I thought this week I would discuss how it came to be that this 6 foot 3 inch 200 pound man decided running was a sport for him. Ever since I was a little kid I have enjoyed running (weird I know). My first competitive foot race (that I can recall) came at the Southeast Elementary school 5th grade Field Days. One lap around the grounds (probably 1/2 mile or so). From what I remember, Carsten Carter and I dueled to the end. I honestly don't remember who won that day, but I do remember having a feeling that this was something I enjoyed.
Like many Indiana boys I wanted to be a basketball player. My height always allowed me to be part of the school team, and my desire always allowed me to play on the B squads or JV teams, but I never had the athletic ability to be varsity material. Running was a different story, which I first discovered back in 5th grade, but didn't really pursue until my Freshman year.
I decided to go out for track my freshman year (think 6 foot tall maybe 120 pounds soaking wet). I met with the Coaches and they thought distance was the right place for me to be. Coach Curts announced the mileage for the day (5 miles), and I was too naive and shy to say uh coach this is my first time running for distance, so I just followed along. I remember that run taking forever, but when I finished, all of the other distance runners were still at school waiting for Billy Gillock and myself to return They were amazed that we had run the entire distance. I recall them saying things like great job, unbelievable, and I think we just found ourselves two new cross country runners. I remember that bringing a sense of real belonging, which for as much as I wanted, I never felt on the basketball court.
The last varsity meet of my freshman year, I was entered into the mile, and finished second with a time of 5:25. One of my first real sense of success competing in sports. I went on to have fairly successful high school running career in both track and cross-country, culminating in qualifying for the 4x400 meter relay at the 1992 Indiana Boys State Track Meet with a team of three other very talented runners.
I was never the strongest or fastest runner on the team, but through shear will of heart I was always in the picture. There are a lot of things to like about running (camaraderie with fellow runners, health benefits, competitive outlet), but for me the thing I liked most about it then and I like about it today is that running is more of an individual battle that allows for your inner strength to shine through. Today, I am still not the fastest (recall I am now at least 60 lbs heavier than my youth), but I still have that desire to not give up when runs get difficult or my head tells me I can't continue (there's probably a life lesson there of some sort). You can be assured that my head will be telling me to go back to bed tomorrow at 6:30 am, but there is a real thrill and a sense of accomplishment associated with overcoming that self doubt and finishing.
Score Card - This week marks the end of the fifth week of "official" training. Tomorrow's 13 miles will round out a 27 mile week, and a total mileage of 127 miles over the past five weeks (Indy to Louisville). In general, I am feeling pretty good, but am starting to have few aches and pains. Nothing serious at this point, but I anticipate these to continue as the mileage is only going to go up from here (saying goodbye to 20 mile weeks - saying hello to 30 mile weeks).
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