2 Years After the Chicago Marathon

I can't believe it's been 2 years since Tiffany and I completed the Chicago Marathon. I am following several runners on Twitter that are running there this weekend. It will always hold a special place in my heart. I can't explain the emotions that I went through while running the Chicago. I haven't run another full marathon since and don't know if I'll ever do another one. If I do, it would probably be the New York Marathon.

The toughest part of a full marathon, by far, is the training. I am just not sure I want to go through that type of training again. I am enjoying half marathons. I really don't have to train anymore than my regular training to do a half. For example, this past week, I have done runs of 9, 7, 4 and 5 miles. If I can do that, I could do a half this weekend. The full marathon is a different story. Instead of 9 miles, it would have to be 18 miles. That's the point where it becomes work instead of fun!

In the past 2 years, since the Chicago, I have maintained a pretty good run schedule except for going through some injuries. This year, I have run 4 half marathons and have one more to go. I ran them in Jackson, MS, San Francisco, Boston and Pocatello, ID. Tiffany and I do the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in Savannah this November. So far, in my quest to run a race in 50 states, I have completed 20 states. Not too bad for 3 years. Maybe by the time I am 80 years old, I will run in Hawaii to complete the goal. It sure has been fun so far!

So, this weekend, I am reflecting on that one and only full marathon, the Chicago. It was a great experience made better by running with Tiffany.

My Running Playlist

When I run by myself or in a race, I run with music. I want to share with you my running playlist. I promise that nobody has this playlist. I love music. I love running. There is not a better time for clearing the mind that when I run and listen to music. My playlist is fairly long...and crazy. Here we go:



More Than a Feeling, Boston

Don't Look Back, Boston

I've Been Searchin' So Long, Chicago

Feelin' Stronger Everyday, Chicago

Beginnings, Chicago

There is Nothing Like, Hillsong United

My Future Decided, Hillsong United

Blessed Redeemer, Leigh Nash

Can't Stop Singing, Seth Condrey

Southtown. P.O.D.

Satellite, P.O.D.

Alive, P.O.D.

God's Great Dance Floor, Passion/Chris Tomlin

Revelation Song, NP/Candi Shelton

Radio, Sixpence None the Richer

Sooner Than Later, Sixpence None the Richer

A Million Parachutes, Sixpence None the Richer

Here and Now, NP Eddie Kirkland

Time, Phil Keaggy

Let the Kingdom Come, White Heart

Bye Bye Babylon, White Heart

Power Tools, White Heart

The Rock that Makes Me Roll, Stryper

Soldiers Under Command, Stryper

Give it Back, Sixpence None the Richer

The Road, Chicago

Things I Can't Do Without for a Run

Here is a list of things I can't do without when I am running.

Desire. This is the first thing and is pretty obvious. If I don't have the desire, I will quit.

Time. Another obvious one. It usually takes me about 2 1/2 hours to drive to the Greenway, run 4-6 miles, drive home and clean up. 

Good weather. I don't do wind and I don't do lightning. I can prepare for reasonable cold weather and on hot days, I try to run in the mornings and wear light clothing. I have also heard to run the AC on high on the way to the run. It takes the body a while to warm up.

A plan. I need to know how long I am going to run before I start. Maybe you have heard that running is mostly mental. It is true. I have to plan my runs and get "psyched" up about it.

Shoes. I highly recommend going to a running store and let the professional help you with shoes and insoles, if needed. Once this happens, you will know what to buy. My favorite shoe brand has been Saucony and Asics so far.

Socks. Believe it or not, socks are important. I wear a non-cotton ankle sock that claims to be ant-blister.

Toe covers. I don't even know if that's what you call them but I have issues with a couple of toes and wear covers on them.

Medical tape for the nips. Yep, that's right. Blistered nips are no fun.

Compression pants. With all the issues I have had with strained calf and hamstring muscles, this really help me.

A cap. Bald headed men have to wear caps. I like wearing caps but if I didn't, I would need suntan lotion.

ID bracelet. I wear a bracelet with some emergency info on it. You never know when you may need it somewhere out on a trail.

Chewing gum. I enjoy gum because it helps keep my mouth from drying out.

Power gels. If I am running 6 miles or more, I take a power gel with me.

Water/sports drink. I take this with me on runs of 9 miles or more. I keep bottles of water in the trunk of my car.

Music. I love listening to music while I run. I put my iPhone in an armband and listen with headphones. I have a running playlist. 

Febreze spray. When I get back to the car, I spray my cap and armband.

I have probably forgotten something but I am amazed at the things I can't do without. 

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.