Running

Why I Started

Growing up, I was always the smallest of my friends. While I did not inherit much size, I still inherited a modicum of athleticism from my parents. I was relatively fast and was a sprinter and hurdler in junior high and high school.

Following my parents' divorce, my father began to run, and I would sometimes run with him. I was definitely built more like a sprinter than a distance runner, and I would not say that I enjoyed distance running but more that I enjoyed making improvements. I also desperately wanted the approval of my father. With my friends, with my brothers, being active and in shape was just a part of growing up. If you wanted to keep up, you had to be active. You didn't want to be sitting on the sidelines while you watched your friends and brothers running races and playing sports.

So, when I got into college and finally having had something of a growth spurt, I was in better shape than my more bookish classmates. Being in ROTC certainly helped me support that physical fitness. Now I was winning races, or at least being competitive. Short races, 5ks and mini triathlons and one time running a leg in a team marathon.

I ran through most of college but it became more difficult afterwards living in Chicago and having long commutes to and from work. I got out of that habit, and most of my exercise came from walking the dog.

Back Into It

Following in my father's footsteps, I got back into running following my divorce. Of course I wanted to look good to make myself more eligible, but I discovered it helped to take my mind off of the drama going on in my life. I also knew that my drinking had become an issue, and running offered a good excuse for me to tell friends, and especially tell myself, I can't drink too much because I am going to run tomorrow.

I really found refuge in running after getting remarried. I caused a lot of trouble early in my marriage to Jen. There was the drinking, not really being ready to be married again, and not being ready to suddenly be part of a family again, not to mention the mental health issues. Instead of facing those things head -on (though I had pretty much stayed in therapy when I could afford it), I went off for a run.

I took longer and longer runs. I was not as fast as I had been in college, so I was no longer getting that satisfaction from improving my times. I found renewed satisfaction from being able to run even further each time out. Eventually I ran a couple half-marathons and then a few full marathons.

The half-marathon turned out to be my favorite distance. It is not something a person could just got off their couch and do. It took training. While each marathon felt like it took a couple years off my life, completing half-marathons was still satisfying.

Now I purely run for the therapeutic benefits. I can neither go as fast nor as far as I once did. Completing a 10k at this point would be a big accomplishment. Now I struggle with very low energy as part of the mental issues I deal with. Still, I know there is no better medicine for me than to get out and do a run.

Some Recommendations

I read and loved Haruki Murakami's book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. I think it is a beautiful love letter to the act of running, and I highly suggest every runner and anyone thinking about running read it. I also run barefoot at times after reading Christopher McDougall's book, Born to Run, another book I strongly suggest for every runner. It is much easier to do in Cape Canaveral than Brighton. There is the beach as well as not having broken glass in the streets like you have in Brighton. The benefits of barefoot or minimalist running are a bit of a controversy in the running community. It has worked for me. I used to have very painful issues with IT band tendonitis and have had no trouble since I started barefoot running. I think it builds different muscles, which keeps things balanced.

Anyway, I will encourage you to go have a run and then let me know about how good you feel afterwards. I need all the motivation I can get.