Long past gone

My instinct was to win, destroy anyone who is in competition, and move on without any type of hesitation at all.- Arnold Schwartzenegger

I write these words coming a week after I failed by 2 minutes to beat my Marathon PR. Many of us runners arrived at the door step of the running community after spending a good portion of our lives watching and playing other sports. For me it was football and, to a small degree, boxing. Those sports are team sports and, in general, you have at least a 50/50 chance to defeat the person in front of you to help your team accomplish their overall goal. There is no such comparison in the world of long distance running. The gap between the winners and others is so big that the goal is never to win but more to challenge oneself. Ironically, this is what makes it such a beautiful sport. 

From the moment you register for a marathon, you know that it is a virtual impossibility that you will win. Even more interesting, it is highly unlikely, based on the average NYC marathon time in 2008 of 4 hours and 32 minutes, that one will even come within 2 hours of the marathon champs. Some of the most accomplished 3 hour marathoners live an hour away from the winning mark. I have a colleague that is considered sub elite. He is about 15 minutes away from the winning number and it appears as though that number is insurmountable. Again, this is the beauty of the sport.

So in the instance of distance running, the competition is with you and your fastest time. The PR looms and is the sweetest accomplishment or the most painful reminder of how much more or differently you need to train. So with a nod to "Arnold", my instinct is to beat my PR, destroy any notion of not beating a PR, and set a higher mark without any type of hesitation.

The Underdog

"What gives ideology it's force is passion..." -Daniel Bell

Every day millions of people open their front doors and go out for a run. I call these people runners. A runner can only be defined by either the initiative to open the front door. Better yet, a runner is defined while on the run. What else can you be as you run through the streets, the woods, the beach or around the track. At that moment in time perception is most certainly reality. As you listen to your tunes or listen to your breathing or just the sounds of your surroundings no one can say, hey buddy, you're not a runner. What are you if not a runner while you are running?

So what's the point of this miniature tirade? Everyday someone attempts to label what you are. In this particular instance, whether or not you are a runner or not. Without fail the sub-labels begin. Social runner, veteran runner, rookie runner, urban runner, trail runner, blah blah blah blah blah. Recently, runners who've run for years simply for the love of running are placed in a non-trendy category. Almost viewed as stodgy and not necessarily with the current "movement". It is no longer cool to do out and backs. It is no longer cool to have run multiple marathons or races... Unless those races are of the moment races or in far away locales. All f these cool places that are being run now have been trampled by runners for decades sans photos. Maybe it's like the tree in the forest; if it isn't photographed it doesn't exist. Well cool runner, it does exist. It will still exist after social media moves on and all or us old uncool runners trek back over the same bridges and under elevated train tracks.

I celebrate all runners. As a collective, I feel connected to every single person who laces them up and bound down the street like 8 year olds on Friday after school. From Elite runners with Olympic Gold to urban crew runners creating a revolution to that runner who just earned the title by opening the front door and voluntarily placing one foot in front of the other to those that have run for over a decade and can only squeeze in random miles in the neighborhood because without it they cannot function at an agreeable level. I do not feel however that we should be separate. Regardless of which adjective one decides to place in front of runner, we all still have the same last name.

Welcome

     Many people run for fitness. Lots of people run for a team. Some run for the community. Oddly enough, there is a niche for those that run because it is "cool". I run because my front door opens and I have the ability to put one foot in front of the other. I run for the love.    

     When I wake up in the morning, I prepare to run ... or I wish I were running ... or I am recovering from a run.
The majority of my runs, I run alone and before 0600 hours. It would be cool to run with a group sometimes or perhaps an afternoon run through a beautiful park. This type of running becomes a burden because of the only thing I love more than running... my family. I have a beautiful wife and two incredible children that I would rather be with than anything else in the world. While my wife and kids get there last few hours of sleep, I run. While I run I listen to the music I love, think about current events, historical events, great food, great wine and anything to which my mind leads me. My run is my time for my spirit and my mind. When my family awakes, my run is a memory from the morning. 

     Run with me. Run with my thoughts. Run 4 the love.