I bought myself a running hat in Boston. It's black and says Boston on the front in bright beautiful kelly green. On the back it says "Wicked Fast Runnah" and one can't help but say it with a Boston accent. I love it.
I wore it running on Saturday. It did not take me long to recognize the irony of mon nouveau chapeau. One would expect to read "Wicked Fast Runnah" on the back of a hat of a runner that blows by you. In my case, most of my running friends got to read the back of my hat as they blew past me. Wicked fast runnah indeed!
I'm ok with my pace - but it is kinda funny.
On Sunday, I joined the Runners' Edge cycling group for our weekly ride. As per usual, I kept up but just barely. Again, I'm ok with that. I figure it's better to hang out with people with whom I have to struggle to keep in sight. That way I'm pushing myself harder than I would otherwise. But man, every Saturday run and Sunday cycling is a lesson in humility.
Every once in a while it's important to step back a bit and get some perspective. I hang out with runners and cyclists. They are a strong, fit, kick ass group of people. Within that group there is a range of abilities. But the least able person can still run. Or cycle. Without collapsing from a heart attack three minutes in. They are tough as nails, boundary-pushing, courageous athletes. The least fit person in my fitness world is fitter than most people on the planet.
I need to remember that when I feel twinges of envy watching runners pass me on the hills, during intervals and, let's face it, on long flat stretches of road. They may be faster than I am but, damn it, I can still run 10k, 20k, 30k. I have a super healthy diet, I can run for hours and cycle up the Park Road Hill...and I do it all in spite of my faulty pancreas.
So I will wear my Wicked Fast Runnah hat with pride. Those people I do pass may be impressed and those that pass me will be amused. Either way, it's a really cool hat.
Showing posts with label perseverance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perseverance. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Wicked Fast Runnahs
Boston morning arrived with a whisper. 5am alarms were going off all over the city and runners slipped out of bed and into their carefully laid out running clothes. Breakfasts happened quietly in dimly lit kitchens.
My running man was calm and contemplative. There will be plenty of time for excitement and adrenaline. Gotta pace yourself right from the get go.
At six am Doug quietly opened the door of the apartment just as another runner walked out of their room. 25,000 of them are pouring into the streets and heading for the buses that will drive them to Hopkinton. The Boston marathon, as I discovered, does not start in Boston. It starts far out in a little town called Hopkinton that is just about to be swarmed by runners. When the race starts, they will run through six towns before they enter Boston for the final stretch.
There were several start times. The wheelchair racers started first at 9:17am. The elite women were next. At 10am the elite men and the first wave of runners started. The second wave was at 10:20am and the final one at 10:40am. Because of their qualifying times, Doug and Jim were in wave 2. The rest of the Runners' Edgers were in wave 3.
Thanks to modern technology, we were able to track runners online and could see at what times they crossed each 5k mark. It's reassuring to be able to see that those you care about are doing fine and holding their pace. During one stretch Doug's pace dropped significantly and a bit of worry set in. Turns out he was too hot and had to stop to take off a few layers and reattach his bib number to his t-shirt.
Spectators started lining the streets near the finish line at 7:30am. Janice and I arrived at 10:30am and staked out a spot right outside the apartment. The Boston marathon basically runs down one long road and then makes two famous turns at the end. Right on Hereford and left on Boylston to the finish line. Our apartment was on Hereford so we could see the runners turn the corner for the final stretch.
Being that close to the finish line means that we got to see all sorts of things. We got to see the elite runners battle for first place.
We got to see the pain and determination on their faces.
We got to see the famous people.
It's difficult to describe how it feels to be in Boston and to experience the marathon. As a spectator, the sights are forever burned into my mind and the screams and cheers are still reverberating in my head. As a runner, I'm sure it's a completely different and yet no less moving experience to run down the roads of history.
Walking back to the apartment afterwards, people on the streets burst into spontaneous applause when a marathoner walked by. Runners wore their medals with pride and anyone who struggled to step up on to a curb was looked at as a hero. Those who didn't run can't really know what it felt like, how hard it was and what demons were conquered. But we do know that it takes a degree of strength and passion that has the power to move people to tears.
Congratulations runners! You have run your dream and, in doing so, inspired others to dream with you.
My running man was calm and contemplative. There will be plenty of time for excitement and adrenaline. Gotta pace yourself right from the get go.
At six am Doug quietly opened the door of the apartment just as another runner walked out of their room. 25,000 of them are pouring into the streets and heading for the buses that will drive them to Hopkinton. The Boston marathon, as I discovered, does not start in Boston. It starts far out in a little town called Hopkinton that is just about to be swarmed by runners. When the race starts, they will run through six towns before they enter Boston for the final stretch.
There were several start times. The wheelchair racers started first at 9:17am. The elite women were next. At 10am the elite men and the first wave of runners started. The second wave was at 10:20am and the final one at 10:40am. Because of their qualifying times, Doug and Jim were in wave 2. The rest of the Runners' Edgers were in wave 3.
Thanks to modern technology, we were able to track runners online and could see at what times they crossed each 5k mark. It's reassuring to be able to see that those you care about are doing fine and holding their pace. During one stretch Doug's pace dropped significantly and a bit of worry set in. Turns out he was too hot and had to stop to take off a few layers and reattach his bib number to his t-shirt.
Spectators started lining the streets near the finish line at 7:30am. Janice and I arrived at 10:30am and staked out a spot right outside the apartment. The Boston marathon basically runs down one long road and then makes two famous turns at the end. Right on Hereford and left on Boylston to the finish line. Our apartment was on Hereford so we could see the runners turn the corner for the final stretch.
Being that close to the finish line means that we got to see all sorts of things. We got to see the elite runners battle for first place.
We got to see the pain and determination on their faces.
We got to see the famous people.
And we got to see the sheer joy some runners felt as they reached the end of their Boston journey.
The crowds were amazing. They screamed and clapped for hours and ramped it up to fever pitch for the runners who needed it. After running for hours, some runners had nothing left. They came to halt and start walking. That's when the crowd would start cheering them on. When they found the strength to run again, the cheer turned into a roar. Countless runners were carried across the finish line by the power of the crowd.
It's difficult to describe how it feels to be in Boston and to experience the marathon. As a spectator, the sights are forever burned into my mind and the screams and cheers are still reverberating in my head. As a runner, I'm sure it's a completely different and yet no less moving experience to run down the roads of history.
Walking back to the apartment afterwards, people on the streets burst into spontaneous applause when a marathoner walked by. Runners wore their medals with pride and anyone who struggled to step up on to a curb was looked at as a hero. Those who didn't run can't really know what it felt like, how hard it was and what demons were conquered. But we do know that it takes a degree of strength and passion that has the power to move people to tears.
Congratulations runners! You have run your dream and, in doing so, inspired others to dream with you.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
180 Degrees
Four sleeps. And counting.
Time to stop focusing on the race ahead. Instead, I'm turning around 180 degrees and looking backwards.
Back, back, back to Tuesday, January 4th. A cold and snowy night no doubt although, truth be told, I have no recollection of what the weather was. It was night #1 of the Around the Bay training. I knew I was in for a challenge when I read that we had to run 13k on the first night. I remember when we used to have to build up to that distance. Now it was a prerequisite. It was a brave new world I was venturing into.
During the past twelve weeks, we have run through snow storms, wind storms, whiteouts, downpours, ice, slush and mud. My glucometer has frozen, my pump battery has died, my ipod and Garmin have stopped working. I've had to learn how to blink so that my eyelashes don't freeze together during snowstorms and I have run without being able to feel my legs despite having two pairs of pants on. I have logged 183k on Saturday morning runs and roughly 100k on Tuesday night 13k runs. That doesn't even include Thursday night hills and speed training. Over 300k in 12 weeks through the harshest weather that Mother Nature can throw at us.
And I loved it!
I loved the wild and crazy weather. The beautiful early morning runs. The runs that intimidated me and the runs that made me cry. The runs that humbled me and the runs whose asses I kicked. It's the journey that keeps me coming back for more.
This race on Sunday is a culmination of all of that. It's a celebration of what we've been able to accomplish. The medal we're going to get on Sunday isn't for crossing the finish line. It's for having the strength and the guts to do the training it took to get there.
I have the training schedule posted on the wall by my desk as work. It seemed pretty intimidating back in January. Now it's full of memories and stories and is surprisingly comforting to look at.
When I turn back around 180 degrees to stare down that finish line, I take courage from the road that stretches out behind me. It got me this far. I'm confident that it will carry me the rest of the way.
Time to stop focusing on the race ahead. Instead, I'm turning around 180 degrees and looking backwards.
Back, back, back to Tuesday, January 4th. A cold and snowy night no doubt although, truth be told, I have no recollection of what the weather was. It was night #1 of the Around the Bay training. I knew I was in for a challenge when I read that we had to run 13k on the first night. I remember when we used to have to build up to that distance. Now it was a prerequisite. It was a brave new world I was venturing into.
During the past twelve weeks, we have run through snow storms, wind storms, whiteouts, downpours, ice, slush and mud. My glucometer has frozen, my pump battery has died, my ipod and Garmin have stopped working. I've had to learn how to blink so that my eyelashes don't freeze together during snowstorms and I have run without being able to feel my legs despite having two pairs of pants on. I have logged 183k on Saturday morning runs and roughly 100k on Tuesday night 13k runs. That doesn't even include Thursday night hills and speed training. Over 300k in 12 weeks through the harshest weather that Mother Nature can throw at us.
And I loved it!
I loved the wild and crazy weather. The beautiful early morning runs. The runs that intimidated me and the runs that made me cry. The runs that humbled me and the runs whose asses I kicked. It's the journey that keeps me coming back for more.
This race on Sunday is a culmination of all of that. It's a celebration of what we've been able to accomplish. The medal we're going to get on Sunday isn't for crossing the finish line. It's for having the strength and the guts to do the training it took to get there.
I have the training schedule posted on the wall by my desk as work. It seemed pretty intimidating back in January. Now it's full of memories and stories and is surprisingly comforting to look at.
When I turn back around 180 degrees to stare down that finish line, I take courage from the road that stretches out behind me. It got me this far. I'm confident that it will carry me the rest of the way.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Cultivate the Lone Wolf
Running is an exercise in solitude.
It puts the body, mind and spirit to the test.
It brings out the lone wolf.
Grrrrr...
Last week I wrote about hill training and that phrase that kept running through my head: "you can do ANYTHING for three minutes"
Hill repeats are one thing. Long distance running is an entirely different beast. You might be able to do it for three minutes but can you do it for three hours?
Can you push your body when it's tired, your mind when it's making excuses and your spirit when it's ready to give up?
It's an important lesson to learn. To run distance, you can't just train your body. You have to train your mind and harness your spirit. That way, when one of them is ready to give up, the other two can take the reins for a while. Teamwork, balance, partnership, motivation - they must all come from within when you run.
Because even in a sea of 10,000 runners, when you run, you run alone. Even in a pack, you are responsible for yourself. Only you can get yourself across that finish line.
Cultivate your lone wolf.
Loping across the tundra. Focused on the horizon.
Tireless.
Strong.
Beautiful.
It puts the body, mind and spirit to the test.
It brings out the lone wolf.
Grrrrr...
Last week I wrote about hill training and that phrase that kept running through my head: "you can do ANYTHING for three minutes"
Hill repeats are one thing. Long distance running is an entirely different beast. You might be able to do it for three minutes but can you do it for three hours?
Can you push your body when it's tired, your mind when it's making excuses and your spirit when it's ready to give up?
It's an important lesson to learn. To run distance, you can't just train your body. You have to train your mind and harness your spirit. That way, when one of them is ready to give up, the other two can take the reins for a while. Teamwork, balance, partnership, motivation - they must all come from within when you run.
Because even in a sea of 10,000 runners, when you run, you run alone. Even in a pack, you are responsible for yourself. Only you can get yourself across that finish line.
Cultivate your lone wolf.
Loping across the tundra. Focused on the horizon.
Tireless.
Strong.
Beautiful.
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