A Year of Running

"The only way to define your limits is by going beyond them." -- Arthur Clarke

Today is almost exactly a year since I started running again. And was also my first Half Marathon. It's hard to believe how much I have done in just a year. What started as a way to help lose weight became enjoyable and then competitive. This isn't the end - until and/or if my body lets me down, I will keep running.

Me in 8th Grade :)

When I started running a year ago, I hadn't done any running since my sophomore year in college when I was trying to make the hockey team at Villanova. The last time I had done any competitive running was in the 8th grade when I ran the 800 in Jr. High (yes, I am old enough that we didn't call it Middle School). To be honest, I never really like running before. I much preferred skating and bike riding. 

Me at 180 lbs.

Flash forward to last year and something just clicked with running this time. Yes, part of it was the weight dropping off (from 180+ in June 2011 to 140 in Feb. 2012) but it was more than that - I was enjoying the movement and how it made me feel.

So how did I get to a Half Marathon? I could say miles, miles, miles (which is true) but it really was my need to measure myself. I like to downplay my competitiveness but I'm competitive, especially with myself. I score every golf round and keep a Handicap (currently a 25) so I can see improvement or lack thereof. Same with running - all my runs are logged on RunKeeper. It was also seeing my ex-sister-in-law Paula running half and full marathons. Not that I was competing with her - she just seemed to be enjoying it so much I figured, why not? Paula was running the Ocean City Half Marathon and said it was a great race, so on Feb. 29, 2012, I signed up for the OC Half and had my goal for the next 9 months.

My race career started on my birthday with the Polar Bear 5K in Sea Isle, NJ and was followed by the Lehigh Valley 5K (still my PR at 25 min), more 5K's, the Rugged Maniac Mud Run, the Lehigh Valley Zoo 10K and then finally, today's OC Half Marathon. Despite the forecasts all week, today was clear and cool (55 deg) at the race start. As expected, I started out a bit too fast, doing the 1st mile in around 9 minutes. Luckily, the Longport Bridge slowed me a bit, though it wasn't as bad as I expected. It was back up on the boards for a while (not sure I actually like running on the Boardwalk - I like the crowd, not the feel underfoot). By about mile 8, I was feeling aches and pains but knew I had run longer, though maybe not as fast, before. Even when I passed 11.3 miles (my previous longest), I knew I would finish, it was just a matter of how fast I would be going. Hearing one of the volunteers said "2 tenths to go" was awesome. I crossed the finish, saw my sister Steph, Paula's husband Dave and my time (2:06:09) - all of which made me very happy. I tried very hard to enjoy the race and the atmosphere and the view since I only get one first Half. I think I accomplished that and will have great memories.

Some thanks are in order......

• To my friends (both digital and physical and some who are both) and family for putting up with my prattling on about running, training, miles and times. It's not going to end but hopefully I won't be as obsessed - no promise though.

• To my Pacer Team teammates for all the encouragement before races and for the Saturday Fun Runs where I did many of my long training runs. The company and conversation during those runs really made them go by faster.

• To the PhillyFitters for accepting me as an honorary member and letting me run with them and hang out with them at events.

• To Tom McGovern, who is even crazier than me and went from zero to triathalon. We did the Rugged Maniac together and his craziness inspired me to going towards the OC Half.

• To Dr. Pollack at Hunterdon Orthopedics for the Euflexxa and cortisone injections that got me to the LV 5K but for also balancing treatment with my desire to run.

• To Amy Weller at Pro-Activity for not only being the best PT I have ever had but for showing me how to stretch and run better. Amy's a runner so she got me to the LV Zoo 10K and today's race. There is still work to be done but she understood how important the races were.

• And to Paula Tansey....words cannot say how thankful I am for everything you did for me these past 10 months. You were my inspiration for doing all of this in the first place but you ended up being my "running sensei". You talked me down off ledge for than a few times and weren't afraid to tell me when I was being stupid. Mostly though it was just the constant encouragement that kept me going. I would not have made it to today's race without you.

So what's next? In the short-term, the Runner's World Half in 3 weeks and then the Turkey Trot 5k in Flemington. Long-term, I have more Halfs in my site but also am contemplating the Philly Marathon next November. So be ready for more training talk next year..... 

My first real running shoes and the hat that made it to every race.