Still running

I first started running when I was about 16. I wanted to run in Bloomsday with my Dad and brother. Bloomsday is one of the world's largest "fun runs" and it's held annually in the spring in Spokane, WA. It's called a fun run because of the distance - 12K, which works out to 7.45 miles. To anyone starting out running, 7.45 miles is a formidable distance to run. The challenge of completing such a feat was enough to get me out the door as a teenager. I began by running as much as I could of the two mile loop that wound around my rural, mountain, northwest home. Before long I was able to run the loop with some ease and I upped the mileage to 3 miles by running out into the valley that exploded below our little house in the hills. Then 4, then 5, then 8. I attempted the 8 mile loop twice before the big run. I don't think I actually ran the whole way, but I went as far as I could before walking. That first Bloomsday I cramped up around 7 miles and had to walk. The pain and anguish of it all was enough to seriously disspoint me. I ran in the last few hundred yards, but I knew I should have trained better, ran smarter and something about the fact that the challenge was not over made me discover a love for running that has stayed with me. I've always been goal oriented, always planned, executed and overcome...but this running thing is different. With running, you make your goals, you execute, you overcome...but it still has you. The moment you let off or lose your concentration, you have to start all the way over again. Running isn't something you can put in your pocket and say it's yours. It only allows you to catch up to your potential. And there's more. So much more. Running is your chance to reset your mental clock, to realign your priorities, to examine your life and let your mind find it's peace. It's the best place to make decisions, to tap into creativity and to allow those things that trouble you to drift away. And your body is just the same in a physical sense. Your lungs expell all the crap you've been breathing in. Your heart beats in perfect rhythm with your steps. Your muscles align. The food you've eaten becomes the fuel for this machine that is awake, aware and alive. Endorphins surge through your system and the mind, body and soul are cleansed. You can't help but feel happy, why wouldn't you? Of course, if you've never run, or only run a little bit without any direction or plan for where you might want to let it take you...then running sucks. It's hard, hard because the body needs to work up to the place where it feels comfortable with this activity. That initial hump is tough, and it's something that will keep a person from reaping the rewards of running if they let it hold them down. To those in that situation, I say, run somewhere beautiful, only run as much as you feel comfortable with, keep the run enjoyable. Make a plan to run 3 times a week, but keep the runs short and approachable. Preparing for a run in certain ways can make it that much more easy to enjoy as well. As far as food and eating goes, basically, don't eat anything heavy before running - run on a near empty stomach, it's just lighter and easier to get yourself around and you can eat your heart out afterward...although you'll probably just want lots of water...which is great for you. Don't overly concern yourself with carbs and vitamins and all that bull. However, I'd avoid carbonated drinks before a run too. Think about it, you're basically shaking up a Pepsi for a half an hour inside your intestines while you are running...that won't feel good. I prefer a more common sense approach to diet. If you feel like eating healthier foods, then do it. If not, well at least you are exercising. I love Pepsi. I love pizza. I just try not to take that stuff in all the time and especially not when I'm about to run. The nice thing is, the running actually starts to dictate a healthier diet. After running, many times I find myself craving a nice piece of bar-b-qued chicken or a baked potato, instead of a hamburger and fries. And you end up drinking more water which also curbs your appetite. The diet comes after the running, that way I don't force anything on myself, I just allow my body to tell me what I want to eat. I'm training for my third marathon (26.2 miles) right now and I'm excited about it. I'm excited for a number of reasons. First off, I'm making a nice vacation to southern California out of it, which makes for a good time. From a running perspective, I'm psyched because this will be the first marathon that I will run with complete confidence in my ability to complete it skillfully and in the best shape I can remember being in. In my first marathon, I cramped up at 20 miles as was forced to walk...talk about flashback to that first Bloomsday. My determination set in and I returned the next year to prove to myself that I could actually do it, and I did. It was tough, but I ran it with the notion to simply survive the entire thing. No cramps, no walking, okay time. Now a few years have passed and I've run a number of shorter runs, half-marathons and such in the interim. My attitude is different now, I am more mature, smarter, focused and confident. This year I will run very well. I am a runner. It is a part of my story.