MARATHONS

Today is my 54th birthday.  One of the best gifts I have ever received is shown here.  I received it from Cynthia Anne, my love.

 

I wanted to share the significance of each letter.

M - I've run 10 ultras and this is a picture from the NJ Ultra Festival 50K
A  - This picture was taken at the Raleigh 8000, my first local race after moving to NC
R  - Cindy and me running together in Vancouver Washington.  I love running with her and she is  always there to support me in marathons.  I first told her that loved her at the finish of the Illinois marathon
A  -Philadelphia Marathon - I hadn't planned on running but Baltimore Running Festival asked me to represent them at the Marathon Expo.  Cindy and I did the entire Expo at the booth of the BRF and then I ran the marathon
T  - Mardi Gras Marathon, New Orleans, my 50th marathon on my 50th birthday wearing bib 50 and running the entire marathon with my running bud and nephew Shawn
H  - Running at mile 8 of 2013 Baltimore Marathon.  I've run every one of them.
O  - Madison Wisconsin, actually a half-marathon but got to see where Cindy spent much of her life
N  - An enhanced photo (by Cindy)  that is used on the header of my running blog
S  - My most recent marathon in Miami (#74) and first running for Durham Rescue Mission

Tomorrow is Marathon 75

Today Day 59: 4 miles: 2014: 310 miles

What Is Your Legacy

I'm listening to a message from Alistair Begg called, "What is your legacy?"  It is focused on our spiritual legacy in our Christian faith but also our normal life.  His teachings are based on scripture from 2nd Timothy where Paul is mentoring, through a letter, a young pastor named Timothy.  At the end of Alistair's 2nd part of this message, he says, "Live life to be missed, but missed for the right things - kind words, good deeds, short notes, quick telephone calls, good laughs, happiness, love, humor - fill your portfolio with this stuff!"

We all must consider our legacy every day for each new day knows nothing of the next.  Your legacy may be taken in the context of work, family, spirituality, everyday dealing with your fellow humans.  But overarching legacy is best by applying these things to a holistic life.

We runners also have a legacy, especially those of us who have made running a lifestyle.  As I continue my journey in the second half of my life, I hope to improve upon my legacy, not only in running but over my entire life.  Alistair started this series asking what our epitaph would say after our earthly journey ends.  I used to think mine would say, "I can finally rest".  Although I look forward to the peace and serenity, I might have to change it to "Live on."

So, what is your legacy?  What do you wish your epitaph to say?

Today Day 57: 2 miles: 2014: 305 miles

The Cure

"Running has improved their sex lives, made them stop smoking, cured hangovers, jet lag, ulcers, constipation, alcoholism, depression, insomnia, and prevented the common cold." - Marilyn Wellemeyer, Addicted to Perpetual Motion, Fortune, 1977

In the pharmaceutical business, billions and billions of dollars are spent bringing new drugs to market to cure or at least improve conditions for every disease and condition possible.  I'm in the industry so I know the amount of money needed to get a drug or device to market.  I also know the amount of money wasted on inefficiencies of the same process.  I also see the cost of a drug or device to a patient making it prohibitive for some to get the care they need.  It is unfortunate that all of the R&D expenses have to be recouped before patent expiry.  I am sure pharma companies do not want to see cures or conditions helped through running, though.  Maybe I am being a bit of a cynic but Pharma companies exist with their drugs and having diseases or conditions to cure.  They are likely not interested in seeing running cure disease.

With that said, more and more Pharma companies and Clinical Research Organizations are becoming title sponsors of marathons and other running events.  Novo Nordisk in New Jersey, Quintiles and PPD in North Carolina, Otsuka in Japan, Cadila Pharma in Amedabad, AstraZeneca in Calgary, Valient Pharma in Ontario, PAREXEL Informatics in Nottingham, UK to name a few.  Other pharma companies sponsor other distances like the Novartis 5K.

I do think that there is  truth and evidence to support the claim in the quote above.  I'm not saying that running is the end all, cure all but it (along with exercise in general) plays a important part in a healthy physical and mental lifestyle.  I don't think that there is any other communal sport that has changed people's lives for the better the way running has. There are so many unique stories about the running journey finding its way to be a running lifestyle.  Can it be a cure?  I believe it can but the cure will be unique to each individual.

Today Day 56: 3 miles: 2014: 303 miles

300

I've always wanted to roll a 300 game in bowling.  I've been close with a 279 game, which was 11 strikes and a spare.  The spare appeared in the 8th frame.  I also rolled a 266 game during a mixed league match but my competitor bowled a 300.  I started bowling when I was 8 years old and bowled pretty consistently through college and a few years beyond.  The final men's team I bowled on was the Genesee Gents (Genesee, a popular beer in the Pennsylvania area.)

Today, I reached another 300 milestone.  I've run my 300th mile of the year, which means that I will have donated enough for 300 meals at the Durham Rescue Mission.  Most likely I will end February with 133 miles and the first two months at 306 miles.  As I have mentioned in a previous post, I am feeling better running every day than taking days off.  Of course, easy days consist of only 2 miles so I get to rest and recover.  300 miles are not that many for elite runners. During heavy training, they might do 300 miles in two weeks.  First, I would be broke if I was able to run that many and I would also be broken from a physical perspective.

March will start off strong with 26.2 on Saturday and end strong with 26.2 near the end of March.  I hope to get another 80 miles in during the remainder of the 29 days.  We shall see how broken I am after these two marathons.  So far, God has kept me healthy not only this year but for all the years I have been running.  Believe me, it hasn't been perfect without aches and pains but it has been healthy.  I am not sure that I have any days without aches and pains, anymore, while running.  It is what it is at age 54.  I thank God every day for my health.  He has blessed me and continues to grant me the perseverance and endurance to run.  I have a part in it as well as I take the initiative to use what God has provided me.  To do something 300 times you have to do it at least 1 time.

Today Day 55: 2 miles: 2014: 300 miles

Artwork

"The marathon is an art; the marathoner is an artist." - Coach Kiyoshi Nakamura

The artist uses imagination to put into her creation. The marathoner is the same.  The art of running a marathon is a feat only accomplished by imagination and creativity.  Yes, initially it will feel technical.  But once you experience marathons in all weather conditions, all surfaces, different courses, small and large, feeling one way or the other, you will realize the broad brushstrokes required to cross the finish line.  At that point, you have created art.  Cindy captures that art in her enhanced photographs.  I see the marathon through her eyes and relate to it through my feelings.  It's what we look forward to sharing with each other after a marathon.  It's where our art collides to form a vibrant display of human emotion, not just of my artistic rendition of the marathon but the other participants' as well.  Capturing the venue is just as an important as capturing the marathon experience itself.  Running all of the marathons that I have has not just been about running but the experience of it all including the venue.  It's a wonderful canvas which we will continue to paint for as long as we can.

 

Contemplating the Start

Today Day 54: 2 miles: 2014: 298 miles

Less Is More

And I thought, "...the less I listen, the more I hear...the less I look at, the more I see...the less I feel, the more I am aware."  It all sounds counter-intuitive except when it is put into context.  I ran at Umstead State Park yesterday.  Umstead is a true test of fitness due to the seriously steep, long hills.  It's not for the faint of heart.  I attempted the Umstead 100 miler years ago only getting through 50 miles in just over 12 hours.  This coming Saturday, a day after my 54th birthday, I will run the Umstead Marathon, my 75th marathon.  It might just be the most difficult marathon of the 75 I have run - well until Bataan.  And that's the point.  Run something hard before you have to run something harder.  Umstead, no question, will be a challenge.  I wanted to run yesterday's 10 mile loop the best I could, both the climbs and the descents, but especially the long slow climbs.  The Umstead Marathon also includes 5 miles of single track technical trails so those will be their own challenge.  The rest of the marathon is run on bridle trails which is where I concentrated yesterday.  I decided to run my normal loop in the opposite direction.  Trails look very different when running them in the reverse direction.  I didn't take music with me because I love the quiet of the trails.  Also, Umstead will disqualify you if you are caught running with earphones, which is very common in ultras and trail races.  The Umstead Marathon is more of an ultra with the marathon distance.  While I was meandering my way through the forest, I thought about all that I could hear.  I wasn't listening for anything in particular and I didn't have any musical noise pollution.  I do listen to music on many of my runs but never on trails.  I could hear the crunch of my Montrail trail shoes on the gravel; the increased breathing powering me up the hills; birds singing in the trees; other runners chatting; no sounds at all.  I could see the bigger forest, blue sky through the leafless branches, sun shining creating warmth, the undulations of the trail off in the distance.  I was aware of my entire body, my breathing, the tiredness in my legs, the recovery during the downhills.  I didn't focus on any particular pain, just that my entire body and mind is in this together.  Help each other.  Bring it all together.  I ended up running one of the best 10 mile loops at Umstead ever.  Now I need to put it all together again and add 16 miles.

Today I ran the American Tobacco Trail, stark contrast to the hills of Umstead.  It's a Rails-to-Trails course and great for tempo runs.  I did 6 miles of tempo work.  My legs felt fresh from the Umstead run.  Now it is time to back off a bit to recover before the true test of Umstead.

One of the last songs I heard on Friday was Eric Clapton's Running on Faith.  Although the song has nothing to do with running, it was the way it started that captured my attention.  There is no other way to run, faith in God, faith in yourself, faith in others.
Lately I've been running on faith, What else can a poor boy do?
Yesterday and Today, Days 52 and 53: 10 and 6 miles; 2014: 296 miles

Run Naked

Not really!  But, there are events like "bare buns runs" around the world, some in the U.S.  Your only running gear is socks and shoes and those are optional for our barefoot runner friends.  It also brings a whole new perspective to minimalist.  I now know that everyone reading this, the very few, will now go out and google "bare buns run" to see if I am telling the truth.  Well, I am and I suspect running is not the only activity enjoyed in the buff besides the obvious.

Anyway, my true intention of this post is to say how much I enjoyed running in shorts, t-shirt and hat today as opposed to multiple layers of clothing.  The temperature was in the high 60's at 7 AM.  Running with fewer clothes made it feel like I was running naked, whatever that feels like.  It also took me less time to dress and undress allowing me to get a longer run in before work, a much needed longer run.  Sometimes you also just need to let your nakedness put you "out" there, expose you to hard things, to uncomfortable things.  Running can be like that when training and particularly like that in a race.  You need to put yourself on the line at times, to run naked if you will.  Of course, if you are doing a bare buns run and putting yourself out there, you are doubly naked - naked squared.

There is a myth about giving public presentations that it helps to imagine your audience naked or in their underwear.  I guess it is only a myth if it doesn't work for you.  I have given plenty of presentations and I don't think I have ever imagined my audience naked.  That would be just a scary proposition.  I think I would feel more intimidated than ever.  I certainly hope that my audience is not imaging me naked.

Run naked, let yourself go and enjoy the freedom!  Are you glad that there are no pictures in this post?

Today Day 51: 6 miles 2014: 280 miles

Up and At 'em

Nope, not to run... In essence, I just spent 7 hours yesterday and 11 hours today for 15 minutes of fame. 

"The will to win is nothing without the will to prepare" _Juma Ikangaa

Bid defenses are all about preparation.  Those 18 hours were not all my preparation but I was involved in it with a partner to help a company achieve a new therapy.  Our part was only 15 minutes.

In running, think of all of the training that gets done to achieve one single goal, all the preparation that goes into 9.7 seconds of running or 2 hours 3 minutes of running.  It is months upon months of preparation.  This is why running is a metaphor for all of life, not matter what life's challenges are.  Do you have the will to win?

For the last two days I couldn't stay on my morning schedule for running.  Yesterday I ran around 4 PM.  Today, after being up at 3:45 AM to get to where I had to be by 8 AM and on 4 hours 40 minutes of sleep, 4 hours of driving, 6 hours of bid defense, I still got out the door for a brief 2 mile run.  Thank you Cindy for nudging me!  That also puts me at 100 miles for the month.  I would not necessarily count it as training, except to know how it feels running when tired.  However, I do count it as 2 more meals!

Today and Yesterday Days 49 and 50: 2 miles and 2 miles; 2014: 274 miles

Craving

"We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves...The more restricted our society and work become, the more necessary it will be to find some outlet for this craving for freedom. No one can say, 'You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.' The human spirit is indomitable."
-Sir Roger Bannister, first runner to run a sub-4 minute mile

It is the craving for freedom and the notion that I have control.  I am not a control freak but I love the control that running gives me.  I decide when I run, how far I run, how fast I run, where I run.  My body and mind directs me, nobody else.  I find freedom in that, the freedom to choose.  I don't have to run by any outside force.  I choose to run.  The only thing that I can't control is the weather which adds variety.  You get what you get on any given day but you still have the freedom to run in that weather, the freedom of how you deal with it.  Nobody calls me up and says, "hey, 2 days from now you must run 26 miles, or you can never run again."  Nobody says, "run a 6 minute mile, or don't bother."  I crave that freedom to be alone and run as I please, escaping from the chains that bind me.  In running, uncomfortable situations are as comfortable as a warm blanket on a snowy afternoon sipping hot chocolate by a raging fire.  I crave the freedom to be in nature, to be in life, to see others doing the same.  It is a craving with an appetite for destruction, a destruction of stressors.  I crave freedom.

Today Day 48: 4 miles; 2014: 270 miles

Monday, Monday

Some days your mind takes over from your body and you just run.  It sounds like it should be opposite but here is what I mean.  I have had many runs where I finish the run and don't realize I had run or I miss complete sections of the course.  My mind is so engrossed in other thoughts that my body just takes over and runs.  Today was one of those days.  Monday, Monday brought lots of things to figure out.  On many runs, solutions appear in ways never thought probable, something that has not been thought of before.  Today, there were no answers, just more things piled on top of one another.  I usually have clarity at the end of a run but nothing was more clear.  Some things you just need to plow through, I guess.  I did enjoy Alistair Begg's sermon on staying the course, part 1 of a discussion about Daniel.  Maybe that is what I need to do, stay the course.  Get to the finish.  For me, the finish is not of this world.  Here, the finish is just another place to start. Monday, Monday, the start of a new week.

Today Day 47: 4 miles: 2014: 266 miles

My Help

I'm about to go into two weeks where I will need to rely on God to bring me calm and peace.  With the many challenges in some people's lives, it's nothing.  But we are all anxious about things that are brought on by the daily grind of life.  Mine usually revolves around work because today's work environment has little respect for people and time, especially as demanded by customers.  I won't complain though because I have remained employed since 1982, when I first left college.  So, without complaining I will rely on my faith and help from the Lord.  I always get through better than I think I will.

It is the same with running.  At the starting line of every marathon, I bow my head thanking God for the day, my health allowing me to even be at the starting line and then I ask Him to grant me peace throughout the run.  it is a calm that very runner needs before partaking in a marathon challenge.  I never run alone an I always envision Jesus as my pacer.  He doesn't even have a pair of high tech running shoes and no aerodynamic clothes, nor a GPS, no Gu's either but He always guides me to the finish.  It's miles 20-26 where I need to call upon His strength.  I also have my worldly strength in Cynthia Anne.  In every marathon, I envision running to her either to the finish or other parts of the course.  I can't do a marathon on my own.  I can't do a training run on my own.  I lift up my eyes and allow faith to guide me, that my body or my mind will not fail me.  It is My Help.

Oddly enough, I heard this song play on my shuffle today.  When I got back, I could not find it in my iTunes library at all.  I even heard it play in my library but under another title and under another artist's name.  I searched around a bit more and when I went back to where I heard it, the song that played was the correct song with the correct artist.  I'm still not sure where the song came from (maybe I do) but I know that it was appropriate for the way I was feeling this morning.  I'm anxious about the next two weeks but I continue to run strong.

Words by The Museum
My Help Comes From the Lord

When sorrows come and hope seems gone
You're the rock I rest upon
When waters rise and I can't breathe
You're the love that rescues me

 Out of the darkness
It lifts up my eyes
Unto the hills I feel my faith rise

Maker of heaven
Giver of life
You are my strength, my song in the night
My refuge, my shelter, now and forevermore
My help comes from the Lord

When I'm broken, scarred by sin
Death gives way to life again
When I suffer, when I'm bound
In You I'm free, In You I'm found

Out of the darkness
It lifts up my eyes
Unto the hills I feel my faith rise

 Maker of heaven
Giver of life
You are my strength, my song in the night
My refuge, my shelter, now and forevermore
My help comes from the Lord
My help comes from the Lord

Today Day 46: 12 miles: 2014: 262 miles

Valentine's Day + 1

... is a special day of love and I pray that everyone has someone to love them and to love in return.  I am blessed with Cynthia.  She never ceases to amaze me.  It was a long day as I traveled back from England to the U.S.  I also love getting back because I love getting back to Cynthia.  I really do not like the wasteful time traveling when we are not doing it together.  Business travel, although necessary, is wasteful in one's life and generally a hassle.  I awoke at 5 A.M on Friday, London time, which is midnight on the East Coast.  I like to get to the airport way before my flight, probably earlier than I need to.  With all the snow back East, I watched my flight status with grave interest.  Once through security, I parked myself in the Sky Team lounge for a little breakfast (very little because I am just not fond of the food in the UK).  The lounge also gave me access to mobile data so that I could monitor flight status and email.  I could not figure out how I was going to get my two miles in for the day.  I knew that I had a 20 hour day ahead of me.  London's Heathrow is a massive airport.  As I walked out of the lounge I noticed posted times listed to walk from one end of the terminal to the other.  Terminal 4 is very long.  So, I figured that I had enough time to walk loops in the terminal that could get me an estimated 2 miles.  Although you see people running in airports to catch planes, I didn't want to take the chance trying to run loops (not that I would have anyway) in fear of being arrested for some abnormal behavior in an airport.  So I went off on my journey and did 6 loops in the airport, estimating that I got in nearly 2 miles at a quick pace.  Actually, I welcomed getting in a little exercise knowing that I was going to be on a plane for nearly 8 hours.  It wasn't long after finishing my loops hat we boarded and started our journey to Newark.  I then had 3 hours layover in Newark, getting into Raleigh at 7 and home at 8.  20 hours of travel.  Terrible, but I thank God that I got home at all with all of the snow, airport cancellations and delays the day before.

Now comes the Valentine's Day part.  Cindy and I are practical people and we do things for one other without the other knowing, surprises if you will.  When I got home she gave me my Valentine's card as soon as I walked in.  It was lumpy.  After reading the card, I found a pair of keys.  Hmmmm, what could these possibly go to?  They are not car keys but more like lock keys.  She guided me out into the screened porch.  Well, here is a picture of my Valentine's gift!

If you take away the squiggly lines from the screen, it's a shed!  After we did the backyard this year, a shed was next in line.  Now, it is not the physical shed that is most important although she absolutely did great on working with the contractor to have it constructed.  I hate working with contractors and she is great at it.  First I tend to over-analyze and although I found the shed place online a few months ago, they had lots of options and I needed more analysis time. Hah, she took all of this off my plate and that is the best gift of all - somebody doing something for you to make your life easier, to help you, to know you, and to love you.  She planned it all out with the contractor for them to come the week I was away and through the blizzard had them work until it was done 20 minutes before I got home.  It was truly awesome!

It's great to be home.  I was able to put in 6 miles this morning as well.  It was a cold light rain but it felt so good to be running outside again that I  didn't even notice the rain.  I almost felt like I was gliding through the streets.  I hope to get 12 miles in tomorrow which will give me 30 miles for the week.  Of course, that counts the two miles walked in Heathrow.  I know that may or may not continue my streak but I think I am going to have other issues as I travel for business keeping the streak going.  The bottom line is miles and walking two miles is better than no miles, especially for those relying on meals from my mileage. 

I wish I could have been home all day on Valentine's day instead of traveling.  As I mentioned before, home is where the heart is - its where my heart is and Cindy's heart is and together we are home.

Today and Yesterday, Days 44 and 45: 2 and 6 miles:  2014: 250 miles

Room For One More

Home...is where the heart is, with Cynthia Anne... and I hope to get back there tomorrow.  The snow may hamper this but I really need to get back home.  There is so much time wasted with travel in the winter due to flight delays and cancellations.  Weather has become extreme to the point of destruction.  I've managed to keep running through it over the years as it presents a manageable yet tolerable challenge.  However, business travel is unmanageable because everything is out of your hands and we are at the mercy of those trying to keep us safe.  I shouldn't complain.  I think of the people on the streets where 6 inches of snow and ice have fallen and how the many shelters open up their doors for safety.  When we we toured the Durham Rescue Mission with Tony, he said that the answer to the question of, "how much room do you have at the mission on a dangerously cold night?" is always, "room for one more."  Today, I struggled to get up to run, being in the UK for my 4th day, but as I think of where that money goes for each run, I always think, there is "room for one more" run, "room for one more" mile.

Today Day 43: 2 miles; 2014 242 miles

Style

There are bucket list things to do in life and then there are lifestyles.  Running, for me, is a lifestyle.  I found it interesting that in the Olympics there is an event called Slopestyle.  Maybe the "style" addendum is based on Gangnam style.  The saving grace in running is that there are no style points.  Think of there was.  Your overall score would be determined on speed and running style.  Most African continent runners would still win anyway because they have as much style as they do speed.  Some of us mid- and back-packers would probably be disqualified for how we drag our exhausted butts across the finish line.  But, we don't have style points and the finish line and the course are the same challenge for everyone - elite and the rest of the field.  We get to run on the same world stage as the elite.  Speaking of elite, some of the elite African runners train on the American Tobacco Trail in North Carolina, my home trail if you will.  Its amazing to see them run and its fun to try and run 10 steps with them.  One thing is for sure, although they have a natural talent, they work as hard as anyone to improve upon that talent.  They are not elite by accident.  They run with style and grace, mechanically efficient.  We all have different bio-mechanics but it can be improved upon.  It is requires a conscious effort when we run.  Maybe then we can earn some style points in our next race.  Fans can hold up signs to score us.

Today Day 42: 2 miles; 2014: 240 miles

God-Given Life

It is hard to think about the birth of a child as anything but a miracle of God.  We do a child injustice thinking of him or her as just a random set of molecules formed by two other sets of random molecules that have evolved from beasts.  No mother nor any father looks at their child and thinks, "this child is just a random bunch of stuff with no meaning but the scientific principles upon which it is built, and will one day cease to exist without meaning."  Is this harsh?  Probably.  Sometimes we need to be offended, in a good way of course.  What God has given us, not just through birth, but through his Son Jesus, is an eternal life of abundance.  We can choose to squander our eternal life here on Earth and beyond or choose to embrace it.  Frankly, I want to see my loved ones in eternal life, in a life of peace and beauty.  Think of your hopes and dreams.  If you are any kind of person at all, those hopes and dreams will revolve around being with your loved ones, sons, daughters, husband, wives, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends for eternity, but not just in an Earthly life but in a Heavenly life, with no pain, no pressures, joy, love.  Why would someone not choose this?  At the very least, choose to hope and put faith in this eternal existance.  It is what is offered to us through Jesus Christ.  It is the good news of the Gospel.  You are no worse off believing in it and it doesn't exist.  But if you don't believe in it and it does exist, an eternal life is missed with the ones you love.  Faith. Hope. Belief. Love.

What does this have to do with running?  One can say nothing.  But look at the last four words.  This is what you need to move your running (and any endeavor) forward.  Sometimes it also needs to be offensive and harsh.  God has given us all gifts of our own special kind.  Find your gift and give it to someone.

Today Day 42: 3 miles: 2014: 238 miles

Mirror, Mirror

It's been a long day and night going to Nottingham, UK from RDU through Washington DC.  In general, travel was good.  The challenge was going to be keeping my running streak alive.  The city of Nottingham, as a visitor, is not conducive to running.  The streets are crowded, narrow and they drive on the "wrong" (uh, left side) of the road here.  Since I run against traffic, running on the left would not be such an issue, but here I would run on the right side of the road.  Quite frankly, here I would rather run on the sidewalks.  The hotels here tend not to have fitness areas either.  So, I thought coming here was going to present me the greatest challenge to this point in keeping the streak alive.  I was pleased to see that a new fitness room was built at the Crowne Plaza, where I am staying.  There are three treadmills but all face a full length mirrored wall.  I have never seen myself run head-on.  I've run on treadmills but not facing mirrors. Of course, the first thing I examined related to my gait.  Does it look like I have a normal gait?  Yes, it looks like I do.  I'm not built like a normal runner.  I'm a bit bulkier but my arms, shoulders, head all appear to be going in the right direction - forward.  There doesn't seem to be wasted energy anywhere.  I do know that my posture gets worse as I get further into a marathon.  I must say, after a mile or so, there was no longer a reason to watch myself.  I could bore myself to death.  Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest runner of them all?

Today Day 41: 3 miles: 2014: 235 miles

Before the Morning

 The words that Josh Wilson sings can apply to all areas of life, in essence, our struggle through life.  I believe that there is joy coming in light.  I am up every morning before the light and certainly before the sun.  The light brings a new day of hope and I like seeing a new day dawn.  These words also ring true for runners, marathon runners particularly.  Dare to believe that in the late miles of a marathon there is still a  reason to sing.  All the pain in those later miles can't compare to the joy that's coming at the finish.  We know how it all ends.  Press on to fight the good fight.  Let God be your pacer in life and running.

 

Before the Morning by Josh Wilson

 

Do you wonder why you have to,
feel the things that hurt you,
if there’s a God who loves you,
where is He now?

 

Maybe, there are things you can’t see
and all those things are happening
to bring a better ending
some day, some how, you’ll see, you’ll see

 

 Would you dare, would you dare, to believe,
that you still have a reason to sing,
’cause the pain you’ve been feeling,
can’t compare to the joy that’s coming

so hold on, you got to wait for the light
press on, just fight the good fight
because the pain you’ve been feeling,
it’s just the dark before the morning

 

My friend, you know how this all ends
and you know where you’re going,
you just don’t know how you get there
so just say a prayer.
and hold on, cause there’s good who love God,
life is not a snapshot, it might take a little time,
but you’ll see the bigger picture

 

Once you feel the way of glory,
all your pain will fade to memory
 

Would you dare, would you dare, to believe,
that you still have a reason to sing,
’cause the pain you’ve been feeling,
can’t compare to the joy that’s coming

com’n, you got to wait for the light

press on, just fight the good fight

because the pain you’ve been feeling,

it’s just the hurt before the healing

the pain you’ve been feeling,

just the dark before the morning

before the morning, yeah, yeah

before the morning

Today Day 40: 10 miles: 2014: 232 miles 

Marathon Cocktail

There are all kinds of ingredients that go into a marathon.  We can call this a cocktail.  Some of the ingredients are sweet and some are harsh.  Today I was thinking about Bataan and my training leading up to it.  Last weekend I ran in temperatures in the high 70's with high humidity but on a flat course.  In a couple of weeks, I will run on one of the more difficult marathon courses because of the hills and trails, Umstead.  In between, I suspect I will do a combination of tempo training and hill training.  I wish I had some sand around because the Bataan course is on sand in the desert.  It will likely be dry but warm during the day.  In order to complete any marathon, you need to mix your own cocktail of running and other garnishes.  The idea then is to get intoxicated on the target marathon, to bring everything together so it goes down smooth and experience that euphoria at the finish.  The marathon cocktail is my cocktail of choice, that is when I feel the best and most alive.

Today Day 39: 8 miles: 2014: 222 miles

Innovation

Every industry tries to be innovative and I certainly support innovation.  Where would we be without all of the innovation throughout history?  Innovation these days, mostly involves technology.  In many cases, technological advances replaces humans, or at the very least human thought and creativity.  After a few days at a pharmaceutical clinical research conference, an industry know as being laggards in technology adoption and having as many inefficient processes as government agencies (maybe because they are regulated by government agencies?), innovation was fresh on my mind.  There were many discussions about innovation, yet the presentations showed little in terms of innovation.  What's innovative to this industry is well beyond mature in other industries.  I'm not talking about medicinal innovation per se but the entire drug/device process to get a drug to market.  If the big pharmas drove innovation through the regulatory agencies, I think that they would embrace it.  There are many more internal barriers that the pharmas blame on regulatory.  Hopefully the new band of brothers (Transcelerate) can help change that since no one pharma wants to stick their neck out.

As I was running today, I was thinking about innovation in the running industry.  Innovation in running is found in a few areas:

• Running shoes (minimalist, maximalist. stability, cushioned, materials, etc.)
• Running clothes (tech material, compression, etc.)
• Gadgets (watches, wearables, packs, hydration, etc.)
• Timing and tracking systems (GPS, chip timing, photo identification, SMS, etc.)
• Food and drink (electrolyte replacement, blends, gels, blocks, etc.)
• Registration and information (web sites, mobile, training programs, social media)

But with all of this, you still have to physically and mentally do the work.  You still have to put one foot in front of the other and go the distance.  Yes, many of these things help you go the distance but believe me, at mile 20 and beyond in a marathon, there is nothing except for your physical and mental strength that will allow you to cross the finish line.  You also cannot innovate the Earth.  Yes, some of these theme runs can make events more fun or more difficult by adding obstacles, colors, foams, doughnuts, etc.  But, for pure running over a marked course, it is what it is.  The course doesn't change once you start.  It might change next year, but once the gun goes off it is you against the course and other runners - human against human, human against Earth.  Innovation makes for a better experience but is not a substitute for perseverance and endurance.  

Today Day 38: 4 miles; 2014: 214 miles

Vision

"Vision without execution is hallucination" - Thomas Edison

I heard this quote today at a conference I was attending - no not given by Thomas Edison.  In all of the 74 marathons that I have run, I have always envisioned crossing the finish line. Maybe it is why I have never had a DNF or maybe I am just lucky.  I love this quote though because we all have visions of doing something.  Maybe vision can also be equated to hopes and dreams.  Maybe vision is one step further, being able to see the result of something specific.  However, without execution it is still a hallucination.  Hopes and dreams not realized.  When I think of the finish line of a marathon, I think about how I need to execute to get there -pace, fluids, food, handling hills or flats, weather, etc.  all the variables that have to be managed to get to the finish.  I envision all of these. The same should be done in life.  Don't hallucinate (although in ultra running, this might be expected) but envision and execute!

Today Day 37: 2 miles; 2014: 210 miles

Darkness on the Edge of Town

I don't think I have run so many days in the dark.  Actually, downtown Miami is well lit but being out the door and running at 6 AM makes for a dark early morning.  Each morning I have run to the start of the marathon and back.  Running to the start has me going past the finish.  I get to relive the finish, the crowds, the chutes, Cynthia cheering, the feeling.  I run down to the American Airlines arena, home of the world NBA champions Miami Heat.  I get to see the cruise whips again, feel the humidity and warmth, see the water of the Miami river and Biscayne Bay.  It''s all good.  I am almost through my first travel challenge of running.  I hope to run longer on Friday - Sunday.

Today Day 36: 2miles; 2014: 208 miles

Runners Like Me

I'm a conference in Miami for clinical research.  One website that is showing promise from a patient's perspective is patientslikeme.com.  It is a therapeutic specific social site for patients with varying  diseases and illnesses.  As much as the industry is concerned about privacy, this site shows that patients are willing to share personal information in order to improve their condition.

There are running sites like this too, forums, if you will but these are purely social and don't collect the measurable data to truly improve the running condition.  Most sites and books are focused on training programs but there is little empirical real-world data collected to analyze co-variables.  We can collect this data ourselves measuring diet, stress levels, relationships, age, miles run, time, whatever we want to collect and then analyze this.  The power is looking across these same variables from other runners and see what the data suggests.

I ran this morning at 6 AM in Miami and saw no other runners.  This evening I must have seen 30 runners in a couple of hours.  As I've mentioned before, I'm a morning runner and I think there are advantages to running in the morning.  It would be interesting to know from the millions of runners out there when their most productive runs are completed.  Who are the runners like me and would it be beneficial to be runners like them in certain ways.  I'm also not talking about elite runners whose job it is to train and run.  I'm talking about everyday runners, runners like me.

Today Day 35: 2 miles; 2014: 206 miles

The Day After

I don't think I have ever run the day after a marathon.  Generally I take 2-5 days off depending on how taxing the marathon was.  Marathons are not created equal.  Hills, especially downhills, tear up the quads to a point where walking down stairs or off curbs require some sophistication.  Surfaces such as concrete are also hard on the legs.  Miami didn't really have any hills, a few bridges but they were early in the race.  It did have concrete so I do find some soreness in my quads specifically.  Although I am a bit stiff-legged, I was able to get out for 2 miles this morning.  It does break up the lactic acid buildup.  I suspect DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) will be more of a challenge tomorrow.  Its still warm with temperatures and humidity about 10 degrees above normal but there is no way I am going to complain after seeing the storms across the midwest and into the northeast.  So, I continue my running journey to my next scheduled marathon, the Umstead Trail Marathon, a stark contrast to Miami, with only 250 runners on some very steep hills on both bridle and single path trails.  Actually, looking at this year's marathons, they may be some of the toughest I have run in one year.  Just like the movie, the day after is the day after you have destroyed your legs in a marathon, all of those broken capillaries that you have spent weeks and months building up.

Today Day 34: 2 miles; 2014: 204 miles

Team Puss 'n' Boots

Where would we all be if we didn't have someone to support us and to rely on.  Obviously there are all aspects of life in which this important.  Today I ran my 74th marathon in Miami.  I planned to use this as a long training run in warmth and humidity.  That didn't disappoint as the temperature and humidity at the start was 73 degree an 87% respectively.  The is a typical big city marathon with corral starts.  It's awful standing in the corral for 30 minutes prior to the start.  But I had my teammate, Puss, to keep me company but she had to stand just as much.  Finally, corral F got to start.  The first 5-6 miles are run at predawn mostly across the causeway past the cruise ships.  The sun broke the horizon in South Beach shining its rays on the eclectic South beach Hotels.  I fell into a 10:07 pace with a terrible half-marathon pacer that just left everybody behind and weaved his way through the crowds.  with the half-marathon and marathon starting at the same time, you basically have about 20,000 runners on the course, even with the corral start.  It takes some energy to sort through all the different paces.  I guess the same could be said of me.  I hit the half in 2:14.  The half was right in front of our hotel so my teammate could provide me a banana and much needed ice wrapped in a towel.  The ice was a life-saver.  I tucked it around my neck and let it melt slowly over the next 6 miles.  The temperature got close to 80 but was tempered in the second half by a welcomed rain shower and some clouds.  I was already soaked from sweat and pouring water over my head.  I definitely slowed in the second half but managed the run well with the heat.  Cynthia, and really, many of the others who support their runners, their fans if you will, have challenges of their own.  They need to get to all the areas, many that are fenced off, and then stand and wait and today endure a rain shower.  I've never done this but know how tiring it can be.  Maybe fans should train also!  One of the most interesting areas that we ran through was Coconut Grove.  So interesting, that we drove back for lunch and had some great Latin American food.  Speaking of Latin America, this marathon is a destination race for South and Central America.  It's such an international crowd.  The most touching moment that Cindy saw was when a runner slipped and went down just 100 meters from he finish.  Two other runners, not caring about their own finish time went back, picked up the runner and arm-in-arm helped him to the finish.  That is what running is about.  Some people might see us a egotistical, selfish people, but we will always go back and help a fellow runner.  There were also so many charities represented at this marathon that they had a charity village.  Its a special community - support teams and all.  Overall, I ran 4:50:39, a Puss 'n' Boots team effort!

Today Day 33: 26.2 miles; 2014: 202 miles

Dry Run

Well, not really a dry run but I did run from the hotel to the finish to the start, around and about and back.  It did show me what the warmth and humidity is going to be like.  Cindy and I always explore the finish line so that we know where to meet after the marathon. We also just have a little fun exploring the area.  The expo was pretty large but with 25,000 runners, most in the half-marathon, its a great time to appeal to runners and get your products noticed.  Packet pickup and t-shirt pick was pretty well organized although the line for medium shirts (not that I would fit into a medium shirt) was quite long.  After we got back to the hotel, we decided to walk over to the finish and explore.  Being by the Biscayne Bay, there are nice breezes and pretty views.  We ended up going to Bayfront and having lunch at Tradewinds, an open-air, bar and grill, on the marina.  We then decided to take a boat trip around the islands to see how the other half live, or I should say, the other 1%.  It was a nice, calm, warm trip.  Boats are always relaxing.  "carb" loading was at Fratelli's in downtown Miami.  Good food reasonable prices.  'twas the night before the marathon, and the wake-up call is scheduled for 3:45, how ridiculous.  But, I don't mind running for an hour before the sun comes up.  It will likely not be a dry run, but a wet one.

Today Day 32: 3 miles; 2014: 176 miles