13.1 miles=I'm Getting the Sticker. Running Half Marathons!

Jan 23rd 2012 was an ordinary day, as I stepped into Pacers Running Store in Fairfax, Virginia, to purchase a pair of shoes. Yes, I had an extra thirty pounds of girth that needed to be taken care of. While it had been recommended to me by doctors not to run long distances again, due to a couple of knee surgeries and being bald, I've always enjoyed bucking "conventional wisdom," with that of course being an oxymoron. Today being May 5th, and with the help of God, numerous folks along the way, Chobani Yogurt, a new diet that includes that, water, and a new diagnosis of Running OCD yesterday marked the first time ever I've run a half marathon. 13.1 miles. Who knows how many times my feet hit the ground. Thirty plus pounds lighter, and in the best shape of my life, my only concerns so far have been a bit of my upper arm muscles disappearing. That is a reasonable trade off, due to the spare tire being much less so.

My training regimen has been simple. I started off with one mile runs, that left me out of breath. Allergy and Asthma Care Centers, have been immensely helpful, with regards to helping on this aspect. In fact, my legs hurt more than my lungs. Building up to 5k's, I then started to enter races. While I'm in my mid thirties, and will never keep up with those young bucks, who seem to be genetic freaks running at "ludicrous speed," my hats off to them for what they are capable of. Times are important of course, the key is setting reasonable goals. Yet what holds the most value, is just getting out there and being active. "Mind, Body, Spirit!", is what one of my instructors used to yell out. Those tenets go so well with running, and each of these is used, as yesterday they were all pulling together to keep my old legs going even at a turtle's pace at the end.

After that run, I couldn't walk very well. My legs ached a bit last night, and they are still a little sore, to say the least. Yet the half marathon has been accomplished. At mile markers 9, 11, and 12, my mind kept telling me to stop. For whatever reason, I just felt "you are this close, just keep going." Running is truly more of a mental exercise than anything else, yet I have learned its also important to listen to it in certain situations. That would include a shortened run a few weeks ago, when the knees acted up, and the right decision to stop was made. A few days were taken off, and today I plan on purchasing that 13.1 sticker, and placing it on the truck. Is there a feeling of accomplishment? Yes. Do I think that perhaps its time to get an evaluation of my brain? Perhaps. I don't know if I'm going to run this distance again, but it has been done. Anyone can get out there and run. It doesn't matter what your times are, what distances you travel, but what does is just getting out there and staying active enough to feel the passion that this brings.