has loaned us for a season.

I love to run....who knew?

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?

Running in 2013

 

2012 was not the best year for me when it comes to running. It was a great year otherwise as I became a Grandad, or "Poppy." If you are my Facebook friend, you are probably saying "oh no, here he goes!" That's right. I love being a Poppy. I also published my first book, "All My Strength." Lots of other great things happened in 2012 as well. But running was not the best. I spent almost half the year nursing a hamstring injury. I did manage to run in 2 additional states, Oregon and Wisconsin. My goal was to add 5. Didn't happen. So, we move on to 2013.  

                                                       

 

 10k in Portland, Oregon

I have already booked 3 new states for 2013 and hope to add more. In January, I will be driving to Jackson, Mississippi to run in the Mississippi Blues Half Marathon. The next day, I will run in the Jackson Day Race which is a historic 9k. In between these 2 runs, I will watch my Lee University Flames play on the road in Jackson and Hattiesburg. What a fun weekend this will be for me. That will give me 14 states in which I have run a race.

On Father's Day, I will strike an item off my "Bucket List." I have signed up for the San Francisco Half Marathon. I will run across the Golden Gate Bridge! I am very excited about this race.

I am working on other races. I will, Lord and hamstring willing, run my usual races as well. I didn't get to run in the Peachtree Road Race last year and hope to in 2013. I am also planning to run in the 65 Roses 5k in Cleveland, Tennessee. It is a family event with extended family and the perfect place to run with Finley. Did I mention that I am a Poppy? There are a few local races that I do as well. Georgia is one of the top states for running events in the country. Who knew?

2013 promises to be a great year for running and having another grandson! That's right, Jonah will make his appearance in February.  Above all, I want to walk (or run) in the path of Jesus and do the things I ought to do as a follower of Christ and believer in Him. I wish nothing but the best for you in 2013!