Couldn’t help but share these.
I am pretty sure I am a combination of all of these:
I am also pretty confident I had most of these thoughts during my marathon, except my finishing thoughts were not as joyous.
Marathon Guy
The headline was blunt, yet effective: “101 Year Old Man Retires From Running Marathons, Shaming You.” Deadspin.com strikes again. You can always count on them for a good headline, and this one did not disappoint. This was not just another bait of a headline, with no substance to back it up. After reading the story, I wouldn’t say I was shamed, but it did give me another reminder of how flimsy some of my excuses can be.
For example: “I am too old for this.” This guy STARTED running marathons at age 89. He has completed 8 marathons. He still plans to run four hours a day in his “retirement.”
So, as I work my way back into training, it is stories like this that help along the way. Every little bit helps. From cool memes to “shame on you stories” on the internet, I will take my motivation where I can find it. And this article, particularly the last paragraph, provided both a laugh and some shaming inspiration for the day. I’ll admit I have my doubts about his real age. But does it really matter all that much?
Greatist.com
Well, its been two weeks since the Walt Disney World Marathon. Things have been a bit hectic around here, so there has not been a lot of time to get those runs in. Rationalizing not running has been easy: “Too Busy,” “Next Race Isn’t Until March,” “Rest & Recovery,” etc. Well, now is time to get back on the horse. The sunshine today actually makes it easier to find the motivation to get back into the swing of things. When I ran across the motivational photo you see here, all those excuses seemed to fade away.
It reminded me about what I thought when I started with running in the first place, after my wife signed us up for a half marathon: Just go. Just go, and see what happens. When you are sitting in your comfortable chair, or lying on the couch, it is easy to come up with excuses for not getting moving. But it never fails. No matter how much I don’t want to run, no matter how much I just want to sit around, I always feel good when I just go. Early into the run I cannot imagine why I didn’t want to run. When I am done with run, I always feel better about myself. Even knowing all that, it is still hard to take that first step, especially after a layoff. However, it is taking that step that makes all the difference. In running or otherwise, that step, and the courage to take it, is what separates those that do, and those that don’t; those that can, and those that can’t.
There have been a lot of times in my life when I have not taken that step. However, every time I have managed to summon the strength to take it, it has led to good things.
I just have to keep reminding myself of that. . .
Our next long race is the Run The Bluegrass Half Marathon in Lexington on March 30. Our boys are both signed up for the kids’ race that day as well. Our three year old has been asking to run a race for a while now because he wants another medal. He loves his medal from the Big Hit Kids’ Races last fall, and wants to add to his collection. In addition to the RTB Kids’ Race, our eight year old says he wants to do a 5k. Well, tonight they both convinced us to let them on the treadmill for a little “practice.” It was more like a ride at Disney World for them. No, we did not let the little guy on it by himself.
I stood on the treadmill with him, and we started out at a slow walk. By the end, he was at 4mph. Pretty fast for a little guy! Big brother got up to a pretty good clip himself! In our little treadmill introduction, the boys and I ran a mile relay. It was an enjoyable evening. It is good to see them being active, and good to see them interested in things mommy and daddy do. I am sure it is only a matter of time before our coolness wears off.
While the little guy’s interest in running is relatively new, big brother has been interested since he was in kindergarten. One day after gym class, his PE teacher, whom he adored (and who was the favorite of all the moms at the school for obvious reasons), told him that he had good running form and could be a good runner. That brief bit of encouragement registered, and has stuck with him to this day. He has been confident in his running ability from that day forward. He couldn’t wait to participate in cross country this past fall. Just another example of the power of a good word, and the influence of teachers on our kids. Mr. Robinson is no longer at the school, but we are sure glad he was there when he was. I am also glad that my wife any I started running, so we could help foster his interest.
On a final note, more than one person has asked me why I run. In fact, I asked myself that very question many times over the last 9 miles of our recent marathon. Well, today Run The Bluegrass posted a story about Tom Little, someone else who likes to run for similar reasons as I. His story eloquently sums it up for me, and I am sure for many others as well:
“…[M]any of my friends ask me why I run. Since I readily admit that I’m not in love with the process of running itself, it does seem a bit odd. However, the answer is really pretty simple: I run so that I can enjoy my life. . . .” He continued, “I want to enjoy as many years on earth as possible, with my family… and friends. I also want to enjoy good food and drink and a lifestyle where I savor the good life. Recreational running allows me to do that. I’ll never win a competitive race, but every run is a personal victory.”
So true. You can see the rest of the story at Run The Bluegrass’ Facebook page.
Still learning, this whole blogging thing. Not yet ready for prime time.
I have been joking with my wife a lot lately and “threatening” to start a blog. She called my bluff, and here I am. In the summer of 2011, my wife said she wanted to run a half marathon by the time we turned 40. I called her bluff, and less than 6 months later, we were running the Walt Disney World Half Marathon. We ended up running 4 more half marathons last year, and even completed the Walt Disney World Marathon a little more than a week ago. We have grand plans for the rest of this year as well, including the Bay To Breakers and The Dumbo Double Dare. My boys also have seemed to get the running bug, which is encouraging. And we still haven’t hit 40.
I am the LAST person I ever thought would enjoy running. I have spent most of my life living by the mantra of “God only gives us so many steps on this earth, why rush through them?” However, I have found that with running, I seem to enjoy those steps more. I have goals to work toward, I have an outlet for my competitive side, and I have a way to get back into better shape. Almost as important, as my interest in running, and RunDisney has grown, I have discovered that there is a vast running community out there, not only locally, but also in the blogosphere. Reading other people’s stories has been inspiring and encouraging.
The best part of it all, however, has been the opportunity to spend a lot more quality time with my wife. We enjoy running together, and that hour or two on a long run presents a great chance for us to talk and connect.
I am not sure what I will do on this blog, but as it says above, I expect it to include a lot of random thoughts from an average guy trying to run. I am sure I will talk a lot about RunDisney and Disney-related travel, as well as our adventures in running. Hopefully it will be entertaining. If not, at least I can say I gave it a good shot, much like my attempts at running. . .
Thanks for stopping by.
We did it! Walt Disney World Marathon 2013
Run Todd Run! 