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Stumble

Posted in diet, health, motivation, tagged health, new year's resolution, running, stumble on January 11, 2011| 8 Comments »

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Happy New Year everyone! With the holiday season now at a close, many have wolfed down that last slice of pie, drunk the last glasse of champagne and moved on into resolution mode. Yes, January brings the deluge of New Year’s resolutions that people swear they are going to live by for the following year – eating better, exercising more are probably the most common. Inevitably they falter by the end of the week, the month, the season – at which point they throw in the towel to wait for the next turn of the calendar and start the process yet again.

A word of advice.

Give up.

You heard me.

Give.

Up.

This coming Sunday, forget about your New Year’s Resolution to get in shape, and stuff your face at breakfast or dinner with a huge plate of comfort food. Make sure you wash it down with 2 or 3 alcoholic and/or sugary drinks.

Go ahead.

Do it.

There is no reason to wait until the end of the month or the Winter, or for Summer to stumble and fall off the wagon. That’s right, I am telling you to get off that wagon this Sunday and indulge.

***

Wait a minute there, Luau! Aren’t you a proponent of healthy living? Don’t you advocate regular exercise and eating smart? Aren’t you the one who says anyone, ANYONE can get fit if they want to? What the Frak is going on here?

***

Hmm. I guess I should elaborate a little bit, huh? Notice above I said “breakfast OR dinner”? I did not mean to take the whole day, or weekend or week. I did not mean to give up for good. That would be silly.

No, what I propose is resolving to stumble in your New Year’s Resolutions.

Nobody is perfect, and because of that we can’t do things perfectly all of the time. Eventually we are bound to stumble. This is what happens to so many people who make New Year’s Resolutions every January 1st. The problem is that once they stumble they feel like that’s it. The shame of failing kicks in and overwhelms.

“It’s over!”

“I can’t do it!”

I’ve seen it before. Friends will decide that since they fell off the wagon on Saturday, they might as well carry it on through the entire weekend, the following week or even the rest of the year.

“You know, I ate like crap for breakfast and lunch so I’m just gonna complete the trifecta and eat this whole bucket of mashed potatoes and ice cream.”

A lot of people feel like if they fail the first, or second or third time they try to get healthy, they might as well give up because they can’t stick to it.

***

But what if one “stepped” off the wagon as opposed to “falling” off the wagon? A planned fall, if you will. Then maybe it’s not quite as bad. Then maybe, one would have the will power to step back on to the wagon after a single indulgent meal or a single missed workout as opposed to losing a whole weekend or a week or a month or the rest of the year?

Some people call it the 90/10 plan. The concept is to eat healthfully and exercise regularly 90% of the time and allow yourself to indulge in some guilty pleasures 10% of the time. The idea being that if you allow yourself to eat junk food and be a couch potato in small doses, you are more likely to remain disciplined the rest of the time.

A controlled stumble – think about it. If you are walking down the street and you fall, you are a lot less likely to hurt yourself if you fall in a controlled manner. It is the same with New Year’s Resolutions.

New Year’s Resolutions are fine and dandy. They can kick-start an active lifestyle, but don’t panic if you fall. Even if you fall hard. There is no reason why you can’t get right back up and dust yourself off. But if you have found that you have had trouble in years past with sticking with it through the year, try the controlled stumble, maybe once every week or two.

My bet is that you’ll find a lot more success down the road in achieving your resolution goals. It’s not about luck, it’s about determination and planning.

Have fun this Sunday! I don’t know about you, but I’m plopping myself in front the TV for some NFL playoffs, beer and a bucket of wings!

GO PATS!

Why do you run?

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Age

Posted in health, motivation, tagged age, Birthday, running on December 16, 2010| 12 Comments »

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Back in May I went running. I know, nothing unusual about that. I took my time running through town, proudly sporting my 2010 Boston Tech T, steadily making my way to one of the more popular running roads. As I turned left on to that road, I could see another runner coming from the opposite direction. He was younger, faster and wearing the same shirt. A quarter mile later he caught up to me.

“Nice shirt,” I said as he began to pass me.

“Yeah, you too,” he replied.

He fell in step with me and asked how I did.

“3:32,” I said, “not bad for a old guy.”

“Not bad at all,” he said genuinely.

“You?” I asked.

“2:25”

Cue record scratch sound. Cue my stutter step and double take.

“2-, 2:25? 2:25?”

“Yup.” He almost seemed uncomfortable with it and quickly changed the subject to my then spankin’ new Bikilas. We chatted for another quarter mile or so, but the whole time I was thinking “2:25?” I looked at this kid. He must have been somewhere between 18 – 25 (it’s getting harder to tell as I get older), running along gracefully with the stride of youth.

I started thinking, “wow, I’m old. I could be twice this kid’s age and he’s running a 2:25. Who am I with my 3:30?” Pangs of doubt led to the awareness of the pains of age. Every little pang I usually ignore in my legs suddenly became very noticeable. Suddenly I felt very much like a 40 year old, something I hadn’t felt since I started running.

I asked myself, “why am I doing this?”

***

5 months later I answered that question – Why am I doing this?

I’m doing it for this feeling:

Official Time - 3:19:19 - BQ

It was shortly after that run in with “2:25” that I reminded myself that yes, I was probably twice his age BUT I should be proud of that. The truth is, when I was that kid’s age, there was no way I would/could do what I am doing out there today. I was a physically old 20 year old. Today, I am a physically young 40 year old. Comparing myself to this kid was ridiculous, but comparing myself to my 20 year old self made a lot more sense.

Aging is inevitable. Regardless of how well we take care of ourselves, we will eventually have to yield to Father-Time. But how we get from 20 to 40 to 80 and beyond, and how long it is before we must ultimately throw in the towel, is, to a degree, in our own hands. I will be 41 next Wednesday. If I focused solely on the number I would end up down a rabbit hole of depression. In widening the lens, taking in the bigger picture, I realize that at 41 I will weigh less, run faster and be stronger than I was at 21. I may not recover as quickly from a night of partying like a rock star like I used to, but in the end, 41 is looking pretty damned good.

20-something year old Luau

40-year old Luau

Do you know what you want to look and feel like on your next birthday? or are you already there?

Why do you run?

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Loss

Posted in motivation, other, tagged Loser, Loss, running on December 9, 2010| 3 Comments »

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One of the many things I love about running is that when we race, despite the fact that we are all running against each other, our true opponent is ourselves. Whether we are pushing the envelope on a tempo run or attempting to hit a time in a marathon, in the end, we need only ask ourselves, “did I give it my all?”

I was recently involved in a race, one that had nothing to do with running. Competitive natures as they are, each contestant still wanted to win. My approach to the race was fairly laid back. In the end, it probably came down in part to being a popularity contest. I’ve never been a fan of those because they tend to cloud the issues and prevent the most qualified people from being elected.

It was suggested to me by several people if maybe every candidate could be declared a winner. The parent in me kind of understood this – there were four of us vying for three positions. Why leave one person out in the cold? What are we showing our kids if we’re essentially voting to exclude one person?

As the parent of a daughter with autism, one of, if not the biggest fears I have is her being excluded because she is different. My wife, in fact, is the founder and driving force behind our elementary school’s Inclusion Committee. We are ALL about inclusion.

However,that is not how the real world works. Even if the wife and I are able to realize the dream of a full inclusion society, that doesn’t mean that everybody gets to be a winner every time (if at all). In the real world there are those that win and those that lose, and more often than not, in a race of any kind, there are more losers than winners.

If the conversation ended there, that statement could seem a bit harsh. To me, this is where those on the far right and those on the far left often stop with there one liners, yelling and screaming AT each other, never talking TO each other. That 15% of America has taken the fun out of competition.

The race doesn’t end at the finish line. To me, it’s not whether you win or lose (though I am competitive enough to prefer a win), but HOW you win or lose.

To go back to the election I was recently in, several people had approached me about lobbying to allow every one a slot. Truth be told, the world wasn’t going to end either way. It was argued to me that we are teaching our kids exclusion by leaving one of the four candidates out. But something kept nagging at me on the other end. I could hear the “it is what it is” voice in my head – the one that said the rules are the rules. But it’s just one more person. Nope! You gotta follow the rules!

But then it hit me. The greater lesson to our kids would be, how did the person who came in 4th handle their loss? Would they simply disappear? Would they get angry? or would they still make sure their voice was heard?

A friend of mine, J-Ro, once said to me, and I’m paraphrasing here, that we learn much more about ourselves through loss and adversity than through victory. I believe that to be true. And I think America as a whole used to believe that too. However, I’ve helplessly watched our political system go into the toilet because the extremists in our country either a.) don’t want anybody to lose or b.) never learned how to learn from loss (I’ll let you figure out who’s who).

I know that I learned much more about myself over the course of 2010 BECAUSE I failed so miserably at the Manchester Marathon in 2009. Had I cruised to a BQ on my first marathon attempt, I don’t think I would have appreciated it as much as I did when I finally broke through at Smuttynose.

Loss is a good thing. Failure can ruin us, to be sure, but only if we let it. Whether you lose by a nose or get your rear end handed to you, it hurts. It’s what you do with that hurt that matters.

I like to think that failure is there to make us better, stronger, sharper.

I know it’s made me a better runner.

Why do you run?

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Pay It Forward

Posted in motivation, tagged 2010, 2011, pay it forward, running, running goals on December 2, 2010| 5 Comments »

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30 days until the end of the year.

Maybe it’s a little early to reflect on 2010, I don’t know.

I know I have accomplished a few of my running goals for 2010, and I am closing in on another – a sub-20 5K, a sub-40 10K, a BQ, check, check, and check! And I’m just 85 miles away from 1,500 for the year.

But there is one goal that I’m afraid I may have to make a run at again in 2011. Truth be told, it is an annual goal that I hope to accomplish EVERY year.

Back on New Year’s Day of this year, wrote this:

For my running friends: My goal is to get you to get 10 of your non-running friends to start running regularly in 2010. If 40 of you get 10 of your friends to start running and they do the same next year, and so on, we can have this whole nation running by 2016. Healthcare reform? We won’t need it! It starts now.

Some of you responded saying you would take up the challenge. I hope you were successful. I can think of 3 or 4 that I’ve succeeded with, but I’m afraid that I will fall short of my goal of 10. Still, I’m pretty sure that I’ve had a positive impact on at least 10 runners and non-runners alike. Hopefully there are some out there that were inspired by my running and blog to simply get more active in 2010, because honestly, as much as I talk about running, it doesn’t matter to me whether it’s running or swimming or biking or rock climbing. My hope is that those people who were inspired to do more, turn around and pay it forward.

Whether you are a sub-3:00 hour marathoner or a 6:00-plus marathoner, you inspire someone. Whether you run 10 miles per week or 100 miles per week, you inspire someone. Whether you have been running forever or you have just started, you inspire someone. Whether you run at all or find your regular physical activity elsewhere, you inspire someone. All we need to do is reach out and lend a spark to that inspiration.

Why do you run?

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A Good Day

Posted in motivation, training, tagged a good day, running on November 18, 2010| 7 Comments »

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it’s all right

-the Beatles

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Yesterday morning I woke up with a sense of hope.

Hope that things were gonna turn around. Hope that the sun was rising.

In the morning I met with an old friend. Not getting into too much detail, but there’s a distinct possibility that I may be starting a new path in 2011. I am excited at the prospect. In the evening, on the way to have some sushi, the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” came on the radio. I smiled.

Yes, here comes the sun.

Over dinner, we ate a lot, shared some sake. I filled my belly with amaebi (sweet raw shrimp), deep fried shrimp heads and plenty of uni (sea urchin guts)…mmmmm!

Upon returning home, having put the kids to bed, I looked at my beautiful wife.

She was spent.

So, I sent her off to bed and…

…I ran!

As I stepped into the cool night air I could feel myself wake up.

My belly protested. Sake and sushi, especially my choice of sushi, aren’t exactly power running foods. Shoot! They are any kind of running foods!

My legs, though still a little creaky from New York, pleaded with me to let them go.

I forced them to start slowly…

…but I couldn’t hold them back for long. It was time to go. In the dark I couldn’t see my watch. I tapped it every time I hit what I knew to be a mile, but I was essentially running naked. It was a wonderful freeing feeling.

Returning to my front door, I tapped my watch one last time. 29:17 for 4 miles, with steady negative splits (8:00 / 7:27 / 7:07 / 6:40).

***

This on a half a bottle of sake and a boatload of sushi.

***

…yes, yesterday was a good day.

Why do you run?

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6.5

Posted in health, motivation, other, rest, training, tagged 6.5, computer, exercise, motivation, television on November 17, 2010| 12 Comments »

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The average American sleeps over 106 days per year.

The average American watches almost 78 days of television per year.

The average American surfs the Internet nearly 30 days per year.

The average American eats for nearly 23 day per year.

How much time does the average American spend on exercise?

Less than 20% of the American population participates in regular exercise. Of those 20%, 65% spend less than an hour doing it. For 80% of this Great Nation, the average amount of time spent during the year on truly sweating is less than 1 day.

***

Sleep and food are necessary. Television and the Internet are not.

***

And no, it’s not just lack of exercise; it is also what we are doing with the time we COULD be spending exercising (staring at a screen, mindlessly eating). It’s a double-whammy. Mindless eating is not about hunger or nutrition. It’s not even about pleasure, as a fine meal can be. But junk/fast-food is not the enemy. It’s what we are doing with it that is – a topic for another post I suppose.

I digress.

***

So what’s your health worth to you? 20 days? 10 days? Would you believe that you could significantly help yourself with just 6.5 days a year? 6.5 days.

Can you spare 6.5 days?

That averages out to 3 hours per week.

I can already hear some people saying, “I don’t have an extra 3 hours per week.”

I hear you. Loud and clear. Time is precious. Choices have to be made. Issues must be tended to. But I take you back to the statistics above. How many hours per week do you spend in front of the television or the computer?

Be honest.

I have friends who are constantly traveling, constantly working and literally don’t have the time. They don’t watch TV and time spent on the computer is for work. For them, I’m not sure what the answer is. Some kind of multi-tasking?

But there are others. Other who complain or come up with excuses.

3 hours a week.

Not only are you receiving the benefits of physical exertion during that time, you’re getting the added bonus of not sitting in front of a screen, munching on HFCS (high fructose corn syrup).

So let me re-phrase – can you re-allocate 3 hours per week?

***

Isn’t your spouse/child/parent/friend worth 6.5 days?

Why do you run?

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Itchy

Posted in health, motivation, rest, training, tagged itchy, marathon, recovery, running, time off, training on November 15, 2010| 7 Comments »

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I took the entirety of last week off from running. My body didn’t fight it. In fact, during the first 5 days after New York I never had a strong urge to put the running shoes on. This is quite unusual for me. In the four previous marathons I’ve run, I have been eager to get right back out there on the pavement the next day, whether I am physically able or not.

I don’t know if it was just the beating I took running the five boroughs or the cumulative effect of running 5 marathons and 3 Half-Marathons in 53 weeks, but physically I just didn’t want to run. I think after what I’ve put it through though, I owed it to my body to listen.

A full eight days out now, however, and I’m starting to get itchy. I woke up yesterday morning and seriously thought of jumping in as a bandit in a local half-marathon that goes right by my house. I chose to be smart, knowing I wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to let the throttle out. I could have paced a friend of mine as well, but at that distance, at some point I wonder if I might not have felt the need to just go.

Yes, I am getting itchy. My shoes (both my Bikilas and my Kinvaras) are calling to me; or maybe it’s my feet that are calling to them. Either way, before this day is through, there will be miles run. It is time.

What’s my point in all of this?

Just that after beating your body into the ground, maybe it is best to listen to it when it is asking for a break. Recovery and rest are no joke.

Like I mentioned earlier, in the past four marathons I have been eager to get back out running as quickly as possible. I wonder if it that urge has more to do with fear than desire. I wonder if some small part of me was afraid if I didn’t get out there as soon as possible, I simply wouldn’t. Some runners (and I know I have been guilty of this) also have this irrational fear that if they don’t run as often as possible they will lose fitness*. It can sometimes border on the edge of compulsion. And seriously, aside from maybe flushing out some built up lactate, I can’t imagine just how productive those post-marathon runs really are.

So this week, I’m taking a new approach. Mentally I know I’m ready to run. My plan for my assault on Heartbreak Hill is coming together. Boston is only (only?) 5 months away. I may not PR at Boston, but I know I’ll improve on last year’s performance. My official training cycle doesn’t start until mid-December (or mid-January, depending on whether I follow an 18-week or 12-week program). Until that training cycle starts, I’m gonna listen to the legs and let them lead the way.

This last week has been luxurious, surprisingly pleasant really. This coming week I will take it slow and easy. And if my legs are ready? Next week it’s back to some real mileage…but only if my legs (and the rest of my body) tell me so.

***

How long do you take to recover after a marathon?

***

*I don’t mean the “oh my God I’m gonna gain weight!” fitness. I mean the “oh my God, I’m gonna lose the ability to run a certain distance at a certain pace” fitness.

Why do you run?

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“But wait…there’s more!”

Posted in motivation, Odd Ball on November 9, 2010| 6 Comments »

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How many of you have been up late at night, flipping through the channels on the tv and come across one of those infomercials for the latest AbGutFatBlasterDoer or the EatAllTheCrapYouWant Diet?

“It’ll change your life!”

“I lost 100 pounds sitting on the couch, eating anything I wanted following Johnny’s three step couch aerobics program!”

“AbGutFatBlasterDoer took me from that to this in less than 3 weeks!”

There is no real product called the AbGutFatBlasterizer…at least not yet. But there are products out there like the Thigh Glider or the Shaker Weight or the Ab Circle.

Oh!

My!

God!!!

Make it stop! Don’t people know that none of the “non-paid participants” are actually “non-paid participants”? I really can’t stand those commercials infomercials – in large part because most of them are essentially empty promises. Aside from the PX90 program, most all of these infomercial gadgets are bunk!

***

Well, I think maybe it’s time I entered this business of easy money:

Are you tired of being tired? Are you walking around at the end of the day wondering what can I do to get in shape?

WELL, HAVE I GOT THE PRODUCT FOR YOU!!!

Yes, for only 3 easy payments of $19.95, I will introduce you to the two greatest workout tools around. They are guaranteed to get you in shape, IF YOU USE THEM! These two items are SO convenient that you don’t need to store them under your bed, or in your closet or even in you workout room (if you have one).

You can take these two workout tools with you wherever you go and you will never know the difference that you are carrying them. No extra weight! No extra space!

Going on a business trip? No problem!

Going to an out-of-town wedding? No problem!

Taking a family vacation? No problem!

Yes folks, you can take these two convenient workout tools with you anywhere! Just send me 3 easy payments of $19.95 and you will be on your way to a –

THINNER!

LEANER!

FITTER YOU!!!

Just ask this satisfied customer:

I started using these products and in three months I lost nearly 25 lbs!!!

-Luau (satisfied customer since November 2008)

Call/Email/Tweet/Text to order now – Operators are standing by… All major credits cards and paypal accepted. Sorry, no COD.

***

Oh, you want to know what this product is before you send me your money? Hmm. Well, if I tell you, what’s to guarantee that you will still send me your 3 easy payments of $19.95?

Aw, what the heck. You don’t need to send me anything, because I see you already HAVE the tools with you!

That’s right! They are your hands and your feet!

With your hands (and the arms that are attached to them) you can do one of the greatest overall exercises out there – the push up! If you can’t do a single one, don’t fret – my friend Steve can get you on the right path – for free!!!

And with your feet, you can do this amazing old school exercise called running! Yes, running! Again, if you don’t think you are ready to run, no need to worry, because there are free – FREE!!! – programs out there to get you started.

***

So, no more excuses. No more “I don’t know what to do.” No more “I don’t belong to a gym.” No more “I don’t have the equipment!”

YOU have the tools, right there, right now.

Now get to work!

***

I’ll settle for one payment of $19.95! Call now!

Why do you run?

For Your Entertainment:

Thigh Glider

Shake Weight

Ab Circle Pro

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Will

Posted in motivation, New York City Marathon, tagged diary of a mom, guest blogger, ING New York City Marathon, NYCM, running, strength, will on November 4, 2010| 30 Comments »

Today I have my very first guest-blogger. She is none other than my lovely wife, Jess. I hesitate to let you read further only because she is a much better writer than I am.

***

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All right, so you can pick your jaws up off the floor now. Seriously, it’s impolite to stare.

I know how implausible it is to find me here. Me – of “I only run when being chased” fame. Me – who once announced to the world that I was going to run a half-marathon, got three weeks into ~~Dante’s third ring of Hell~~ training, decided for the millionth time that I DESPISED running, then spent the next six months trying to hide from anyone that had been within earshot when I’d made the declaration. Me – who would sooner chew glass than run, no less spend my time reading a blog about running (Sorry, honey, you know I love you, right?).

And yet, here I am. And I have a story to tell. And it’s about running. I know, what are the odds?

Here goes.

In another lifetime, when I was ~~thinner and taller~~ er, um, ~~younger and richer~~ oh, Hell, let’s just go with just out of college, I lived in Manhattan. Long before Luau and I met, and a good many years before I would become a running widow, I would periodically head over to the finish line of the New York City Marathon. Friends and I would go to share in the revelry of the day. We’d whoop it up and cheer in the runners as they ran along Central Park South. We made it our personal mission to help push them over the last hump as they neared the finish line in the park.

I loved being there and I always found that the energy and inspiration lingered long after I’d walked away.

One year, after cheering in God knows how many runners, I headed over to the West Side for dinner with a friend. We tucked into a window seat at a favorite restaurant and ordered a bottle of wine. We talked about everything under the sun. We chatted and laughed and watched the people go by. We ordered slowly and ate even more slowly. Why not? We were living in the days of nowhere to be. It was long after nine o’clock when we finally paid the check.

I headed out into the night, amazed at how dark it was. I walked across town, making my through the park and back down to Central Park South. I was changed by what I saw along the way.

A lone runner was making his way along the same path that had been lined with bodies hours earlier. Where there had been rows of fans five and six deep. there was now nothing but a few stray barricades still waiting to be collected. There was no fanfare now – no one screaming or urging him on – no one there waiting to hand him a banana or a mylar blanket. There was no one to put a medal around his neck, offer him a massage or even give him a handshake. There was nothing at all but him and the place where the finish line had been. It was nearly ten o’clock at night.

I stood in the dark watching him with tears streaming down my face.

One at a time, he pulled his forearm crutches around his body. At awkward angles, they kept time with his feet until he finally stopped to raise them above his head.

I felt like a voyeur. I didn’t say a word. I didn’t move. I just stood back in awe of the human will.

Finishing that race was for no one but him.

Running is intensely personal. Whether you’re obsessed with running a qualifying time for a marathon (ahem), looking to beat a personal record (ahem again), or just hoping to make it in before the course closes, unless you’re an elite runner, it’s for no one but you. Running for a cause or running against the clock; running two miles or running twenty six miles, if you’re really going to do it, it’s got to be for YOU.

If you’re running New York this weekend, I wish you luck and I wish you strength.

And while you’re there, if you start to falter, keep your feet moving toward the park. Because there, you might just find the spirit of the man who finished HIS race long after the spectators had gone home.

***

Jess can be found at Diary of a Mom where she writes about our life, our beautiful daughters – nine and-a-half year-old Katie and seven and-a-half year-old, Brooke, and our up and down journey with autism.

She also runs the Diary of a Mom Facebook page, a warm and supportive community of parents, friends, adults on the autism spectrum and some random people in her life who cared enough to hit ‘Like’ and probably now wonder what they got themselves into.

Why do you run?

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Progress

Posted in motivation, New York City Marathon, other, training, tagged ING New York City Marathon, Progress, running, running goals on November 2, 2010| 6 Comments »

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One year ago yesterday I ran the Manchester City Marathon – my first. I was convinced that I was going to qualify for Boston in that race. Looking back, I realize that I really had no idea what I truly was getting into. My strategy was rudimentary at best. It didn’t really matter. I abandoned it within the first few miles. I flew through the first half in just over 1:35. I pumped my fist at my family as I flew by them. There are no pictures of that moment because I was 5 – 10 minutes ahead of schedule. I was flying.

Then I had to run the second half. The second half took me just over 2:20, including 20 minutes to get from mile 20 to mile 21.

I came nowhere near qualifying for Boston. As proud as I was for finishing my first marathon, I was devastated.

It was on that day that I finally realized that running a marathon, forget qualifying for Boston, was hard.

***

In 6 days I will be running the ING New York City Marathon. It will be my 5th marathon in 53 weeks. To say that my experience in New York will be different from that in Manchester is a bit of an understatement. Yes, the cities and crowds are different, but I am speaking more directly to the experience of running the 26.2 miles themselves.

In 53 short weeks I have made a tremendous amount of progress. I have gone from a 3:54 marathon where my quads froze up, to a Boston Qualifying time of 3:19, to possibly gunning for a 3:15 this coming Sunday.

A 35 minute improvement.

Progress.

The best part is that I know that my running is a work in progress. There is still much to be done, many miles to be run, a number of milestones to be reached.

But I don’t say all of this to toot my own horn. No. I say this to tell you that anybody, ANYBODY, can get there. If you train hard, eat right and run smart, progress is inevitable. The speed and measure of progress is different for each individual.

If you have a running goal, any goal for that matter…believe! Believe!!!

Why do you run?